Reflections: I WAS NOT SCARED

OK before we begin, it is not that I am a darpok (sissy in angrezi I think), it is just that I do get scared very easily.

Yes, I told you am not a darpok now stop staring me like this. It scares me. I mean I get scared by that look of yours, the eyebrows up and the eyes popping out. Come on don’t lie even you are scared of those looks. Remember mum’s glances when you do something wrong.
Aah see caught you darpok… :D (devil’s grin)

Anyhow this is not about you. It’s always about you is it.? huh.. I was talking about I, me, myself.

So, In the summer of 2008, my cousin came to stay with us. Ok it was not exactly summer but then summer sounds so fiction-ish.. continuing

A random fact but still relevant that I am directionally dyslexic. If you send me to the simplest of places I will manage to some how complicate the ways. On the top of it I have the knack of confusing you as well. So never ever ever ever make a mistake of

a. asking me the way to a certain place (including my home, school, office, college and your home school or office)

b. Never ask me for directions

Some other day on my dyslexia.

So, as the cousin was here we were to take her around and show ‘Delhi’. I have been here from past 12-13 years and have never ‘seen’ the place. Loser, I know. Anyway so, this cousin was also not very enthusiastic on going and checking out old monuments and buildings of Mogul empire. She said she wanted to have fun. As we say ‘masti karenege’

So our brother advised us to break the cliché and go to this new place in the near by market. He said it was like Appu ghar’s Bhoot Bangla.

Now for all those who are not familiar I will elucidate. Appu ghar was the most wanted amusement park of Delhi. But sealing and all issues needed it’s closure. It does not exist anymore (bahhooo hoooo.. aai maaji )

So there in that amusing world of swings and interesting rides was this fun ride called bhoot bangla or haunted bunglow. It was supposed to be a train sort of a thing which would taking you in a tunnel where there will be surround sound “eeeheeee he he ehe he (chudail hasin/ female ghost laughter) the devil laughter, the ghost aura and the ghastly sights of mannequins and puppets on the lines of ghosts. As a kid I used to get real real scared of that place. It was dark and people used to come out shrieking.

When I grew up, as in I did, Yes I did like, forget it. Continuing, I grew up and I realised arrey it is so funny. You know like when you are immature you like movies like kuch kuch hota hai and main ne pyar kiya. When you grow up you know how funny those movies are. Like Karan Johar said“tum nahin samjhoge bacche kuch kuch hota hai”

Digressing again..

Now, we went to this new place called “Scary Fort” in kamla nagar. I was accompanied by my elder sister, cousin and my 3 year old niece Kuhu. Now we thought that the place will be some sidey shit. So, let’s go and have fun.

When we were to enter, the ticket guy said we can’t take Kuhu as she is too young for it. So we left her there with the guard. As we entered it was ofcourse dark, like I know I am not scared of the dark, like not always, Occasionally yes. Everyone is.

Right when we entered there came a hand from the dark and a very loud husky voice that said “kahan jaa rehi ho mar jaogi” (where are you going? you will die) lord I had a stroke right there. I said mujhe nahin jana (I do not want to go).. and I screamed.. I was the loudest. I said I am going to be with kuhu but nobody listened. My concerns for the 3 year old were genuine. How could we leave her in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't scared just ..

That was just the trailer. As we entered uff! it still creeps me out.

There were people chained to chair and they get up and scare you to death as you go near them. I just wanted to see the light to come. I thought it will never come. I shut my eyes and concentrated on screaming my heart out. That spared me quite a deal. While we were about to end the ordeal my cousin said very coolly arrey I left my hanky there. We had managed to see the light at the end of the tunnel by then. My throat was out of screams and I was furious at that cousin of mine. Like, here we were fighting for life and death and all she could think of was a hanky.

I came out and was shaking for the next half an hour. Kuhu heard us shout all this while so she thought it was the place we mentioned every now and then. Whenever she was not behaving properly we used to tell her that she will get punished. The scary fort became the hub of fictional fear for her.

Since then whenever Kuhu or even I am part of any mischievous doing we are threatened to be sent to the scary fort. And trust me not that we are really afraid or something but come on that place is scary.

I regret going to that god forsaken land on that ill fated summer day. God not that I was scared but as in dar sabko lagta hai, gala sabka sukhta hai..