Hill
stations are all about the soothing weather, susurrating woods,
singing birds, lonely houses standing near the cliffs and ghosts
residing in it. No wonders paranormal finds a mention in India’s
most celebrated writer of the hills Ruskin Bond. The Laughing
Skull claims to contain stories of ghosts and spirits, prets and
jinns. But let me warn you these are no ghost stories the way we are
conditioned to perceive. These are typical Ruskin Bond stories in
which the ghost is just an another character.
The
opening story the
Laughing Skull
is about the author’s love and hate relationship with a skull which
his medical student nephew brings along with him. Susanna’s
Seven Husbands
made famous by Vishal Bharadwaj in Saat
Khoon Maaf
also is a part of this collection. The only ghost here is Susanna,
who is seen driving into her buggy many years after her death. This
ghost of course is just a passing reference and is not an integral
part of her story.
The
Overcoat
and On
Fairy Hill
are about the seductive encounters of the author with beautiful young
nymphs. Bhoot
Aunty
which is an extract from Mr. Oliver’s diary comes here too. This
story reminds me of O Henry’s writings. A
Face in the Dark
which has been published in earlier collections of Mr. Bond is a
part of this collection too. The
Chakrata Cat
is about a cat with a human head. From
the Primaeval Past
is the story of a man-eater lake. Some
Hill Stations Ghosts
is a random collection of ghosts of various hills.
Pret
in the House which is the author’s favourite story is my
favourite too. This story is about a ghost which decides to move to a
new house along with the family. A Traveller’s Tale is
again about a colonial ghost, who is an obedient servant. A Dreadful
Gurgle is set amidst the dormitory of brats. He Who Rides Tiger
is about a Muslim fakir named Mobrah Gazi.
The
Wind on the Haunted Hill
is about three children who mistake each other to be the infamous
ghosts. He
said it with Arsenic
is about the author’s uncle Jones, a male nurse who uses his access
to medicines
to kill his and his paramour’s spouse, and in the old age decides
to use the dose on the author. A
job well done,
with no ghosts, no spirits, is about how the author’s step father
was buried alive into a well. In
a Face Under the Pillow
the author tells us why he carries his own pillow wherever he goes. A
Demon For Work
is the story which is part of the folklore. It is about the demon who
cannot sit idle.
The Happy Herdsman and
the
Tiger King’s Gift
are fairy tales and not a ghost stories for sure. The
Wicked Guru
too has no any trace of any paranormal element. The
Ghost and the Idiot
is about a ghost which is terrified of the idiot's belligerent wife.
Eyes
of the Cat
is a story about a poor girl who is insulted by her teacher. Ruskin
Bond builds the intrigue very well in this story and we are left with
enough material to surmise that it is the girl who turns into leopard
in the night. The
White Pigeon
is a story about promises kept after the death.
Ruskin
Bond is ever green. He entertains through his stories which are of
course not scary. But the book is ridden with punctuation errors. I
wish these were avoided.
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