1975 - Stones at Edward Elliots Rd -
I Had finished my stint at Rameswaram as a Junior Engineer Highways and was back as Junior Engineer in the Designs Division at Adayar; this meant I was staying at home riding my Royal Enfield Bullet Motor bike that cost Rs 5000 and my sister Chammakka sent money for. Atlast I was away from the nightmares of Rameswaram to some peaceful sleep at home.
I was sooo wrong.
All of a sudden for no reason, broken and wet brick pieces were landing in the quadrangle in the house above the Water well and washing stone.
It would be nice and quiet and then bang the bricks landed scaring every one and I was the only male member at home and expected to solve it.
We all discussed this at home and agreed that someone who does not like the family was doing this to us to scare us. Our suspicion fell on our Neighbours Male Cook who did not like our Dog chasing his bicycle every day and him having to ride with his feet up in the air.
As an engineer I studied the trajectory of the stone and it was coming from the east. The neighbours house was in the North. On the east we had a large piece of land that was not built up and no one ever lived there. Yet I had to make sure. so one day I climbed over the fence and surveyed the land and there were no bricks to be seen and the place was bone dry meaning no wet bricks. So I ruled this out even though the trajectory said so.
Not knowing what to do I spoke to my friend Ramanjuam and we decided to cover the opening with a steel mesh so the bricks will be stopped by the mesh. Once the mesh was up I told the family it wont happen anymore. and I was wrong.
The brick pieces became bigger and landed with a louder bang.
One day I told three of my colleagues Nelson, Loganathan, Chokalingam to come home in the after noon and we played cards and hid in the room upstairs from where we could see if any one was throwing the bricks. As the sun set each one of us took positions watching the north south east and west directions. We all sat there is the dark until 8.00pm and there were no stones that night. So my friends decided to pack up and go Home. They left and I closed the security door first and then was in the process of closing the wooden door and Bang Came the Brick piece and landed on the steel grill.
Another time my eldest Brother in Law and our Family Friend Mr Basheer Ahmed were visiting us and we told them what was going on and they were convinced some one was trying to scare us and may be drive us out of the house. Any way they were there until 9.00pm and no stones. But the minute they left the stone came and I ran after them to come and take a look at the stone. They were just as Puzzled as we were and suggested I report it to the Police.
The Family was at its wits end.
During this period the Old lady who had been our cook assisting my mother in the kitchen said she was too old and wanted to stop working and quit. The news went around that we were looking for a lady stay at home cook and as always my Cousin Sudhakar found this lady who was a widow and struggling to make ends meet and had no place to stay. This lady was strong and tall and perhaps in mid 50s she came started work and settled in nicely. but she hardly spoke and made no impression on any member of the family. I have a crystal clear memory but do not remember her name now.
My Cousin Sudhakar talked to the lady and she confessed that the same thing had happened in the place she worled previously.
It turned out that someone had cast a bad spell on this woman and the stones followed her where ever she went.
As a family we decided enough was enough and sent her packing.
Believe it or not no Bricks ever landed inside our home.
I Had finished my stint at Rameswaram as a Junior Engineer Highways and was back as Junior Engineer in the Designs Division at Adayar; this meant I was staying at home riding my Royal Enfield Bullet Motor bike that cost Rs 5000 and my sister Chammakka sent money for. Atlast I was away from the nightmares of Rameswaram to some peaceful sleep at home.
I was sooo wrong.
All of a sudden for no reason, broken and wet brick pieces were landing in the quadrangle in the house above the Water well and washing stone.
It would be nice and quiet and then bang the bricks landed scaring every one and I was the only male member at home and expected to solve it.
We all discussed this at home and agreed that someone who does not like the family was doing this to us to scare us. Our suspicion fell on our Neighbours Male Cook who did not like our Dog chasing his bicycle every day and him having to ride with his feet up in the air.
As an engineer I studied the trajectory of the stone and it was coming from the east. The neighbours house was in the North. On the east we had a large piece of land that was not built up and no one ever lived there. Yet I had to make sure. so one day I climbed over the fence and surveyed the land and there were no bricks to be seen and the place was bone dry meaning no wet bricks. So I ruled this out even though the trajectory said so.
Not knowing what to do I spoke to my friend Ramanjuam and we decided to cover the opening with a steel mesh so the bricks will be stopped by the mesh. Once the mesh was up I told the family it wont happen anymore. and I was wrong.
The brick pieces became bigger and landed with a louder bang.
One day I told three of my colleagues Nelson, Loganathan, Chokalingam to come home in the after noon and we played cards and hid in the room upstairs from where we could see if any one was throwing the bricks. As the sun set each one of us took positions watching the north south east and west directions. We all sat there is the dark until 8.00pm and there were no stones that night. So my friends decided to pack up and go Home. They left and I closed the security door first and then was in the process of closing the wooden door and Bang Came the Brick piece and landed on the steel grill.
Another time my eldest Brother in Law and our Family Friend Mr Basheer Ahmed were visiting us and we told them what was going on and they were convinced some one was trying to scare us and may be drive us out of the house. Any way they were there until 9.00pm and no stones. But the minute they left the stone came and I ran after them to come and take a look at the stone. They were just as Puzzled as we were and suggested I report it to the Police.
The Family was at its wits end.
During this period the Old lady who had been our cook assisting my mother in the kitchen said she was too old and wanted to stop working and quit. The news went around that we were looking for a lady stay at home cook and as always my Cousin Sudhakar found this lady who was a widow and struggling to make ends meet and had no place to stay. This lady was strong and tall and perhaps in mid 50s she came started work and settled in nicely. but she hardly spoke and made no impression on any member of the family. I have a crystal clear memory but do not remember her name now.
My Cousin Sudhakar talked to the lady and she confessed that the same thing had happened in the place she worled previously.
It turned out that someone had cast a bad spell on this woman and the stones followed her where ever she went.
As a family we decided enough was enough and sent her packing.
Believe it or not no Bricks ever landed inside our home.
