AM I HAUNTED?

By SAHANA MANIKANDAN

Not only me but every one of you would have witnessed the presence of some supernatural beings at times. I have felt its presence often. Some say I dream a lot; some say I am very creative; some say I am good at making stories; some laugh at me and some take it seriously and warn me. I never felt that I am dreaming and very sure that I never make stories. I had so many strange days in my life. Many of you won’t believe if I say you all about those supernatural events.

It is one of those days. It was a summer night. With my friends I was chatting and then the power went off. It was very sultry inside our room so I went and sat in the balcony. On a high chair I sat reclining on the short wall of balcony. It was very chill and breeze with drizzling was touching me. I felt it too pleasant and just keeping calm and trying to take a little nap. It may past 11 pm and nearly mid night. No light there except a candle inside the room. I was just about to fall asleep and then smelt a strong smell of some pleasant flowers. I am not sure of what it is and thought it would be my friends playing with some scent or talcum powder. Then there was very strong smell. May be some people’s strong perfume I thought. As time went, it grew very strong and I was doubtful about its source.

Then I heard a loud shrill voice shouting and felt it coming through the lane. I heard it clearly that it moved from the stairs through the pathway to our balcony. I thought that it would be some girls running, playing and shouting in the dark. But who would be playing now in the dark. I was absolutely clueless. Then felt the smell so very strong that I could not feel any other smell for sometime due to its prominence. I thought of rising from that place and getting into my room where my friends are talking. But, to be frank, I was not bold enough to get up and see what is happening around me. Just sat there without moving I dared not to look up. Just closed my eyes tight and tried to nap. Then may be by 1 am, I got up and then the power has come. I went inside my room and the girls were still talking.

I asked why they were wasting perfume. They said they did nothing but sat near the candle and talking for hours. I asked whether they threw some talcum powder outside the room where I was sitting and they said no. I was in great shock. How could only I smelt it and not them? It was so strong that they too would have smelt it from anywhere in that building. Then I asked why the people in other rooms were shouting and running in corridor as it would disturb others. They looked at me with a suspicious look and said there was no one outside the rooms and they heard nothing. I was speechless. I preferred not to tell anything about this unusual experience to them and so kept quiet.

As we know very well that current will go often and we could not sleep well in our room, we decided to go to terrace and sleep there. I was disturbed already with the haunting experience but did not show it to my friends. We were four and so I was somewhat less fearful. We took our beds and went to terrace. It was very cool. Locked the terrace door from outside and laid our beds near the wall. As it was already very late, all slept so very soon. It was only me who could not sleep soon. I tried to sleep with my tight eyelids and somehow slept.

I felt someone crossing us above our heads twice or thrice. May be someone walking near our heads. Suddenly someone pulled my bed sheet forcibly and I slightly opened my eyes. I was very sleepy and saw one of my friends sitting near me. I thought she was sleepless and so was just sitting and playing with me pulling my bed sheet. I pulled my bed sheet and mumbled something which I intended to be, “why are you pulling my bed sheet?” and again started sleeping. Again felt someone crossing above my head and was sure that it would be my sleepless friend. I didn’t want to inquire about that and just kept on sleeping within my bed sheet. It was dawn and alarm woke us up. We got up and rushed to get ready for our work.

Only that evening I got time to sit and talk to my friends as we were busy the whole day. I asked my sleepless friend why she was sitting without sleeping and why she pulled my bed sheet. She was confused at my question and said that she did not wake up till dawn after she slept that too she slept before me. I was shocked. Speechless. Could not say anything further. All my friends asked about what I was talking. They asked whether I dreamt all these things. I could not explain them that I saw all these unusual things happening around me as I was very much felt haunted. My friends were laughing at me and saying that I am dreaming a lot. I know very well that these are not dreams. I didn’t want to frighten them and so kept quiet.

For a few days I was very disturbed and was always with my friends throughout the day and night. I didn’t go to sleep without the holy ash on my forehead. Though I was considered the fearless among my friends, I feared a little to be alone in our room without my friends. It was after some days again, I encountered another strange incident. When I told about that to my colleagues, they were shocked and told me to vacate the room at once.

There were few dogs in the street and one among those is my favourite. It always shouts at me with happiness whenever it sees me and I used to feed that puppy often. Its father too became friendly and I named the puppy ‘Blacky’. Blacky was my favourite pup there and everyone there in the street knew about our friendly encounters. Blacky often sneaks in and come to second floor to meet me. Whenever the gate was open it somehow sneak in and play with me. We sit outside the room and play and sometimes in terrace. After that scary incident I never went to terrace alone.

It was again a summer night and almost midnight. It was Sunday and I wanted to wash all my clothes that night in the same balcony where I had such a scary moment. I was busy washing my clothes and then my Blacky came upstairs to meet me. I washed the clothes and was about to dry those and Blacky came swaging tail and at once it stopped and looked at me bewildered. Never did it look like that before. It looked at me in a very strange way and made a mild crying noise. I have not seen it acting in such a strange way. It looked at me and made some strange noise that showed it was afraid of something. I wondered at its behavior and went near it asking what the problem was. ‘Blacky, what da? What happened? Come here come here’ I said and went towards it. I backed away from me slowly again making that strange sound like a mild whine. When I looked closely, it looked not at my face but above me into the blank space and moved backwards away from me. It looked at me and then above me as if there was something flying above me. It backed slowly and ran up to the terrace. I was really in shock and didn’t even have courage to look back or go to the terrace where the pup ran to.

Everyone in the building was sleeping and only I and Blacky were alone there, looking strange and bewildered. I somehow got courage to look back and go to the room and got some biscuits for Blacky. I called it from the balcony and dared not to go to the terrace. I called it again and again. After a minute it came down and again came towards me but with some fear in its eyes. I went near it and patted it and gave some biscuits. It cooled down and became normal but again saw above me and looked strange. It started to move back and I had no more courage. I ran back to my room and locked the room. I could not sleep then and was awake the whole night.

Next day, as I said, I went and told my colleagues about the whole thing and all advised me to leave that room and stay somewhere else. They told that animals can feel supernatural beings and may be it could be a sign of some strange things happening there for sure. From then I never had courage to go alone anywhere late night. I wonder how fearless I am to go again searching for the puppy with some biscuits. Even now when I think about that day I feel goose bumped but didn’t want to take my fear further more in my life. What do you feel? Am I haunted?

By SAHANA MANIKANDAN