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Detective Shamu and the Ghost

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Anandchitra, Jan 6, 2009.

  1. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    The only thing Aunty Sheila and Uncle Ram could agree on was “Let’s call Shamu”. And so I was to pack my bags and head to the hotel they were staying in Washington D.C.
    Since their home was being renovated or to be more specific their kitchen was being renovated, Uncle had planned to take a few days vacation and on a whim had booked the same hotel that the president elect had stayed.
    This hotel was really expensive but Uncle wanted to give Aunt a special treat and moreover he managed to get a good deal through an old friend. So Aunt Sheila all excited set forth on this trip and her excitement knew no bounds when she learnt that from her balcony of her hotel room she could see a portion of the back of the White House. That is if she leant that much forward without falling down.
    Everything went smoothly till they had checked in and the front service person handed over the keys to their room wishing them a good stay. He also added as an after thought “Hope you don’t see the Ghost”.
    Aunt Sheila paled on hearing this that everyone thought she will faint. However she recovered and demanded a refund so they could escape this “Ghost”.
    Uncle and the rest of the hotel staff tried telling her it was only a myth that the Ghost haunted that hotel.
    That myth was enough to put off my aunt. She was totally miffed by this news and went very gloomy to their room. She even forgot to lean in the balcony to catch a glimpse of a portion of the back of the White House.
    With great difficulty Uncle pacified her and she returned to a somewhat state of normalcy and with great caution got ready that night to sleep.
    As was her habit she turned on her bedside lamp and soon Uncle and Aunt were immersed in their t.v watching and reading a romantic novel. Soon the room was quiet only filled with the mild snores from Aunty.
    It was past midnight when it happened. The light beside Aunt turned on thereby waking up both of them, only Aunt started gasping for breath in a state of shock.
    She vehemently asserted it was the Ghost that had entered their room and turned the light on and no amount of persuasion from Uncle would calm her.
    Uncle then ordered some hot chocolate through room service and Aunt’s nerves were calmed after drinking the delicious brew. Soon they managed to return to sleep.
    The next day Uncle took Aunt around the city and she soon forgot the tremors from last night.
    That night as they settled in bed, Aunt swtiched on the bedside lamp only to watch it flicker and flicker. Now she grew really alarmed and refused to let Uncle convince her it was not a Ghost that did it.
    Finally they both agreed to call me and I assured my Aunt I would be there first thing in the morning and hearing my voice she calmed herself to sleep.
    Again Uncle was rudely awakened by Aunt’s scream that the bedside light had turned itself ON by the Ghost.
    This time Uncle ordered Hot chocolate and Sweet chocolate bars also which Aunt consumed with a passion while repeatedlty claiming she had seen the Ghost.
    Aunt must have been tired after all the drama and the Hot choclate must have drowsed them back to sleep for the next thing they knew was me arriving at their door.
    “Shamu” my Aunt sighed with relief and gave me a big hug. “Shamu” my Uncle sighed with relief now that he knew I would handle his wife and he gave me a hug too.
    I looked around the room and enjoyed the beauty of it and then headed towards the offensive and haunted lamp, all the time listening to my Aunt.
    According to her the Ghost had popped into her room , 2 nights in a row, hoping to strangle her and had switched on the light to watch Aunt die a gruesome death.
    I was now busy examining the light and I found that the holder was extremely loose fitting and started to tighten the holder.
    In a few minutes I was satisfied that the lamp sat tight on the fit holder and then switched it on and then off.
    My Aunt sat spellbound as I explained to her that since the lamp holder had been very loose, it had probably switched off the first night she went to sleep. She must have been too tired to notice that she did not switch it off. But because of some shake to the table, the light got switched ON again during the night.
    The next night, the bedside lamp flickered again because of the loose contact.
    Finally Aunt could see my reasoning and thanked me profusely for scaring away the Ghost.
    My Uncle and I gave up on explaining the technical aspects and were just glad she was not as focussed on the Ghost anymore.
    Now that she had got over the fright off the Ghost, she ventured into the balcony to get her sighting of the White House. She also wanted to take pictures of the Hotel and room and to write in her scrap book her stay in the Famous hotel and her encounter with The Ghost and the flickering lights!
     
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  2. Gowri66

    Gowri66 Gold IL'ite

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    AC,

    Good one.... Liked the twists too . Washington DC , White House.... No doubt, when Sheila aunty was given a chance, next time ... will enjoy her stay and she will enjoy clicking snaps from her Hotel room.Big Laugh
     
  3. Amywos

    Amywos Bronze IL'ite

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    Dearest AC mam,

    A great return after quite a gap :) Niceeeeeeeeee blog.

    You know how I read it? I visualized the uncle, the aunt and her scary face when she woke up in the night, of course shamu and a white blurred ghostly image too as a value addition :p

    Wow it was fun :)
     
  4. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    The hotel that President Elect is staying NOW is supposed to be hanuted.. hence my story..
    The place, Hotel Hay Adams is haunted, according to Washington legend.
    The tale surrounding the ghost of Clover Adams doesn't make for much of a bedtime story:
    ."By some accounts, several strange and recurring incidences at the elegant Hay-Adams Hotel have been attributed to the ghost of Marian Hooper Adams.
    Sheridan Alexander writes. "Marian Adams, called Clover by her close friends and family members, was married to presidential descendant, political journalist and Harvard professor Henry Adams.
    A prominent member of the Washington elite, she was known as a clever and outspoken woman who had a keen interest in amateur photography.
    "Henry and Marian Adams spent the winters in their Washington, D.C. Lafayette Square mansion, which was located on the site of the Hay-Adams Hotel. Summers were enjoyed on the Massachusetts North Shore near Boston. This life of comfort, however, did not prevent Marian Adams from bouts of melancholy and depression, which eventually lead to her suicide in December of 1885.
    "In memory of his wife, Henry Adams erected a statue of a hooded female figure, by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, in Rock Creek Church Cemetery.
    "The memorial statue, which was originally named "The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding" is commonly referred to today as "Grief." People say that looking at the statue causes a feeling of great sorrow and weeping.
    Tales of the ghost of Marian Adams say that she visits the Hay-Adams Hotel, usually in early December around the time of the anniversary of her death.

    Thanks Gowri.. :)
     
  5. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Written on a lighter note.. hehe.. Based on current events. Amy thanks for your kind words of encouragement.. I first thought it might be too silly still wanted to share with friends:)
    The Hotel that President Elect is staying now has a legend of being haunted.. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  6. Gowri66

    Gowri66 Gold IL'ite

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    Thanks AC for the details...
     
  7. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    hey AC,
    A good one...also thanks for sharing the news about the famous hotel being haunted...was not aware of it...good imagination:thumbsup
    love
    Mindi
     
  8. leenatitu

    leenatitu Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear AC mam,

    Good imagination. I had a second thought to read :coffee this story coz i am very much scared of ghost , why ghost , even of darkness.... bonk.
    Even my little one and DH would make fun of me on this issue... Father and daughter need something to rag me...


    Rdgs,

    Leena
     
  9. Lalitha Shivaguru

    Lalitha Shivaguru Platinum IL'ite

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    Dearest AC,

    Good one....like the detective Shambu of the famous tinkle series here comes Shamu to the rescue of Sheila aunty. Most of the times, it is these things which causes our fright..in the fright itslef we would lose our common sense and our power of reasoning.

    Enjoyed a lot AC...
     
  10. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    That famous hotel is haunted it seems.. thats the public opinion!.. Its all over the news.. may be adding to the charm haha.. Glad you liked it Mindi:)
     

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