Many people don't believe in the existence of ghosts but all are scared of it.. It is often said that ghosts are an imaginary entity which has no shape. It is not a scientific fact. Even then a large number of stories, novels, and fictions have been written about ghosts. We may not have seen a ghost but we are aware of the different forms of ghosts, backward feet, long nails and teeth, no mouth, eyes and nose and several others. A number of movies have also been produced in which ghost is the main theme. Many superstitions have also taken place in society due to this entity. A good number of people have also made Ghost Removal as their profession. The stories are also about souls. It is often said that the souls of the persons died untimely or accidentally wander hither and thither. May Also do harm to others. There are instances of a soul entering the body of some person. Whenever we hear such stories, we get goosebumps.
Once I was sleeping in my room situated in a remote locality of the town. I was never alone, my father was very much aware of my fearful nature, hence whenever he went to the village, he arranged a companion for me. But that night my companion had to attend some urgent work so he couldn't come back. I couldn't sleep and every time bad thoughts prevailed upon me. It was at about midnight, somebody knocked at my door. I was so scared that I couldn't get up to open the door. Again a knock…I gathered some courage, went towards the door, looked all around but nobody was seen. This added to my fear, and it became difficult to sleep.
I made several attempts to sleep but in vain. My eyes were opened, no limit of negative feelings. After half an hour, I overheard a sound of tick…tick…tick. I thought this was my hallucination but again tick…tick…tick..It seemed that somebody was walking with a stick. I didn't open the door but the sound bothered me a lot. Somehow, leaving all my fears aside, I slowly opened the door. I saw a man walking to the other side of the varandha with a stick in his hand. It was sounding tick…tick…tick.. I waited at the door but the person didn't come back.
Oh God, what is happening. Who was that person and where had he gone. One has to return back from the other side. Now I lay awake throughout the night and got up early in the morning. I was habitual of jogging. Next door neighbor was my companion for morning walks and exercises. I shared the night incident with him.
Oh..No..That person is Monu’s grandfather. He is suffering from sleep disorders. He often gets up at midnight, takes his stick and starts walking. You need not to worry, everybody knows it. A shy of relief for me. Gradually I forgot this.
I heard several stories of ghosts from my grandmother, mother and friends. These were about ghosts working in fields at night time, ghosts unhooking the cattle and letting them free at night time, entering the houses and bothering the people etc etc. Once there was a bet between friends about walking through the graveyard at night time. A student who was bold enough accepted this challenge and walked through. He did it but was very disturbed for several days.
I started my career as a teacher from a Residential School in Mussoorie. It was situated far from the turmoil of the town at a lonely place. Being a local boy, I had heard several stories about this place and the most common of them was that there used to be a graveyard a century ago. Now the magnificent building was there in which this school had come up. This was not the only building in the town having this graveyard background but several other remote location buildings also. In a residential school teachers besides their regular classes have to discharge Supervised Study duties. These duties are generally up to eight pm after which the students and teachers go for dinner. Duty teachers are free only after this. In winter, eight PM is almost night, particularly in the hills. Though a shared accommodation was allotted to me in the school yet I came home after Supervised Study Duty. Not always but sometimes I went home to see my parents in the town. But every time I was full of fear of the ghost who was talk of the town. My parents knew very well about my fearful nature. They advised me not to come on odd hours and come on Sundays or holidays only. I requested my principal to exempt me from night duties but 'Nothing Doing’ was his pet phrase. My fellow teachers also suggested not to go home via that isolated and dark place. We used to have good fun after school hours. Most of the teachers were outsiders, they had to stay in the school but I being the local boy couldn't restrict myself from going home. Another reason was the hustle bustle of tourists on the Mall Road. We often went to see the last movie show in the hall. How could I miss the company of friends in the town. Moreover, it was my first job, the adjustment took some time.
In hill stations schools are closed for winter vacation in the first or second week of December. It was the last week of school functioning. I was returning home after the night duties. The time was about nine pm. The distance between the school and the Mall Road was just half a kilometer. This distance was too scary, hence difficult to cover..The street lights were after every fifty meters but most of them used to be non functional. Some light came through the window panes of the scattered houses. I was basically a frightful person. Whenever I passed through this stretch at odd hours I was reminded of all those stories which I heard from friends and others..The most common was about a person on a white horse. It was always bothering me and often appeared in my mind that maybe someday I will be the person to see it.
I was briskly descending. It was a dark night. No no moon and stars. Filtered light was coming from the houses. The Palace situated at the corner of the street used to be well lit giving some light to the passer by. But after that again a complete darkness. Hardly any Walker was seen at this time due to the darkness and severe cold. Sometimes, one or two drunkards were found jhomote or fallen at the corner of the street. This was a very bad day for me that nobody met on the way. I speeded up. I coughed, clapped and threw stones to alert myself from any eventuality. Half a kilometer seemed very tough and long. Generally it took ten minutes to cover this distance. But still only five minutes passed. Every minute became equivalent to an hour. What has happened today, no Person seen, no sounds from nearby houses and not even dogs barking. This all doubled my fear. The Mall Road is still far. The ghost was appearing again and again in my mind.
Suddenly I heard some sound. Tup…Tup…Tup.. It was coming from a distance but gradually came nearer. It was sound only, nobody could be seen in the dark. Now I was stunned. I went on moving further looking heither theither. Now I could see something but not very clearly. Tup…Tup…Tup, again the same sound. But still nothing was visible. The sound tup…tup continued. At a distance something was seen but not clearly. Now it had become an incredibly tough time for me. I am gone today, a negative thought prevailed upon me. It could be a person walking with a torch or could be the light of the house behind the trees. But it was nothing like that sort. Now I could see something.
Oh! It is a white horse and a rider on it. It was a horse route also but it was too late for horse riding. Now I began to sweat. The rider came near me and stopped. I didn't have the courage even to look at the rider.
‘Light please’, said the rider.
Now I looked up, a smoke pipe was dangling between his lips. The person was wearing a white hat and also a white dress.
Again a call, ‘light please’.
I didn't have the courage to look up and face the rider
‘Hello, gentleman, could I have light please’. He said while indicating his pipe.
Those days I had started smoking but not usually. So the lighter was in my pocket.
I lit the lighter, he lit his pipe.
‘thanks’. Said the rider.
The gentleman went his way. I ran down as fast I could without looking behind and reached the Mall Road. I now took a sigh of relief. The Mall Road was also almost empty but after every fifty meters someone was seen. The picture of the rider was still in my eyes. Now my thoughts went back to the scenario which I encountered a while ago. I seriously thought,
Who was he?
Where was he going at this odd hour?
The horse and the rider…
Both white..
Oh! Also white hat and white pipe.
Couldn't see the face..
No..No.. While lighting his pipe I looked at him.
Oh! God.. the person had no face, no nose, no mouth.
Oh! Lord its feet were also backward.
Must be the same ghost stories of which are often told.
I started shivering. I ran faster as if the rider was following me. I couldn't sleep that night. Next day it was Sunday. I shared the episode with my parents near and dear. The reactions were mixed.
‘It was nothing but your imagination only.’
‘As you think you come before your eyes’.
‘Must have been a real rider whom you couldn't see properly’.
‘Bach gya beta’( you survived)
‘No..No it is true. I have also heard from other people also that on that stretch a ghost on a white horse is often seen on the second and fourth Saturday’. And that was the fourth Saturday.
Another neighbor, an elderly person, then narrated a story.
‘That road is basically meant for horse riding. Once a British person, a renowned rider while going to his bunglow, fell down from the horse back deep into the gorge. Due to complete darkness he could not be located. Hence the rescue operation continued in the morning. His dead body was found in the gorge. Since then his soul has been wandering there only. Many people have seen him riding the horse on odd hours but no harm was done to them’.
My parents were very much scared and advised me to leave the job in which night duties are mandatory.
I served that school for four years but never came home after night duties.
React
