"Batuk... there's a haunted house here.." Bondita informed while gulping the rosogollas.
"You just now said that story to the kids..." Batuk put his hands into the handi
"But do ghosts really exist?"
"May be may not be.."
"Wanna go on an adventure tonight?" Bondita asked enthusiastically. Batuk chocked
"No wayyy... your patibabu will kill me.."
"But I'm with you"
Batuk got up. "Thanks for the treat but I'm not in this..."

Bondita went to her room. Anirudh was awake. As soon as she got into the room he looked up at her.
"So completed your snack?"
Bondita's face went red
"Actually Patibabu......."
"Grow up Bondita.. come to sleep now"

Bondita and Anirudh went to bed.
"Patibabu?"
"Hmm..."
"Do Ghosts exist?"
"WHAT?"
"There's a haunted house here..."
Anirudh caressed her head and kissed on her forehead.
"Go to sleep dear... it's already late.."

It's 12 O clock. The bell of the grandfather clock rang. Bondita opened her eyes. The room is dark. The hazy moonlight is comming through the window. The shadow of the branches are dancing on the backwall keeping rhythm with the gentle breeze. She looked beside her. Anirudh is fast asleep. She slowly moved his hand and got up. Crossing the dark corridor she went out by the back door. Very strategically she evaded the eyes of the guards and got out. Bondita already had found out the shortcut to reach the forest.

In the moonlit night the whole environment looked enchanted. Though the path is visible much but Bondita lit up the torch. There are so many sounds of different animals comming. Atleast there is no maneater here.. that's Bondita's only relief.

She halted. The house rather the mansion can be seen from a distance. But something made Bondita light off the torch. There is someone. A shadow. Bondita hid behind the tree. That shadow is clearly making sound of some animal. Wait... the window... there is light... another shadow by that window. He signed the shadow outside. What are these GHOSTS  doing?!

Bondita felt someone touching her shoulders. Chills ran down her spine. She looked back......................

*******************
Anirudh arrived at the breakfast table.
"Anirudh didn't Bondita bahu get up?" Asked kaka
"Yes... she got up before me... may be in the kitchen..."
"She's not there..." informed Sampurna.
"Bondita didi is not in the house... we searched fr her everywhere" informed Ela.
Anirudh sqeezed his eyebrows.
"May be she went to Sohini..."

Batuk suddenly sensed something and his expressions changed. Anirudh sensed it.
"Batukk" he enquired in a low deep tone
Batuk looked up "yes Dada...."
"What's the matter?"
"What? No ... nothing matter..."
Kaka looked at Batuk. Batuk gulped.
"You don't know?"
"I know no..."
Anirudh's look started getting intense. Batuk can't handle it.. he lowered his head.
"Tell the truth.."
"She told me to come with her to the haunted house but I refused" Batuk answered in a blow closing his eyes.
"Haunted house?!" Kaka exclaimed.
Anirudh recalled Bondita enquiring about Ghost's existence. He got up quickly.
"Kanai ... take the car out..." he ordered.
Kanai who was yawning in the courtyard quickly went to the garage.

**************
At Chatterjees place.
"Jamaibabu take another luchi"
"No no kakima... my stomach is full.."

Anirudh came into the dinning room with full vigor. Somnath got shocked.
"Supriyo babu..." called Anirudh " do you know where the haunted house is??"
"Haunted house?! The forest one?"
Batuk slowly came and sat on the chair.
"Yess..."
"What will you do there? No one comes back alive from there..."
Batuk quickly took some luchies and a ladful of alur dom
"What do you mean?! No one comes alive means?" Asked Anirudh
"Yeah... many English officers went there for adventure... they were lost for 2 to 3 days... then their body was found outside the haunted house..."
Anirudh started sweating, his mind went dump.
"Batuk come........"
"The food is soo good here...." Batuk started gulping the food.
"Batuk..."
"I'm not comming... the ghosts have got their sister... she'll be happy there I'm not comming"
Anirudh felt like hitting a sixer on his head.

"Dada..." Enquired Somnath "did Bondita...... boudi went to...."
"What else... I'll go mad one day... Batuk"
"Boudi is more courageous than you... ahe went to meet the ghosts alone at night and you are taking help of a baby like me... I'm a good boy... I did nothing..."

Anirudh gave a fiery angry look and left.
Batuk checked if he's gone...
"Uff... I'm saved..."
"Did Boudi really go to that haunted house? Wait... didn't she went there before also... with you only?"
Batuk stopped gulping. It was another scam they did. Only Anirudh knew that they never went there.
"Ohh yes that night... you two went to explore na?" One of Sohini's aunt intruded.
Batuk gulped.
"I didn't go near the house kakima... I got a bit scared so we returned back.." Batuk gave a stupid smile.

Batuk came to the dinning wipping his hands.
"Really the food was very tasty kakima.."

"Batuk do you know where your dada is?" The voice came from behind.
Batuk turned back and got shocked.. "Bhoothhhhh" he moved back and fell on the chair.
Bondita got surprised "Do I look like a Bhooth to you?"

Somnath and Supriyo came running hearing the scream.
"Boudi?!" Somnath explaimed.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"You got kidnapped by the ghosts na?" Asked Batuk
"What? What are you saying?"
"Then where you went this morning?"
"To the mandir... everyone was asleep so I didn't disturb anyone"
"Liar"
"What?!"

*******
Bondita and Batuk arrived the mansion in the car. Anirudh is back. Sardar went to take him back from the forest.

Anirudh is looking straight at Bondita with his angry red eyes. Bondita have no courage to look directly at him.
"Anirudh... she went to the mandir only... why are you looking at her like that" Kaka defended.

The lunch is over. Anirudh is in the balcony his room reading a book. Bondita came and put his glass of sorbet on the side table. She was going to leave without a word but Anirudh hold her hand. Bondita looked back.
"Close the door.." Anirudh's voice had a mixed tone. Bondita closed the door and stood near him.
"Sit down..."
Bondita sat down. She was much hesitated.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"No... patibabu.. I didn't....."
"Look at me..."
Bondita hesitated.
"Look at me Bondita.."
Bondita struggled to look at him
"Where did you go last night?"
"No where... I told na... I went to the mandir in the morning"
"You are lying..."
"No patibabu..."
Anirudh took her hand and placed it on his head
"Where did you go last night?"
Bondita tried to take her hand back but Anirudh held it tight. Bondita's eyes went teary.
"Patibabu..."
"Tell me..."
"Please leave my hand.."
"Tell me first..."
"I went to the jungle...."
"Why?"
"Forgive me please" Bondita started crying
"Why did you go there?"
Bondita started sobbing hard. Anirudh left her hand.
Bondita sat on the chair and started crying. "I'm not misusing the freedom you gave me Patibabu"
Anirudh knelt down before her.
"I didn't GIVE you any freedom Bondita... you enjoy the freedom which is your right... I as your elder just am trying to protect you... if you go on wrong path or do something which is not right then its my duty to show you the right path... when I'm correct you show me the path right? We are here for each other...."
Bondita sobbed and looked at him.
"I just didn't want to disclose I went to the forest" Bondita gulped.
Anirudh caressed on Bondita's head and smiled. But inside he didn't trust her fully.

**************
At night. Anirudh hugged Bondita tight. Bondita rest her head on his chest. She feels an amazing cold and hot feeling here which soothes her heart. The clock hit 12. The bell started echoing in the empty hallway. Bondita opened her eyes. She tried to move his hand but he's holding tight. She moved her head here and there which broke Anirudh's slumber. He loosened his hand. In the dark Bondita was unable to sense Anirudh is awake. She slowly got up and went inside the washroom. Anirudh waited with his eyes slightly opened. Bondita came out adjusting her saree and hair properly. What's the need of adjusting her saree now? Anirudh wandered.
Bondita went out and closed the door slowly. Anirudh sensed the footsteps going away. He got up fast and put on his shirt. While going past the mirror it seemed he's looking very silly in this shirt and pajama. So he grabbed the silk housecoat. He's the zamindar afterall.

Anirudh quickly got down the stairs. He saw Bondita scaling the wall in the backyard. Anirudh just thought if she was a monkey in previous birth! Well he's also not anyway far from the monkey and to prove it he also scaled the wall.

In the forest Anirudh lost Bondita. He tried to find out the haunted mansion. Suddenly he heard something. A digging sound. He tried to follow the sound but it sublimed. Wandering in the forest suddenly he fell in a hole. A newly dug hole. Anirudh got up and dusted his clothes. After much struggling he ultimately found out the haunted mansion.

He slowly got inside it. The courtyard is full of trees. Well in English stories he read ghost houses have dead trees but here the trees are all alive and full of leaves. After crossing the forest like courtyard he landed into a open space. Full of dry leaves. As he looked back in the moonlight it seemed some trees are well kept. Something got past him. He looked at the doorway. Wait... its open! But it was closed when he came.
Anirudh wandered if ghosts actually exist! If ghosts have influenced Bondita then? Ram Ram. Wait, why is he behaving like kaka? Ram Ram Ram nam satya hai... Ram Ram. No Anirudh you are not superstitious. Ram Ram.

Anirudh gathered courage and got into the house. Suddenly someone covered his face tightly with a cloth. His eyes got blinded and his mouth shut. He struggled to get out but someone tied his hands and dragged him to nowhere. Does ghost attact feels like this?!

"Who's he?" Anirudh heard a firm voice.
"He intruded Dada"
"Hmm... silk coat... English style"
"What should we do with him?"
"Let us have a talk with him"

Anirudh's blindfold was removed. The light of the yellow bulb hit his eyes. A young man rather boy in simple dhuti and punjabi came fourth to examine him. Anirudh's hair was messed up.
"Who are you?" Asked a man.
Anirudh looked up. The man was wearing silks. He must be the leader. But he looks so sophisticated.
"Why have you captured me here?" Anirudh put forward a counter question.
The young man took out a gun and pointed at Anirudh
"Why did you came here?"
"What are you doing here?"

"Dada... he must be from the police... he us interrogating and also isn't afraid of the gun" opined the young man.
"We can't infer like that..."

A young widow came in.
"Dada... she have to leave now... "
The woman was in white but she had a different level of personality
"Who's he?" The woman added.
"An intruder" replied the young man. "Let Alok come in the morning.. he can only find out who's he.. then only can we take steps... we can't murder people like that, we have to know how much he knows"
"You all are murders or what?" Shouted Anirudh

Suddenly Bondita came running into the room.
"Patibabu....." she screamed and ran to sit beside Anirudh and untie his hands.
The young man shifted his revolver towards her. Anirudh held her close guarding her head.

The elder one signed the young man to put down his gun.

"So you came following her?" Asked the elder man
Anirudh held her head closer "yes... "
"Bondita is the zamindarni so you must be the zamindar?"
"Yes.. you can say so..."

"He's a good man dada..." the woman intruded.
"How come you know?"
"Alok told me... he's actually a barrister.. he have fought cases for some krantikaris too"
"I see..."

"Krantikari?!" Exclaimed Anirudh
"Yes... your wife came here to explore ghosts and found us.. well I must admit she's a very intelligent girl to interact with us and get out of here on condition of helping us.."
"Helping?" Asked Anirudh
"Transfering Arms.. it's difficult for us to go out and operate... no one doubts a lady.. so.."
Anirudh looked at Bondita. She looked at him and signed that she have no fault.

But Anirudh knows she was much interested to do this job.

Much unknown to them all a pair of eyes were keeping a constant close watch on them.