A Mother's Last Wish
Sammy and daughter Karen were staying in a rented house. The girl was only five years old when her mother passed away. The responsibility of bringing her up fell on Sammy's shoulders. He looked after her as best as he could within the meager income he was earning. She grew up and it was now time for her marriage. But a wedding meant money, and Sammy wondered from where he would collect all the money needed for her marriage. Suddenly, he faced another problem. Their house owner called on him and told him that he was raising the rent. "Sammy, you've been paying me only a hundred bills for a long time. That's too little for this house. So, I want you to pay me two hundred from now on. I shall come back in the evening for the advance rent. If you don't pay me that much, you may leave this place. Otherwise, I'll throw out all your things!" "That's unfair, sir!" pleaded Sammy. "You can't raise the rent to double of what I'm paying now. Where else shall I go! I'm a poor man!" "I don't want to hear all such excuses and explanations!" said the landlord. "If you're willing to pay what I've asked for, you may continue to stay here. But if you want a place for low rent, why don't you go and stay in that haunted house of Mary?" Sammy realized that his house owner was being adamant. "All right, I shall give you my decision by evening." After seeing off the man, Sammy also got ready to go for work. After he, too, went away, Karen got out in search of a house.
She knew that they could not afford high rent. So, she went in search of the haunted house. Mary was generous by nature. If she came across anybody suffering from want, she went all out to help him or her. It was now three years since she died. Her son George continued to stay in the house. There was a maid to cook food for him, besides a few other servants. Three months after Mary died, one night the servants saw an apparition and they thought it was Mary. The next morning, they all left the place telling George that they would not like to live in a haunted house. He was left all alone. Karen gathered all the information before she went to that place. Undaunted, she knocked on the door. George was about to go out, locking the house. She told him of their predicament. He felt pity for the girl and her father. The son, like his mother, was kind-hearted. "Of course, I've got a portion to let out. You can have it, and I'll continue to stay in the other portion. You must have already heard about this place, that it is haunted, that my mother's ghost makes its appearance every now and then, and all that. So, only if you don't have any objection, you may come and stay here." "For that matter, we don't believe in ghosts!" said Karen. "We only don't want living beings to bother us!" George smiled. He handed the key to her and went away. Karen took a good look at the portion they would be occupying. She removed all cobwebs, swept the floor, and mopped it clean.
She then engaged a vehicle, went home, packed up their belongings, and carted them to the new house. She then went back and waited for her father. When he came, she led him to Mary's house. He was cross with her. "You should have told me before you shifted to this place," he said angrily. "Where shall we go from here? It's not that easy to get a good place." Karen calmly told him, "Father, don't you remember what the landlord said this morning? He raised the rent to double, and if we didn't pay him the advance rent by evening, he even threatened to throw our things out. It would have been a shame for us, and for nobody else. We've our prestige even though we have no house of our own and can stay only in a rented place. Who's better, such a landlord or a ghost?" Sammy now calmed down. "What you say is correct, Karen," he confessed. "You've done the right thing. I'm unable to earn more, and to afford a higher rent. However, I shall search for a better place. Till then, we shall stay here." Soon afterward, Karen went into the kitchen to prepare food for herself and her father. Suddenly she heard a voice, but could not locate from where it was coming. It was a woman's voice, "I can't remain silent any longer," the voice said. Karen stared at one corner where she had placed a wooden seat for her father to sit down. She saw a faint figure of a woman sitting there. She surmised it must be the ghost of Mary. She was not afraid.
She smiled and said, "Could I ask you something? When you were alive, you used to help everybody in many ways. That's what people say without any reservation. You were so kind-hearted. If that was so, then why should you now scare people in the guise of a ghost? George is your only son. Should he live all alone in this big house? Isn't it unfair?" The ghost was heard to heave a heavy sigh. "What you've heard is true, but..." it paused for a while. "Yes, go on," Karen prompted the ghost. "I had wished that my son would marry before I died. He, however, went on postponing a decision. I don't know why. I was disappointed. It was out of sheer frustration that I died prematurely. As I still had some desires unfulfilled, I turned into a ghost, hovering around this place. How could I be separated from my only son? That tamarind outside, I've taken abode on that tree. When night comes, I come inside the house and inspect every room. I saw his servants cheating him and looting him. That's when I decided to interfere. When I appeared before them, they ran away from here, and spread the rumor that this is a haunted house." Just then there was a knock on the door. As Karen moved to go and open the door, the ghost hurriedly disappeared. Two or three days later, Sammy came back from work and told his daughter that he had been able to locate a house. "We shall move out of this haunted place and go over to that house." Karen noticed that George was listening to their conversation. A shadow of sorrow had fallen on his face. "You may start packing," Sammy instructed Karen before he went for his bath. When he reached the well, the ghost jumped down from the tamarind tree and stood before him. Sammy was stunned. He began to tremble, his legs shook. "Sammy, don't be afraid, I won't harm you," the ghost assured him.
"I was Mary when I was alive. Have you forgotten all the help that I had given you? I've told your daughter what made me turn into a ghost. You can ask her. I heard you are telling her that you want to shift from here. I was upset. Have you noticed how happy my son is ever since you started staying here? He's once again smiling and laughing. All that should continue. If you both were to go away, then he'll once again become morose and gloomy. He must have a wife. Why don't you marry your daughter to him? This house will then belong to them, and he'll look after her well. And once they get married, I shall vanish from here. I won't remain a ghost any longer. I shall get my salvation then." "Of course, Mary, I do remember all the help you had extended to me," said Sammy. "I'm grateful to you for all that. I cannot reject your wish. Let it be so." "Ah! How happy I am!" cried the ghost in ecstasy. "I'm quite satisfied." It then disappeared. Sammy soon finished his bath he called Karen and sought out George, who was still sitting gloomily in one corner of the house. "George, you seem to be upset over the prospect of our shifting from here. Have you any objection if my daughter were to remain in this house forever? I propose to give her in marriage to you, and later go on to my holy destinations." George looked at Karen and she nodded in silent approval. "Let your wish be fulfilled, sir," said George, standing up from his seat. "It was my desire too, that your daughter became my wife." He continued after a pause. "But why should you leave this place after our marriage? There are plenty of rooms here, and you can remain with us forever, giving us company and your guidance and advice. You should not leave us alone." Thus, a mother's last wish was fulfilled. Soon, the marriage of Karen and George took place in a grand manner.
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