Hamlet Of Spirits

The dusk had its charm in the dim moonlight, lighting the streets of the little hamlet where we were living for a generation. The village had not witnessed the neon lamps shining for decade and now the solar powered lamps had given up sooner than before connecting the power cables to them. The pothole rich roads had the tires of cars, scooters and stomach scattered all around our imagination while enjoying the bumping rides. Little kids had started to play in the puddles imagining the swimming pools of rich. Cricket was a common evening show in the fields around the village which presented itself as a town with the only bar claiming to be a pub. The rendezvous of rich and poor, heroes and villains, business tycoons and unemployed, while some gluttons roamed around them in much hopes of sumptuous meal before heading home after a days work. The only movie theatre was filled with drunkards every evening whistling to the tunes of the popular South Indian movies with dashing stuntmen and ravishing beauties shining in their dusky layers of skin.

One thing common about the modern India is that, it doesn't matter where you live or how much ever facilities you lack. It would be well connected to God and internet. And uber, ola, swiggy, zomato, fth, big basket and much more available within a click. This had been the common story of the well connected India during and post the pandemic. The pandemic had ended but the habits developed during it continues to this day. Every house got a wifi named after its kids, every second house got their first car, every street guaranteed a new house and every village having its own home deliveries on call was a step ahead from the India we knew earlier. You call it low interest rates, work from home magic, higher salaries and savings or what not, we know the world has changed for us for good. The convenience and comfort ruled the new world. 

After long two years of planning, we all decided to meet for a home movie show. From the dusk that had lit the streets, we were waiting for the dear ones to arrive. Few of them came together and made our job of welcoming quite easy while others came one each making us repeat the same salutations and howdy. After the exchange of heaps of praises about changes on our body during the pandemic which was the obvious surprise for all even though it was well known fact that the world had received its fair share of inflation and so did our body, we decided to settle for a cup of tea. Few of us were busy selecting the movie to be screened while the ladies continued their gossip about the changes to life and kids. The school was often a common comparison topic which was well received in large groups with school going kids. 

Before we progressed on the movie, as usual the kids had alerted that it was time to feed them. Some of them had come for the get together with the hope of a good meal. Few parents found this as the only way to make these large sized kids move from their couches at home. As usual, we started the hunt in the mobile to find the perfect place for the right food. I was of the opinion that we can order in different places based on the taste of various guys but majority stuck to the idea of ordering at one place only. Its not surprising to know that most times after a decent long deliberation people get to KFC and McD itself for an order. We too went the much traveled selection route to settle in KFC. The group of ten had placed their order and continued to watch the movie in the new TV that had come home a week back. It was my job to track the food and its movement as a detective in pursuit of a killer on move. 

Even though I was frequenting my mobile to refresh the page to track the movement, the call of the delivery guy was required to gain my attention to the fact that he was waiting downstairs. We all looked at each other expecting a welcoming move to collect the food, and I was the chosen one again. I had not stepped out of the door that the power went off. I could hear my gang giggling at home while I made calculated steps to the stairs with my open eyes blinded. I had totally forgotten that I had mobile phone with me and by the time I realized I was almost reaching downstairs from the third floor. The street lights were well installed and was pride to watch during the day only to find that it never lit up at night. Now that I can't complain as the power supply was not there. I reached down and struggled to find the delivery guy in front of the apartment. 

A quick call from the cellphone, fed me with the information that he had gone to a location few streets far and wanted me to go to him to collect. I tried my best to reason with him but eventually continued my long walk towards him. I observed that as I crossed each street, the street dogs gave a howling signal to the next dog who was the master of nearby street and they kept the music on until I reached an isolated road. The dogs were giving me company from far expecting me to be scared to walk alone. I crossed by the abandoned or I would rather say neglected parts of the hamlet where only miscreants frequented during the hours blessed by the presence of sun. It was not often used for thoroughfare. 

Such a relief it was to finally lay my eyes on the distant silhouette of a form of human being with a jacket and helmet. This has been the vision I begged for from the time I hit the road at 2 a.m.. A welcome view of the delivery guy got my adrenalin kicking, I am sure my heart was pumping faster to hit the peak on my fitbit. I got close to the vehicle parked under the street light showering darkness from sky into the rough broken roads of my neighborhood. Maybe my habit or being alone for last 10-15Mins in the dark roads, I tried to strike a conversation with the person I just met who was in one hand distance from me. There was very less response and he right away started to get the goods from the delivery box. I tried to peep inside to help out lifting and movement of the food as it was a big pack. My eyes lay on some other parcels accidentally which in the darkness looked too wet and had a stench near the bike. My curious mind and uncontrolled tongue worked together to ask him more about it. He casually replied those were his today's collection. The dark humor on it struck me and I felt the negativity around me grew a bit more and moon had got a tad darker making the earth below much more dull. I kept my conversation going requesting to show his face, he had told me that he had met with an accident couple of years back and face had been worked up by the medics. On my persistent requests, he removed his helmet. I wish I had never asked as the stitches on the face were still unhealed and felt randomly stitched in a hurry. My mind had warned me from using my tongue and asked me to start the trip back home. Unfortunately the courage seems to be draining from my legs and calf muscles seems to be pulled so much that I felt it had attached to that bike like a magnet to iron. I felt locked and tied to where I was and the opposite party was well aware of it. As if via telepathy, which to this day I can't say, he explained me how he had been collecting more heads every night and depositing to the keepers of the cemetery who comes from clouds to reward them lavishly. I understood it was time to thank the world and curse the people who chose me above all those strong men to collect the dinner. At the same time, the faces of my family rushed through my thoughts and wished I could see them one last time before I decide to make lives of the dark world struggle with my humor.  I understood the real meaning of the howling signals the dogs were giving more clearly now, felt it could have been a warning sign to me to return back home. I doubted maybe being vegetarian and having high iron rich blood would have led to my selection this night. I started to use all my might to move and escape. Not sure how it happened, maybe it was another order online which led him to take his bike and leave or maybe the bunch of drunkards returning from somewhere that night. I found myself unbound from the clutches of evil.

I didn't realize that the 15Mins distance "to", was covered in 5Mins in "fro". Much to my liking, the power supply was back by the time I reached my apartment. I didn't want to spend much time alone on the stairs so I decided to take the lift. The lift was that square box which once I take charge of the territory any other living or non-living being had to fight me to death to keep foot. Frequent power failures was an unwelcome gift that came with the monsoon to our city and today was no different. The lift was stuck once again and with no one to help, I could sense my breath getting stuck in the stale air around me. My sweat had started to drench my clothes and shed to the floor much to my dismay. Maybe the blood pressure would have changed unexpectedly or fear would have got the better off me. The few minutes wait for the power backup was like a year spent alone in the woods. I rang bell few times before the gang would open the door. They were surprised to see me back in this form and complained that the food had gotten cold. I suspected my delay in reaching back would have made all express discontent. Soon I noticed that they were finishing the meal which few others went and collected post I left in search of the delivery boy. I skipped rest of the movie and got lost in my thoughts. I was not able to relate whether I hallucinated once again or it was an experience of super natural. In spite of questioning from the group, and a decent interrogation from my wife, I resisted the urge to explain to all the story behind my short walk post 2 a.m. in this small village of mine. I recollected village elders saying that its best to avoid late night trips as we would see and hear what we should not. I never believed it but now post pandemic it was time to start believing the old stories again. 

There is science hidden in the signs which for a long time the human in us would never accept for the fear of losing the confidence that we gathered from our scientific belief system. And trust me the story has happened to many people around me in the same village. We call them ghosts, spirits, or lost souls but they too have learned to take new modern forms be it internet boy, swiggy genie, zomato delivery or milk subscription man, which makes our life engaging as well as challenging. 

A short evening trip to the local pub or the busy movie theatre, guaranteed us hearing stories of sightings every day but again the busy world around us just doesn't have time to stop and would categorize it as idle gossip of the drunk. Our mind has the power to invent its realities and make us believe what it wants to, the biggest creator and it itself is the largest destroyer - The Mind - The End!