When Fatso invited me for a drink at his uncle’s house, I thought little about it. It was only when he reminded me in the morning I decided to visit him later that day. I phoned Rasta so that we could go together and the latter confirmed that he had also received the same invitation.
All I knew about it was that a distant uncle of Fatso had asked for a favour from him to look after his house while he was away for a few days.
I didn’t think that Mai VaMaidei would have a problem with that. I just had to be back home by the time she returned home from the market. What surprised me when I arrived at the house was the nebulous colour of the house. It was painted a deep rich green colour. The flower vases, poles and washing line were all green.
All the doors and window frames were painted in green.
Fatso must have seen me through the open window for he called out, “What are you looking at?”
I entered the house through the open door. And as soon as I entered the house, I realised that the owner of the house was a freaky. Everything was green, from the worn out sofas, the curtains, the walls, everything was green. I whistled to myself.
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“What is this?”
It was then I noticed Rasta emerging through another open door. He had arrived ahead of me. He must have been coming from the bathroom. The whole set-up looked surreal. There is no way, this house is spooked.
“Who lives here?”
“My uncle,” said Fatso.
“Who else lives here?” I asked.
“He lives alone; his wife died a long time ago. He has lived alone ever since,” said Fatso.
I went to the other rooms. The walls were all green, blankets, curtains and all. This looked creepy. Who paints the interior of a house green?
“What’s all this obsession of this colour about?” said Rasta.”
“It all started after his wife passed away,’’ said Fatso.
I went to the kitchen, opened the cabinets, the entire cutlery was green. This is bizarre. I know the colour green is linked with growth, nature and renewal, but it can also symbolise envy, decay or even malevolence. Perhaps Fatso’s uncle fixation on green hints at a deeper connection to the mystical or supernatural.
“Guys, I think this house is haunted, there is something wrong here,” I said after a long pause.
“I think you are right, last night I did not sleep,” said Fatso.
We both looked at him.
“What do you mean?” I said.
I think this colour obsession is a powerful conduit for expressing inner turmoil, spiritual yearning or hidden dimensions.
It’s possible that Fatso’s uncle was haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. But the colour green, what did it imply?
“Last night between 2am and 3am, there was a knock at the door and before I could even answer, I could feel the presence of someone, that someone had entered the house although all the doors were locked. When I opened the door, there was no one. There was a sudden drop of temperature in the house. At that time, it became very cold all of a sudden,” said Fatso.
“There was someone in the house, a woman in high stiletto shoes. I am sure of it; there was some movement in the house, like someone was looking for something.”
“That was a ghost,” said Rasta looking everywhere as if he was going to see a ghost.
“How did your uncle’s wife die?” I said.
“I heard that my uncle went away on a long trip for several days and when he returned, he found his wife who was an alcoholic dead and her body already decomposed,” said Fatso.
“This is too much,” I said.
“I am not sleeping here alone tonight, you guys can keep me company,” said Fatso.
“No ways,” said Rasta too quickly. I agreed with him.
“This is a haunted house guys, your uncle needs help, I am leaving,” I said, walking out into the sunshine and the others followed me outside.
To this day, I always think about the little haunted house, painted entirely in green. I can imagine Fatso’s uncle living alone in the green haunted house, welcoming the ghost of his wife every night.
And if one day you happen to come across a little house painted green or looking like an artist’s canvas infused with other worldly shades, standing at the corner of a long line of houses, don’t linger around, just run.