Do They Exist?

A tale that will send shivers down your spine

I always had a fascination with ghosts. I loved reading about ghosts, watching movies on ghosts, and talking about ghosts. When I was small, my father used to tell me ghost stories, and that could be why I was so intrigued by it.

I always considered myself a Ghosthunter, although without seeing an actual ghost. I tried my best to experience an evil spirit but was never successful. I stayed at old palaces, burnt houses, and even slept a night at a cemetery. Still no sign of ghosts. I have heard spooky howling noises of the wind at night, seen creepy red eyes of wild animals in the dark, but none of them were of a ghost.

I slowly started believing that there is no such thing as a ghost. It is the creation of the human mind. The people who have said they have seen ghosts are either lying or been tricked by their eyes and brain.

It is at this very time that I got a letter from my friend Paul.

Dear James,

If you want to see ghosts come to my village. You can also spend a week with me.

Regards,

Paul.

We both were college friends and have not met each other after college. Post-college, he moved to Digha for expanding his family business. I stayed in Calcutta and worked as a teacher. Paul always liked playing jokes on his friend, so I was pretty sure this also was one of his lame tricks.

I did not have any expectations to see a ghost. I have not taken a vacation for a while, and this would be a pleasant change and a chance to visit an old friend. It will be wonderful weather in Digha this time of the year. Without wasting much time, I booked my train ticket for the next weekend. Digha is a 4-hour journey from Calcutta.

I reached the train station at sharp 4 PM, Friday. The scheduled departure time was 4:30 PM. I carried one small suitcase with me for the 5-day trip. I quickly boarded the train and took my seat. It was a window seat.

The train left the station at 4:30 PM sharp. Soon it gathered speed. Slowly the sight of the tall buildings gave way to beautiful lush green farms. The farmers slowly packing their stuff to get back to their homes after a hard day's work.

At around 5:00 PM, the train reached the next station — Biki. I looked outside for a coffee stall. Just as my eyes roamed around looking for the stall, I saw Paul running towards the train. Amazed, I shouted

“Hey, Hey, Paul”

He looked at me.

“What are you doing here ?” I asked

He boarded the train. He said that he had to talk to some potential clients here. I exclaimed how surprised and happy I was to see him here.

“So, hows your business going?” I asked

“Its going good. This time of the year the demand is less, but will gain traction in the summer”, he answered with eager eyes

We had so much to talk about. We spoke about our life, health, etc. We talked about our college days.

The train started to slow down. I looked at my watch. It was 8:25 PM already. Wow, we reached Digha. We had so much to talk that I really lost track of the time. I checked around and slowly gathered my suitcase.

The train came to a halt. We slowly stepped out. It was pretty dark outside. The station did not have many lights. We slowly walked towards the exit.

“You wait here, let me get a cab”, instructed Paul.

I stood there as he slowly made his way toward the exit and outside.

Digha is very close to the Bay of Bengal. I could distantly hear the waves crashing on the shore. The weather was mildly pleasant. This place was so far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Slowly I made way to an idle bench.

It's been more than 15 minutes since Paul left.

“What could be wrong, maybe there are no cabs nearby”, I wondered

I casually made way towards the exit. It was eerily dark and silent outside. I saw a couple of cabs waiting outside. I wondered why it took such a long time for Paul. I assumed this could be one of his tricks. He must be hiding somewhere, waiting to scare me. I looked around, but could not see him though.

“Do you know this address?”

I asked one of the drivers showing him the address behind the letter.

Yes, sir, it is just 15 minutes from here, he replied

I looked around again, trying to spot Paul. But there was nobody around.

OK. Take me there, I responded after a pause

I stepped into the cab, still looking around for a final chance to find Paul.

It is strangely very dark, I tried to start a conversation

Yes, today is Amavasya, he replied promptly.

Amavasya is a Sanskrit word for No Moon Day. Amavasya is strangely always linked with ghosts and evil spirits. It could be because back in the olden days, people relied on the moon for light in the dark. My mind wandered.

Sir, you have reached! shouted the driver

I stepped out of the cab and looked around. There was only one house in the vicinity. I assumed that would be the house. It looked like a huge old bungalow and was surrounded by very tall trees. There was no light near the house. The wind blowing through the trees made a constant howling sound.

I took out my torchlight and pointed toward the ground. There was no visible pathway towards the house. It was all covered in tall grass. It seemed as if nobody had walked on this path for a while.

Did I somehow get the wrong address, I wondered

Cautiously, taking one step at a time, I walked towards the house. I slowly knocked on the door. The door made a creaky sound and started to open. Strange, I thought. I pushed the door a bit harder. It was pitch dark outside. My torch went off for some reason. I tried to turn in back ON.

I screamed at the top of my voice. The light from the torch fell on Paul’s body, the body hanging from the ceiling fan. His eyes nearly popping out. Blood rushed to my brain. My hands went pale. I stood there numb. I could not move my eyes from his body. My brain failed me, I did not know what to do. Suddenly the body started to rotate a little.

I shouted and ran outside, towards the road. My heart beating rapidly. So many things going through my mind.

Why did he come here in such a hurry? I wondered

As I ran, I nearly crashed with an oncoming car. The car instantly put the brakes and stopped. A guy stepped out. He seemed to be a doctor.

“Are you crazy ? Can’t you see the road ?” He shouted

I explained everything to him. Looking bemused he answered

“I know Paul. But he has been dead for a couple of months. The reason for the death was strange, but similar things have happened in this house before”.

“But how did you see the body ? The police have shut this door for months!”. He exclaimed

We slowly moved towards the door and I was shocked to see the door shut.

I took his car to go back to the station. We did not utter a single word.