Free Tales From Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry

Baag, it must be my speciality or something. Especially since I am from village – she says village people know more about such things than city people. So I tell her about the
bhoot
we used to see in the small field, and what my father said when he saw the
bhoot
near the well.
Bai
enjoys it, even asks me to sit with her at table, bring my separate mug, and pours a cup for me, listening to my ghost-talk. She does not treat me like servant all the time.
    One night she came to my passage when I was saying my rosary and sat down with me on the bedding. I could not believe it, I stopped my rosary. She said, Jaakaylee, what is it Catholics say when they touch their head and stomach and both sides of chest? So I told her, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Right right! she said, I remember it now, when I went to St. Anne’s High School there were many Catholic girls and they used to say it always before and after class prayer, yes, Holy Ghost. Jaakaylee, you don’t think this is that Holy Ghost you pray to, do you? And I said, no
bai
, that Holy Ghost has a different meaning, it is not like the
bhoot you
and I saw.
    Yesterday she said, Jaakaylee, will you help me with something? All morning she was looking restless, so I said, yes
bai
. She left the table and came back with her big scissors and the flat cane
soopra
I use for winnowing rice and wheat. She said, my granny showed me a little magic once, she told me to keep it for important things only. The
bhoot
is, so I am going to use it. If you help me. It needs two Parsis, but I’ll do it with you.
    I just sat quietly, a little worried, wondering what she was up to now. First, she covered her head with a white
mathoobanoo
, and gaveme one for mine, she said to put it over my head like a scarf. Then, the two points of scissors she poked through one side of
soopra
, really tight, so it could hang from the scissors. On two chairs we sat face to face. She made me balance one ring of scissors on my finger, and she balanced the other ring on hers. And we sat like that, with
soopra
hanging from scissors between us, our heads covered with white cloth. Believe or don’t believe, it looked funny and scary at the same time. When
soopra
became still and stopped swinging around she said, now close your eyes and don’t think of anything, just keep your hand steady. So I closed my eyes, wondering if
seth
knew what was going on.
    Then she started to speak, in a voice I had never heard before. It seemed to come from very far away, very soft, all scary. My hair was standing, I felt chilly, as if a
bhoot
was about to come. This is what she said: if the ghost is going to appear again, then
soopra
must turn.
    Nothing happened. But I’m telling you, I was so afraid I just kept my eyes shut tight, like she told me to do. I wanted to see nothing which I was not supposed to see. All this was something completely new for me. Even in my village, where everyone knew so much about ghosts, magic with
soopra
and scissors was unknown.
    Then
bai
spoke once more, in that same scary voice: if the ghost is going to appear again, upstairs or downstairs, on balcony or inside the house, this year or next year, in daylight or in darkness, for good purpose or for bad purpose, then
soopra
must surely turn.
    Believe or don’t believe, this time it started to turn, I could feel the ring of the scissors moving on my finger. I screamed and pulled away my hand, there was a loud crash, and
bai
also screamed.
    Slowly, I opened my eyes. Everything was on the floor, scissors were broken, and I said to
bai
, I’m very sorry I was so frightened,
bau
and for breaking your big scissors, you can take it from my pay.
    She said, you scared me with your scream, Jaakaylee, but it is all right now, nothing to be scared about, I’m here with you. All the worry was gone from her face. She took off her
mathoobanoo
and patted my shoulder, picked up the broken scissors and
soopra
, and took it back to kitchen.
    Bai
was looking very pleased.