The Road to Lovers' Paradise

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"Lovers' Paradise-how does the name sound madam?" Karan teased his newly-wedded wife.
Monami blushed and he laughed, touching her lightly on her arm. She immediately withdrew,looking at him shyly. Shaking her head she indicated
the presence of the driver with her eyes. He laughed again.
Karan turned to look out of the window at the scenery. Shimla 7 km, the milestone read as the van
sped on. He had seen hoardings advertising Hotel Lovers' Paradise twice.

A commando in Indian army ,he and Monami had been married just two daysback. He had been given only seven days' leave for the wedding. The couple had been undecided between Shimla and Kullu for their honeymoon. Finally his mother had suggested Shimla. It was only a three hour journey, and as he had only four days, he could spend them leisurely. Also, Monami had never been to Shimla before.
Theirs had been an arranged marriage. During their eight-month engagement period they had communicated through WhatsApp. Monami was an introvert and it was only when the marriage date came
closer, did her texts become more forthcoming and affectionate.

"Is that Shimla?"' Monami asked excitedly. Karan turned and stared at the ridge and slopes that resembled a concrete jungle.

"Yes. It has changed a lot, it seems to have become very congested now", he said. "I never thought it would
become like this,"' he added.

"Neither did I.'"

"What do you mean," he said, turning to her.
"It's so different from what I had thought it would be. These slopes are covered by houses. I mean, there are some trees, but it is not like Dalhousie,"' she said.

"Have you been to Dalhousie?" he asked.

"Yes, with Papa, about two years ago after I finished my graduation," she said shyly.
"We have reached sir. Have you booked in some hotel?" the driver interrupted.

"Take us to LoverS Paradise," Karan said without thinking.
"The hotel is on a restricted road, taxis are not allowed. I will take you till Lady Reading Hospital from there its just a fifteen-minute walk the driver sald.
Karan nodded and then looked at his bride. She was busy combing her hair and tying it back in a knot at the nape of her neck.
"Oh, my God"' she suddenly screamed, cringing away fron the open window of the van.
"Don't worry, they are coolies, Kashmiri Khans", the driver said.

"But why are they running around the van? They will hurt themselves. What do they want?", she asked.
"Ignore them, they are looking for customers. If's always like this. This place is called Victory Tunnel:tourists from buses get down here and then the Khans take over, leading them to hotels. This is how they earn their livelihood," Karan explained, holding his
wife close.

"You have to be very careful of them sir, they also fleece tourists. There is a strong nexus between them, the transporters and hoteliers," warned the driver.

"Here we are. Lovers' Paradise is quite near, a small steep climb. You do not have much luggage, but if you need a coolie you will get one at the shop ahead." he added.

It took them more than iteern minutes to
the hotel. Lovers' Paradise was well marked: a bridle path set in a thick conifer lorest led to it.
Monami began to feel sick As soon as she started to climb the path. In the beginning she felt an acute tiredness, and then she started shivering involuntute
"Are you feeling cold?" Karan asked.
"I don't know, it's a very..Srange feeling," she said weakly. She had wanted to say eerie, but had checked herself.

The feeling passed when they reached the hotel. Both of them were relieved to get a room, and despite the dismal entrance, the hotel, with its big glas
windows, gave a panoramic view of Shimla and its surrounding peaks. Monami was delighted with the
posh deluxe room. The view from the window was superb, it made her feel as if they were on top of the world!

"I am so glad that you chose this hotel," she said happily, clapping her hands like a child. Amused by her child-like happiness, Karan opened his arms for her to come and join him on the sofa settee. With slow steps she moved towards him. He made her sit on his lap.

"You weren't so excited before, while we were coming up to the hotel: you felt cold and funny," he said huskily, stroking her head lightly
She did not reply, but she did not move away. There had been something there: she had felt a chill.

It was as if someone was stopping her from entering his or her domain. She could not understand the feeling herself and she dared not try to explain it to
Karan. He might think that she was some superstitious vilage girl who believed in these illogical things

"Maybe we should bathe and then go out to see the town,"she said hesitantly.

"Hmm. You are right, it is just 3 o' clock. You go first," he said. "I will unpack in the meanwhile. What will you wear?"

"Anything."

"Fine, you carry on, I will handle your clothes in a few minutes," he said.

She opened the bathroom door. It was quite spacious with nice blue tiling. She opened the hot water tap and after about two mugs of cold water, hot water started coming out

"Hey Monu, is this blue suit okay?" Karan called from the room. The bucket was nearly full. Closing the tap, she opened the bathroom door

"The blue suit will be fine, thanks," she said taking it from him.

When Monami poured the first mug of water over her body, she literally jumped, letting out an involuntary scream. The water was as cold as ice. Shivering, she quickly rubbed herself with a towel and put on her clothes.

"So soon! There are a lot of things that we need to know about each other, you really are quick lady"

"T...er...are you also goling to have a bath?"

"Yes, of course."

"I think the water is cold, wait for sometime, let it heat up," she said shakily.

"Is the geyser on?"

"Yes."

Karan nodded as he took out his shaving kit and the clothes that he wanted to change into.
Monami moved towards the glass window hugging herself tight, trying to understand what had happened.
She could still feel the chill in her bones, and yet she could have sworn the water had been hot when she was filling the bucket.
"Monu, the water is very hot. I'm switching off the geyser," Karan shouted from the bathroom. Unnerved she went up to the bathroom door.

"Is it hot?"

"Of course silly. You yourself have filled the bucket. You must not have checked properly," he said while shaving.
Slowly she moved towards the bucket and dipped her hand.
Yes, it was hot! How could it be? What was happening? She felt cold fear grip her heart.
"Are you not feeling well Monu?" Karan asked worried. He was watching his wife: her face had gone white, her right hand, still resting on the rim of the bucket, was trembling. Karan put his shaving brush on the washbasin and caught hold of his wife's hand.
"Monu", he said moving her towards the bedroom.
"Come, lie down. You better rest. If you want, we will not go out today", he said gently.
"No, no, it's fine, you have your bath. I will rest for sometime. Maybe it's the journey or the exertion of the last two days," she said lamely.
"Are you sure?" he asked, touching her forehead gently.
"Yes. Please, we will go to the market too. I think I will feel better," she said smiling.
When he went into the bathroom she got up from the bed and started pacing in the room. She was not mistaken: first the sensation when approaching thee
hotel, then the water in the bathroom. must be careful, she thought. I can't take the risk of telling him that there is a ghost here, he won't believe me.
Oh God! What should I do? she murmured. Monami possessed the ability to sense the presence of a wandering spirit. Her maternal aunt,
who had helped her understand this special power, used to take her to houses in the village to find out whether a spirit was present or not. The symptoms
included shivering, uneasiness and a basic intuition that something was present. This power had never bothered Monami before. But now she felt confused. She was not sure how Karan would react to it.

The bathroom door opened and Karan came out whistling.
"Feeling better?"
"Yes, should we go?"
"You really are in a hurry Let me at least wear shoes," he said laughing.
Monami tidied the room while he got ready. A few minutes later she went into the bathroom to sort out their toiletries. Immediately the queer sensation overtook her; the violent shivering returned, making her gasp.

"I am ready Monu, let's move," Karan said. Mustering all her strength, she walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her firmly.
For the next five hours, the couple had a good time. They walked to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, loitered on the Mall and the Ridge, and shopped at the Himachal Emporium. They dined at
Plaza Restaurant, a chance finding a few steps down from the Mall.

"One last round," Karan said as they left the restaurant.
"Isn't it late?"
"Not at all! Moreover, our hotel is quite near. But are you tired? I completely forgot about your illness back at the hotel."
"I'm fine now, just a little tired. We must have walked more than ten kilometres today!'' she said, and then added thoughtfully, ''I don't know what happened there. The fear returned. She wanted to say that there was a spirit, and it was waiting for them, but she didn't have the courage."
"Here we are! The last stretch to the Paradise," Karan said as they stepped on the bridle path to their hotel.
"It's very dark," she said, her mouth dry with fear
"Don't worry, wel find our way.''

For a minute, they walked hand-in-hand silently, and then he stopped. Just smell the fragrance of the pine, the wet earth.
This is what you can't get in cities,' he said.
Monami's heart was hammering. A chill seeping into her body, she felt an unknown terror clutch her whole being. Why did he have to stop? she silently
moaned. Unaware of what his wife was going through. Karan leaned on the railing, pulling her into his arms. As she adjusted her head on his shoulder, the
howling started. At first, it was soft, but then it gradually picked up and turned into fearsome laughter. It made her cringe. She tried to shut out the sound,
but it went on, becoming louder, coming closer. She hadn't realised that she was clutching Karan's arm tight until he gave out a cry, ''Ouch! You're hurting me Monu!'' he said.

She heard him as if he was speaking from far off. The screams, the laughter, the howling had pernetrated her whole sensory system.

And then she saw the hazy igure ot a woman some fifty metres ahead, amidst the trees. The woman stood there in the grove for a few seconds, and then moved
slowly away, disappearing into the woods.

She had seen a spirit for the irst time in her life, and, despite her fear, she wanted to talk to her. What did she want? Why was she still wandering in this life?

Monami jerked her head up. Karan was talking and his voice was so clear. They were climbing the last steps leading into the hotel, his hand firmly gripping
her elbow. When had they covered the distance? she wondered. Startled she looked back. There was nothing except for the darkness.

''Good evening Madam, Sir. How did you like Shimla?" the man at the reception desk said.

"I have been here several times, but it's my wife's first visit."

Both the men looked at her, one affectionately and the other politely. She pulled herself up. She had to answer, say something, it was expected of her
"It's a very lovely place,'' she mumbled, just before she fainted.

For Karan, the night was a torture. He did not sleep a wink. The doctor diagnosed tiredness and exhaustion. When Monami regained consciousness
she went into a delirium. She was mumbling and fretting and her body temperature had risen to 105° C.

The hotel staff was very helpful, regularly supplying
eubes of ice to be placed on her forehead to lower her fever
In the morning the couple left for PGI Hospital at Chandigarh, the nearest one  and so their honeymoon ended.

The shopkeeper on the Mall opposite the bridle path stared at the departing couple. It always happens with the women, he thought. There had been a house on the land where the hotel now stood. The house had been his. He had to sell it cheaply because the women
in his family refused to live there. They claimed that the ghost of an English woman wandered near the house, making unbearable noises in the surrounding
thick deodar jungle.
Later, he had found out that during the British Raj, there used to be a small graveyard in the area. His wife was sure that their house had been built on the grave of an unhappy madam . Finaly the house had been demolished some years back to make way for the hotel.

Houses can be destroyed, graves can't.

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Done done done !!!
Itna likha ki bas ab main chali sone
Mermaids wali is still only in my mind
Pata nhi kab aayegi

Achha do you want me to continue this book ?????

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please please please

Bye bye