The Power of Your Actions

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend the following afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.
I handed him his glasses and said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.
He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. It turned out he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before coming to this school.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!". He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day arrived - I saw Kyle and he looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him!

Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I stared at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Anonymous

You are a Masterpiece

A plum once said, just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am.How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.




Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your
true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory – your uniqueness, for momentaryvalidation. Even Gandhi was not accepted by many people. The group that does not accept you as you is not your world. There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king /queen by just being yourself. Find that world… in fact, that world will find you.




What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything and everybody has been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfil only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You are here to be you… just you.There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent; a time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent; a time when a J.R.D.Tata was required and he was sent. There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be. Don’t miss yourself and let the world not miss you.




In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinite of time to come, there will be no one like you. Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated. You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece. .. your Master’s piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness.


Abhiy

Can I Borrow $20/-?

A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for

her at the door.

SON: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'

MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.

SON: 'Mummy, how much do you make an hour?'

MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

MUM: 'If you must know, I make $20 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: "Mummy, may I please borrow $5?"

The mother was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door..

The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down, and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.

'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $5 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Mummy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The mother was crushed. She put her arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through

our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

The Eyes Have It

I had the train compartment to myself up to Rohana, then a girl got in. The coup
le who saw her off were probably her parents; they seemed very anxious about her
comfort, and the woman gave the girl detailed instructions as to where to keep
her things, when not to lean out of windows, and how to avoid speaking to strang
ers.
They called their goodbyes and the train pulled out of the station. As I was tot
ally blind at the time, my eyes sensitive only to light and darkness, I was unab
le to tell what the girl looked like; but I knew she wore slippers from the way
they slapped against her heels.
It would take me some time to discover something about her looks, and perhaps I
never would. But I liked the sound of her voice, and even the sound of her slipp
ers.
‘Are you going all the way to Dehra?’ I asked.
I must have been sitting in a dark corner, because my voice startled her. She ga
ve a little exclamation and said, ‘I didn’t know anyone else was here.’
Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right
in front of them. They have too much to take in, I suppose. Whereas people who c
annot see (or see very little) have to take in only the essentials, whatever reg
isters most tellingly on their remaining senses.
‘I didn’t see you either,’ I said. ‘But I heard you come in.’
I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering that I was blind.
Provided I keep to my seat, I thought, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
The girl said, ‘I’m getting off at Saharanpur. My aunt is meeting me there.’
‘Then I had better not get too familiar,’ I replied. ‘Aunts are usually formidab
le creatures.’
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘To Dehra, and then to Mussoorie.’
‘Oh, how lucky you are. I wish I were going to Mussoorie. I love the hills. Espe
cially in October.’
‘Yes, this is the best time,’ I said, calling on my memories. ‘The hills are cov
ered with wild dahlias, the sun is delicious, and at night you can sit in front
of a logfire and drink a little brandy. Most of the tourists have gone, and the
roads are quiet and almost deserted. Yes, October is the best time.’
She was silent. I wondered if my words had touched her, or whether she thought m
e a romantic fool. Then I made a mistake.
‘What is it like outside?’ I asked.
She seemed to find nothing strange in the question. Had she noticed already that
I could not see? But her next question removed my doubts.
‘Why don’t you look out of the window?’ she asked.
I moved easily along the berth and felt for the window ledge. The window was ope
n, and I faced it, making a pretence of studying the landscape. I heard the pant
ing of the engine, the rumble of the wheels, and, in my mind’s eye, I could see
telegraph posts flashing by.
‘Have you noticed,’ I ventured, ‘that the trees seem to be moving while we seem
to be standing still?’
‘That always happens,’ she said. ‘Do you see any animals?’
‘No,’ I answered quite confidently. I knew that there were hardly any animals le
ft in the forests near Dehra.
I turned from the window and faced the girl, and for a while we sat in silence.
‘You have an interesting face,’ I remarked. I was becoming quite daring, but it
was a safe remark. Few girls can resist flattery. She laughed pleasantly – a cle
ar, ringing laugh.
‘It’s nice to be told I have an interesting face. I’m tired of people telling me
I have a pretty face.’
Oh, so you do have a pretty face, thought I: and aloud I said: ‘Well, an interes
ting face can also be pretty.’
‘You are a very gallant young man,’ she said, ‘but why are you so serious?’
I thought, then, I would try to laugh for her, but the thought of laughter only.


made me feel troubled and lonely.
‘We’ll soon be at your station,’ I said.
‘Thank goodness it’s a short journey. I can’t bear to sit in a train for more th
an two-or-three hours.’
Yet I was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time, just to listen to
her talking. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream. As soon as she lef
t the train, she would forget our brief encounter; but it would stay with me for
the rest of the journey, and for some time after.
The engine’s whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhyth
m, the girl got up and began to collect her things. I wondered if she wore her h
air in bun, or if it was plaited; perhaps it was hanging loose over her shoulder
s, or was it cut very short?
The train drew slowly into the station. Outside, there was the shouting of porte
rs and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near the carriage door; that voic
e must have belonged to the girl’s aunt.
‘Goodbye,’ the girl said.
She was standing very close to me, so close that the perfume from her hair was t
antalizing. I wanted to raise my hand and touch her hair, but she moved away. On
ly the scent of perfume still lingered where she had stood.
There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into the compartment, st
ammered an apology. Then the door banged, and the world was shut out again. I re
turned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I h
ad a game to play and a new fellow-traveller.
The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned an
d shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight th
at was darkness for me.
So many things were happening outside the window: it could be a fascinating game
, guessing what went on out there.
The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie.
‘You must be dissapointed,’ he said. ‘I’m not nearly as attractive a traveling c
ompanion as the one who just left.’
‘She was an interesting girl,’ I said. ‘Can you tell me – did she keep her hair
long or short?’
‘I don’t remember,’ he said, sounding puzzled. ‘It was her eyes I noticed, not h
er hair. She had beautiful eyes – but they were of no use to her. She was comple
tely blind. Didn’t you notice?'

By Ruskin Bond

Encounter With A Woman Possessed

This incident happened last year and is one of the most eerie incidents ever experienced by me.

My close friend Manish dabbles a bit in the field of occult. Since his childhood days he has this gift whereby he can sense paranormal activities with amazing accuracy. His parents were earlier worried about this but have now come to terms with it. Manish has channeled this gift of his very well to help people having trouble with ghosts and other paranormal events. He doesn't expect any monetary benefit out of the services rendered to clients. I have accompanied Manish out of sheer curiosity to some of his clients and this incident is one of them.

Manish received a call from a person called Mr. Narula asking him for his help. His son, Rohit who had recently returned from the US with his wife and a 4 year old daughter was experiencing weird occurrences in his new home. Manish fixed up an appointment with Mr. Narula at his house and we reached there as planned. Mr. Narula greeted us warmly and we sat down in his spacious living room where he related his harrowing experience to us.

Mr. Narula was an elderly man who had led a fairly comfortable life working at a high position in the Indian Railways all his life. He had retired a couple of years back and lived with his wife. Money was never a concern with him and he wanted his son Rohit to have the best possible education available. That is why Mr. Narula had sent his son to US to complete his post graduation in Computer Engineering from one of the best Universities there. In the US Rohit met a girl called Rochelle, a fellow student and fell in love with her. Going against his parents wishes he went ahead, married her and settled in the US. Mr. Narula however reconciled with his son after the birth of Rohit's daughter Anita. He wanted his son to come back to India and live with them. It was a tough decision for Rohit considering that both he and Rochelle were well settled in the US. Rochelle was very supportive and they decided to return to India. Rohit initially stayed with his parents but once he got a job, they decided to purchase a new house. The house which they purchased was a beautiful one with a sea facing view. Rochelle and Rohit were very happy to have got such a beautiful house at such a throw away price. They however did not realize what was in store for them. Initially everything was fine but then things started to happen.

Incident 1:

One night Rohit woke up at around 1.00 am and found that his wife wasn't in bed. He looked around and found her on their terrace. She was in some sort of a trance staring blankly at the dark sky above with an eerie smile on her face. He shook her and she came out of her trance like state. Rochelle had no recollection of her getting out of her bed. Rohit, though concerned, comforted Rochelle by telling her that she might have been sleepwalking. But Rochelle was sure that she had never sleep walked ever in her life. Both of them subsequently forgot about it and got along with their daily routine.

Then something really strange happened which scared Rohit out of his wits.

Incident 2:

Rohit had to attend a late night dinner meeting with one of his client and came home at 1.00 am. He was surprised to find the door open. Surely Rochelle would not be so careless so as to leave the door open at night. Fearing for the safety of Rochelle and his daughter Anita he quickly entered the house and called Rochelle. All he heard was a low scream coming from his daughter's bedroom and it seemed like Anita's. He quickly went inside and was horrified to find his daughter crouched in one of the corner of the room and Rochelle sitting close and staring at Anita with the same blank expression and the eerie smile on her face. Rohit shouted at Rochelle which again brought her out of the trance. Again Rochelle did not have any recollection of anything that had happened. Anita scared out of her wits on seeing her mother in such a state was crying inconsolably. Anita told Rohit that she was tucked into bed as usual by Rochelle at around 10. 30 pm and left alone in the room. She was fast asleep when someone shook her vigorously literally throwing her down from her bed. She saw that it was her mother... But it couldn't be, she thought, for the woman in front of her was cursing her in a language which she had never heard in her life. The woman (her mother) was speaking loudly like a mad woman laughing and crying at the same time. Her voice seemed different and her long hair all over her face. This was just ten minutes before Rohit stepped in the house which probably saved the kid from suffering any further harm. Without any further adieu he sent her off to his grandparents place the very next morning.

In the next few days Rohit found his wife very aloof and withdrawn, a marked change from her generally bubbly and extrovert personality. She hardly spoke to him. Rohit informed his parents about it and he had planned to take her to a psychiatrist as soon as possible.

Incident 3:

Then the final terrifying change in Rochelle began. The same night Rohit spoke to his parents, he found Rochelle missing from her bed. She was in Anita's empty room standing right below the ceiling fan staring at it. Rohit went near her and tried to wake her. Rochelle gave him an icy stare and immediately started abusing him in Urdu, screaming at the top of her voice and throwing things about. Gathering his wits, Rohit immediately locked her in the room got one of his neighbors and tied her to the bed. She was very aggressive for sometime bud calmed down subsequently and fell into deep slumber. Thinking that it might be a case of split personality, she was immediately shifted to a hospital and was subjected to thorough checks by the doctors. They could find nothing wrong with her and all the while she was in hospital there was no trace of the aggressive trait she had shown earlier. Immediately after she was discharged and sent home the aggressive behavior started again. One important thing was that this personality change occurred intermittently. It did not occur everyday and would happen suddenly when you would least expect it.

Frustrated at the inability of the doctors to provide him with a conclusive answer, Rohit had asked his father to contact Manish who was known to them through an acquaintance. As planned, Manish and I reached Rohit's place late in the evening since we wanted to get a first hand look at the changes which were happening to Rochelle. Rochelle looked very sick and was bedridden. Rohit was very worried and tired since he hadn't slept in the last couple of days. Apart from them there was a housekeeper along with Mr. Narula in the house. Anita and her grandmother stayed back at Mr. Narula's place.

From the time we entered the house, I saw a troubled look on Manish's face. I immediately knew that we were in for a tough time ahead. He was concentrating hard as if to locate the exact cause of the problem and from the looks of it he seemed pretty close. Then something unexpected happened which still gives me nightmares.

We were in the living room when we suddenly heard a loud noise in little Anita's bedroom. We immediately rushed to find Rochelle standing on Anita's bed. She had tied one of the bed sheets lying nearby to the ceiling fan, fastened the other end into a noose, put her head into it and was trying to hang herself. This was really very creepy. Regaining our composure Rohit, Manish and I immediately pulled her down, lifted her and put her back in her bed. All the while she was abusing us and kicking about and trying to free herself. She did so with such tremendous power that it took three of us to subdue her. She was tied firmly to her bed. Manish then asked everyone except me to leave the room. Once we were alone, he took Rochelle's hand in his and started chanting a holy mantra (a hymn). He was concentrating very hard. This seemed to work as it seemed to calm her down initially. But suddenly I found Manish sweating profusely; he was finding it difficult to get words out of his mouth. The evil entity within Rochelle was clearly winning the battle. Something happened in the next split second which I cannot describe even to this day.

I got up and tried to pull Manish away from Rochelle. I had to use all my strength since it was now the evil entity that was holding on to Manish as if it was sucking the life out of him. With great difficulty I managed to separate them and get Manish out of the room. Manish fainted immediately once we were out. But being the strong man that he is, Manish recovered within half an hour. He got up and immediately asked everyone to vacate the house without losing any more time. The task in front of us was to get Rochelle out of the bed, leave alone the house. The entity within Rochelle resisted with all its strength but somehow this time Manish seemed to have the upper hand. With great difficulty we got her out of the house and to Mr. Narula's place. There was a lot of commotion in the building but nothing except Rochelle's safety seemed to matter at that time. Once out of the house Rochelle immediately calmed down. It seemed as if the hold of the evil entity on her was waning. She had calmed down fully by the time we reached Mr. Narula's place and was deep in slumber by the time we left. Manish assured the Narula's that there was nothing to worry now and everything would be fine. He promised to come over again the next day. Thus ended an exhausting but eventful day for Manish and me.

We went to Mr. Narula's place the next morning and found the whole family relieved with Rochelle resting peacefully.

Manish's explanation:

He had immediately felt the presence of some evil entity as soon as he entered the house. He could also make out that it was a spirit of a woman that had possessed Rochelle. The spirit initially managed to overpower him because it was around 3.00 am at that time and perhaps its power was at its peak. He was happy at my quick thinking which enabled him to separate himself from the evil force without suffering any harm. He was probably able to hold back the entity next time around probably since it was nearing dawn and the power of the evil one on Rochelle was on the wane. He told us that Rochelle had been saved from certain death that day. He also warned the Narula's never to venture into that house again as we had only temporarily subdued the spirit and not completely finished it. Rohit wept inconsolably and thanked us for saving Rochelle's life.

Manish and I made some enquiries later on and found that a Muslim couple had been living there prior to Rohit and Rochelle. The lady had committed suicide by hanging herself because of her husbands infidelity in the same room which incidentally was little Anita's bedroom. The husband hushed up the matter using his contacts with the police and immediately left the place. This is why Rohit had got the place at such a throwaway price.

We checked on the Narula's after a couple of months. Rochelle was doing fine and had found herself a job too. No incident had happened after that night. Rohit too had resumed work and they were still staying with their parents place. Little Anita was happy to be with her grand parents and so were Rohit's parents

As for the haunted apartment, it is still lying vacant and deserted. Rohit resisted all temptation to sell it saying that he did not wish to put someone else through the same ordeal as himself.

What happened to the entity inside the house?

No one had the courage to go there again. Your guess is as good as mine.

Told by Sid

A Beach Resort Haunting

Anand is my best friend since school and one of the few ones whom I have been in regular touch. Like me, Anand too is interested in the paranormal and we have experienced one such occurrence together as described in my story "The Ghostly Hitchhikers". Anand and I are both Engineers by profession and hence life is very hectic. We rarely get a chance to meet each other though we are in constant touch on phone or via e-mail.

This incident happened couple of years back when we were in Mumbai, India. Due to a couple of public holidays in India falling in line together, we had a long weekend of around five days ahead of us. Since we had not taken a holiday for quite sometime due to our busy schedules, my wife immediately suggested that we go to a beachside resort for a couple of days to unwind. I immediately called Anand to check his availability. Anand and his wife Jyo immediately agreed and the plan was finalized within minutes.

We decided to go to a beachside resort at Murud which is around 180kms away from Mumbai and takes around 3 hours to reach. Murud has a pristine beach and is a very popular destination among tourists. There is also a fort named Janjira in the middle of the sea. Janjira fort is also famous for being the only fort along India's western coast that remained undefeated. Since all of us are interested in history, it seemed like an interesting proposition for us. Another thing to be noted at this point of time is that Murud is just 7kms from Kashid and one has to pass through Kashid to reach Murud. The highway leading to Kashid is where we had met the Ghostly Hitchhikers a couple of years ago. Though this incident was at the back of our mind, we nevertheless decided to go ahead with our plan.

We started for Murud at 7.00 am in Anand's "4X4" SUV. It was a clear morning and we managed to reach the resort at around 10.00am. Anand and I were very careful not to mention our previous experience to our respective spouses since it would frighten them and dampen their spirits. We checked in at the resort which was really very beautiful. It was situated on a hill very close to Murud beach. It had a great sea facing view from the front and a dense forest cover at the back which made us feel one with nature. We immediately rushed to the beach where we had a great time swimming and splashing around in the water. We came back to the resort at around noon, had a quick lunch, rested for a while and then set off to see Janjira fort which we were all anxious to see. The visit to the fort was great and we were back in the hotel by around 8.00pm. After a lavish dinner consisting of several local delicacies we decided to retire to our rooms. I was tired but Anand insisted that we go to his room for a game of cards before hitting the sack. My wife and Jyo too didn't mind and so we went to Anand's room.

Immediately after entering his room I suddenly felt a chill in the room which made me feel uneasy. I told Anand about it but he shrugged it aside and suggested that it might be the cool sea side breeze which might have made me feel that way. We played cards for around 2 hours and really had fun. At around 12. 00 am we decided to call it a day. We had however not reckoned that this would be the start of our ordeal and chilling events to follow.

The long day had taken its toll on us and my wife and I immediately fell off to sleep. It must have been around 1.30am when I heard a knock on my door. I cautiously opened the door and was surprised to find Anand outside. He looked a little worried and told me that after we left Jyo suddenly started feeling very cold and started shivering. Anand had found it surprising since he felt no such chill. I asked my wife who is a doctor to accompany me to Anand's room with her medicine box. Upon entering his room, I felt uneasy and could immediately sense that something was amiss. Two woolen rugs had been wrapped around Jyo but she was still shivering and her teeth were literally chattering. When my wife examined Jyo, she was stunned to find that though Jyo was feeling feverish and her body had become icy cold. Shrugging aside her fear my wife gave her a couple of tablets which would put her to sleep and give her a much needed rest. We did not want to leave Anand alone in this condition and decided to be with him. This was perhaps the best decision which I took considering the events which happened subsequently.

Anand was sitting on the bed, caressing Jyo's hand gently to put her at ease. My wife and I made ourselves comfortable on a couple of chairs available in the room. It was around 3.00 am, my wife had dozed off and I was about to follow suit when something really creepy happened. Jyo suddenly sat up straight in her bed with a look in her eyes which we had never seen before. Anand, who was sitting beside her tried to put his arm around her to comfort her. She suddenly shrugged herself free from Anand, caught him by the neck and pushed him. The force with which Anand was pushed was so great that he was literally flung like a puppet, six feet away from the bed. To do that to a person like Anand who is close to 6"3 inches tall and weighs around 90 kgs really required extraordinary strength. Jyo suddenly said the following words "Mujhe Jaane Do... Jaana hai " (Let me go... I have to go!) This still is a mystery to all of us. The voice that said those words certainly wasn't Jyo's. Jyo stood up as if in trance and was trying to go to the balcony. I have to admire the courage shown by both my wife and Anand at this point of time.

Anand and I used all our might and pinned down Jyo to her bed while my wife ran out to get help. We got a couple of housekeeping staff from the hotel in the room within a couple of minutes. I immediately told them to help us shift Jyo to my room. It took five of us to lift Jyoti and shift her to my room. All this while Jyo was only uttering the words "Mujhe Jaane Do... Jaana hai ".As soon as she was laid on the bed in my room things started to return to normal. Jyo stopped resisting and soon fell asleep much to our relief. All of us were shaken by the turn of events. We thanked the bewildered Hotel staff for their help. I noticed that it was around 5.00am at that time and perhaps with the coming of daybreak the hold of the spirit on Jyo had weakened OR Shifting her out of that room had helped.

We decided to check out the next morning. Though a little tired, Jyo was perfectly fine the next morning with no recollection of the previous night's events. She was however surprised to find herself in our room. Anand however put her at ease and told her that he would explain everything once we left the hotel. While Anand was settling the hotel bills, I was called aside by one of the hotel staff who, under the condition of anonymity told me that the room had been the scene of a gory incident a couple of months back.

A couple had checked in, they had a big fight which lasted late into the night. The man walked out off the room leaving the lady behind. After sometime the lady flung herself from the balcony of the room killing her instantly. The police had made some enquiries but were unable to trace the man who had accompanied her that night. The case was subsequently closed. The housekeeping staff had themselves felt a creepy feeling sometimes in the room, though no incident was reported by any of the occupants who occupied it after that.

We decided to let the matter rest but before leaving, advised the manager of the resort to do some sort of purification or a cleansing ritual to free the tormented soul. Whether he performed the ritual or not is not known to us since we did not visit the place again. We were just happy at that moment to have escaped without any harm.

Anand subsequently told her the events which had occurred that night. She was shaken at first, but has now come to terms with it.

However what would have happened if Anand and I would not have been able to subdue Jyo that night is a thought which still gives me the shivers.

Told by Sanjay

BLOW 2

BLOW

Weight Loss Plan

A man calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10 lb. weight loss program.

The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.

She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.

The sign reads, "If you can catch me, you can have me."

Without a second thought, he takes off after her.

A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up.

The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens.

On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised.

He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program.

The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning and beautiful woman he has ever seen in his life.

She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, "If you catch me you can have me."

Well, he's out the door after her like a shot.

This girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck.

So for the next four days, the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better and better shape.

Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 lbs. as promised.

He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program.

"Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone. "This is our most rigorous program."

"Absolutely," he replies, "I haven't felt this good in years."

The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads,"If I catch you, you are mine!!!"

He lost 63 pounds that week.

(Thanks Barbie)

ATM

A new sign in the Bank Lobby reads:

"Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.

After months of careful research, MALE and FEMALE procedures have been developed.

Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender:

MALE PROCEDURE

1. Drive up to the cash machine.2. Put down your car window.3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.6. Put window up. 7. Drive off.

FEMALE PROCEDURE

1. Drive up to cash machine.2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.3. Set parking brake, put the window down.4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.6. Attempt to insert card into machine.7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.8. Insert card.9. Re-insert card the right way.10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.11. Enter PIN.12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.13. Enter amount of cash required.14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.15. Retrieve cash and receipt.16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.18. Re-check makeup.19. Drive forward 2 feet.20. Reverse back to cash machine.21. Retrieve card.22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.25. Redial person on cell phone.26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.27. Release Parking Brake.

Money

There was a man who worked all of his life and saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I wanna take my money to the afterlife."

So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him.

Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said "Wait just a minute!"

She had a shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away. Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket."

"Yes," the wife said, "I promised. I'm a good Christian, I can't lie. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."

"You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?"

"I sure did. I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a check."

(Thanks Jessica)

The Most Embarrassing Moments Ever!

Let’s face it – we’ve all had our share of embarrassing moments. Just be thankful that none of them were as humiliating (and hilarious!) as these:

"A mother was taking a shower when her2 year old son came into the bathroom and wrapped himself in toilet paper. Although he made a mess, he looked adorable, so she ran for my camera and took a few shots. They came out so well that she had copies made and included one with each of their Christmas cards. Days later, a relative called about the picture, laughing hysterically, and suggesting that she take a closer look. Puzzled, the mother stared at the photo and was shocked to discover that in addition to her son, she had captured her reflection in the mirror wearing nothing but a camera!"

"A woman and her sister were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of nuts. As they were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if they needed any help. The woman replied, "No, I'm just looking at your nuts." The sister started to laugh hysterically, the boy grinned, and she turned beet red and walked away."

"A lady picked up several items at a discount store. When she finally got up to the checker, she learned that one of her items had no price tag. Imagine her embarrassment when the checker got on the intercom and boomed out for the entire store to hear, ‘PRICE CHECK ON LANE THIRTEEN, TAMPAX, SUPER SIZE." That was bad enough, but somebody at the rear of the store apparently misunderstood the word 'Tampax' for ‘THUMBTACKS.’ In a businesslike tone, a voice boomed back over the intercom: ‘DO YOU WANT THE KIND YOU PUSH IN WITH YOUR THUMB OR THE KIND YOU POUND IN WITH A HAMMER?’

An introvert went to bar and spots a pretty looking woman sitting on the stool. He mustered all his courage for long time, then timidly approached and asked her, "Ma’ am, would be OK if sit here and talk with you?" She was alert, suspecting this man, and responds by yelling, "No, I won't sleep with you tonight!" Customers in the bar started staring at them. The embarrassed guy quickly returns to his table dejected and ashamed. The young woman waits a little and then goes to the guy to apologize. With a smile on her face she says, "I am sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I am a college student in psychiatry and I am putting together a thesis as to how people react to embarrassing moments." The cunning guy now yells loudly, "What do you mean by $500?"

The World’s Funniest Real Ads

Believe it or not, these ads actually found their way into newspapers all over the world:

Braille dictionary for sale. Must see to appreciate.

FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000.00 or best offer. No longer needed. Got married last weekend. Wife knows everything.

Help wanted, singer for rock band. Must be female or male.

For sale, Hope Chest, brand new, half off, long story.

Help wanted, adult or mature teenager to baby-sit. One dollar an hour.

Lost: small brown poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.

For sale: a quilted high chair that can be made into a table, potty chair, rocking horse, refrigerator, spring coat, size 8 and fur collar.

Four-posted bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover.

Wanted: Part-time married girls for soda fountain in sandwich shop.

Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.

Christmas sale. Handmade gifts for the hard-to- find person.

Wanted, man to take care of cows that does not smoke or drink.

Three-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred.

Wanted. Widower with school-age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family.

Tired of working for only $9.75 per hour? We offer profit sharing and flexible hours. Starting pay: $7 -- $9 per hour.

Our sofa seats the whole mob and it’s made of 100% Italian leather.

Full sized mattress. 20 year warranty. Like New. Slight urine smell.

Nordic Track $300 hardly used, call Chubby.

Joining nudist colony! Must sell washer and dryer $300.

Open house body shapers toning salon free coffee and donuts

Found: dirty white dog. Looks like a rat... been out while. Better be reward.

Exercise equipment: Queen Size Mattress & Box Springs - $175.

ALZHEIMER'S CENTER PREPARES FOR AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.

Free Yorkshire Terrier: 8 years old. Hateful little dog.

Free puppies: ½ cocker spaniel, ½ sneaky neighbor’s dog.

Free puppies: part German Shepherd, part stupid dog.

German Shepherd, 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. Free.

Snow Blower for sale…only used on snowy days.

Bill’s Septic Cleaning: “We Haul American-Made Products."

Cows, calves never bred…also 1 gay bull for sale.

Nice Parachute – Never opened. Used once.

Hummels – Largest selection ever. "If it’s in stock, then we have it!"

1 man, 7 women hot tub. $850/offer.

Shakespeare’s Pizza. Free chopsticks.

Harrisburg Postal Employee Gun Club.

Tickle-Me-Elmo, still in box, comes with its own 1988 Ford Mustang, 5L, Auto, Excellent condition $6800.