The

Mystery House
By Nisha Kale
 Chapter-1
‘Don’t trample on my clothes, you silly girl’, shouted Vishal angrily at his little
sister Riya. The hustle and bustle was for their packing off to visit Aunt
Sheila in the distant hills of Tirakhpur about five hundred kilometres away
from their city. Riya was about to retaliate when they heard Mom’s voice.
‘What is all the commotion? How I wish you mature instead of just snapping
at each other all the time.’ It took Mom almost ten minutes to console them
as they argued and counter argued. She heaved a sigh of relief that they
would be away at their Aunt’s place for almost a month and she would have
some breathing space for herself. Nevertheless she would miss them too, as
they were the most lovable kids.

Vishal and Riya had started with their summer vacation of the school. Vishal
was 12 years old and his sister Riya 10 years. They were at a fun spree joyous
mood and were planning how to really spend their vacation at the fullest. Both
were brightest of all the students in their respective classes, so it was very
natural for them to really enjoy and get relaxed in this vacation after much
of the hard work done at their studies in the school. The thought to spend
their vacation happily in their Aunt Sheila’s place at Tirakhpur, was eagerly
awaited by them. Tirakhpur was a small hill- station, and Aunt Sheila was
residing all alone there as she was a widow. Her husband was a martyr of the
Kargil war and life was lonely for her. She longed to have these two bubbly
children of her cousin to stay with her.
The children packed their bags and belongings with full excitement and their
Mom too, helped them happily. There were warm clothes to be kept too as
the temperature was cool there. Vishal kept his binoculars as he was a keen
bird watcher. Riya kept her book on kitchen gardening as she was very fond
of it .It was almost a hobby for her and she was looking forward to see her
Aunt’s vegetable farm. She reminded Mom, ‘Take care of my herb garden in
the balcony and tend to them well.’ Mother assured her smilingly that she
would. Vishal packed some colourful tee-shirts and four pairs of rugged jeans.
He thought about his pair of sports shoes. Yes they were very important. He
would be interested in some outdoor games which the small local club at
Tirakhpur provided for the club members. Riya on the other hand decided to
take along beautiful kurtis and capris to match. Her footwear included
colourful sandals and a pair of sports shoes. She was just ten years old but
she definitely had a style statement.
The next day the children were up early. Father was to drive them to
Tirakhpur. Mother gave them a sumptuous breakfast of steaming hot idlis and
their favourite sweet sour chutney with it. There was a lot of chatter on the
dining table. Later Mom gave the do’s and don’ts which both the children
should adhere to. She said, ‘Vishal and Riya, Please be at your best behaviour
and do not trouble your Aunt. Be obedient and help her in her household
chores too.’ Both promised to be good children. Riya said, ‘I will help Aunt to
make peanut butter sandwiches and Mom, don’t you think I could make masala
noodles in the microwave?’ Vishal retorted, ‘We have had enough of your
soggy sandwiches and dry noodles, don’t try them there.’ Riya almost burst
into tears at her brother’s criticism. Father reprimanded Vishal and hugged
Riya to console her. Vishal mocked at her calling her a cry-baby. Mom tried to
divert the attention, ‘Quick children we have to leave early so that you reach
there by late evening.’ The children then concentrated on finishing their
breakfast and very soon were bidding their Mom farewell. Vishal and Riya
clung on their mother’s arms and kissed her repeatedly. They were so very
excited that they felt as if they are on the top of the world.
 Chapter-2
Vishal and Riya were busy looking out of the window. As they left the city
limits they could see the vast expanse of land and the various types of
vegetation around. They looked at the semi green mountain tops and
wondered how people made their hamlets on them. They looked at the
beautiful morning sun in its full glory. Vishal clicked some beautiful pictures
of the passing landscape. He wanted to be an Environmentalist when he grew
up. The flora and fauna of a particular area fascinated him. Back home he
would surf the internet and enrich his knowledge. He was also interested in
detective stories. He enjoyed reading books of Sherlock Holmes the
detective. Riya on the other hand loved gardening, drawing and dancing. She
had enrolled herself at a local dancing school and was interested in both the
Indian and Western forms of dancing. Budding youngsters with different
interests, but a zest and curiosity towards life. The children dozed off after
some time as they had been up early.

When they woke up they found their car turning towards a resort on the
highway. Father said, ‘Get up sleepy heads, now for some lunch.’ The children
realized they were hungry. They shouted in glee when they got the aroma of
delicious food coming from the resort kitchen. They found the open air
restaurant fascinating and the surroundings breath-taking. They tucked in
heartily. When done they go to visit the small artificial pond in the resort.
There were lovely ducks in the pond. Pink and white lotus flowers added to
the beauty of the pond. Riya wanted to play with the ducks but they kept
moving away and quacking loudly. Finally Father said that they should move
and they made their way back to their vehicle. The next two hours the
children played video games on their tablets. Finally they reached Tirakhpur
railway station.
The small quaint station was very unlike the stations of big cities. It had
small toy train service to take one up towards the hills. Vishal and Riya got
out of the car and Father went to park it. He told them to wait for him till he
arrived. The children were soaking in the surroundings when Riya almost gave
a scream. Some stick like object touched her ankles scaring her. She turned
round to see a boy of the same age as Vishal with dark glasses and a walking
stick. She immediately realised he was visually challenged. Kind hearted as
she was she asked, ‘Can I help you?’ The boy replied, ‘I just want to know the
departure of the train to Tirakhpur.’ Vishal replied,‘ Oh! We too are going
there, be with us, and we can travel together. By the way I am Vishal, and she
is my sister Riya.’‘I am Ram Mathur, and I study in the National School of
Blind here. I live with my Uncle in Tirakhpur hills’, Ram said. Father arrived
then and after formal introductions they all boarded the train. The small toy
train went winding up to the interior routes towards Tirakhpur Hill- Station.

The travel in the toy train was one the most exciting aspects of their
journey. The scenic view was great and in some parts the growths of trees
were thick. And then there were monkeys too screeching from one branch to
another. Some of them were quite ferocious as they snatched the eatables
from the hands of people. Riya unknowingly took out her bar of chocolate to
eat. She got a huge scolding from her elder brother Vishal. Again came to her
rescue was Father who loved his little one. Ram got talking to them and very
soon they were like old friends. He too was on his vacation and they were
soon planning how they would spend their time together.
When the train stopped they alighted the train. Laxman, who worked for
Aunt Sheila was there to receive them. It was getting dark and children were
also tired. Ram’s Uncle had also come to pick up Ram. They departed since
they lived on the other side of the road. Aunt’s house was just five minutes
away from the mini station. Finally they reached their aunt’s place. They were
astonished to look at their aunt’s modern dressing attire and she welcomed
them with great warmth, smile and blessings. Both the children didn’t expect
this open warm gesture from her as they felt; she may be still in a mourning
mood for her husband, who became a martyr for the country during the
Kargil war. However as they say, Time is a good healer and perhaps this
reflected in her body language, style and attitude too.

With great excitement she welcomed them happily. Aunt Sheila had a smiling
face that reached her eyes. Her hair was cut short and tied in a pony. There
were streaks of grey in them. She was a motherly figure and it was evident
that she would take care of the children well. She knew that they needed a
good wash, a light supper and a comfortable warm cosy bed. She took them up
to their rooms with a lovely panoramic view. It had become dark now; so much
of the view could not be comprehended. Aunt Sheila had made noodles and
ordered pizzas and burgers for them from a local bakery. The children at the
dining table really relished that fast food like any other normal youngsters
would do. When they went to bed they slept like logs without having any idea
that a small place like this could offer them an adventure to remember for a
long time to come.
 Chapter-3
Next morning they woke up with loud barking of a dog from below the house.
They got up and moved down the stairs. A Labrador breed dog was scrambling
and barking and, when he saw the two children he started barking all the
more. Aunt tried to hold him but it was too excited. Vishal had a way with
dogs and he soon befriended it. Riya was wary initially, but soon got over her
fear. The dog’s name was Terry and it was not long before the dog was sitting
like a docile creature beside their feet while they were having their
breakfast. Father was to leave immediately after breakfast back for home.
He told them to make the best of their vacation and be at their best
behaviour. After he left, the children now looked at the house which was to
be their abode for a month.
The house was a single storey one and it had a lovely garden on both sides of
the pavement leading to the massive wooden door of the house. The garden
had flower beds of different colours. The house had pretty latticed windows
on both sides to provide for a beautiful view. The back of the house, led to a
huge plot of land where vegetables and fruits grew in abundance. The
children were exploring the house when they heard Terry barking wildly.
Maybe there was someone at the door. They ran behind Terry only to find
Ram at the gate. They met like long lost friends.
Ram had come to take them about and show them Tirakhpur. Riya wondered
how he would do so. As if understanding her mind he explained, ‘ I have grown
up here and I know this place like the back of my palm. More ever we are
taught mobility and direction and are trained in our school. I have a little
residual vision that makes things easy for me. I read and write in Braille
script and can also use the computer with the Jaws software.’ The children
were amazed at this new knowledge. Aunt Sheila said, ‘See, he is just like us
and remember he has special abilities.’
Along with Terry the three went into the lanes and by lanes of this small
sleepy town. Vishal tried to sight some common birds but except for some
parakeets and doves he could not find any. Maybe some other time, he
thought. They went to the lake side to find some locals fishing there. There
were some paddle boats for people who loved boating. This too they kept for
some other day. Ram then guided them towards a small dusty lane only to find
a little further away, an imposing wooden house with two floors. The house
was in a dilapidated condition and looked mysteriously strange.
There was furious growth of wild vegetation around. Thorny dried bushes
grew along the boundaries of the house. The path leading to the house
appeared different for Vishal. It was clear of all grass like, it was used
frequently. He told Ram about it. Ram then tried to open the gate. The gate
opened smoothly like it was well oiled. Their minds started thinking fast.
Somebody is using this place. Riya then screams, ‘Look, here I can see some
tyre marks too. Vishal bends down to have a look. He nods in affirmation.
There is a pin drop silence amongst the three. Yes, there was really
something that did not seem right. Terry starts barking and the children are
startled. They realize soon to find that he had found a brown hare and was
frightening it away. Anyway for now they thought, it was best that they leave
the place.

Back home Aunt Sheila was waiting for lunch. They were hungry after a
nature ramble of some sort. As they were enjoying their lunch, their
attention went outside the window observing the nature, colourful birds,
greenery, pleasant climatic atmosphere, fog coming out from the hills and
they felt that their aunt’s bungalow was in the laps of the Mother Nature.
Riya was very over enthusiastic in expressing emotions; she started
screaming out of hyper excitement to come to such a wonderful hill-station.
She profusely thanked her aunty again and again for inviting them to such a
beautiful place. Vishal on the other hand, never liked his sister’s immature
behaviour and always use to pinch her whenever she screamed out of any
childish excitement, leading to small petty arguments between them
regularly.
While observing the nature, both the children’s minds suddenly goes to the
old, non- maintained, dusty house which they visited earlier. The house
somehow appeared haunted and queer to them. They asked their aunt
innocently about that house to which she strongly warned them, to never ask
about it as no one stays there. The aunt who was so cheerful a minute ago,
suddenly somehow got annoyed. Aunt’s sudden change in mood after their
question raised the children’s apprehensions even more. The children then
decide not to mention any topic of that house to their aunt and instead
ignore. But the seeds of suspicion and curiosity makes children do weird
things. They had decided they would not leave the house alone. Oh! For the
poor house and their miscreants. Here comes the threesome…
 Chapter-4
Aunt Sheila had a huge vegetable farm where fresh vegetables like spinach,
tomatoes, radish and bottle gourd grew. She also had people to pluck the
farm produce and sell it in the local market. The children enjoyed digging up
the carrots, radish and other underground vegetables. They would gather
cherries and tomatoes and eat them. Ram too would join them and they would
have a whale of time. After few days, when the children were playing with
Terry, they decided that they should visit the mysterious house again. They
did not want Aunt to know of their plan. So one evening they informed her
that they wish to visit the Mall Road to have the well-known Falooda of a
particular shop. She agreed and the three set out with Terry in tow.
After the delicious treat they walked back not to their respective homes but
towards the lane that would take them to the Mystery house. It was quite
dark except for the occasional street light set apart at large distances.
When they turned towards the dusty lane leading to the house their hearts
beat faster. The children softly spoke to Terry to be quiet. The dog seemed
to understand the language of his little masters. After reaching the gate
they looked towards the house. It seemed daunting and a bit scary. The night
was not moon lit and the children peered in the dark.
Suddenly Terry started growling uneasily. The children tried to subdue him
but in vain. It was nine p.m night when Vishal looked at his radium watch. He
looked at Ram and he seemed to be sniffing the air. He told Vishal and Riya
that he could smell cigarette smoke. So that meant that someone was there
some time back or that someone was somewhere close by. Vishal and Riya’s
eyes suddenly caught the attention of a glimmer in the house and they were
sure that they saw a dim light in that dusty mysterious house which appeared
to be unused for years together. They were perplexed even more by thinking
who may be the person in this unearthly hour in this seldom used house. Ram
was however unaware of all this and couldn’t even understand Riya’s and
Vishal’s anxiousness. ‘What’s the matter with that mysterious house?’ he
asked softly. ‘I think there is someone there in the ground floor. We can see
the light down there,’ said Vishal. The children were a bit shaken.
All of them discussed to go home for now. They would come again in the
morning to search for some clues that could give some information about the
stranger in the house. Riya was most scared. She asked Ram, ‘ Do you believe
in evil spirits?’ ‘What does that mean Riya? You must not believe in this hoax.
Calm down, you are a brave girl,’ said Ram. He clasped her hand and she felt
protected with this brotherly gesture.
As they walked back Vishal was thinking hard and suddenly he asked, ‘ Should
we take the help of a detective?’ Ram did not understand immediately. He
looked towards Vishal inquiringly. Vishal explained, ‘ I am very fond of reading
detective stories and once I had befriended a detective on the Facebook. I
will try to get in touch with him. No adult is going to believe us children, and
if Aunt comes to know that we are prying here she will be furious.’ The
others agreed and then decided that they would meet the next morning to
search for clues at the mysterious house.
Vishal and Riya came back to their aunt’s home late night at nine-thirty p.m.
Their aunt scolded them for roaming around and coming too late in the night.
But they refrained from saying anything to their aunt. Riya and Vishal now
instead of hitting the bed accessed their Facebook on their aunt’s computer.
The fortune was on their side. The detective was online. Detective Bharat
Kumar. They elaborated about the mysterious house story while chatting on
Facebook. The detective suggested them to keep an eye on the house and if,
the next time the same thing happens, he advised both the children to inform
him. Both Riya and Vishal agreed and after exchanging pleasantries they
signed off.
 Chapter-5
The next morning the children were unusually quiet at the breakfast table.
They had an important mission to be accomplished. Aunt Sheila found their
disposition a bit strange, very unlike them. But she too felt children are never
without their moods and fancies. Ram met them outside their house and they
made their way towards the mysterious house. The house did not look so
imposing today in daylight than it looked in the dark of the night. Riya looked
down on the dusty lane. The same tyre marks. The tyre marks were fresh,
and there was a visitor here last night and he had come in a two wheeler- a
motor bike to be more precise. Ram said, ‘ A man who smokes cigarettes and
rides a motor bike.’ Vishal with pride said, ‘ Good work friends, we are on the
right track.’ Then he further explained about his talk with Detective Bharat
Kumar to Ram.
‘Let’s go inside to have a look’ said Vishal. The three along with Terry made
their way inside by unlatching the gate. The dusty path leading to the house
showed the tyre marks of the two-wheeler. The stranger had parked his bike
just outside the door. They tried to open the door but it seemed to be
securely locked. Their attempts were futile, so they started looking out for
clues around. They also tried to peep through the dusty windows. Riya said,
‘Why don’t we look the other side where we had seen the light last night.
They moved quickly towards the right side of the huge house. The windows
were dusty like the rest. Vishal tried to push open the window and to their
pleasant surprise it flung open.
Inside the small dusty cobweb hung room were wooden boxes strewn here and
there. Vishal climbed and entered into the room. He almost fell on the dusty
floor soiling his clothes. He looked into the boxes but they were all empty. So
the stranger had emptied his goods last night. What a pity! But they were
sure he would be back again and along and with the help of Bharat Kumar they
would be able to solve the mystery of the stranger.
As they walked back home the children planned their further course of
action. They have to keep a constant vigil on the house. They kept an eye on
that house for further two days with their friend Ram without letting their
Aunt know about it. They didn’t see anything weird in that house as they had
two days back. The children almost lost the interest on keeping an eye on
that house, thinking that it was just a waste of time, or their illusion was
created while observing this mysterious house. They were about to drop the
plan. But after this, one fine morning, they saw a Nano car parked in front of
the gate. Now, who could this be? they thought.
Silently the children tip-toed towards the gate and they found the gate open.
Ram was trying to listen hard. As they moved towards the door of the house
Ram said, ‘ The person inside is searching the wooden boxes. He is definitely
not that stranger. This man is different, and also, I do not smell tobacco. I
seem to smell cloves and cardamom’. Riya and Vishal were surprised at Ram’s
sense of smell and sound. Because of his vision impairment his other senses
were more pronounced and accurate.
All of them made their way towards the open window which was flung open by
Vishal the other day. Suddenly Terry started barking. The children turned
round to see a man wearing a high polo neck sweater and blue jeans. He was
right behind them and looking down at all of them fiercely. Suddenly his face
broke into a smile. In a deep voice he said, ‘Good Morning children, nice to
meet you. I am Detective Bharat Kumar and have come to meet you children
to solve this mystery of the house’.
The children took time to overcome the fear that had gripped them. Soon
they were all over him because his appearance before them was one of the
most pleasant surprises. They guided him through that mysterious house. The
children were scared earlier but now they felt they were about to achieve
something which would make them famous of some sort. Bharat Kumar the
detective was a man with a pleasant face and he had an aquiline nose. He had
arrived at Tirakhpur that morning and straight came to examine this mystery
house. He instructed them to meet him tonight at eight p.m. near the gate of
the house. He gave them a lift in his Nano car and when they left he gave
each one of them a cardamom to chew. Vishal and Riya looked at Ram. He was
right; Bharat Kumar chewed cloves and cardamom which are commonly used as
mouth fresheners.
 Chapter-6
The children and the detective sat hidden behind the thick growth of bushes
that grew around the gate of the mystery house eagerly waiting for
something to happen. Terry was his hyper self and would go for a walk around
to short distances and again be back with them. Something was constantly
biting Riya and she kept complaining. Vishal did not like her complaining
nature and he warned, if she did not stop he won’t have her with them next
time. Riya was almost in tears but kept quiet since she knew her brother well
enough. She wanted to be a part of this adventure and was enjoying it.
Suddenly Ram was alerted. He said, ‘Friends, I hear the motor bike far away.
I think the stranger is back. The others tried to listen hard and soon they
heard the rumbling of the engine. They tried to quieten Terry, their hearts
pounding.
The stranger stopped his bike near the gate, opened it and then stood
motionless for few seconds as if trying to judge if things were alright. He
cautiously looked left and right and then made his way up the path parking his
bike outside. The stranger was a tall man, well-built, wearing a long overcoat
and a hat. Yes, and Ram could smell the tobacco, he was indeed the same
stranger of the other night. The children moved out of the thicket and
peeped through the gate. After a while a small dim light was seen in the very
same room of the right side of the house. All of them moved up the path
quietly. As they neared the house to peep into it Ram stumbled on a stone and
fell headlong. Riya almost gave a scream and Terry barked. The detective
helped Ram on his feet and asked him if he was alright. He said softly, ‘ Yes,
nothing to worry, I think I have bruised my knee but I will be alright.’ They
hoped they had not alerted the stranger in the room. For a few moments
they waited and when nothing happened the detective told the children to
move ahead.
When they reached near the window Bharat Kumar advised them to summon
up courage to peep through. And what do they see now through the
window???? The shadow of a man wearing a hat, smoking a cigarette, holding a
not so powerful torch and looking around every corner of the room, shuffling
the boxes and the scanty furniture here and there. The mysterious man
wanted to search something desperately. Bharat Kumar assured the children
through gesture that nothing untoward would happen, to be silent as they
could alert the mysterious man. Very soon they found that the man went
towards the door of the room and fumbled with some knobs for a while and
then disappeared.
The children were dumb struck. The stranger was there, and now he is
nowhere. The light of the torch too disappeared with him. Did he move
outside the room? But the whole house was plunged in darkness. The
moonlight made for the visibility outside but the onlookers could not see
much inside. For Riya it was too much to handle and she was about to scream
out of fear but her brother Vishal immediately cupped her lips to keep the
mysterious man unalarmed. Detective signalled them to lie in wait and see if
the stranger reappeared, but after waiting for ten long agonising minutes
nothing happened. He felt it would not be right for the children to wait any
longer and decided to leave. So now from the mystery of the stranger they
had to solve the sudden disappearance of the strange man in the Mystery
house.
The detective pacified the three children whose heart beats were pacing
furiously out of fear but Ram, somehow managed to keep his cool, not just
because he couldn’t witness what was going on exactly, but also because
somewhere he knew his other senses were powerful enough on the basis of
which the mysterious man sooner or later could be caught hold off. The
detective later advised the children not to discuss anything of tonight’s
incident, even to their aunt; instead continue to keep an eye on the house to
observe whether the same mysterious man comes again. When they reached
the gate they looked at the motor bike parked there. They wondered if its
master will ever reappear to ride it again. Then Ram said, ‘ Friends, the
mysterious man smokes 999 Cigarette and applies a gent’s perfume named La
Voltaire’. The detective after hearing this became pleasantly surprised with
much appreciation on his face for his remarkably strong senses. Bharat
Kumar stopped for a second, like he was enlightened and there was a smile of
achievement on his face. He thanked Ram for giving him some germ to
perhaps unravel the mystery. They decided that they should meet the next
day and to chalk out their further strategy.
 Chapter-7
The next morning the three made their way towards the Mystery house with
Terry trotting besides them. He wagged his tail happily. But the moment the
children turned towards the dusty lane, Terry cocked up his ears and he knew
it was business as usual. When they reached the gate the motor bike was not
there. Now the children came to the conclusion that the stranger must have
reappeared and left the place on his bike. Meanwhile detective Bharat Kumar
too arrived. Terry greeted him with joyful barks and licks. All of them
entered the house through the open window only to find that the room was in
the same condition they had seen the previous day. They failed to make out
what exactly the mysterious man was up to. But they got a big surprise when
they found the cigarette butt on the floor with the brand imprinted on it as
999. Bharat Kumar asked Ram how he knew the name of the brand as well as
the name of the perfume, Ram replied, “I had gone with my uncle to the
neighbouring town to visit his friend who smoked the same brand of cigarette
and whose brother used the same brand of perfume”. Vishal and Riya also
appreciated Ram’s powerful senses.
Ram felt encouraged and was determined to help them in every possible way
he could. As the three children and the detective were looking on the floor
for more clues, Riya’s sharp eyes noticed something. She called aloud pointing
at the floor, ‘ What is this white colour powder spilled here?’ The detective
was besides her in an instant. He examined the powder with his fingers and
smelt it. His face became serious. So this was it. He looked at the children
and said, ‘ This seems to be a narcotic drug powder. Definitely a drug
smuggling racket is going on here. We have to be very careful as these
smugglers could be very dangerous’.
Now they frantically searched the whole of the ground floor wondering
where the stranger had disappeared. All the rooms were dusty and huge
cobwebs hung from the ceiling. Some old furniture lay in the rooms in a most
decayed condition. The whole group started getting bouts of cough and
breathing was difficult. Riya held Ram’s hand as they moved about. After
sometime they gave up and moved outside. Vishal said, ‘ Friends we are now
sure that some drug smugglers are using this old dilapidated house for their
illegal activities. Don’t you think that we should inform the police?’ ‘Not yet,’
replied the detective, ‘ We need more proof ’.
Since there was still time for lunch Bharat Kumar suggested that they visit
the lake side eating house for some sandwiches and cold drink. When they
reached the place there was nobody around. They seated comfortably and
ordered their sandwiches and cold drink. Soon two men entered and sat on
the table opposite them. The group observed that they were sullen looking
men and their eyes were cold and ruthless as they looked towards them. They
ordered coffee and were unusually quiet. However they wore branded clothes
and when they paid their bill, Vishal noticed that their wallets were full of
rupee notes. Suddenly Terry went up to them and sniffed them. He started
barking wildly. The three children and the detective were seen wondering,
looking at one another as to what Terry really wanted to convey. There was a
sudden fear in the eyes of the men. They rose up to go, but Terry caught
hold of one of their trousers. He refused to leave and to the dismay of the
children the other man kicked hard at Terry. Terry let go his hold and Vishal
came to Terry’s rescue. The men cursed the dog and moved out quickly. In a
second they were out of sight.
On their way back Ram said, ‘ The behaviour of these two men was suspicious.
They do not appear as locals. I have a strong intuition that they are
connected with the activities in the house’. Everybody agreed. ‘But why did
Terry behave in this manner?’ asked Vishal. ‘Don’t you understand,’ said Riya, ‘
Terry has already got the scent of these two men and has recognised it.’
‘Absolutely right, Riya has hit the bull’s eye. Clever thinking, and Riya, you
could be a good detective when you grow up’, said the Detective. Riya was
pleased with the praise and hugged detective Bharat Kumar. Vishal said, ‘ I
am sure they are regular visitors at the Mystery House and Terry has picked
up their scent there’. Things were becoming clear but many things remained
unanswered, especially the man donning an overcoat and a hat.
After coming back home when the children were having their lunch, Aunt
Sheila sprung a surprise to them. She told Vishal and Riya that she was
planning a Paneer and Vegetable Barbeque party in the gardens and she would
like them to invite their friends Ram and detective Bharat Kumar since the
aunt learnt later about the detective who has befriended the children. Riya
squealed in excitement. She wanted to go to the farm and pick up the
choicest vegetables and may be gather some mushrooms. After lunch she
took the basket along with Terry and went to the farm. Aunt became busy
preparing the barbeque sauces and other accompaniments. Vishal went up to
his room to relax not before informing his friends about the evening party.
The evening party was in full swing and the group of four for the time being
forgot about the strange men and the Mystery House. Suddenly Riya noticed
that Terry was all alert. He ran out of the house smelling something in the
mud. Riya ran after him but Terry went straight out of the gate. She
suddenly noticed two men running towards a small van parked a little further
away. Terry was barking and chasing them. She recognised them as those two
men they had encountered at the lake side. They got into the van and drove
away in the dark.
 Chapter-8
When Riya came back she secretly informed Ram and Vishal about what
happened. Detective Bharat Kumar was busy playing the chef and enjoying as
he grilled the lovely tomatoes, capsicum, potatoes baby corns and paneer.
Aunt was busy serving them with chutney, sauces, raw spring onions and lemon
wedges. When he heard what had happened he grew serious. ‘They are
suspecting us,’ he said. ‘Terry’s manner has led the lead on to us.’ He further
advised them that they should lie low for a few days as their safety was his
priority.
The next day the three received a message from detective Bharat Kumar, on
their mobiles that he was going out for a few days, and that they should not
venture alone to the mystery house. The three could not understand the
immediate urgency. However they decided that they should abide by his
instructions. Aunt Sheila called Vishal to do a small errand for her. She asked
him to go to the Mall Road to make some payment to a trader. She said to
Vishal, ‘ You can take your friend Ram along.’ Vishal agreed and they both set
out without Riya and Terry. After finishing the assigned work they drank
their favourite Falooda. When they reached the turning to the lane that
leads towards the mystery house they stopped for a moment. ‘Let’s just have
a peep,’ said Vishal as their curiosity made them restless. They were in
dilemma whether or not to adhere to Bharat Kumar’s instructions. Ram
nodded and they made their way towards the house. They stopped when they
saw a van parked outside the gate. The same van, that Riya saw last night.
Ram said, ‘It means that those two ruthless men must be in now.’ They both
looked at each other and they were thinking on the same lines, they had to
see what was happening.
Vishal caught hold of Ram’s hand and they made their way up to the house.
There was an eerie silence all around. The cold wind blowing gently sent
shivers in their bodies. When they reached the open window they peered
inside. There was nobody in the room. They waited patiently for a little while.
The two decided to go inside. They looked around and then Ram suddenly
heard some noises. They hid behind the wooden boxes placed over one
another. The two men miraculously appeared in the room. Ram and Vishal were
shocked and scared.
They heard their conversation. A gruff voice called out, ‘ Lakhya, call our
Boss “Cheetah” and inform him that tonight we will deliver the consignment’.
‘OK’, said the other, whose voice was shrill but loud. He continued, ‘ Pakhya, I
am a bit worried about that dog and those three children. They have been
snooping around here. It is important that we wind up our activities here
before we are raided. I have informed Cheetah boss about it too.’ Ram
whispered to Vishal, ‘Lakhya and Pakhya.’ Both sat still and they heard the
two taking leave. While leaving one of them collapsed over boxes as he could
not keep his balance and he fell with a huge thud exposing both Vishal and
Ram hiding behind.
The two men looked down at them menacingly. They picked them up with their
collars and shook them up almost choking them. ‘So you are those snoopy kids,
we will make you captive for your whole life,’ he snarled at them. He was
Pakhya the one with the gruff voice and he had held Vishal. Vishal cursed
himself for not taking Bharat Kumar’s advice seriously. Vishal was thinking
hard, he had to escape. This was his last chance. He had to get help. He bit
the hand of Pakhya hard. He screamed and let go off him. Vishal jumped out
of the window ran outside but not before telling Ram that it was only a
matter of time and he too would be free. Pakhya tried to chase him but was
unable to do so because he lost precious time to recover from Vishal’s deadly
bite.
Vishal stopped only after he reached his house. He bent down exhausted. He
could not waste time. Ram was kidnapped by Lakhya and Pakhya. Help had to
reach out to him. He did not know whether he should inform the police. Then
there was Aunt Sheila, what she would say? He decided to apologize and
inform detective Bharat Kumar first. Vishal heaved a sigh of relief only after
he had spoken at length to him and getting the promise for immediate rescue
of Ram by the police.
Aunt Sheila was not at home and Vishal explained all that had happened to
Riya. Riya thought about Ram and cried bitterly. For the first time, Vishal
consoled her and did not call her a cry-baby. After an hour they heard Terry
barking below. When they went down they found detective Bharat Kumar at
the gate. He told them to enter his Nano car and they were off to the
Mystery house.
The van was not at the gate so they concluded that both Lakhya and Pakhya
were away. They had to free Ram, but where was he? Had they taken him
away with them? Had they harmed him? All these questions plagued their
minds. They looked very unhappy. When they entered in the room through the
window they called out for Ram. Terry started scratching the floor near the
door. But Bharat Kumar and the two children ignored Terry’s behaviour first.
Later they felt something is wrong and Terry was trying to suggest them
something. The three ran towards Terry. And suddenly they heard a muffled
voice from down. ‘Help, I am here.’ They screamed with delight, it was Ram
but how did he reach below?
 Chapter-9
Ram was down, captured in a cellar of some sort below. They heard him
thumping hard. Detective Bharat Kumar shouted down the floor, ‘We are here
Ram, you will be out shortly.’ Vishal’s eyes searched here and there
desperately, to figure out the route to the cellar. Detective too looked here
and there. His eyes fell on the shining knob on the door. He turned it and
with a soft noise a part of the floor opened showing a rickety staircase
leading to the cellar. They heard Ram call out, ‘Friends, I am here.’ Vishal
switched on his torch. Terry was barking with excitement. One by one all of
them moved down the staircase.
The cellar was comparatively neat and clean. One side of the wall was stacked
with wooden cases. Ram was lying on the other side with his hands and feet
tied. Vishal rushed to unfasten his hands and feet. They helped Ram to his
feet and Riya gave him some water to drink. It was an emotional reunion of
some sort. Detective Bharat Kumar ran towards the wooden boxes and
opened them. Inside he found small packets of white powder. Riya asked, ‘
Are they drugs which you were taking about the other day?’ ‘Yes,’ said the
detective. Ram said, ‘ After Vishal escaped Pakhya had slapped me hard and
then both Lakhya and Pakhya had tied me and put me in the cellar below. They
both are coming tonight to take these drugs away to a safer place as
instructed by their boss Cheetah.’
‘Now where have they gone?’ asked Detective Bharat Kumar. Ram said, ‘I
overheard them say that they were going to Mandy’s gambling den to strike a
deal.’ Detective said, ‘ Common Friends, lets follow Terry, he will surely lead
us to them.’ Vishal said to Terry, ‘ C’mon, buddy here is your chance.’ Terry
barked in approval and was up the staircase in a jiffy. Before they left they
did not forget to turn the glowing knob on the door to hide the cellar again.
Terry ran slowly to guide the detective and children following him. He ran for
full fifteen minutes and they followed him in the Nano car. He took all three
of them to a strange unknown area. They start pondering as to whether they
are on the right track or not. Suddenly Terry stopped. It looked like a village
of some sort. The detective parked the car and they all got out. They
decided to follow Terry by foot. The children later took out their smart
phones to use the navigation application to see in which area they landed up,
the place was Kuulu puri which was a small village, little away from their Hill
Station Tirakhpur. There were small shops lined on both sides of the road.
After guiding them a little further Terry turned to the right into a small
lane, and a little further away they saw a red brick structure with an old
board showing, ‘ Only Mandy’.

There were few passer-by’s. The place looked desolate and the gate was
closed. The group moved to the back side of Mandy’s den and it was lighted.
The detective said to the children, ‘ Let’s peep through the window.’ They saw
two men who were in that room, doing some dealings over the phone, for
drugs, as the detective and the children overheard their telephonic
conversation. Vishal and Ram recognised them, they were Lakhya and Pakhya.
Terry had brought them correctly to their destination. The detective and
three children decided to go back at this point of time from there, as it was
a potential danger to wait and overlook their activities in the den.
As soon as they tried to slowly sneak away from there, the Riya fell off her
back side losing her foot balance as there was a rock which she didn’t see.
She screamed loudly. This alerted the two criminals who suddenly looked out
of the window. The detective shouted, “Common!! Run children, we should get
away from here now”. Lakhya and Pakhya followed them by running fast too.
They caught hold of Riya and Vishal. The group turned to rescue them. They
saw Lakhya had a gun in his hand; he aimed at shooting the detective.
Terry sensed the danger and in a spur of the moment jumped and bit Lakhya’s
left leg. He shouted loudly and dropped the gun from his hand out of severe
pain. The detective with his sharp presence of mind caught the gun before it
could be dropped down, and threatened “Hands up, and faked them by saying
“I am a CID officer”. After hearing this both Lakhya and Pakhya got
frightened and shivered, they imagined as if the God of death- Yamraj was
standing just in front of them. The detective and the three children with the
dog now had an upper hand at that moment. They were happy, but they didn’t
know that their pleasure was short lived, Riya soon asked the detective, “But
detective Uncle, you are just a detective and not a CID officer as you told us
that day”.
As soon as she said this, everyone’s victorious smile and pleasure for that few
seconds turned into utter disgust for her brainlessness. They looked at her
with anger and annoyance. The two criminals were smart enough to
understand the lies and kicked the detective’s hand in which he was holding
the gun. The gun was thrown up and then was caught by Pakhya. Bharat Kumar
managed to wrest it from his hand. He told the children to run from there
and wait in the car. The three ran away from there even faster this time.
Suddenly a vehicle turned into the lane. Lakhya and Pakhya felt that they
have to take to their heels before this sleepy village gets up to their illegal
presence there.
Soon they were all in the car and were making their way to Tirakhpur. The
three children and the detective conversed with one another and the
detective decided that they have to take the help of law. These men were
dangerous and by now they must have already informed their boss Cheetah.
Bharat Kumar had to ensure the safety of the children and wanted them to
go home and let the law take its own course. But the children were reluctant.
However the detective felt that they should be for now, in the safety of
their homes. They all were also thinking to figure out, as to what these two
Lakhya, and Pakhya, had the connection with that burly giant man, smoking
the cigarette donning a black hat and wearing a thick overcoat.
 Chapter-10
The detective left the children at their respective residences and told them
to forget about the Mystery House as that place could be raided by the
police. But the children did not want to be away from the excitement. Aunt
Sheila was away downtown to visit an ailing relative. The house help Laxman,
gave Vishal and Riya food and they retired upstairs to their room. It was only
pretence. When the house was quiet they dressed up and went downstairs.
Terry too was with them and they sneaked out quietly. Ram was at the gate
and they made their way towards the mystery house for a very dangerous
midnight encounter. They hid behind the thicket and waited patiently.
Everything was quiet and they could hear the sounds of nocturnal birds. The
atmosphere was cold and scary. Ram heard some sounds. He said, ‘ Shh.. I
hear some vehicle coming, quiet all of you, and hold Terry tight.’
Suddenly a van came with Pakhya and Lakhya, and they parked in front of the
gate. The children peeped through the thicket, and they found that the van
was white and shining in the moonlight. Pakhya in a gruff voice ordered, ‘
Quick Lakhya, we have to get our stuff out quickly. I am longing to get my
hands on those snoopy children and when I do so, they will be sorry that they
are alive in this world.’ The children shivered in fear after they heard Pakhya.
Lakhya said, ‘ That detective must have alerted the police. We have to see
first whether the coast is clear or not? Beware, as we move in.’
They had come there to take away some other wooden boxes from the cellar
of that house where they had hidden the drug packets and to remove off the
evidences against them, if any. Vishal trying to peep just fell over the thick
bushes creating a noise which alerted the two men as they were moving in. In
a split of a second they were over them and held all of them. They dragged
them inside the house with Terry barking wildly. The children shouted for
help but to no avail as there weren’t much public in sleepy a hill station like
Tirakhpur, and especially the area was even more deserted near the
mysterious house. They were taken to a small garage like room at the back
side of the house and locked inside. It was dark and dusty. A little rat ran
over Riya and she screamed with fear. The room was also filled with all kinds
of insects. The children could hear Terry barking and his consequent scuffle
with the two men. After some time they heard Terry’s barking fade away at a
distance. The children knew that Terry had escaped.
Vishal suggested Riya to call the detective then, as luckily she was carrying
her mobile and both Lakhya and Pakhya were not aware of it. To their bad
luck the bell kept ringing. They decided to message him. The children could
hear some sounds and it was quite clear they were winding up before the
arrival of the police. It was completely dark inside and now they were
worried. What if they were never freed? All of them held each other’s hands
for support. They somehow came inside this house with the expectation that
perhaps they could get hold of these miscreants but things had gone horribly
wrong for them. ‘We should have listened to our detective friend,’ cried Riya.
Vishal did not scold Riya this time because he too felt the same. Ram was
positive and self assured. He said, ‘ I am sure we will be rescued soon and
these criminals will be held. I am not worried at all’. His words gave courage
to Vishal and Riya.
Suddenly Ram’s ears cocked up. ‘ I think another vehicle has come.’ The three
listen intently. They heave a sigh of relief when they hear footsteps draw
close. They hear the familiar voice of Detective Bharat Kumar talking to
someone. So help had come sooner than expected. They start screaming and
banging the dusty wooden door and the wall. The detective hears the mercy
screams, and makes out as to where it’s coming from. They shout, “Please get
us out of here” banging the door once again. The detective was somehow still
trying to make out from where the pleading screams were coming from.
Finally a couple of footsteps were at the door and with one huge push it flung
open.
The torch light showed the three children scared, and huddled together. And
what do the children see?? They see the same overcoat burly man donning
the black hat and cigarette in front, coming towards them. Riya and Vishal
got frightened again after seeing him, their friend Ram sensed that he is the
same man with that same brand cigarette-smoke smell of 999 and the same
brand of perfume La Voltaire. The guy came and told the children, “Common
children, come out, and give me your hands, I have come to rescue you all
from here” The children with much hesitation and fright held his hands and
came out from the room. They were further astonished to see that the
overcoat man thanked the detective Bharat Kumar who was standing beside
him smiling, for his support. The overcoat man then said “Don’t worry
children, I am CID officer Dushyant and detective Bharat Kumar has helped
me in this secret mission to burst this drug racket”. The children after
hearing this were much relaxed. ‘But where are Lakhya and Pakhya?’ asked
Vishal. ‘They will be taken care of by our policemen, you need not fear. They
are down with them in the cellar.’
Suddenly they hear some commotion near the door, the criminals Lakhya and
Pakhya had entered the house to collect their stuff, and to wipe off the
evidences, but now they were being brought up the rickety staircase of the
cellar. The police officers had already accompanied Dushyant and had
pounced on those criminals Lakhya and Pakhya without their knowledge. They
were caught unaware. Finally the two criminals who were in the tight grip of
the police officers made a last attempt to run but they were beaten up and
shot on their legs by the police officers, so that they couldn’t go scott free.
CID officer Dushyant thanked all the three children, especially Ram for his
strong senses along with detective Bharat kumar.

The barks of Terry made the children very happy. He had gone and collected
a few known people of Tirakhpur who had followed him. He could not hide his
excitement at this reunion and barked wildly wagging his tail with all his
might. But CID Dushyant warned the children later, not to get into any sort
of scuffle like this in future and take the law in their own hands. The children
were left home safely but, that night they could not sleep because they had
experienced the most exciting adventure of their life.
 Chapter-11
The children then hit the bed late night by 12 p.m. Although they were lying
on the bed, those haunting memories which they just experienced didn’t let
them sleep peacefully. Aunt was till then not aware of as to what these
children had done; since she had arrived only in the wee hours of the morning,
after attending to her ailing relative. After a late night sleep, Vishal and Riya
could not get up in the morning as usual. At about 9 a.m., next morning, she
rushed up to their bedroom with Terry barking excitedly behind her. She
tried waking them up and said “Children, look!! Who has come to meet you
all?” The children tried to open their eyes rubbing them in between. They
stepped out from their bed half asleep, and looked down from their bedroom
window below, only to see a media channel’s huge van parked at their aunt’s
house gate, from the reputed news channel ‘News Time’. When both Riya and
Vishal saw the media reporters they sprang to their feet.
By now they were in full senses with surprise on their faces, looking at one
another imagining what must have happened. They saw the media gathering
accompanied with the smiling faces of Ram, Detective Bharat Kumar and CID
officer Dushyant. Aunt Sheila looking at all this was absolutely at a loss as to
what on the earth the children have done, that these people have gathered at
her gate making such commotion. The main reporters from the channel
Prasenjit Doshi and Shweta waited below for their arrival. The children
showered, dressed up quickly and were down for their famous interview. Aunt
too sat down as she was completely in the dark. As the whole episode
unfolded before her she sat there dumb struck unable to believe at times.
She sure would take a long time to get over it.
Initially the children including Ram were shy, frightened, sceptical but,
Detective Bharat Kumar, and CID Dushyant stood beside Vishal, Riya and Ram
assuring with their smiling faces that nothing wrong would happen, instead
they should narrate the whole story with great sense of pride and
achievement. Later the children were photographed and they felt very proud.
Aunt Sheila’s eyes had mixed emotions of shock, dismay, pleasure and pride,
all together. She didn’t know how to react to this after listening to their
interview with the news channel. Although her facial expressions in the
beginning were annoying towards the children for keeping her in dark , but
finally she felt proud for her nephew and niece. Detective Bharat Kumar and
CID officer Dushyant also gave their interview by stating that apart from
Vishal and Riya, their visually impaired friend Ram and dog Terry’s
contribution, helped them nab these criminals, and they too should be
credited equally with appreciations and rewards. Terry didn’t understand the
human language at this moment, nevertheless with his extra- ordinary senses
he analysed the overall pleasant situation and started wagging his tail
touching the children’s legs on one side and the Detective’s leg on the other
side.
Later Bharat Kumar told Ram, Vishal and Riya that Ram’s extra- ordinary
senses of his smell for recognizing a particular brand of cigarette and La
Voltaire perfume suggested him that it was not any criminal, instead it was
CID officer Dushyant, whom he knew already. They joined hands to work on
this case together. But CID officer Dushyant and Detective Bharat Kumar
once again warned the children not to take law in their own hands. They
educated them that if in near future they felt somewhere things turn fishy
and dangerous they should inform the police first. The local Rotary club, the
next day bestowed the three children with recognition and honour for their
bravery in bursting this anti- social activity, which was going on for quite
some time at their Hill station Tirakhpur. It was even more surprising when
the police found that the boss ‘Cheetah’ was none other than a well-known
local politician of Tirakhpur.
The aunt was proud of them after knowing that they were honoured for their
bravery. However she also warned them not to indulge in any such acts in
future, to risk their lives and land up themselves in danger. She later
confessed to the children that it was exactly the same reason that she
discouraged them not to discuss about this house or loiter around it, as she
had heard a lot of stories, of that house being haunted or being the breeding
ground for criminals and anti-social activities. Aunt Sheila said “Children!!
Now I realize that the house wasn’t haunted, instead the criminals
intentionally made some screeching sounds or sounds of a wailing woman to
make the general local public of Tirakhpur shy away from the house as far as
possible, so that they could easily continue their activities, without being
caught red handed and give the general public an impression that the house is
indeed haunted by ghosts”.
After all the publicity of children in media and newspapers, the next day,
Aunt Sheila’s doorbell rang in the wee hours of the morning. Aunt after
opening the door was pleasantly surprised to see Vishal and Riya’s parents at
their door. However the facial expressions of Riya and Vishal’s parents
weren’t that pleasant, rather they were anxious and frightened to know as to
what had happened. Aunt Sheila welcomed them and apologized for not
informing them. The parents entered Aunt Sheila’s house with much haste
and eagerness to know where the children where, what were they doing??
Aunt called both the children, and they came out from their respective
rooms. They too were glad to see their parents. The parents immediately
hugged Riya and Vishal and said, “We saw the news channels and newspapers
flooded with all your photos and stories. What you both children did here, it’s
a proud moment for us, no doubt, but why did you risk your lives by taking
laws in your hands?” The children smiled and realized the anxiety and fear
and what their parents were going through. They pacified them by asking
them to first sit down on the dining table. Aunt later offered them tea with
snacks and sweets and fulfilled all guest welcoming formalities. As they
relaxed, the children calmly tried to justify and give explanations to their
parents. They apologized to their parents realizing their mistake, but
managed to convince them that it was just out of curiosity. They had helped
the law as aware citizens to crack this mysterious case and to bring to book
the people who were making the peaceful atmosphere of Tirakhpur filthy.
Also they had got a true friend in Ram. The parents after much hesitation
get convinced and warned the children not to participate in any such gimmicks
in future. Both sides agreed happily and all was well. Children were excited to
see their parents visit them in their aunt’s place. Nevertheless the children
expressed their emotions to Aunt and parents by saying that this summer
vacation was indeed worth cherishing, with lots of haunting and happy
memories to carry back to hometown, to their neighbours, and to their fellow
class mates in school, once their next academic year begins.

The End