By Nadeesha Paulis
(Continued from last week)
The family began feeling suspicious about these incidents and consulted a local witch doctor. This witch doctor visited the house and was able to tell that there was a spirit of a previous owner, the mother of the current land lady haunting the house and that it seemed, as though the spirit was angry at the new residents in it. Especially as they had made so many changes to the original house. She also noted that judging from the incidents, the spirit was particularly aroused whenever any changes were made to the house. The family were more worried and inquiries were made from the land lady who was unpleasant in her replies. She was reluctant to say anything about it. The family asked from the neighbours about the past of the house but they too didn’t know anything as this particular family had kept much to themselves and did not engage in any sort of sociable give and take with the neighbours. One old gentleman from across the street told them what he thought.
The mother of the land lady had died when she was only four years old leaving the daughter in the care of the father. The circumstances of her death were unpleasant and she died after she had been ill for some time. No one knew why but rumour had it that it was caused after some dispute among her family which then excluded her from the rest of the family. She had been angry with her family at the time of death.
The family was at first skeptical into believing this and another light reader was consulted. This person however could not visit the house but was able to ‘see’ via a technique called ‘pena baleema’ and recommended several pooja and alms- giving in order to cleanse the house and offer merit to the spirit so that it can move on. Some ceremonies even included the lighting of about 200 oil lamps in and around the perimeter of the house. The second witch doctor was further able to see that no less than three other entities or spirits had accompanied the first spirit. He explained that the negative atmosphere the first spirit had paved the way for other negative spirits in. In other words the evil spirit had opened some form of portal for other evil forces to enter.
I visited the showroom of the family and was given a tour of the house including the backyard where the well is located. It is now the year 2012 and they have done pretty much everything in their power to make peace with the entity and to help it move on. The family are now on the motto ‘live and let the dead live’. Business has however suffered throughout the years but no striking incidents like the previous ones have been reported.
When I told them I was writing this column on spooky experiences, I was allowed to take a look through the backrooms and I found myself in the furthermost room of the house where according to my host, was the cutting table (which is a large table where fabric is cut) I heard a very irritating noise up on the roof. RAT-A-TAT-TAT. It sounded as if someone was knocking their knuckles on the roof and it continued for some time. I went outside the backdoor and into the garden where I found that it was a bit windy. The knocking on the roof could have been made by a tree branch knocking against the roof. I was relived and disappointed at the same time that it was not the spirit making itself known to me. A small part of me hoped that it wasn’t the wind.
And I do hope they will be safe from those shadowy non dead other residents of their abode… (End)
