FRIEND IN DISGUISE

In the outskirts of Pune, among the lush green hills is the Vincent bungalow. It was once a flourishing residence of a British army lieutenant.

The lieutenant used to visit the bungalow to spend holidays with his family. One night the lieutenant died in the bath of the bungalow and things changed drastically ever since. The wife of the lieutenant sailed back to England, after selling the house to Mr. Jayesh, a businessman from Mumbai.

Mr. Jayesh had plans to rebuild the place into a beautiful holiday home, but all his plans were ruined due to the sudden death of the chief architect of the project, at the same place where the lieutenant died.

Rumors spread around the localities. Mr. Jayesh dropped his plans, and the beautiful bungalow became home to bats and birds over years.

Years passed but nothing changed for the bungalow until it came the sight of Mr. Jagdeep, a professor at NSB, Pune. He purchased the bungalow, from Mr. Jayesh and went on to restore it to its old glory without much trouble.

Mr. Jagdeep did not face any trouble in the house and soon the ghost stories began to fade.

Mr. Jagdeep was a very humble man in his 50s, who was searching for a serene place to reside, and the bungalow was just the best place for him. He made several friends from the locality. One of his best mates was Prakash. Prakash lived a few kilometers away, on the other side of the hill. He was a humble, stout guy with a Bengali accent. Both of them enjoyed each other’s company.

Despite kilometers of the physical distance, they had a psychological connection that brought them together. Both of them had faced similar situations in life; from losing their wives, to spending their lives alone, they had a lot to talk about.

Prakash was a nice man, but he always had an aura of uneasiness around him. He would only visit Mr. Jagdeep at odd times when no one else would be around and escape from the backdoor as soon as he heard footsteps. This behavior would have made anyone suspicious but not Mr. Jagdeep. For him, he had a very good company of Prakash as well as a very lucid response to any question on Prakash – “If he is a thief, then I have nothing to give him except books”. And that was true, as the only prized thing in the house were books.

One cozy Sunday evening, when both friends were having a great chat sitting on the balcony, a car rolled inside the bungalow. Prakash as usual fled from the back door. Mr. Jagdeep turned to open the door and was elated to see his son, Jatin.

The father and son had happy days, remembering the past and enjoying the beauty of mountains. In all their conversations his father would tell him about his new friend Prakash. Jatin was thrilled and worried by the hidden personality of Mr. Prakash and wanted to meet him. But Prakash never showed up, ever since Jatin returned. Mr. Jagdeep was worried about Prakash, but he could not do anything as he neither knew where he lived, nor did he have his phone number.

One day while returning from the college Mr. Jagdeep met Prakash. Both were happy to meet each other and walked towards the bungalow chatting. Jatin saw them coming from the balcony and immediately recognized Prakash.

He opened the door and greeted them with a welcoming smile. After a brief talk, Mr. Jagdeep informed Jatin that he was leaving for a conference for a couple of days and Prakash will help him with anything he needs. After Mr. Jagdeep left, Jatin had a pleasant talk with Prakash, he noticed that Prakash was a very nice and humble man with great belief in spirits and souls.

Once Prakash left, a very mischievous plan erupted in Jatin’s mind. He decided to prank Prakash by telling him a fake story. The next day when Prakash arrived Jatin started telling him his fake story of how he saw a ghost in his bathroom. He pretended to be frightened and said that he would ask his father to sell the house and leave the place. This statement baffled Prakash and he immediately left the house without a word. Jatin giggled once Prakash left. He was gratified to see his reaction to the story.

The next day when Prakash came Jatin continued his story and showed fake bandages, this worried Prakash, and he insisted on staying in the bungalow tonight. Jatin agreed with a smile. He had some mischievous plans for Prakash.

Jatin decided to make a fake call for help while bathing and tell Prakash that the ghost was trying to kill him. After having dinner, he decided to execute his plan. He went to bath but as he was about to call for help, he felt a force against his throat. He heard a whisper saying” it’s over” and with this his head was banged to the wall, throat hit against the tap, and he fainted.

The next day when Jatin gained consciousness he saw his father by his side crying, he tried to speak but could not. Prakash noticed his movement and asked him to stay calm. Jatin has suffered several fractures and lost his voice forever. Prakash concealed Mr. Jagdeep and took his leave. This time while leaving he decided not to take the effort to open the big iron gates of the bungalow and went through them…

To know what happened with the already shaken

family, please follow my post the Colonel's ghost.......