Gotleri Club: Adventures of the Haunted House

Dear Readers,

My earlier mail asking the readers to read the story in the draft is not working, as a reader's feedback has informed me. So I am sending the entire story. Sorry about the earlier attempt, and I hope readers will understand the sentiments.

This is a children's story. In an earlier piece, I introduced a story of the Gotleri Club. This is the second of the series, but a bit longer. I hope those of you who choose to read it will like it. If nothing, you can send it to your children or grandchildren; they will love reading an adventure like the one narrated. I hope this appeal appeals to the readers. Happy reading.

Gotleri Club: Adventures of the Haunted House

Renan suggested to his dad, “Dad, why don’t we go for a camp at our farmhouse? By ‘we’, I mean the children of the society. I propose a camp that includes physical fitness, swimming and learning about nature. City boys and girls need to see a bit of the countryside and rural life. Our farmhouse in Karjat is ideal. It has an adequate place to house at least 15 children, and we can take as a guardian with us the society secretary Mr Nair. He is an agriculturist and will teach us a few things about nature.” Renan’s father was quiet for a while, trying to understand Renan. After Barucha’s car incident, he always doubted Renan’s intentions. He was sure there was some plot brewing in his son’s head. But he also appreciated how smartly he had packaged the reason for him and his friends to get out. The idea was not bad. With Mr Nair there, the chances that the children would make some mischief were next to nil. Also, Mr Nair wanted to see the farm for his professional curiosity. Even after knowing the reason was fake, Renan’s dad agreed to his proposal. He permitted them to use the farmhouse in the coming Christmas holidays. “I will speak with Mr Nair and request him to accompany you all for a few days to our farm and put a notice for volunteers’, declared Renan’s dad.

They reached early in the morning by 10 am at the farmhouse. They were welcomed by Shambhu and his wife, the caretaker of the farmhouse. Shambhu and his family stayed in the outhouse and looked after the property. His wife cooked whenever someone came to visit.

Mr Nair and the children set out for a familiarisation visit. The farmhouse was well spread out and had agricultural land all around. A river flowed towards its north and a hill in the southern direction. A state highway was crossing in front of the farmhouse at the river end. The state highway had scant traffic on it. Mr Nair put it ‘Out of Bounds’ on seeing the river. No one will go anywhere near the river, he said. We have a swimming pool, and you all can swim in it. About 500 meters east of the farmhouse on the other side of the road was the lone two-story building, an old Haveli. A dark and scary structure standing under a tall banyan tree. The banyan tree made the haveli look more ominous as it hung over it like a hood, trying to hide a face. It also managed to block the sunlight from falling on the structure from morning till evening. The group stood outside the haveli, wondering what if they landed alone in the building. A shiver ran down every child’s backbone. Mr Nair, too, seemed terrified looking at it. “I don’t want anyone within 100 meters of this building, and if you break this rule, we will immediately return to Mumbai”, he ordered. No one uttered a word.

Happy about the day’s outing, the gang got some time alone. Renan asked them to sit around the pool on the pretext of swimming. “Listen, we avoid going to the river, but the haveli, we have to explore. I saw someone inside when we were there. He was watching us. I suspect someone lives there. So, guys and girls, keep your eyes open for the haveli always” Saying this, he wished everyone to have an excellent adventure. The next day was a trek to the temple on the hill behind.

The trek to the temple behind the farmhouse started at 6 am. Renan, Ash, Sunny, Milind, Nukul, Joseph, Alwin, Sohan, and Tanya were excited about the trek. They knew it would be a strenuous trek and needed to stick together. Renan was leading the pack. The climb was tedious, as predicted, but the sun had not climbed much, so the degree of difficulty was less. By 8 am, they were on top. Mr Nair permitted them to go around the temple and look at the surroundings. Renan took Ash and Sunny with him. The other members were to keep Mr Nair engaged in answering queries.

The trio visited the temple paid obeisance spoke with the Pujari. “This is a very old mandir bacchon (Young ones). It has a history dating back to the Pandavas. (The heroes of the Indian epic Mahabharata). During their 14 years of hiding, the Pandavas had visited this temple seeking the blessings of the goddess; the legend says,” he regaled the children with the story. “The temple was later renovated and put in its current form during the Peshwas”. Completing the story, the Pujari gave the boys the customary prasad (Offerings to the god) and left.

Since they had almost an hour to kill, Renan led the boys to the back of the temple, where he could get a better look at the haunted house.

Having found an excellent vantage point which gave them a good look, the three boys lay down to observe. Renan took out his binocular, which was a gift from his grandfather. A German make commercial binoculars had a vision of 6 X, meaning it could magnify an image six times. Renan kept looking, increasing the curiosity of the other two. The seriousness of his gaze gave them an indication that Renan had seen something. “Look, there is someone there, didn’t I say it? Oh, I can see more than one”, Renan said excitedly and handed over the binoculars to Sunny. But before Sunny could see, they heard Mr Nair calling for them.

The party was now moving down. On the way down, Alwyn came near Renan and said, “Sir, there was something fishy in the temple. The Pujari was too shifty, and I heard him talk with someone in a hush-hush tone”. Everyone addressed Renan as ‘sir’ in reverence to him being the leader. “But I thought the Pujari was alone”, retorted Renan.

“I also thought so. I heard two people whispering as I looked at the statues carved inside the cubby holes (hollow spaces). One I am sure was the Pujari, but I could not identify the second person”, said Alwyn.

“Good observation Alwyn and let us take stock of it when we reach the farmhouse”, said Renan.

“After Lunch, we all will assemble at 3 pm to go to the Honey bee farm; till then, relax and get your quarters cleaned up”, Mr Nair announced.

After a gruelling climb, all except Renan had gone to sleep. Renan was looking at his cell phone and was surprised to see he was getting a strong 4G signal. He could get the ‘Goggle Earth” application on his cell phone. He pinned his location. He searched for the haunted house and found it on the map. When he zoomed in, to his surprise, he realised an active jetty was marked between the river and the house on the back side of the haunted house. Renan was now sure about his hunch that all was not right about the haunted house. He walked across to Shambhu’s quarters and asked him, “What is the story of the haunted house down the road”?

Shambhu was silent and looked at his wife, who nodded.

“Don’t go there, beta (Son); there are ghosts. That’s what the villagers say. Bad things have happened there. Some say they have seen a spirit which roams around in the house, and at night people hear strange noises and, at times, see lanterns moving through the windows. It is haunted”, Shambhu tried to put as much emotion and fear as his illiterate mind could think. Renan wanted to tell him about his experience spotting someone inside but resisted.

Everyone assembled at the gate at 3 pm. The farm was 5 km away. Hence Mr Nair took the Toyota mini-van, which they had hired. The road to the Honey Bee farm was via the haunted house. Renan sat on that side and had a close look when the van passed. Once again, he got a feeling someone was looking through the window. The visit to the bee farm was a washout for Renan. His mind went back to the house. All he learnt on the visit is; honey bees followed their queen, which is how the farmers trapped them. On their way back, Renan asked his second-in-command, Sunny, to sit by his side and observe the haunted house. This time Sunny spotted a movement when Renan couldn’t. Their suspicions having met, they looked at each other with a knowing look, which meant they needed to plan something.

That night after dinner, instead of telling the rest of the gang Renan and Sunny decided to visit the haunted house to check it out in the cover of darkness. Since the two shared a room, their absence was unlikely to be noticed by anyone. Yet they had to be careful of little Tanya. She had a habit of coming and saying good night. Which meant they had to wait till Tanya came around.

It was 10 o’clock at night when Tanya left their room. It was late, and they had second thoughts. Renan asked Sunny to be brave and not dither in his resolve. They moved out of the room equipped with a torch, a stick, and cell phones. Renan asked Sunny to put it on silent mode before pocketing it. They wore dark jackets with a hood, reducing their chances of recognition. They stealthily moved out of the farmhouse building and took the side door to get out so that there was no sound to be heard of the gate clinking.

“Stick with me”, instructed Renan to Sunny. They took the riverside approach to the haunted house. Soon they found a tree behind which they could sit and observe. The visibility was good due to the moon in the sky. But the haveli was dark and silent like a ghost.

Ten minutes of waiting, and it seemed like an hour. Renan was having doubts about this adventure. Had he made a mistake, he thought to himself. He decided that we would wait for another ten minutes, and if nothing turned up, we would up-stick and leave. He was about to convey his thoughts to Sunny when he heard a sound. It was the sound of a door opening. He nudged Sunny, who seemed to be falling asleep. Both were now attentive. “Did you hear the sound?” asked Renan. Sunny was lost in his world as he must have dozed off. “Pay attention; something is about to happen”, nudged Renan.

After a minute’s pause, the main door of the haveli opened a bit. The movement would be invisible to a casual onlooker in front of the building. Still, seen from the side, it was noticeable. A black figure came out. The figure was crouching. It could be mistaken as an animal from a distance, but they could identify it as a human because their eyes were used to darkness. The figure waited and appeared to be surveying the front. After a minute, it walked towards the main gate to see if anyone was around the compound. Satisfied, the figure blew a soft but shrill whistle, barely audible to human ears. It must be a dog whistle. On hearing the whistle, the door opened, and another person emerged dragging a big box. He waited for the first man to come from the gate. They picked up the box and started going around the house to the rear. Renan signalled Sunny to follow him, moving towards the back of the house. They were within hearing distance of the duo. After concentrating on their hearing senses, they started understanding their conversation.

“Asli Maal to kal ane wala hai, Aaj to trial run hai” ( Actual stuff is going to come tomorrow, today is a trial run), they heard them say.

“Ek baar wo haat lag gayi to itna paisa milega ki yahan se chutti” (Once we get hold of that, we would become so rich that we would not need to stay here), they heard.

The next thing they knew, the duo was on the jetty in the open with no cover. So Renan and Sunny were stuck; they were out of hearing distance too. Meaning standing there was serving no purpose, so Renan decided to leave and act on the information they had gathered.

Mr Nair was a fine teacher. He showed plants: old and new alike, explained their family history, uses, and how to recognise their health. What to do in case they are infected, so even Tanya remembered some parts of the lesson. All the members were in high spirits and excited about the cycle ride and swimming lesson which were to follow. He asked them where they should go.

“Sir, we can go on the track by the side of the river. It leads to a small dam which stores water. The total distance up to that place is about three kilometres. We should be back by lunch fired up and hungry”, suggested Renan.

Mr Nair could not find any objection to Renan’s proposal. It was as good as any adult would have provided.

Renan suggestion to go on the river path was to check the back side of the haunted house. As they passed, he couldn’t help but notice the boat fastened to the jetty. He was sure there was no boat there yesterday when they were there. The devil’s mind was at work again. He was trying to understand the meaning of what he had seen and heard and now the boat. He could not connect the dots. Little Tanya was finding it hard to keep pace. So, Renan volunteered to stay behind and help Tanya cover the distance with a little push.

At the dam, there was a small temple in the village to the right of it. Mr Nair permitted them to visit the temple. Renan asked Alwyn, Milind and Sohan to go into the village to see and find out anything about the haunted house. “Don’t be too obvious”, he said. “Yes sir”, they all replied.

It was time to return, and the three boys had not returned. Mr Nair was getting worried. He told Renan to go into the village and look for them.

Renan took his bicycle and rode fast to the village. It was a small village of approx 30 houses, with a few shops and an eating place. He found Milind sitting there.

“Where are the rest?” asked Renan.

“They are at the back talking to an informant”, replied Milind.

“Informant; what do you mean, dude? What information is he spilling out, and why so much secrecy? I hope they are alright”, a worried Renan asked.

“Yes, yes, they are fine, here they come”, Milind said, asking Renan to turn around.

“Sir, you wouldn’t believe what we got to know”, an excited Alwyn blurted out.

“The haunted house is visited by the mandir pujari, the one I was suspicious of. He performs Tantrik puja and even makes animal sacrifices there”, said Alwyn giving out his complete information.

“Come, let’s go; it’s already late; Mr Nair would get suspicious; we will talk about it later”, said Renan brushing them aside.

Back at the farmhouse, as usual, the lunch was delicious. Renan was thinking fast; he wanted his core group of Sunny, Alwyn, Milind, and Sohan to be together to discuss what to do next. He texted them on their WA to hold back after lunch on the pretext of playing some cricket. When Mr Nair had retired to his room, he gathered the group in a huddle.

“Guys, we have a situation on our hands. He then narrated all the facts he had gathered from his previous night’s visit and what Alwyn had gathered from his informant. He laid them bare before the core group. What do you all think? How does this information connect” he asked them.

Everyone was silent, trying to piece up the information given to them by their leader. Alwyn was the first to speak.

“Sir, there is some connection between the temple on top of the hill and the haunted house. I am not sure what it is, but I am sure the Pujari is involved,” said Alwyn.

“Sir, there could be a smuggling racket going on. The boat which we saw on our way to the dam is the vehicle. And tonight, some consignment could move out of the house. We have very little time to find out what it is?” said Sunny, hoping to impact their leader.

“I agree with both of you, I also feel there is something brewing, but till we know what it is, we cannot act. Once we find out, I have a plan I will explain later. Alwyn and Sohan, the two of you go to the temple on the hill. Be there before 5.30 pm; the Pujari will be there to close the temple. See if you can learn something from the place. Please don’t make yourself visible to the priest, be in hiding, and come back straight to me after the temple closes. I will cover for you till then”, Renan instructed the group.

At the dinner table, Mr Nair opened the subject of a campfire, a concept he had picked from his NCC days. “Day after evening would be their last evening together here at the farmhouse, and we must have a campfire. I want you all to put on a 45 minutes show. It would help if you also planned the menu, and we could have a barbeque too. Shambhu will help you put with the provisions. I have spoken with him. You can tie up the details with him tonight so that he can order it in the market tomorrow for us to get it in time.

The campfire gave an excuse for the group to gather again and listen to their leader’s plan. Renan huddled them and said, “It’s time I tell everyone everything we have known since we came here. But first, the news from Alwyn about his evening trip to the temple.

Alwyn narrated the incident as if he had written it down.

“The news from the temple is disturbing. The temple and the haunted house are connected. A smuggling gang operates from there. The Pujari is hand in glove with the gang. The house is convenient as villagers think it is haunted. The gang plays with their Psyche by playing music and showing lights at night. The gang is into the smuggling of antique statues. The statue of the goddess in the temple on top was ancient. Nobody knew its origins, but at least 500 years old, and it could even be 2500 years old too. A statue of that vintage would fetch a fortune. Even at 500 years old vintage, its value was millions of dollars. The black market has a huge demand for antique stone statues from India. That’s what the Pujari explained to his thug compatriot. The Pujari planned to replace the antique with a fake stone statue and sell the original. He was offered an amount of 10 Lakhs of Indian rupees (INR). Luckily for us, the fake statue did not arrive on time, so the Pujari could not make the switch today. But it is arriving tomorrow morning, and tomorrow evening at the time of closing the temple, the Pujari would switch the statues. He would take the original to the haunted house. The same evening before midnight, a motor boat would take the statue away by the river to a handler who was to pay its price to the thugs at the haunted house”, Alwyn narrated as if he was reading a script. He said he and Sohan heard this conversation while hiding near the temple in the evening.

It was the thread that was missing. Renan was sure they had to do something themselves to stop the theft. If they went to Mr Nair, he would banish them and return to Mumbai. If they went to the Police, who were miles away, the Police would never believe a bunch of kids, plus they didn’t have a driver. They had to take someone who could help them into confidence, and he could think of no one other than Shambhu. Can they trust him?

“Do you people trust Shambhu?” asked Renan from the group. Sunny, Nukul, and Joseph nodded their heads in the affirmative.

“OK, I presume since nobody has objections, let’s go and ask Shambhu if he will help us.

It took 30 minutes for Renan to explain to Shambhu what was happening in his neighbourhood. Shambhu did not comprehend what Renan was trying to tell him. It took little Tanya to explain that they needed his help. And that’s when he understood that it was a plea for help. Shambhu was a village bumkin, an innocent soul ready to help, knowing the danger.

OK, gather around, and here is the plan for action for tomorrow night. Renan explained the plan and explained to every member his role and what they needed to wear and carry. The plan would be put in motion at 10 pm tomorrow night. Shambhu had a major role to play in it. He had to get Mr Nair away from the Farmhouse.  Shambhu, as it turned out, was a good actor and played the part to the hilt..

The next day went on another tour to the sugarcane factory to see how jaggery is made. The place stank, but the sweet jaggery taste blocked that sense of smell. On return, Mr Nair organised a quiz on the names of plants and flowers. It was exciting and surprise-surprise for Mr Nair; the group fared better than expected.

Then the dreaded evening came.

At 9.30 pm, Shambhu came crying in front of Mr Nair, “My wife is missing, sir. She had gone to the market after lunch but has not returned. Now it is too late for her to come by a bus. Last bus comes 6 pm”. He pleaded with Mr Nair to take him in his van to Karjat town to find her.

Mr Nair was in two minds. To leave the farmhouse to the children without supervision or to find Shambhu’s wife. The human side took over, and he agreed. The Gotleri club knew now they were in business.

By 10 pm, everyone was in position as per Renan’s instructions. There was nothing more to do than wait. All mobiles were on but on silent. Only Renan could send a message unless it were a dire emergency. Renan was controlling the operation from his mobile. He was with little Tanya as promised. Every member was in pair. Renan was the joker who could move to any pair.

It was 10.30 pm, and the house was dark and quiet. The younger members were starting to have doubts if the Pujari would get the original statue for sale. Renan kept them alert by asking if they were ‘ok’ on the WA. It was around 10.45 pm when Renan spotted a movement on the road. He saw a dark figure moving towards the haveli gate with a sack on the back. As the figure came closer, Renan recognised him as the Pujari. He trooped in and went inside the haunted house. Now was the crucial phase thought Renan and his members. What happens next would decide if their plan works or fails.

After what seemed like a long wait, only five minutes, two persons came out holding the box and started moving towards the rear of the house, as was done two nights previously. Renan signalled, “Station Alpha start the act”.

Suddenly, the two individuals holding the box stopped when they heard a low scream. They looked around and saw nothing; they moved on, convinced it was nothing. No sooner had they started their walk; than they heard a low haunting song like the horror movies. Confused, they looked around as the sound became louder, loud enough for their ears. They froze with fear as they saw a small figure in white moving towards them from the riverside. And the music lyrics sounded like somebody calling them: Jhoom Jhoom dhalti raat (Slow with the wind the night descends). The figure in white looked like a ghost with no form; shadows and light from the tree played tricks with their eyes making the spirit visible and invisible.

The two men left the box on the ground and ran towards the house. By now, the Pujari and one more person had heard the commotion coming out of the main door.

“Station Bravo start the act”, signalled Renan.

The Pujari was the first to see the dark figure with a funny head. It appeared the figure with a head detached and stuck on top of his torso by a long pole. It was all black, and a whining sound came from his chest. It made a grotesque sight. At that instant, the other two persons came running shouting Bhoot bhoot (Ghost Ghost). Seeing another black one this time was too much for them, and they ran towards the gate, wanting to escape the haunted house. The Pujari was confused now. He, too, saw the figure in white slowly advancing towards him from one side and the black from another. His partner, the third person, ran off shouting bhoot bhoot. The Pujari heard the white figure asking him, “Murti kidhar Chipai hai” (where have you hidden the statue).

That did the trick. The Pujari was now convinced that it was a supernatural phenomenon. How else could it know that he had stolen the statue? He, too, ran to save his life and ran faster than the rest. The haveli was empty.

“All stations gather at Station Bravo”, signalled Renan. Station Bravo was manned by Tanya, sitting on Sunny’s shoulders, looking the other way around, and wearing a blanket on her hood. It gave a funny appearance of her tiny body being a pole and the hooded head as an enlarged head of a black Sunny. The white ghost was the combination of Alwyn and Milind. Milind, the smaller one wearing a bedsheet, and Alwyn is playing the recorded song on his mobile phone. The other two stations, Charlie and Delta, remained unutilised in the operation.

First, let us get the original statue and head back home. It is around 11.15 pm, and Shambhu would be pulling his hair to hear from us”, instructed Renan.

He called Shambhu and gave him the password ‘Wapas’ (come back).

Everyone heard the van returning around 11.30 pm with Shambhu and his wife. Both deserved at least a Filmfare award for their performance. Mr Nair came to check on the children and found all were fast asleep. ‘All is well that ends well’, he thought.

The statue was given to Shambhu to be placed back in the temple. The condition was; he would do it after the group left for Mumbai and ensure that the priest was handed over to the Police. The campfire was a big hit as the Gotleri club members were in complete element. They left for home the morning after thanking Shambhu and his wife profusely. Renan, on the quiet, told them that some reward would follow.

Mr Nair was all praise for Renan and the boys and girls who went with him. He praised each one of them to their parents.

The following day the Marathi newspaper carried an item. “Temple priest arrested in a bid to steal and sell a precious statue of Mahalaxmi goddess from the temple at Somjai hill. The photo of the temple was also in print.

Renan’s dad called for his wife. “Laxmi, come soon. Is this not the temple behind our farmhouse at Karjat” he shouted. After a few seconds, as if comprehending the situation, he looked at Renan, who was looking at him with a blank expression.

Outside, he heard a cry, “All for fun, none for gum. Hail Selasi”.

…