Spring mornings at the hill station where Nadia used to reside were beautiful. Nice and crisp.
The rays of Sun seeped through the grill. The slow tracking of the sunlight across the ceiling finally made its way down and shone on Nadia's eyes. The rough ocean or the mystic sands, which ever dreamland adventure she was in, she was forced to wake up. Her first sight was always the lush greenery outside glowing under a beautiful sun and a cool breeze. Every now and then this beautiful scene would be accompanied by a family of deer grazing.
Nadia was a routine driven woman. She'd get up, shower and clean, make and have her breakfast and brew a hot cup before stepping out into the garden. She would religiously enjoy her brew under a small shed setup in the middle of the garden. What once used to be a clean wooden frame, was now a bushy hut completely crawling with a grape vine. There was a bee hive in one of the corners under the shelter that was always an excuse to be vigilant. The shelter was an escape from the hot Sun. Nadia used to spend most of her time there enjoying back to back hot cups of tea while she worked on her writing and enjoyed an occasional brisk walk around the garden. A few bonny bunnies would scamper out and about of their burrows. A few baby bunnies would occasionally follow her around. The gentle soul she was, she did not mind and let things be as they are. The comfort and the complacency between Nadia and the critters was mutual.
About mid afternoon, two vehicles rush up the drive way. Nadia was still busy writing but she noticed and decided to keenly observe.
From the first car, a very well dressed man exited. While locking the car, this man was scanning the house and the garden. From the second car a young couple exited. Apparently elated, the couple did not even bother locking their car. The man from the first car turned and greeted the couple. All smiles. He then led the way up the stairs, towards the porch, and appeared to be fidgeting with the main door. Nadia was pretty sure it was open, so she was a bit confused. Secondly, she wondered who these people were and what did they think they were doing. Was this a break-in? The people, however, looked decent enough not to be petty burglars.
From the garden, Nadia yelled out after the group. However they did not hear. The main door to the house was now open and the well suited man gestured the couple to move in. As they stepped inside, Nadia got really anxious and ran after them. By the time she got to the door, the group was already inside.
Nadia cautiously entered and had a look around. Nadia liked to be proper about things. Usually she ensured the doors to any rooms, not in use, stay shut. However, most doors were ajar. "Who is there?", Nadia shouted but no response. The house was small however had one long corridor at the outer edge of the house. Such that there were rooms on one side and a large window, forming the entire stretch of the wall on the other side and looking outside. At the end of this corridor was a large kitchen. There were noises coming from the kitchen, an excited debate going on and it seemed like the group was having some sort of a back and forth. Nadia quickly paced upto the kitchen as she was curious.
Nadia stood at the kitchen door and saw the group having tea and they appeared to be discussing something, Nadia desperately tried to intervene but weirdly enough, either she was being ignored or she was unnoticed. Indoors, she thought both options to be bemusing. As she was thinking of what else to say, the lady from the couple interrupted "So, how come such a beautiful place is going for so cheap? And how come it is vacant?". "Excuse me! This house is not vacant and it is not available for sale. I live here and quite happily so. Please get your things and immediately vacate these premises or I'll be forced to call the authorities." shouted Nadia, rather frustratingly.
"Oh wait...", the lady of the couple looked straight at Nadia. Upon this hint of acknowledgement, Nadia relaxed a bit. The lady hastened a few steps forward and pointed straight at Nadia all excited. Her excitement was somewhat confusing. "Is that what I think it is?", asked the lady looking at the man in the suit. The man confidently smirked as he made his way to Nadia's well cherished Claymatic 2000, a clay cooker/oven which operated on wood and was very popular due to the novelty. Nadia's jaw dropped as she realised that she was still ignored.
She was sick of being ignored. So sick and angry that she stormed up to the suited man and slapped him across the face.........................
Or at least that was the intention. The man had a strong jaw and Nadia expected a force to be felt, however, a surprise was to greet her. Her hand passed through. The man slightly scratched his cheek, as if a mosquito had bit him. He, then continued explaining some details about the house. Of course, the weird and concerning thing, for the couple, was what had happened. She was trying to figure out what was happening and the frustration was overpowering. Standing beside the man, Nadia yelled at the top of her lungs but to no avail. Angrily she decided to sweep off the man's cup that was resting on the table, and her hand had absolutely no affect. She was getting anxious and wondering what was happening, when the lady interjected, "So, you were explaining this bargain?!". "Ummmm, well I suppose it is better that you know that up until recently a lovely lady occupied this home. The house is planned and constructed by her.", explained the man. "Why did she leave?", asked the woman. "Well, the thing is, she did not leave! She had a tragic accident where a couple of burglars entered the home, stole the valuables and when the lady was interrupted she tried to stop them, sadly, inevitably shot dead. Her body left to rot here. It wasn't until after a few days that the house help came and found her decomposing body.". "I know I am probably doing a horrible job as an estate agent but I believe in honesty. This is why this house is such a bargain but nobody would take it off the market.".
The chirpiness of the couple faded, and this disclosure reminded Nadia of the unfortunate end to an otherwise fortunate life. She understood then probably for the nth time that her souls is forever tied to this home. Every morning she wakes up and follows her routine. And on occasional days like today she is made to recall.
Sad at first, she gradually settled. The couple was visibly upset they got up and exited the house. The agent followed as did Nadia. Outside the main door a giant padlock was replaced and the group drove away.
Shocked and shaken, Nadia sat down on one of the chairs in the porch. Contemplating! As she looked down she noticed one of the baby bunnies with it's long whiskers looking right at her. She slowly leaned forward, gently petted it, and smiled.