Church Bells Part 5- Conclusion

Church Bells Part 5- conclusion
Meanwhile Mr. Jinx realized it was all alone in the house and meowing mournfully went to wake up Rick.   Rick was a light sleeper and quickly gathered Mr. Jinx in his arms and asked where Jeff and Harry were.   Mr. Jinx jumped out of his arms and seemed to convey to Rick that he should follow him.  Rick came over and upon finding the house empty was further mystified and got his car out, his brow furrowed  with worry and dismay.
 
He drove along the beach and came across unconscious Jeff and Harry.  He managed to drag them to his  car and drove them to the local hospital.   Luckily except for a minor concussions and mighty headaches  they were both fine in body but were mentally quite disturbed.  They were beset with worry wondering  what sort of creature had they unwittingly unleashed on their beloved Goa and its people.  They had to  capture the mummy somehow containing it skillfully and taking it back from whence it had come.

Upon getting home, they quickly called the merchant from whom they had bought the mummy asking  about its antecedents and origin history.  The merchant promised to enquire and get back to them  on the double.  They gave him 24 hours time tops.  The merchant quickly called a professor friend  and explained his predicament and asked for a solution to this serious problem.  The professor in turn asked for a couple of hours’ time to do some quick thinking and research.  Knowing the  valley from where this mummy was excavated, he pulled up the relevant manuscripts and began reading.

  Soon he was able to find one sentence that seemed like the key to this dilemma.  If the tablet that  was found with the mummy was placed in the sarcophagus (outer shell of the mummy) and the words are  chanted non stop then their power would drag the mummy back to its resting place meaning the sarcophagus  and once in, they should quickly throw in the tablet with the mummy and seal it shut for good once  and for all.  Now the tablet was quickly dispatched to Jeff & Harry by air and they soon had it in their hands. Th e good professor and also written out the chant in English phonetically so that  they could chant it well with full power. 

Harry and Jeff started chanting in real earnest.  Meanwhile Mario with Cleo in his body was running  amok all over the town.  Now suddenly Mario started being pulled  backwards.  People on seeing  this smiled and shook their heads.  Little did they imagine what was going on inside poor Mario.    Soon zombie like Mario/Cleo entered Jeff and Harry’s house and quietly came in and lay down  in the coffin.  Harry and Jeff grabbed Mario and pulled him out of the coffin and threw him  on the floor, next quickly threw in the tablet and shut the coffin tight binding it with strong ropes.

  Cleo had been contained.  They  finally let out a sigh of great relief.
 Mr Jinx too finally seemed to be at peace and quietly lay down to sleep.
  They made arrangements with the merchant and quickly shipped the mummy back
 from whence it had come.

Life was back to normal each enjoying the company of the other with Mr. Jinx sitting in the middle.  Amen.

moral of the story- Do not disturb the dead and

Let the sleeping dogs (mummies) lie:

Lastly do not spook your cat  

Crossing Over Part 1

Crossing Over (a short Fiction Story) Part 1

 

Truth Is Stranger Than FictionWMD aka William Marcus D’Souza- Bill for short was having a bad day.  It had been a very hectic day at work with meeting after meeting and his table was full of uncleared files that needed his immediate attention. The Company was in the middle of a merger deal and he had been asked to clear all pending projects by delegating all the workload to appropriate Department heads so that they could be finished in record time before The company merged losing its identity and resurfacing in another morphed Avatar. Bill had been promoted as General Manager recently and this came to pass due to his hard work, innovative skills and thinking outside the box mentality.

 

WMD- Bill was an only son having lost his dad in the war, a squadron Leader
in the Indian Air force. His mom Maggie d’souza was a woman of substance and
her personality had equal measure of charm, diffidence and courage. Maggie did
not breakdown when her beloved husband Marcus Jose D’Souza lost his life in
service of his country at the age of thirty leaving behind a four year son who had
just begun binding with his Dad.

 

Maggie gathered her wits about her and weighing all the pros and cons decided
To sell their small house in Goa and move to Bombay where she had found a good
School where little Billy could study and Maggie could teach in primary school as well.
The nuns who ran this convent had also given Maggie a two room apartment as part of  her employment package considering her circumstances and also maybe it was the will  of  god -that element was very much in the mix as this was the only time they had made an exception and provided accommodation to a member of their staff.

 

Maggie was a good teacher who brought out the best in her students and also captured their attention by her innovative method of teaching. Billy too was in her class and flourished in body and mind. The nuns however to be fair, always had Billy’s test papers checked out by another staff member to avoid any controversy and the test papers for each class were set by the teacher of another section which eliminated any cheating or partiality. Billy’s dad when alive was an accomplished well respected pianist and Billy had inherited his musical prowess from him and this skill Maggie honed to perfection by having Billy take special piano lessons. They had also brought their prized possession,  a baby grand piano with them to Bombay.

 

Time went by swiftly and Billy turned 21 and being an outstanding student, he got recruited right  from the college campus at a substantial compensation package. Both mother and son finally  felt all their hard work and determination had paid off. They remembered Marcus very much and said  special Prayers for him at the local church where they attended mass every Sunday without fail.  Now they moved into the company three bedroom apartment that was part of the package deal. Luckily it was not too far from the school. Few years passed by.

 

Maggie had been having dizzying spells and had been feeling weak for some time but had ignored these  signs. Finally her colleague and best friend Nisha persuaded her to consult her physician. The test results had finally come in and Maggie felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach.  She had blood cancer and it was in the advanced stages and she did not have too much time to live.  Maggie was happy and then sad. She was happy because now she would be joining her beloved Marcus
and then she was sad as her Billy would be left alone. But Maggie was aware that Billy was in love  with a lovely girl named Sonia who also loved Billy equally in return. So, she consoled herself that Billy would have someone to hold him when she called it quits. But she did not let Billy know about her illness- she said that she had some infection which was lingering and was problematic.  Billy made sure Maggie took her meds and dinner on time and paid extra heed to her needs. They truly cared for each other and were more like pals than mother and son.

 

Since Maggie had little time left, she wanted to pay a last visit to Goa and bid farewell to her numerous relatives who had been calling her all these years and also pay her respects at the graves  of both her parents and Marcus’s parents. After great persuasion, Billy let her go with the promise  that she will call frequently and let him know about her well being.

 

Billy was feeling a lot of strain due to the deadlines and also the merger was only two days away.  He had caught a chill yesterday whilst being caught in the rain without
proper attire and now he was coming down with high fever and chills. Even his teeth
had begun to chatter. Their family doctor was Doctor Khanna who had his office
in the nearby shopping market and he also lived about couple of miles from their place.  As luck would have it, even though he tried calling Dr. Khanna on his cell, he could not  reach him. After calling the office, Lisa, doctor Khanna’s secretary informed him that  Doctor was on leave for a month and had left a substitute doctor in charge and she promised  to have Dr. Kher the sub doc make a house call. Billy said thanks, and fell  in the bed almost in a comatose state babbling incoherently with tremors shaking  his body due to chills felt all over.

 

Dr. Kher was returning from another house call and was on his way back to the office
when he saw someone standing in the middle of the road. He had to hit the brakes and  slow down abruptly. He saw a well dressed bespectacled lady standing there. He rolled  down the car window and asked if he could help her. She said yes doctor I need you to  come with me for another housecall as there is another person who needs your help urgently.  They rushed to Billy’s house and immediately doctor Kher attended to Billy and realized  that he had a bad case of the flu and would need hospitaliztaion so that he could be under  proper care and observation. with appropriateIV fluids etc administered as treatment protocol.

 

The lady thanked him profusely and then saw him off. The next day, Dr. Kher went
to the hospital to check up on Billy and he found Sonia his fiancé in attendance and his color  looked much better and he seemed to be responding to the treatment Then Billy thanked the doctor  and also asked him to convey his gratitude to Lisa who had dispatched him with alacrity.  Dr. Kher was mystified and said that he did not spoken to Lisa since yesterday morning.  Then Billy asked how did he know to come to house to see him. Dr. Kher said that a middle  aged lady had stopped his car and requested and pleaded with him to hurry and see her son. Billy  was mystified and said Doc you must be mistaken as my mom is in Goa. Then when the doc insisted,
he showed the picture of his mom that he carried in his wallet and Doc Kher confirmed  That indeed Maggie had asked him to visit their house and checkout Billy.

Billy did not disbelieve the doc but was still puzzled. He immediately called his mom on her cell  phone but there was no answer. Then he called his cousin Mary who was very dear to them and  Maggie would most probably be with them. Mary answered the phone on the first bell and whilst  weeping profusely informed Billy that aunty Maggie had passed away last evening around 7.30pm  and ever since they had been calling Billy to let him know but there was no answer..
Doctor Kher had seen Maggie at 7.30pm In Bombay on his way back to the office…….

 

to be contd…… in part 2

The illimitable, silent, never-resting thing called Time, rolling, rushing on, swift, silent,  like an all-embracing ocean-tide, on which we and all the universe swim like exhalations,  like apparitions which are, and then are not: this is forever very literally a miracle; a thing to strike us dumb, for we have no word to speak about it.
Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher, Author

 

Spiritual energy flows in and produces effects in the phenomenal world.
William James, 1842-1910, American Psychologist, Professor, Author

 

Sages speak of the immutable Tree of Life, with its tape root above and its branches below.- Bhagavad Gita
c. BC 400-, Sanskrit Poem Incorporated Into the Mahabharata

Crossing Over Part 2

Crossing Over (a short Fiction Story) Part 2

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
 

William Marcus D’Souza aka Billy was missing his mom Maggie very much.  In his heart he could not reconcile with the fact  that she was gone forever.  There was a big empty hole in his heart and even though he and
Sonia Mehta had gotten even closer due to this tragedy, he was inconsolable.
Billy was an accomplished pianist and he had inherited his musical ear and prowess from his dad Marcus.
  He could also sing very well and had a strong powerful voice.  This he got from Maggie who was
 a wonderful singer.  Together they made magic and he even recalled those magical moments when
they all gathered around the piano and sang and  even though he was only four when his dad died,
 still he did have some memory glimpses like shiny cameos of their time together as a family.
Every year Billy’s company held a charitable ball. The company CEO had adopted an orphanage that
 was run by his close friend.  Since this was a worthy cause and the company also benefited
 due to all the hype and exposure that was given to this event, hence none of the shareholders
 demurred.
Billy had been asked to perform this year also and even though he did not feel like
Singing, still he reluctantly acquiesced.  Right from the day he got the news of Maggie’s demise,
from that day onwards, every night, Billy would kneel down before sleeping and childlike,
 earnestly pray to God to send some signal that both his parents were happy in heaven and that
 they also remembered and missed their son as much as he missed  them.  This one  sided
 conversation continued and he would plead, cajole, cry and even threat to give up prayers
 altogether if God did not heed to him soon.
Finally the gala event was happening and Billy had prepared a few popular songs. He
was also planning to sing his favorite song that his parents used to sing together and which
 he now had a recording of,  which he listened to quite frequently.  He knew it by
heart.  The Ballroom was packed solid  and now it was Billy’s turn to sing.  After warming
up on the piano, Billy started singing his parents’ song in a powerful baritone.
All present were absolutely spellbound by the mesmerizing voice and the sheer poetry
Of the lyrics and the lovely tune it was strung in.  Then the unexpected happened!
Right after the first few lines before beginning the second verse, Billy’s mind went blank!!
 For the life of him, he could not recall anything and he was getting red with
embarrassment.  He was trying to catch Sonia’s eye in the audience when suddenly two
beautiful voices rang out from amidst the audience and which were the next few lines Of the song.
 Billy Immediately continued on cue and finished the song amidst thunderous applause and encores.
 Then, quickly finishing his item and songs, Billy rushed towards the middle of the audience
 and asked those folks to identify themselves who had provided  his cue and helped him
 from loss of face.  But no one confessed.  All were mystified as to who sang that song.
  It was a mystery.
Billy went home and immediately took out his parents recording and started listening to it
 very carefully.  His suspicions were confirmed.  The voices that sang out of the
audience were none other than those of his parents who had come as guardian angels to
help their son in need.  He now realized that indeed God had answered his prayers and
Let him know that his parents were together and happy and were also keeping an eye
On their beloved son in the form of guardian angels.
Billy finally felt a big burden had been lifted from his heart and now he was feeling very
Happy knowing that he was no longer an orphan as his parents were with him in an invisible form
Shortly after that day, Sonia and Billy got married and lived happily ever after.

As the essence of courage is to stake one’s life on a possibility, so the essence of
faith is to believe that the possibility exists.
William Salter
“Faith is the acceptance that we can grasp the reality of a truth, not be fully
understanding of it, but know enough to understand it’s right, it works, it’s perfect.”
Anonymous Anonymous

.
 

to be contd…  Part 3

Crossing Over Part 3

Crossing Over – Part 3 (to be contd..)
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
Sonia and Billy enjoy a blissful married life.  This was mostly
uneventful except at times it was rocked by the usual minor quarrels
 And subsequent patch ups.  The main fly in their marriage ointment were
Sonia’s parents who like any other normal wannabe grandparents were always
Obliquely nudging them for a grandchild.  Sonia and Billy wished to have a
Child as well but were waiting for the period of mourning to pass and also wanted
To prepare themselves emotionally and on a practical level as both led very busy lives

Five years had elapsed and Maggie’s 5th death anniversary was the following week.
Billy and Sonia decide to take a break from their busy schedules and have a small
2 week vacation in Goa and pay their respects at the parents’ graves and visit
numerous friends and cousins.

Goa is vibrant as usual and they shed their harried work skins and fall in with the
Happy go lucky mood of the place.  They walk on the beach hand in hand, collect
Shells and driftwood and have a blast.  The next day is Sunday and so Billy decides to
Go for mass at the local church where Maggie & Marcus used to attend Mass.  Sonia
decides to go shopping with a Bombay friend who now lives in Goa.  After mass, Billy
Takes a walk to his parents grave and there he pays his respects and tells his parents he
Misses them a lot and also lets them know that all their efforts for a child have come to
naught so far and promises to bring the baby for a visit as and when it arrives in their
midst.  Before leaving, Billy takes out a plastic pouch from his pocket and  gathers the
Dirt surrounding the graves to bring back with him to Bombay.  This is his little secret
from Sonia.  The vacation is over in no time and they head home.

Work life gets them in its vortex and time flies.  After a couple of weeks, Sonia starts
feeling nausea and morning sickness.  Her heart quickens with hope that maybe this
Time she is finally pregnant.  She quietly pays a visit to her doctor’s office who confirms
 that Sonia is indeed pregnant.  She is filled with immense joy and cannot wait to tell Billy
And then her parents of this good news.  After five years, the Gods had smiled on
Them and now they wanted to savor all the happy moments as the embryo grows in the
Womb.  On Sonia next visit to the doctor however, she comes to know that in fact she is carrying
 Twins.  Sonia is at first apprehensive and then gets elated thinking maybe God wants to makeup
 for previous lapses.  Now Billy and Sonia begin planning a nursery in real earnest. They wanted
to have a happy nursery with clouds and ocean painted on the walls, their beloved Goa sceneries,
2 cribs and rockers and all the necessary accouterments  required in the nursery.  They convert
 their Master bedroom into a nursery and move into the smaller bedroom.  Since this is a three
 bedroom apartment, they still have a guestroom/cum office for themselves.

Soon the stork is ready for delivery and with the moral support of Sonia’s parents, the
Twins are born without too much fuss and pain for Sonia.  It is a boy and a girl and as
 they had already decided on the kids names, they name the baby girl Rose Margaret
 and the boy Aditya Marcus.   The babies are a healthy weight and after a week
the babies come home.  Sonia is on maternity leave and wants to enjoy blissful
motherhood in every way possible.  She breastfeeds the twins, croons to them and
is constantly boning up on all books on baby rearing especially twins and the dos and
don’ts for new moms.  Both Billy’s  and Sonia’s work friends had thrown baby showers
and hence they had all imaginable baby stuff such as booties, bibs, tiny clothes, crib toys
 and all the baby electronics etc.  The grandparents had bought them the bigger items like
a twin baby stroller and two baby swing-o-matics  to rock them to sleep.  They had also
offered their services as permanent baby sitters.   The D’Souza’s had also engaged a
much  recommended nanny to help out  as a live-in.  Their building complex had a
separate servant quarter and they had reserved this for their maid.  They also had a phone
extension put in the maid’s room in case of need in the night.
Time passed by swiftly and now the twins were turning four and Sonia and Billy had
planned a big birthday party inviting all their friends and family members to makeup
 for all the treats and parties owed by them to their kith and kin.  The party preparations
 were in full swing and the kids were constantly getting underfoot adding to the general
confusion and melee.  Sonia gives Addy (Aditya) a soft ball to play with and banishes
 him to the nursery.  Addy starts tossing the ball against the wall when suddenly the ball
 is caught midair by invisible hands who pass the ball back to Addy.  Addy is surprised
but being pragmatic and uncomplicated is delighted at this invisible friend and the ball
 is tossed and played with full vigor.  Then Addy says friend I would like to see you and
lo and behold, Addy sees A figure dressed in an air force suit smiling at him.  On questioning,
 the apparition says Addy I am your grandpa and I’ve come to play with you.  Whenever you
call me and wish for me to appear, I will come to play with you.  It so happens that Addy is a child
Musical prodigy which he has amply exhibited by creating music out of pots n pans and
anything that made its way into his tiny pudgy hands.  He can also sketch and draw well.
This quality he has inherited from Sonia and her mom who is a painter of repute.

Rosie on the other hand is an out and out tomboy daily getting into quarrels and squabbles
 with neighborhood children.  She is very kind hearted and cannot bear any cruelty to animals
 or other kids who cannot defend themselves.  She is only five minutes elder than Addy,
but has become his champion and protector as he is very gentle and a placid easy going
 child living in his own world.

Thus when I come to shape here at this table between my hands the story of my life
and set it before you as a complete thing, I have to recall things gone far, gone deep,
 sunk into this life or that and become part of it; dreams, too, things surrounding me,
 and the inmates, those old half-articulate ghosts who keep up their hauntings by day
 and night… shadows of people one might have been; unborn selves.
Virginia Woolf , 1882-1941, British Novelist, Essayist

to be contd……part 4

Crossing Over Part 4- Conclusion

Crossing Over Part 4 -Conclusion

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
Rosie gets tired of playing outside and decides to go to the nursery to checkup on Addy
and she sees him playing ball with a man dressed in an air force uniform. She is mystified
 but somehow feels she knows this man.  Marcus comes to Rosie and says Child I am your
 grandpa come to pay a visit and whenever you wish to see me or grandma, we will appear
 but both of you must promise that you will not tell anyone about us.  It will be our
little secret.  The children make a pact with grandpa and are very excited about this
secret.  Then the grandpa seems to vanish into the walk in closet in the nursery.
It so happens that Billy had placed the dirt collected from the graves in Goa in a
cigar box and he had placed this box on the topmost shelf in the children’s closet.
 
Now, throughout the day whenever the children are naughty and are banished into the
 nursery they do not complain like before but happily go and play in their room.  The maid
and  Sonia and Billy are mystified at this change in their behavior.  Now the kids get regaled by
Grandma with fairytales and other nice anecdotes and Grandpa tells Addy that he has
left a present for him in his trunk in the store-room.  He wants Addy to have the
Replica of his fighter jet and also the sheets of music with original scores written
by him which he wants Addy to attempt.  Grandma wants Rosie to have her journal
and keepsake box that are also in this trunk.  The kids are very excited and cannot
wait to get their hands on these things.  But how do they go to the store-room without
grownups finding out about it, as this trunk is buried way down under a lot of other
old stuff.  Finally grandpa says they can confide in Billy so that he can help remove
these items from the trunk.  The kids get Billy in their room and then call out to their
grandparents.  They appear floating out of the closet.  Billy cannot see them but can
hear them and he pleads for them to appear to him as well.  Suddenly he too can see
them.  He is delighted at this but also worries that if they hang around here, their
spirits will always be trapped due to their love for him and the kids.   He promises
to bring the trunk to the kids room and give them their gifts. He goes to the store
room and without creating a ruckus gets his hand on the trunk and brings it to the
nursery.  Billy is as excited as the children.  He quickly opens the trunk and first
finds the model jet fighter which he gives to Addy and also the sheet music that was
 tucked in a circular Chinese canister used for scrolls.  Now, it is Rosie’s turn.
 He pulls out Maggie’s journal and  wants it himself and feels foolish wanting to
compete with a four year old.  But dammit, Maggie was his mom.  He talks himself
into handing over Maggie’s journal to Rosie and the promised trinket box.  Then he
 picks up the trunk to return to its allotted place when he is stopped by Maggie. 
Maggie tells him “son, I know why you brought that dirt from our graves and unknowingly
also carried our spirits back with you.  Now we know you are happily settled  and we have
 met our lovely grandchildren also, so, we would like to rest now and request you to
 release us.  We know you brought the dirt to mix it with the soil where you are planning
 to plant my favorite roses, so please do that quickly so that we can rest.”  Billy pleads
 with them to be around the family for some more time but in his heart he knows he has to
 let go and release them.  He promises to do so next morning after
the birthday party.
The kids are dressed up in their birthday clothes and the party is in full swing.  As was
expected, all the gathered folks ask Billy to sing and Addy decides to help with the piano.
His little fingers fly on the keyboard and when the song is over, he quickly plays a
wonderful new score.  Everyone is awestruck by this wonderful music and both the
Grandparents who are hovering nearby are ecstatic with joy to finally hear Marcus’
Music played on the piano and by none other than their darling grandson. They are very
proud and now feel that all their unfulfilled dreams have been met.
 

Next morning, Billy get the cigar box out of the nursery closet and pours the dirt
around the rose bushes in the garden.  He mixes it with the soil very gently and
with great love, as though hugging his parents.  There are tears in his eyes but
 he knows this had to be done.
Maggie and Marcus never appeared to anyone after that day but the rose bushes took on a
 new shine and were extra fragrant.  Often passersby would stop and smell the roses and
enquire the secret behind such bloom.  Billy just  smiled quietly and looked at his
 roses with lots of love in his eyes.
Aditya Marcus D’Souza gained fame and fortune and was acknowledged as a child
Musical prodigy.  He was lesser known as a painter.
Rose Margaret D’Souza also became a school teacher in the family tradition
But also had a dual career and became a playback singer in the Bollywood movies.
She was able to eat her cake and have it too.
Whenever, Billy misses Maggie, he just visits his rose bushes and confides all his
problems to the roses.  People think he is nuts to talk to his roses, but Billy knows
better!!!!
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and
 the wings of independence.
Denis Waitley
1933-, American Author, Speaker, Trainer, Peak Performance Expert

The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get
 along without them.
Frank A. Clark

Children see in their parents the past, their parents see in them the future;
 and if we find more love in the parents for their children than in children
 for their parents, this is sad but natural. Who does not entertain his
 hopes more than his recollections.
John Ruskin
1819-1900, British Critic, Social Theorist
 To nourish and raise children against odds is in any time, any place, more
 valuable  than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons.
Marilyn French
1929-, American Author, Critic

 If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you
 do well matters very much.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
1929-1994, American First Lady, Wife of John F. Kennedy & Aristotle Onassis

Children aren’t happy without something to ignore, And that’s what parents were created for.
Ogden Nash

Next Page »