The Other Side(8)
She then addressed to no one in particular. “Are you here? Have you come?”
Shikha was shocked to feel the coin move, dragging the three fingers that were touching it to the YES.
“Thank you, oh noble spirit, for heeding our call,” Tanya whispered, “Would you like to tell us your name?”
The coin raced over the board and spelled out, R...A...N... J...I...T...S... I...N... G...H.
“Thank you, Ranjit Singh ji. May we ask you a few questions?”
The coin raced to YESagain.
“Do you know the name of the lady sitting to the right? Will you tell us?”
The coin moved to spell Sanjana. Despite her skepticism, Shikha was impressed. Maybe there was some basis to this mumbojumbo after all.
“Will you please tell us where she was born?”
Jodhpur, answered the spirit.
“Tell us, will she find true love in life?”
Yes.
“Will she get married?”
Yes.
“When?”
Next year.
“Will you be able to tell us the name of her life partner?”
Rahul Kapoor.
Sanjana squealed in excitement. Rahul Kapoor was a handsome young man who had recently joined her office and she found him quite enigmatic and cute.
The coin stopped moving. Tanya looked daggers at Sanjana and hissed an admonition, “Don't squeal. That is showing disrespect.”
The Other Side
55 “Sorry Ranjit Singhji. Please forgive us. Will you please tell us the name of the beautiful lady sitting to my left?”
The coin moved sluggishly and spelled out Shikha.
“Thank you, sir. Will you please tell us where she lives?”
23 A Block.
“What is her husband's name?”
Sachin.
Tanya looked at her for confirmation and on receiving a nod, said, “Thank you.”
Shikha spoke up, “Sir, may I ask you a few questions?”
YES.
“Can you see the future?”
Sometimes.
“Will you be able to predict mine?”
May be.
“Will Sachin get the promotion he is angling for?”
No.
“Will we have children?”
No.
Shikha felt a cloak of gloom descend on her.
'What bullshit am I indulging in?' She thought but went ahead with the question in her mind.“Will Sachin and I stay together despite not giving each other time in the recent days?”
Yes.
“How long will our love last?”
Forever.
“What do you see in my immediate future?”
Journey.
“To where?” A sudden gust of wind blew out the candles plunging the room in naked darkness. Shikha felt something cold and clammy brush past her bare legs and move to her left. The very next instant Sanjana screamed. There was a sudden crash that was followed by a numbing silence. Tanya was the first to recover her wits. She fumbled for the matchbox, struck one and switched on the lights. The Ouija board was overturned; Sanjana was sitting in her chair, looking pale and shaken. Shikha appeared to be more in control.
“Why did you scream? I told you not to do so. The spirit got angry and left, overturning the board to show its annoyance. And we were having such a fruitful session.”
“I am sorry,” Sanjana seemed to be recovering. “Something cold touched my body. And the doors and windows are closed. Where did the gust of wind come from?”
“I told you to expect the unexpected. Anyway, the spell is broken and I don't think any more spirits will come calling tonight. Anyway, Shikha, what do you think of our little session?”
“I don't know what to say. I have never believed in this. But yes, this was a strange and moving experience. Well Sanjana, I think you better start taking this Rahul Kapoor more seriously. I do remember you telling me that you find him attractive. As for me, I have been assured a lifetime of love anyway.”
They tried to make small talk but it did not work as each was overcome by the strange experience they had undergone. Shikha excused herself and walked to her apartment. As she crossed the lawn, she observed small children playing in the lawn, mostly accompanied by ayahs, some people taking a stroll and a few youngsters indulging in a noisy game of catch-me-if-you-can.
The Other Side
57 “Well, this is normal life and I am a part of this! I don't know why I let myself get involved in that nonsense. I am sure that witch Tanya was pushing the coin with her fingers.” And she determined herself to push the incident to the back of her mind.
Sachin reached his apartment around midnight and found Shikha waiting for him, reclined on the couch. She looked as beautiful as she did in the early days of their marriage. His mind went back to early days of their togetherness. There had been a lot of love and passion, a sense of wonder and fulfillment. The love was still there. The sense of wonder had given way to an easy comfort of camaraderie and trust. It was just for the past few months the passion had waned a bit and occasional flashes of irritation had raised its head. But he had really missed her this time. He hugged her and whispered, “It is great to be back. I missed you.”