Who is Following Me??

One summer night, Raman stood at the bus stop wondering how he was going to get home. The last bus had gone half hour ago and there was no one at the bus stop. It was almost midnight. He had left his bike at the service station and it would be back only tomorrow. He thought of walking, his house was only 2 km away, but he would have to walk all alone. He looked at the long road snaking its way between the paddy fields and high mud wall bordering a big lake (eri karai) with lots of trees. There were a few houses here and there. There were streetlights along the road but most of them were not working. The cool breeze made the trees sway is an eerie way. There were no motorists to hitch a ride, so Raman made up his mind to walk home.

After the firsts few steps he was engulfed in complete darkness. He listened to the night sounds, a dog howled far away, the trees swaying in the breeze made creaking sound, and the paddy crops made rustling noise. He looked at the field. It looked like the ocean at night with dark waves rippling except there was no white froth. It looked ominous. He looked straight ahead and walked on. After some time he sensed someone behind him. He listened for footsteps but there were none. He walked on but he couldn't shake away the feeling that someone was keenly watching him from behind. He turned and froze for a moment when he saw a white figure walking towards him or was it floating?

The white figure stood out prominently against the darkness but its features were a blur as the white seemed to be blowing all over the place in the breeze. Fear griped his heart. The figure seemed to be moving at a rather very slow speed. He took a deep breath, turned and started walking briskly. His mind was filled with a million thoughts. All the ghost stories that he had heard as a child about ghosts and spirits living in trees and on eri karai came rushing to his mind. He broke into a sweat. He was almost panting by the time he reached the next streetlight which, thank goodness, was working. He stopped and willed himself to turn back. The figure was still following him and seemed to be picking up pace. He also quickened his pace.

He saw a light at a distance and realized that it was a motorist going in the opposite direction. He waved at the motorist to warn him about the white figure, but too late, the motorist did not stop and zoomed past him. Raman turned and watched the motorbike cross the white figure and disappear into the darkness. He wondered whether the motorist had seen the white figure or was it visible only to him. His heart hammered against his chest. The night sounds were no longer heard. All he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding away in his ears. It was so loud that it hurt his ears. He continued to walk real fast. He was profusely sweating by now. His shirt was completely drenched in sweat, his hands were clammy, and his mind was praying. He started to recite kandha shasti kavasam.

Finally, he reached his neighborhood bus stop. There were lots of houses here and his house was just a few minutes away. There were several brightly lit street lights. He stood under a streetlight, took a deep breath to steady his nerves and turned to wait for the figure! He really wanted to know what it was, his curiosity overcame his fear. The cool breeze caressed his face and made him shudder involuntarily. Slowly the white figure came into view, moving steadily towards him. He braced himself for the unknown.

Slowly, very slowly it moved forward. Were the darkness and wind playing tricks on his eyes or was there really a white flowing halo behind the figure? He cursed himself for being a fool to have waited for the figure. By now he could have gone home and locked himself safely there. The wind seemed to have picked up pace and the white seemed to be spreading all over the place. He stood there frozen to the ground, he willed his legs to move, but they seemed to be cemented to the ground. He closed his eyes knowing that the white figure would have seen him by now and will be very close to him when he opened his eyes. He wanted all this to be a dream, and imagined that he was in his bed and when he woke up he would be with his wife and kids. He forced open his eyes. No such luck. He was under the streetlight and the white figure was standing right in front of him. He looked down. It smiled at him. He gave a nervous bark of a laugh. "Thank you, my son, I saw you walking from the bus stop and thought that I would be safe walking with you. Tried to call you once or twice, but I guess you didn't hear me. Somehow I managed to keep the back of your shirt in view to feel safe" said the petite 60-year-old nun clad in a white saree and a white headgear (wimple). She ambled on to her house. Raman stood there smiling like an idiot. You felt safe but you almost made me wet my pants Mother!!

 

Dear Suria,
Thanks for being the first to comment. Very glad you enjoyed it.

Akila

 

Dear Tulips,

Thank you for dropping by with such a lovely comment.

Akila

 

Dear Jai,

Thank you. Glad that you enjoyed it!!

Akila

 

Dear Raba,

Thank you for dropping by with a lovely comment.

Akila