Tales of the Unexpected, anyone?

THE GINGERBREAD BOY


This is the story of Rani and her addiction. She is 25 years old and a mother of a year old child. Rani's husband is away at sea most of the time, as he works in a merchant ship. So, most of the time, she's left alone with her child at home, to live her life as a regular house-wife.

Rani's problem is her insecurity of losing her figure. Eversince, she had the baby she's been obsessed with keeping her pre-pregnancy figure. So most of the time, she's careful abt what she eats and tries to keep fit with some exercises. But, it still wasn't enough and would go around scanning the supermarket shelves, newspapers, magazines and the informercials on TV, on any kind of quackery that passes off as instant prescription to an ideal model-like figure! With only her child for company, there was no end to her obsession!

In her neighbourhood, a new neighbour moves in. At first Rani, was disinterested in the new neighbour's life who happened to be another 25 year old housewife and Malay. As Rani began to chat with her new neighbour Aini, abt post-natal treatment etc; for the body, her interest was piqued abt a middle-aged Javaneses lady who frequents Aini's house. On enquiry, she was told by Aini, that the "Makcik' who frequents her every month was none other than a Masseuse!!

It is a known fact, that amongst the Malay populace, masseuses are very much sought after to treat post-natal women to regain a good figure. Seeing how slim Aini was, the already body-conscious Rani decided to give the masseuse a try as well............

Convinced that Aini's figure was worthy of emulating, she quickly beseeched her to make enquiries abt including her in the clientele.
Eager to earn more, the masseuse agreed to massage Rani as well and duly made an appointment to visit next.

And so it was from then on, the masseuse kept her appointment of visiting Rani on a monthly round, and earned a tidy sum in both cash and other donations in kind! However, what started out as a feel good therapy in physical well being, soon turned awry! The first few months of massages, went very well for our Rani and kept her spirit and body well buoyed up!! She felt good and energetic and swore that there was indeed improvement to her figure and posture. But after the 3rd month, Rani began to feel strange pulls and aches in her muscles and spine! Sometimes, the pain was so unbearable, that she had to call the masseuse again to "unravel her twisted muscles" as the masseuse would wont to say!! Believing every word the woman said, Rani increased her appointments with her!!

After a few months of this new therapy in her life, Rani's sister-in-law paid her a visit. Enthusiastic of having another female's company at home, Rani was most welcoming and regaled Jamuna, her sister-in-law, of the wonders and prowess of the Javanese masseuse's magic fingers!! Now, unbeknown to our dear Rani, Jamuna was not that gullible a fool!! For one thing, she had a special gift of being sensitive enough to see entities that the normal human eyes don't!! Jamuna sees things thru her mind's eyes all manner of beings that tread the netherworld!

So, when Rani's next appointment with her masseuse was due, Jamuna too was at home and was introduced to the Javanese Makcik as the next client!

In the meantime, Jamuna had her suspicions that there was indeed something more to the masseuse's personal skills than mere fingers at work!! So after a preamble of introductions, the masseuse ordered her to lie down on the single bed, fully unclothed for her massage session!!

Rubbing her hands with some home-made unguent, the masseuse splayed her fingers on Jamuna's ample figure and began to knead her flesh like so much dough! Then and there, a picture formed in Jamuna's mind eye of a little dark figure!! It was shaped like a cut-out sillouette of the Gingerbread Boy, straight out of the famous children's fable! Perched on the masseuse's shoulder, it had a glowing blue halo as the backdrop and equally glowing red eyes, held wide open and kept Jamuna mesmerised till the masseuse had finished kneading and pummelling her body!

So, eventhough Rani knew of the special gift that Jamuna had, she was still unconvinced about the little effigy and to this day remains a faithful disciple of the Javanese masseuse, addicted to the core!!

Good one Nirosha.Now hear mine.

The incidents I am about to narrate happened in the Alleppey district of Kerala about 15-16 years back.I have witnessed only parts of it,and was only a little boy and can't reach a conclusion but I will leave the job to you all. 8)

There stays my Uncle along with his 5 children in a beautiful little village on the shores of a lake[I think it is the Vembanadu lake].Their neighbour had a little girl,just two or three years older than myself.The story starts when one fine day she started displaying unmistakable signs of mental illness. :(

She wandered around unchecked,her facial expressions changed suddenly and become quarrelsome and disrespectful to elders.That was whern she started denying her own identity and saying that she was some one else.Now that she comes from a good family and she was a very good girl otherwise prompted the parents to take her to the psychiatrists,which anyway hardly helped.

I was on vacation during this time and heard about the incident.I can tell you how horrified I was to hear that there is a 'Pretham',just 200 mts from our house.None of my cousins ,though all of them elder than me, will pass through the mud road infront of the girls house after dark as they claimed that she used to scare them hiding in the dark :shock: .And that appeared to be her favorite passtime.Though her parents always tried to keep her indoors,she frequently managed to get out.

I had my first experience from the 'ghost' the very second night.We were having our daily prayer in the night around 10 pm and suddenly a lot of things started happening.The bathroom door banged noisily,stones were pelted at the roof and some mud thrown into the room.We all took refuge in the inner room,while the uncle went out to have a look,but couldn't find anything. :?

I can tell you most of us didn't sleep well that night. :D The next morning uncle complained to her parents,but they claimed that she wasn't out during the night.That night he made sure that she was locked in,by personally going to their house.The night was peaceful,but we were urged to pray loudly.The next morning she was wandering around our plantations and uncle asked her why she was there.To this she said," 'WE' had come there in the
night".Uncle said we didn't hear her.To this she says,"When 'WE' came you were all praying .So we couldn't come in".Uncle asked her who she is and she cooly says ,"Njangal ezhu perundu.Njangal aa paala marathil aarunnu thamasam"[There are seven of us.We were living on some tree] :shock:

The next day we were playing outside.I heard a loud curse from the Uncle and turned back.This girl of 14 or 15,slim and weak was carrying a large wooden box which belonged to the Uncle's dead Aunt[which was heavy anough to be carried by two able bodied men] as though it was a loaf of bread and was running towards her house.My Uncle managed to get after her and forcibly took the box from her.

Again,another day,we were playing and the ball went off to the back of the house.Two of us,including me went to fetch the ball and there she was!Standing there as though she was expecting us and glancing at us mischieviously,nastily.Myself and Antochettan,my cousin ran for our lives.

I wasn't fortunate enough to witness the latter part of the story,as I had to go back.But I heard that she threatened my Uncle not to mess with her affairs.She continued to offer surprises when they least expected.Time passed,may be a couple of months and her situation worsened.

My Uncle had suggested her to be taken to the local church[which is very famous in Kerala-thousands come there every year for blessings from the Virgin Mary] which is situated next to the lake.[Some of you will know which place I am talking about :wink: ].It was difficult to fetch her to the church by a small boat,which was the only mode of transport,as she struggled a lot.

The then priest who was called 'Chekuthan Achan'[The demon priest :D as he was said to have the powers to cast out evil spirits] is said to have prayed for her while she was shouting and struggling all the time.My cousins and Uncle witnessed all this.After the prayers she said she wanted to use the toilet.Three women relatives were sent with her.As she didn't come out for a long time they forced open the door.Guess what they found there-The unconscious girl beside what looked like a white ball.On closer examination,it proved to be a half boiled egg with blood spots on the yolk. :?

Since then she wasn't troubled by this problem and our little girl is now married,have two children and lives happily in one of the Gulf countries.Her name I can't disclose,but it starts with 'A' and since then it has become the practice of local mothers to silence their children by saying,"stop crying or else 'A....' will come.And I have seen that it works in those parts. :wink: :D

:) Good One Blah-Blah!! I'm sure you'd come up with more Kerala country-side stories over time, Pa!!

Mmmm...onnoo maathrum mansalavilla!! From naga- kavum, how did you move to the Achaayan-mar's (Syrian Christians) peculiar stories????? Are you one, yourself??? :) Just curious, Pa!!

Now, let's brace ourselves for the thread's famous Doubting Thomas, H to the power of 3, Walrus!! :lol:

hey blahblah
i think i have seen Chekuthan Achan in a program in Asianet :) This was way back in 1997.

(BTW, my comment on you and lalbagh is kidding obviously :lol2: :lol2: )

wow blah blah that really was a intriguing post...i have always been scared since young of possessed ppl because since childhood i have heard many stories about this from friends and family...nothing fascinates and equally appalls me...i know the typical story told to me by most is of the gurl who totally hates guy(mostly cause he's 30 years her senior,shady, abusive, a practicing polygamist) so his mother comes and gets her to dine on some food brought just for her...then she goes all nutty only wants to be with that guy...then has no recollection of the event and suffers from weird maladies throughout life...

Reminded of an episode from Addams family or Simpsons or even Scooby Doo:

A spook invites the family to a haunted home to be his guests and goes to cook. The kid in the family discovers a book in his closet "How to cook humans" and sounds the alarm. The spook returns wipes the dust and shows the title to be "How to cook for humans" and grins.
The kid wipes more dust and the title becomes "How to cook forty humans".

:rotfl: Walrus!!! Whatever will we do without your ascerbic sense of humour, Pa???? Always a smile just for you, when I sign off ..... :lol:

[quote="hehehewalrus"]Reminded of an episode from Addams family or Simpsons or even Scooby Doo:

well maybe that was the Scooby Doo version hex3walrus but this is the correct version :P

it was the halloween special from the Simpsons where they were abducted by aliens and Lisa is the one who questions why they are being fed whatever they desire...and through some nosy hunting she finds this book...it is only after blowing off all the space dust does it reveal the title..."how to cook humans" to finally show "how to cook for forty humans" ...yeah i just unwittingly revealed im a die hard fan of the simpsons... :P 8)

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Originally Posted by nirosha sen

:) Good One Blah-Blah!! I'm sure you'd come up with more Kerala country-side stories over time, Pa!!

Mmmm...onnoo maathrum mansalavilla!! From naga- kavum, how did you move to the Achaayan-mar's (Syrian Christians) peculiar stories????? Are you one, yourself??? :) Just curious, Pa!!

Now, let's brace ourselves for the thread's famous Doubting Thomas, H to the power of 3, Walrus!! :lol:

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Nirosha,I am an Achayan and a very good one at that. :D :twisted: Thought you would have guessed by now.