The Blue Palace

The Blue palace

Welcome to the Blue Palace.
This is the house where I was born and lived all along. My grand father, (Late) Rao Bahadur Neelamegam, acquired a large piece of land, about 10 grounds, on the out skirts of the city in the beginning of last century and built this house. He had some fascination for blue colour (perhaps due to ‘neelam’ in his name) and so painted the exteriors in sky blue colour - neelamegam colour to be precise. Also, he inlaid blue marble stones on the compound wall to match the exteriors. He had a great attachment to this house. So was my dad.
As it was decently a big house in a large piece of land, people started referring to it as ‘Blue Palace’. But for this, there was nothing regal about it. With the lateral growth of the city over the years, our house now had come well within city limits. I feel proud in claiming that it is located at the centre of the city.
This house has 5 bedrooms, three down stairs and two upstairs. One of them upstairs is a massive one which as a rule, the head of the family occupies. Now I am occupying this bedroom. Of course I am alone after my wife passing away couple of years back. But, I am not prepared to forgo my right to occupy this room. I feel that I am still the boss of this house and want everybody to respect my authority, at least inside this house.
With this introduction let me come to the story per se.
I had reasons to believe that my son was trying to evict me from this room. In fact, I feel he wanted to get possession of the entire house so that he could dispose it off to the highest bidder and shift out. This land & house will certainly fetch about Rs. 50 crores at least at the current real estate prices.
‘My son by himself would not have thought in these lines. I suspect his wife, my DIL, and her relentless prodding responsible for his decision. Even my wife, till her last days, kept complying to me about how cunning our DIL was and how she manipulated our beloved son. I agree we were to be blamed partly for bringing him up so ‘bhola, bhala’ (naive). We never knew that the present day girls would keep developing their own husband specific techniques, within months of marriage, to control and make door-mats out of those boys. In my times, it never happened. I might listen to my wife out of love & affection and her sound reasoning, which even today I admire while recollecting. I even had strong arguments with my parents supporting my wife, when I felt their stand was not correct. But, never allowed myself to be manipulated by my wife. Oh, these days! God save the innocent boys.
Sorry, I am digressing. Perhaps age is catching up with my thinking.
Wait. I will explain the reasons for my suspicion. In turn, I am sure you would understand and appreciate my defensive actions.
Of late, over the last one year or so, I find various people visiting our house, going around and discussing about buying the property. To everyone my son was assuring of immediate vacant possession. Mind it - even without consulting me. One of them who perhaps was aware that I live upstairs, had asked him as to how he will ensure that I won’t create any trouble? I was over hearing it without their knowledge and was eagerly waiting for his reply. While my son was fumbling for an answer his ‘evil’ wife butted in,”Oh, don’t worry about our dad. He is absolutely reasonable. Once he learns what we propose to do, he would certainly agree.”
‘Me, her dad? My foot. How many times she had ill treated and misbehaved with me? She expects me surrender without a fight. Let me see.’
From then on I made it a point to watch their movements to the extent that I could. That night I waited outside their bed room and sure enough they discussed about me.
“How are you so sure dad would leave easily? I know him very well. He is a fighter. He will refuse and create a scene,” my son said.
“See my DH, there are always ways of achieving our end. Haven’t you heard of ‘sama, dhana, bheda & dhand’? We will appeal to your father’s good senses first. Increase the pressure step by step. Finally, if nothing works, use force. Don’t you worry. Also remember it is your great-grandfather’s property and you have also got every right, as much as your father if not more. Don’t be vary of evicting him. Think of the windfall -FIFTY CRORES. What are all the things that we can achieve? Wow! Mind boggling” she replied.
I could visualise my son nodding his head like a performing bull (boom boom madu). ‘This chit of a girl, my DIL. How we welcomed her into this house with so much of fanfare and festivity? She is now talking about evicting me without battling an eyelid!’
Things had gone too far and I need to fend for myself, I decided.
Next morning my son came upstairs to my room. I waited behind closed doors. He stood outside and went on explaining the gains of disposing the house and the need for giving it a vacant possession, implying that I should also move out. I just kept quiet. He pleaded for about 20 minutes and left. Over the next few days I made it clear to him through my actions that his pleadings wouldn’t help and I won’t quit.
I waited for the next action to start, but nothing happened for a week or so. But I was always expecting my DIL initiated next move. I know she would not religiously follow SDBD in the same order. She was capable of jumping from sama to danda action straight away as well. I was keeping a close watch.
Suddenly one fine morning I found my son’s family busy packing up for a vacation or so. I was not privy to this move. Perhaps realising that I am overhearing their talks, my son & DIL might have discussed it outside the house. Be that as it may, a casual remark by my son upped my antenna. He was telling his wife about some people coming to the house in their absence and forcibly removing me. He didn’t want to be present when such an unpleasant thing happened. I was shocked. Is this the same son whom I carried on my shoulders and did so much for his happiness? I did not try to stop him from his vacation.
After a couple of days few strong men moved into the house. They were looking for me room by room. Perhaps they were not aware that the head of the family always occupied the large room upstairs. I hid my self near the stair case and waited. When the leader of the team came upstairs looking for me, I tripped him. I didn’t wish any major injuries on him, but he ended up with multiple fractures, having tumbled down the stairs. The men rushed him to hospital but never returned to my house. I was waiting.
My son’s further attempts at evicting me were preempted by me with out much difficulty. I could see that finally he got fed up.
As nothing else worked, my son had decided on the worst thing possible, to demolish the house and sell it to the highest bidder. I could see from my window the bull dozers moving in. The buyer was standing in the front portico and readying himself to enjoy the demolition. I was helpless and thought of the good days that I had there. My eyes welled with water. I appealed to my father and grand father to do something.
“We cannot allow our pride, this house, to be razed down to mud”, I pleaded.
Suddenly I heard a loud sound. The beam supporting the balcony gave way and came crashing down, directly on the buyer below. Then and there he was crushed to death. This sent shock waves on the entire crowd of workers. The dozers and dumpers stopped movement.
Someone shouted “OMG! This house is haunted”.
I could see the fear in everyone’s eyes.
The entire crowd vanished in a jiffy.
I came out to see what had happened.
There they were, my father and grandfather standing on the crashed balcony. They looked at me and smiled. “Look, you could have accomplished this yourself. After your moving into our realm an year back, we thought you will come and join us. But, you kept locking yourself into your bed room most of the times. Never ventured out. All along we were sitting in the loft here and watching the developments. You tripped the sorcerer down the stairs well. Thereafter, he never ventured to come back. Similarly, we thought you were good enough to handle the present situation as well. But, when you expressed your inability and called us, we came on the scene. We three together would be a formidable team. Let’s see who buys this house now” they said in unison.
I was so happy seeing my long lost father and grand father. Never knew they were residing so close to me for the past year or so. I moved over to join them in the loft.
It feels more open and comfy. I could realise that they were also equally interested in staying put in what they considered their house.
Now we three are sitting in the loft and awaiting my son’s further steps. Just keep it to your self.
Let’s watch the fun asto who comes next.


Anbudan,
RRG
20/10/2018

 

Thanks Rampuri.
Pleased that you enjoyed reading this story.
I have posted about 100 stories in this forum. I am sure you would like reading my other stories as well.
Cheers,

 

Thanks for your FB Poovai.
You are right. In many homes old people are shifted to old age homes also so that the property could be sold. Unfortunate.
Be that as it may, here you would have understood by now that it is the ghost telling its story.
The man died over an year back. His father and grand father were expecting him to join them after his demise.
“After your moving into our realm an year back, we thought you will come and join us. You kept locking yourself into your bed room most of the times.”
But the ghost continued to stay, refusing to leave the place.
The son and daughter in law were aware of the ghost’s presence and were trying to get it out of the house so that they could dispose of the property.
Infact, even the father and grand father’s ghost were still attached to the house and residing in the loft, without any one knowing. Now the ghosts are determined to stay.
Cheers

 

Thanks for reading it.
I am real. So the story is not real.
Cheers,

 

Nice to know you liked it. Thanks.
My true short stories will appear under the other forum. All the stories appearing here are fictious only.
Cheers,