Summary
The story is revolving around a woman named Jacqueline. She was a Roman Catholic Christin, who left Goa and went to Bombay exactly after her 14th birthday, where she obtained a job. She got employment in Firozsha Baag, Block B, which is the area for christen community. She belongs to the western coastal region of India, whose language was Konkani, an Indo-Aryan language. So when she went there, she continues to spoke the same language. No one at that was able to her name correctly. Someone used to call her Jaakaylee Or worse, Jaakayl. She used to sing many songs, such as Mogacha Mary and Hanv Saiba in the Konkani language to the owner (Seth) of that area.
Now after 49 years, spending so many
years with such a community, she also spoke the same Parsi-Gujarati and
sometimes a little bit of English language. Moreover, even if somebody inquires
her name she used to say it's Jaakaylee.
Two years ago, at ten o’clock on
Crismistt eve, she went to the Cooperage Stadium for midnight mass along with
other ayahs (maids). While returning home at two o'clock, other ayahs went
somewhere with their boyfriends and she was all alone going back home. She
ongoing upstairs thinking that it was else easy to climb when she was younger.
On the very first floor, when she got drowsy and started taking a rest for a
while, she saw someone wearing a white gown but she didn’t see the face but
only a physique that appears like a man. She asked in Hindi, Kaun hai? Meaning
whose there, abruptly the ghost vanished.
She taking place towards the second
floor by holding the railing tightly. And again someone was waiting. She asked
again in Hindi, Kya hai? Meaning what do you want, and see what, he disappeared
again. The same thing happened on the third floor but she was neither scared
nor frightened.
After reaching the entrance to the third
floor, she started thinking to ring the bell of the room but she was aware of
the fact that she is a maid. The owners would not wake at two o’clock and will
never give the keys to the flat to a maid. What she learned from past years was
that life as ayah means living close to the floor. So after mass, she used to
sleep outside beside the stairs. She tried to do the same and opened the
bedding as she was drowsy at that time.
By doing so her mind was recalling the
saying of her father that some ghosts play mischief. She was worried that if
the ghost did the same, he will roll down her from the stairs. So finally she
rang the bell. After so many rings, Bai (the wife of the owner) opened the door
with horrible expressions. She was very angry with her and was saying that she
is telling lie so that she can sleep inside the house. At the same time, Seth
woke up. He was not angry and allowed her to get inside because if the ghost
rolls her downstairs then who will make tea for him in the early morning.
Similarly, before Easter, the ghost came
back again, and this time not on the stair but in her bed. Suddenly the ghost
started pushing her chest up and down and pressing her throat tightly. As she
was fasting as a pure catholic person, so she was weak and was unable to push
the ghost back. Then suddenly the ghost disappeared due to the sound and light
opened by someone for going to the washroom. At this time she didn’t tell the
scenario to anyone because as previously they make fun of her they will do the
same again.
Now ghost come every Friday night. But
now onwards he didn’t bounce her chest but just sat next to her bed or
sometimes lay down with her. The mischiefs of the ghost were reminding her
about her boyfriend named Cajetan. She didn’t see him for the last forty-nine
years. She spends a beautiful time of her memory with him back in Panjim. They
went together to see fishermen, attained the feast of St. Francis Xavier and
Bom Jesus, very big events for Catholics.
The ghost came every Friday but she was
worried that she didn’t discuss him with her respectable Father D’Silva at
Byculla Church. Now, as charismas was coming so she decided to confess in
detail. So on the first Sunday in December, she discussed and everything
happening with her from last year. After this, she was feeling so light and
better. Father said to her that it was not her desire to have a boot in her
bed. So she doesn’t need to be shameful in such a situation.
On that Friday surprisingly ghost
doesn’t come. She was worried about him that maybe he comes in the morning
while she would be making tea for Seth. Similarly on the very next Friday still
there was no ghost. She was then assured that her confession made the ghost
shameful about his habits now he is not going to come again. Moreover, after
few days there would be again Christmas Eve and time for midnight mass, she
thought that just like last year, maybe he would be waiting for her in the
stars again. But after coming back from midnight mass, there was no ghost, no
one was waiting for him. She thought that the ghost got scarred by the father.
As there was no ghost, so Jacqueline was
enjoying the full moon on the balcony. She was feeling cold so she covers
herself with a white bed sheet. At next she saw bai-Seth's car coming back
home. All of a sudden she heard frightened screaming, bhoot! Bhoot. The Bai
feels that there was a ghost and said to the ayah that she was right about it.
One day, dustoorji in A Block taught Bai
a prayer, saykasté saykasté sataan, to say it every time she passes from the
stairs. He also asks her to let him arrange a Parsi prayer on the balcony so
the hoot will never come back. The Bai agreed and allowed him to do the jashan,
the most powerful prayer of all. The jashan started and dustoorji ask ayah to
go inside, as everyone cannot tolerate these powerful words except parses.
After some time the jashan is done.
Jacqueline felt blessed as an ayah in a Parsi family. Parsi preferred Manglorean, due to their lighter skin tone but she got a job in a Parsi family. She observed that the Parsi people had accepted the different colors of society. This is because a lot of people from South-Indian people, Tamils, and Keralites, started living here so no one is used to call her blackie again. At the beginning of her journey, everyone was considering her ugly because of her skin tone. For such reason, they used to call her blackie. Even though if a Parsi baby is born with light color they like it while if the dark color they used to call it ayah’s child.
Interpretation
It has been observed from the above
discussion that Jacqueline was initially very alone in Bombay and she was
continuously missing her family boyfriend. So she started assuming his
boyfriend in form of a ghost. The beautiful memories she had made with her boyfriend,
was trying to feel the same with the ghost. She is recalling the memory of her
younger age and comparing it with the ghost.
Moreover, due to such situations, the
bond of Jacqueline with Bai becomes so strong and powerful that the Bai spend
so much time with ayah asking so many questions about the bhoot of her village.
They started spending a good time with each other.
The story is summarized by Rohina Altaf, one of the contributors to the SOL Community.
