Summary

Three friends encounter a mysterious old man while walking home from a silver anniversary celebration under a moonlit sky, leading to an unsettling experience that questions the nature of the man they saw.

Abstract

After attending a friend's lavish silver anniversary party, three friends decide to walk home on a beautiful moonlit night, enjoying the fresh air and singing old songs. Their merriment is interrupted when they notice an odd, elderly man who seems to appear and disappear along their path, causing increasing fear and discomfort. Despite reaching safety, the friends are left with lingering questions about the true identity of the man they encountered, pondering whether he was a ghost or merely a vagabond. The experience teaches them the importance of safety, the potential dangers of late-night adventures, and the value of being prepared for the unexpected.

Opinions

The author suggests that venturing out late at night after a party can be risky and should be avoided.
A pleasant evening can be enjoyed safely at home rather than taking unnecessary risks.
Safety should always be a priority, and one should not ignore potential danger signs, such as the presence of strange individuals.
The narrative implies that unexpected encounters, possibly supernatural, can occur, and it is wise to be cautious.
The friends' initial dismissal of the old man as harmless quickly turns to fear, indicating a shift in perception about personal safety.
The story concludes with the moral that taking calculated risks in life is preferable to being overly adventurous, especially in unfamiliar or potentially dangerous situations.

The Moonlit Night

Mystery after the celebrations

Moonlit night -Picture credit Madhukar Puniani

I went out to celebrate the silver anniversary of a friend. The banquet hall was so beautifully decorated. There were flowers everywhere with silver balloons and trinkets. The cake was three-layered with a silver flower. All this was topped with the choicest wine and champagne and singing and dancing.

The Moonlit night

The party broke up and I decided to leave. When I went outside, I saw a beautiful moonlit night. There were a light breeze and fresh air and I decided that I would like to walk home.

Two of my other friends thought it was a great idea and they readily joined me rather than taking a taxi home.

It was a pleasant well lit evening and we began to sing an old group song. We were in a trance and a little heady with the wine.

We crossed the lamp post and barely noticed an old man sitting and reading a book.

One of the friends noticed that he was in tatters and he had long nails. He was wearing torn shoes and was looking rather odd.

We just passed him and stopped singing. “Perhaps we have been foolish and we should have taken the taxi” exclaimed Sudhanshu one of our friends.

The two of us had not noticed much and we became silent but walked along quietly, thinking.

Sumedha, my other friend, suddenly noticed the old man that we had left behind was again in front of us and under the trees.

Now he was carrying a blanket rolled under his arms. We could see his long hair. Every time we went close to reaching him he went further away.

We were terribly scared. There was something wrong. We walked on.

The dogs were barking but nowhere to be seen. Sumedha started shivering and her teeth started chattering out of fear.

The old man had vanished. We could not see him anywhere.

Sudhanshu, Sumedha, and I were now comfortable with ourselves. Now we started chatting again and we were at ease.

Sudhanshu’s house was five minutes away and we were happy that our destination had almost arrived.

Suddenly, Sudhanshu saw the man, in a bright red shirt for a fleeting moment. Sumedha and I did not see him, so, we thought, it was a figment of his imagination.

We left Sudhanshu on his doorstep and although he offered to take out his car and drop us at our home we did not take his advice. We told him that in fifteen minutes, we will be home and will call him and let him know that we have reached home safely. W also said that it was late and he should relax.

Sudhanshu kept calling us every three minutes and we told him we were almost home. I was staying that night at Sumedha’s and her brother was waiting up for us.

Suddenly, Sumedha’s brother called, and before she even said hello, all was quiet and eerie.

What happened? We heard the old man laughing and whistling away and Sumedha fainted.

Her brother came and took us home and we were safe.

Who was this man? We will never know.

Was he a normal person or an apparition?

What did we learn?

#1 Do not venture out late at night after a party.

#2. A cool pleasant evening can be enjoyed even at home.

#3. Safety should always be considered before taking risks.

#4. Expect the unexpected.

Conclusion

After the celebrations and a wonderful party it really is not the right thing to be adventurous. In life take calculated risks. Look before you leap. If you see some strange people around, the right thing is to turn and change your decision and take the right path. You never know what life has in store for you, like meeting a ghost. Learn to fight in emergencies.

My last question to all.

What do you think? who was this man? A ghost or a vagabond? A supernatural or a human being?