A SCARY NIGHT AT SID'S RETREAT

                                                                A SCARY NIGHT AT SOOD’S RETREAT   I was gloomy and excited at the same time as my husband announced, hey! I have tickets for Darjeeling. Let’s get going”. Let me tell you first about Darjeeling. It’s a hill station in North Bengal India. I hastened to pack my stuffs but my mind was going on thinking about our 5 month baby Whom we had to leave behind with my in-laws. Darjeeling is a very cold place with beautiful mountains and lush green valleys and a 5 month old baby could of course not tolerate the cold. Days went happily hopping from one tourist destination to other. I was visiting lakes, monasteries and the weather was just pleasant. We clicked many pictures on our camera. Life was so carefree because I did not know what was to come? We spent five golden days In Darjeeling enjoying the weather and eating hot momos .We went to the shopping malls and also did shopping from local markets. The hot, freshly baked cookies are to die for. Our vacation was coming to an end but my husband could understand from the gloom of my face that mentally I was not prepared to go home though I was missing my baby so much. We checked out from the hotel and I waved a final bye to Darjeeling. I was so gloomy that I slept in the cab. After sometime I woke up and saw beautiful valleys full of blooms.Colourful flowerbeds all around me.I thought to myself am I dreaming”??????? Suddenly, the cab stopped and my husband asked me to get down and enjoy the view. I got down and asked the driver, bhaiyya(brother) which place is this? The driver said ‘kampong” memsahib. I was admiring the valleys when I saw the driver taking out our luggage’s from his cab. I asked my husband the reason to which my husband said please follow me dear. I went after him inside a place which looked like a big resort. I was greeted by a huge German shepherd and I got really scared .I was confused as why we were entering a resort now when we had a train to catch to Kolkata. My husband went inside a room and asked me to come inside. I was very hungry and tired by now. The resort seemed empty with no guests at all. My husband went to the reception for some further formalities and I thought of taking a shower. As soon as I started the shower ice cold water came piercing my body. I couldn’t take the cold still I finished my shower and changed. I was feeling by now that someone was watching me over from outside, through the large glass windows. I shouted who’s there?????  ‘ROOM SERVICE MAM” shouted the man. I felt scared about the man who brought me tea. The service of the tea had an old world English charm. Darjeeling tea finally. The aroma was just mind-blowing and all my olfactory nerves were calmed. After a quick lunch we were watching a movie under the velvety blanket. The room décor was very simply but one of the walls had two masks and my eyes would always fall on those masks. Throughout the afternoon I was feeling that something was watching us over from those large window panes.