Humans have five senses. These are: sight, smell, feel, taste, and finally hearing. Throughout our lifetime we are dependent on these five senses. Each and everything that we do in our daily life will become highly difficult if we lack any of these senses at least until we get used to it. But what if our senses fail us? What are we to do then? Our senses play an important role in the reality that is perceived by our mind. And if our senses fail, the reality in itself becomes distorted. But this is not at all natural. Our senses can stop functioning, yes, that is common enough, but they never sense something that is non-existent. This is what I mean by failing of our senses. I have mentioned it before, this is not natural at all, but this is when the supernatural comes into the picture. I have studied and tried to understand what supernatural is. There was only one definition that I really understood. In order to understand it one should imagine a map. Now it is a map in which there are areas that have been discovered, areas that are well known and well defined. But beyond these areas are there also lie areas that we know nothing about. We have not discovered them and maybe we never will. These are the blank patches that ominously invite us and sometimes we go out, beyond the boundaries. What happens afterwards is a question which I think can never be answered. The areas well known are what we can call Natural and beyond them lies the supernatural (white patches). The story I am going to narrate is also about supernatural and faith. Because I believe that only faith can save a person from going insane when one sees something that they are not supposed to see. Now coming to the credibility of the tale, well it is up to what you believe. But for me it will always be true. This is a tale of my great grandfather and was told to me by my father. And now even as I pen it down I can feel goosebumps. The tale is as follows:

It was the year 1915. Ramesh was a young man, only eighteen. He lived in Deepna kheda, a small village in central India. The village was nothing special and quite unnoticed. It was smaller than even other villages in that region which in themselves were small. Most of the population consisted of farmers. There was no such thing as electricity in that village, as it was common for small villages in India at that time. For cooking the women still depended on handmade stoves made out of clay which used wood for fuel. Ramesh father was the Sarpanch or the head of the village. He was prominent and well respected figure in the village. His name was Rambihari. He himself was uneducated but he had ensured proper education for his son. Although he was educated, Ramesh was very na�ve. He knew little about the external affairs of the village and cared even less. He was boyish and could often be seen among a company of boys younger than him. Ever since his school was over, he spent his days idling around with his friends. He would ride buffalos, play cricket and other such games. His father saw his activities with growing concern. He would often say to his wife and Ramesh' mother, 'the boy's got to learn his responsibilities soon. How long will he idle around like this. We should do something'. To this Ramesh' mother would always say, 'he's still young, why are you always after him. I think it will be best for him to learn by himself'. And there the discussion ended. But Ramesh father did not give up. He started assigning different tasks and responsibilities to Ramesh. Though Ramesh did not fail at these tasks, he did not excel either. One other thing that he was concerned about was Ramesh' marriage, but he always thought that there is much time. His son must first become a man. One more thing that Ramesh' father wanted to teach him was how to live on his own. Up until now Ramesh had his mother to take care of him but he would have to learn how to manage himself and his life. Ramesh himself had never given much thought to all this. He was a care free fellow though the term careless would suit him more. Ramesh also had an uncle, Batukeshwar. He was ramesh' mother's younger brother. Everyone called him Batuk. He was a priest at the local temple in the village. Ramesh had spent much time with him since his childhood. From Batuk he had learnt much. Batuk was also uneducated like ramesh' father but he had learnt many things from his experience. He often shared his philosophies to Ramesh and Ramesh himself was fascinated by them. Ramesh talked to batuk while sitting on the platform outside the temple. Ramesh would regularly visit the temple at noon. He would then pray to lord "Hanuman" and then wait for his uncle to finish the daily rituals. Batuk was fat and short and his hair were greying, but there was always the gleam in his eyes. His beautiful smile would make him look like a child. Every day on seeing Ramesh batuk would greet him by his smile and then say, 'don't you have anything else to do? Don't you see I am a busy man?' and with this he sat beside him laughing. Ramesh would also laugh. Batuk talked to Ramesh about the ancient scriptures, Hindu mythology, the gods and the demons. Ramesh would sit enthralled as his uncle talked. He would imagine different gods and demons fighting. But there was one thing common to all the stories and it was that in the end, the good side always wins. The light overcomes the darkness.

It was the month of July. The village was experiencing the first rains of the monsoon. This year however, even the first rains were pretty heavy. There were hopes of good monsoon. A good monsoon always brought a good harvest. Ramesh' family owned a good bit of land where they grew rice and other crops. They were all hopeful of a good profit this year. It was the morning of July 23rd. it had rained heavily the whole night yesterday, and as the rain had stopped in the morning, Ramesh's father had gone out to inspect the fields. The fields were lush green. A smile settled on his face. He was very happy to see his crops grow. As he was standing outside, a person came up to him. He was a young man and his feet were muddy as if he had walked a long distance barefoot. On inquiring ramesh's father found out that he was a servant of his cousin brother jayesh. Jayesh lived in the neighboring village. He was a distant cousin and hence Rambihari did not communicate with him often. The servant told him that he had been invited to the wedding of his son. The main reception is tomorrow. Rambihari saw this as an opportunity. He at once said, 'Alas! I will not be able to come as I am very sick, as you can see my dear friend'. And at this he started making fake coughing gestures. The servant's face dropped. Then Rambihari added, 'but my son will come, he is young and he will come with two of his friends'. At this the servant's face brightened up and he said, 'okay, sahib, get well soon'. With that he took his leave and rambihari went inside his own house. On seeing the delighted look on his face, his wife asked, 'what is it, dear? Is there some good news?' to this Rambihari replied, 'nothing my dear, you continue with your work'. Rambihari went straight to Ramesh. Ramesh had just woken up and began to say good morning when rambihari quickly said, 'hey son, you have to go to Rawalpindi to attend the wedding of the son of a cousin of mine. You will go, right?' Ramesh knew from the tone of his father's voice that he did not have much choice and so he quietly agreed. Before starting the preparations for the trip, he went to the temple to meet Batuk. The morning was grey with no sign of the sun. Although it was not raining, it was very humid. He went straight into the temple and did his morning prayers. After that he sat on the platform and waited for batuk. After a while batuk came to him. Today he had none of his usual cheer. He looked kind of sad. Ramesh asked him jokingly, 'why the long face, uncle?' Batuk did not smile but and looked pensively towards the grey sky. He then said, 'oh, it is nothing. Just the weather. It is chilling me to my bones.' He then shuddered and sat beside him. Ramesh suddenly had an idea. He could take his uncle with him to Rawalpindi. He asked, 'hey uncle, will you come with me to Rawalpindi'. Batuk glanced at him curiously and asked, 'why are you going there?' Ramesh explained about the wedding. Batuk said, 'No, I don't think I can come. I am very busy at the temple, you see' Ramesh requested again, 'please uncle, it is just one day. Someone else can do the worshipping for one day'. He added, 'also, I have heard that there is some delicious food at the wedding and we can eat as much as we want'. At the mention of delicious food. Batuk's face lit up. He asked, 'Really?' Ramesh replied, 'yes sure, there is going to be lots of it. We can stuff ourselves'. Then batuk suddenly stood and started walking towards his house. Ramesh asked, 'Where are you going, uncle'. Batuk replied without turning back, 'I have make the preparations for the trip. You should also hurry up, lad, or I am going without you'. Ramesh smiled. Then there was a sudden gust of cold wind. Ramesh shivered and hurried of to his home. He told his father that batuk will be accompanying him to Rawalpindi. His father exclaimed, 'that's great! Your mother will not be worried about you going off alone now.' The preparations were made. Ramesh took out his best cloths. He was carrying a pair of his best Kurtas and only one pajama. That would be enough he thought, it was only one day. He was humming as he did the packing. This was his first trip to Rawalpindi without his father accompanying him. Sure his uncle would be with him, but he would have liked it better if his father would be accompanying them as well. But no worries, he was all set. He hoped it did not rain as he went to bed that night. And it did not. There was a slight drizzle during the night but nothing more than that. However, he slept uneasily that night. He had a dream that he was running and someone was chasing him but he could not see what it was. And he woke up that night in a pool of sweat. By the time he got ready, he had forgotten his nightmare. He had put his clothes in a small gunny bag. He took leave of his parents. His mother had the same worried look in her face. But his father was beaming, 'goodbye son, take care of yourself' and to his wife he said, 'at least our son will learn something from all this'. But the worried look did not leave her face. She was feeling uneasy in her heart and wanted to stop her son, but he had already gone. She murmured, 'Take care son' and went inside. Even though Ramesh had almost reached the temple and did not hear his mother, he turned back and glanced briefly before moving on. Besides the temple, he could see the familiar figure of his uncle. Batuk was waving towards his nephew. He was even more excited at the prospect of going to Rawalpindi and eating the delicious wedding feast than Ramesh. When they met up Batuk said, 'I am going only because of you lad, you understand that'. Ramesh smiled knowingly at his uncle and Batuk flustered up and exclaimed in a loud voice, 'Let us go now!' and so they continued. Both of them stopped briefly when they had reached the outskirts of the village. Even from her they could see the rising orange dome of the temple and in the surroundings there were farms lush green with the crops. The clouds had still not cleared up but they were glad that it was not raining. As they walked, thunder crackled distantly but none of them noticed it. Batuk was going on full speed. He was making big strides. He was walking in such a way, it seemed as if nothing could stop him. But only after a little way he began panting. A little further on, he wanted a quick break. Still panting he told Ramesh, 'I have grown old lad. When I was your age I could have easily run all the way from Deepna kheda to Rawalpindi.' Ramesh knew he was boasting so he said nothing. After the break was over they moved on. As they were walking the landscape changed. The broad path that they were walking on narrowed down. It became more dirty and muddy. The farms were replaced by forests. Due to the rain the forest had also grown thick. Grass had grown on the path. Seeing this batuk remarked, 'crossing the forest is going to be tough'. Ramesh nodded in agreement. They started walking, and as they went into the deep forest, they noticed the birds chirping. The birds were not visible, but their chirps echoed throughout the forest. Oaks, cedars and other trees surrounded them. It was morning still and the forest was thick with fog. It was colder too. Once they spotted a squirrel munching on something. Hearing their footsteps it rushed away. They also saw an owl. It was very big, it was perched on the branch of a tree and was sleeping. As they approached it glared at them with one eye and realizing that they meant no harm, it went back to sleep again. Every now and then batuk would get tired and sit on a nearby rock. When found no rock he simply sat on the ground, resting himself against a tree. As the breaks become more and more frequent, Ramesh insisted, 'uncle, at this speed we will never reach Rawalpind, please hurry up'. To this batuk replied, 'it is not my fault, it is just the dirt path. Walking on it hurts my feet, but yeah let's go on'. After this walked quietly for some time. After a while walking Ramesh remarked, 'don't you think that this forest is unusually quiet, uncle?' 'Yes, I noticed this too. I don't understand. But anyways, at least nothing is bothering us.' Replied batuk. They moved on. Batuk began to whistle a tune. Ramesh listened, it was quite melodious and soothing. Ramesh began humming, batuk stopperd whistling and glanced at him curiously. 'what is that you are singing, lad' asked batuk. 'oh it is nothing, just an old lullaby my mother used to sing for me' said Ramesh. 'It is quite good' remarked batuk. He tried to synchronize the lullaby and his whistling and he failed spectacularly. Ramesh laughed at his attempt. 'It is not as if I am a professional' muttered Batuk grumpily. As they were walking they heard the sound of running water. On their right side, they saw that a small river was running along the path. The trees were sidelined and they could see the almost transparent water of the river flowing. Batuk said, 'let's go there. We can drink some water and have some rest. I know about this river. It means that we have already cover three-fourth of our journey to Rawalpindi. Come on, we can use a short break.' Ramesh was also thirsty by this point. He said, 'the water looks pure, we can have a sip'. 'This is because this small river rises from a spring far beyond Rawalpindi, no one uses the water, and hence it is completely clean.' Batuk told Ramesh. They went up to the river. They washed their hand and feet. The water was cold and refreshing. One sip and Ramesh and batuk were rejuvenated. They had traveled faster than they had thought. There was still some time before they were expected for the wedding. So batuk found for himself a good tree, and sat under its shade. While Ramesh tried to follow the river a bit further. As he was doing this, Ramesh suddenly spotted a magnificent red bird perched on the branches of an oak tree. It was beautiful. Ramesh tried to get closer to get a better look at that bird. Ramesh was not much interested in birds, he hardly noticed them. But this one was different. It was more beautiful than any other bird. But it flew away before Ramesh could get a better look at it. Ramesh was disappointed. He wanted to show that bird to his uncle. It would have surely fascinated him. As Ramesh looked further into the forest, he saw a clearing. He found himself curious. He went into the bushes and emerged out into the clearing. It was a small patch of land but completely devoid of any kind of vegetation. There was not even any grass. It was as if the entire clearing was barren. Ramesh thought, 'that's strange. How could there be barren land in the middle of the forest'. But on all sides of the clearing were tall trees. In the middle of that barren land there was a well. The shadows of the canopies of the tall trees surrounding this area had made it even darker. It was almost eerie. Ramesh heard a sound. 'Plink, plink, plink?' it was the sound of water drops falling into water. The strange sound was coming from the well. This is even stranger. 'Why is there a well in a place like this?' thought Ramesh. He went towards it to get a closer look. It was an old structure, made from bricks and clay. It was uncovered and grey in color. Ramesh did not know why, but he got an ominous feeling, looking at the well. But his curiosity got the better of him. He rested his hands on the walls of the well and looked inside. The well was completely black. It was as if the light was completely consumed by the dark walls of the well. Also there was no trace of water in there as far as Ramesh could see. Looking at it Ramesh thought, 'maybe the well is so deep that I am unable to see the water at the bottom'. But he did not believe it. Still he looked inside the well. There was complete silence, the silence was overwhelming. Ramesh was just about to go back when there was the familiar 'plink'. It echoed in the well. Ramesh looked more closely still. In the darkness, Ramesh thought for a moment that he saw a small boy. He was laughing. Ramesh could only see the upper body of the boy. The hair of the boy were wet and sticking to his scalp. His complexion was deadly pale and his skin looked rotten. His eyes were completely black and on his face was the same sickly smile. It was more of a sneer. Ramesh was completely horrified at that sight. But he was unable to move. Then the boy suddenly vanished. There was some smoke and as it disappeared, Ramesh saw a woman. She was wearing a white gown. Her face was completely white and so were her clothes. She slowly peered upwards and looked directly into his eyes. Except the woman had no eyes. Only blank sockets looked at him. Tears were glistening on the face of the woman or was it blood? Ramesh was not able to distinguish in the darkness. Unlike the boy, she was wailing. She seemed to say, 'Why don't you help ME? WHY? WHY? WHY?' and she ranted that on and on. Her throat was making noises like gurgling. Her pallid cheeks were twisted to make that ghastly expression of hers. Ramesh was completely scared, he thought that white decayed hands would crawl up the well and pull him into the well. Ramesh was completely terrified. He heard the voice of a child emanate from that well. It said, 'Do you know how to swim? If not, it is completely ok, yes, it is completely OK'. The last word was very loud. It echoes on and on. Ramesh felt someone pulling him by his shoulder. He was now in a terror so complete, he did not know what to do. His entire body was frozen and he was feeling cold and sweaty. 'Ramesh! Ramesh! What are you doing, wake up!' the voice coming from his back said. And suddenly the woman disappeared. Ramesh found that his body could move again. His body was in a position to jump into the well. Ramesh quickly withdrew and turning back he saw his uncle, white faced, looking at him. 'Ramesh what were you doing? Why were you jumping in the well? You scared me so much!' exclaimed Batuk. Ramesh was also confused. He relayed everything to his uncle. What he had seen and how he had felt, even though he did not want to even think about that terrible memories. The evil sneer of the child and his evil eyes. But the human mind works in strange ways. He was already beginning to forget. Batuk escorted Ramesh back to the river and made him sit in the shade of the tree. He also fetched some water for Ramesh. As Ramesh had narrated his story, a shadow had passed on his uncle's face and he had been quiet ever since. Presently he said, 'Hey, Ramesh, we can go back if you want. Either way I think we should leave this place. When I first laid down under the shade, I felt something ominous in that direction'. He pointed to the well. Ramesh once again felt sick. Batuk continued, 'I think it would be best that we leave this place. Even though I am unsure, I think this place is full of misgivings. I know you are terribly tired after this incident, but please decide fast. It is all up to you now'. Ramesh regarded his uncle and felt intense love for him welling up in his heart. He realized that his uncle was terrified right now and knew more than he was letting on. But still he was taking care of him, being with him when he needed the support. After some careful consideration, Ramesh said, 'I think we should go to Rawalpindi. We have traveled a long distance. Rawalpindi is closer and we can reach there easily. Yes it is best that we go there'. 'Okay, let's continue our journey. I like your decision. You should try to forget what happened and perhaps you will be more at ease. That is the only thing that I can advise you to do now' said Batuk. Both of them drank some more water and Ramesh was already feeling better. As they walked, the well seemed far away to Ramesh and he was already forgetting what he had experienced. Batuk was constantly muttering some Mantras and praying as he walked. That was fine by Ramesh as he did not want to talk. After some time, Batuk stopped his prayers and said to Ramesh, 'I think we are very close now, lad'. Ramesh smiled and said, 'Are you still excited for the feast, uncle?' Batuk laughed and said, 'more than ever lad. Then started walking in long strides like he had done earlier. Ramesh ran after him. Not soon, after they had arrived in Rawalpindi. Deepna Kheda and Rawalpindi were very similar. Both of the villages were completely dependent on agriculture. Rawalpindi was slightly bigger in size. Jayesh was also a rich farmer. He had large fields in the majority of which paddy was grown. Ramesh asked a passing villager, 'Hey, where is the house of Jayesh?' the villager said, 'you must be knew to this village. Everyone here knows where jayesh sahib's house is. You just have to go straight ahead. You will easily recognize his house. It is the biggest house in the whole village'. They followed the villager's directions, and just like he had said, Jayesh's house was very large and overlooked the villagers' cottages. The house was decorated with flowers. Garlands of marigold and roses and other flowers were put up on the house making it look like a newlywed bride. Batuk whispered to Ramesh, 'looks like a big fat wedding, nephew. I think that there would be a really good feast. Good thing that we came here!' They went straight toward the house. Standing right outside the door was none other than Jayesh. Ramesh waved to him. Jayesh looked at them for a moment and recognized Ramesh. The last time he had seen Ramesh was when he was a child. He felt happy because Rambihari had sent his son to his son's wedding. The name of Jayesh's son was Sandeep. Sandeep and Ramesh used to play together when they were children. Jayesh had thought to visit Rambihari sometime but had been too busy to go to Deepna Kheda. Ramesh also rememberd Jayesh. Jayesh was fifty five years old, but he had the physique of a wrestler. He had a very bushy mustache. Ramesh was glad to see that Jayesh had not changed much, only his hair were now grey and mustache was bushier. Ramesh greeted Jayesh enthusiastically and congratulated him heartily. Jayesh too beamed at him and exclaimed, 'Son, you have grown so much. You are practically a man now. Good to see you after so long. I thought you had forgotten your uncle'. Ramesh said, 'I can never forget you uncle. I was very excited when I heard about my buddy's wedding.' Jayesh led Ramesh and Batuk into the house and allotted a large room to both of them. Ramesh asked Batuk, 'So how did you like my uncle Jayesh?' Batuk replied, 'he is quite an energetic fellow. And I was only able to focus on his mustache while he speaked. Otherwise he is as fine as a man could be'. 'Well you can never get used to a mustache I suppose' jokes Ramesh. Both of them laughed heartily. The lunch was supposed to be in the main hall of that house. The house was even bigger inside, and its hall was big enough to comfortably accommodate all the guests. Both of them had their lunch which was also quite good. Observing that his uncle was eating very less, Ramesh asked, 'why, uncle, have you lost your appetite? Are you not feeling well?' Nothing of that sort, lad. I am just saving my appetite so I can eat more at the main feast. I never lose my appetite, that's the one thing on which you can always trust me'. While they ate lunch, Ramesh and Batuk both acquainted with the rest of the family members that was all except Sandeep. Batuk found the wedding priest, who was also eating lunch. It was as if he had found a long lost friend. Both of them sat together, eating and talking and eating. Ramesh sat alone in the corner, eating his food slowly. Someone tapped on his back, and Ramesh turned around to see who it was. Standing behind him was a young man. He was shorter than Ramesh and was wearing a really lavish Kurta. He asked, 'Ramesh, is it you?' for a moment Ramesh did not recognize but seeing his smile he knew in an instant that it was Sandeep. 'Hey Sandeep, how are you? It has been so long. I would not have recognized you but your merry smile is the just the same as it was back then.' 'Indeed my friend, look at you. You have grown up to be so handsome. If my father had not told me, I would not have known!' and that's how the two friends met. Ramesh quickly finished his lunch and joined Sandeep. Both of them exited the house and strolled along the village lane. 'You know, it is so good to discover an old buddy. Do you remember how we used to play hide and seek all the time?' said Sandeep. 'Oh yes I do remember' replied Ramesh. It took them no time at all to be friends again. Sandeep told Ramesh that marriage was a tricky business and both of them laughed. They talked for quite a bit. They talked about various things. Sandeep helped his father in the farms and told him about his experiences. After a while Sandeep had to go to meet some other guests, and so they parted. Ramesh went straight to his room. The well was completely forgotten along with the ghosts. When he entered he saw that his uncle was sleeping. His uncle woke up and said, 'Oh where have you been, Ramesh? I had been looking for you all over?' 'Were you looking for me in your dreams uncle?' retorted Ramesh. Batuk turned red, he muttered, 'that's not what I mean, it is just that I have accompanied you to take care of you, so do not wander off without telling me'. 'Okay I understand, uncle. I will not do it again' said Ramesh. Ramesh then told his uncle about his meeting with Sandeep. 'Well that's all very good. I also saw Sandeep when he was a boy, I would like to meet him' remarked Batuk. Ramesh said, 'sure we will meet him in the evening.' 'We should rest for some time now or else we will be really tired in the evening.' Said Batuk and went back to sleep. Ramesh thought it was a good idea. He suddenly realized that he was terribly tired. His shoulders felt heavy, it was as if there was some heavy weight kept on his shoulders. As he laid down, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead. It as if something had pierced his head. But the pain subsided as quickly as it had come. He thought that he had imagined it all. Uneasily he went to sleep. His afternoon nap was quite long but disturbed. At noon the grey clouds had finally given way and the sun had finally appeared. Now as he opened his eye, he found that the clouds had returned. Still laying down, he shifted his head to look outside the window. There was a black feminine figure standing outside staring Ramesh. Except the figure did not seem to have feet. It was floating. Ramesh blinked and the apparition vanished. There was nothing. Outside, the leaves on the trees were rustling with the wind. Ramesh shuddered involuntarily. He suddenly remembered the boy in the well. He had malicious intent emanating from him. So much malevolence, Ramesh had never thought possible. He remembered something his uncle had told him. He had said, 'We think that we have figured out how things work in this world. There is nothing more wrong. Strange things walk on this Earth. But are minds are not capable of even experiencing them, let alone understanding them.' Ramesh sighed. 'Why did I go to that wretched well at all?' he thought. He got up and saw that it was almost evening. He woke his uncle up. Batuk woke of groggily and asked, 'Is it time yet?' 'No there's some time yet but I think we should get ready. If we go a little early maybe we can catch up with Sandeep. Ramesh took out his best Kurta and put it on. 'You have grown up to be a handsome young man, son' remarked Batuk. Ramesh did not say anything, but Batuk saw him smiling. Both of them went outside. They saw that the courtyard beside the the main hall was being decorated for the ceremony. In the backyard, there was an open air kitchen. Food was being made in large cauldrons and other utensils on a makeshift wooden stove. There was a thick aroma of different spices. 'Oh! What an aroma, I bet that the food is going to be delicious' exclaimed Batuk. Ramesh on the other hand was searching for his friend Sandeep. They saw Sandeep's father Jayesh giving instructions to the servants. They went to see him. He smiled as they approached and asked them if they had eaten the lunch. They replied in the affirmative. He told them that the main ceremony will begin in half an hour. The feast will start at seven PM. They found themselves two seats in the corner. After fifteen minutes, Sandeep emerged. He was wearing a black suit and on his head there was a turban. He from the opposite end of the hall, the bride emerged. She was a pretty, dressed in a beautiful Sari. She was also looking very happy. The bride and the bridegroom looked at each other and blushed. By this time every guest had arrived for the ceremony. The priest who batuk had befriended was conducting the rituals. They went on for another half an hour. When the garland ceremony was completed, there was a huge round of applause. Jayesh announced that it was time for the feast. Different food tables had been set in the courtyard while the ceremony was taking place. The meal was scrumptious. There was ample of everything. There was a great variety in food. There were different types of breads, appetizers. There were many types of gravies and vegetables for the main course. Some were hot and some were sweet and some others were both hot and sweet. In the end, there was the sweets. For sweets there were "barfis", "ladoos" and "Kesar Milk". It had not rained the whole day and the clouds were now showing the slightest signs of clearing. Batuk quickly got his plate and ran eagerly from stall to stall. Even Ramesh had not expected such a buffet. 'It must have been quite expensive', thought Ramesh. He also picked up his plate and tried different food items. To eat their food, batuk and Ramesh reserved themselves a table and ate quietly. 'That was the best meal I have eaten in so much time' said batuk. 'Eating this wonderful food makes my entire trip worth it' said Ramesh. Then there was music. Women played hand held instruments like the "manjira" while men played the "dholak". The remaining people danced. Ramesh also danced. He jumped here and there, not caring at all. He was immersed in the melodious music. His feet synced with the beats. He was drenched with sweat after he was finished dancing. His dance was so frivolous that he had become the center of attention. The entire house in the night had been illuminated by the yellow light of lamps. Among the shadows dancing merrily in the dark corners of the house, there was one that was entirely still. It was also the darkest, a figure in the shape of a woman. It was glaring from behind the curtains, then from the windows and then from somewhere else. Even the light of the earthen lamps was not able to dim that particular shadow. Wherever the shadow passed through, the earthen lamps were extinguished. Strangely enough the shadow seemed to be chasing another shadow relentlessly. That shadow was that of Ramesh, who never even noticed his own shadow. It was only batuk who got close to noticing the apparition. He was so full from the food that he was unable to budge, let alone dance. He was content with seeing his nephew dance. Batuk suddenly saw a shadow cross Ramesh's face. He felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. But he dismissed it as a trick of light. Even though Ramesh had forgotten about the well, Batuk had not. 'The shadow is as dark as the well' thought Batuk. He suddenly shaked his head and thought, 'What an imagination I have'. He suddenly did not want to be here any longer. He got up and went to his room to rest. As he lay there on the warm bed, he felt disturbed. It was as if there should be something he should do but cannot remember it. There was an oppressing sense of danger all around him. But the danger was not directed to him, but rather to the other occupant of this very room. He wondered if what Ramesh said that he had seen in the well was true. There were things worse than ghosts. There were curses and ghouls and shapeshifters. Batuk had never seen any such thing but he believed that they existed. 'I should warn Ramesh, he should not forget. Forgetting can prove to be fatal' thought Batuk. A sudden spell of drowsiness overcame him and he slept. Ramesh was really tired with all that dancing. Even Sandeep had joined him in the dance. The merrymaking went until late night. Finally all the guests dispersed slowly one by one into their rooms. But he had been one of the last to go. Whenever he tried to leave, someone would drag him back asking him to dance a bit more. In the end he had simply given in and danced without any care. Sandeep had complimented, 'Thanks man, you were the hero of today's events. You made this wedding memorable for everyone'. Ramesh had been overjoyed. And so he went to his room, the songs still playing in his head. It was when he was just outside the room when he remembered about batuk. 'Oh shit! I totally forgot.' He thought. 'He must be waiting for me inside still' he thought and prepared himself for the scolding. He opened the door as slowly as possible. He was relieved when he found out that Batuk had already gone to sleep. He quickly changed into his night clothes. He then slipped into the couch beside the main bed. Despite his tiredness, Ramesh had a hard time falling asleep. He had no dreams but still his sleep was much disturbed. He and batuk had decided to leave for their village early in the morning. They had decided that 4:00 AM will be the perfect time to get home. After all the ceremonies, they had no business staying any longer. Ramesh was eager to narrate the tale of his travel to his father. In those days, especially in villages, there was nothing like alarm clocks. If they had been there, it would have saved Ramesh much trouble. Instead, the villagers depended upon the cuckold of the rooster early in the morning. The first cuckold was usually at 4-5:00 AM. So Ramesh also thought that it would be best if he and his uncle woke up at the first cuckold. That night, the first cuckold was at 2:30 AM. Now whether it had been a coincidence or something deliberate done by something malevolent is something that can never be known. Anyway, Ramesh woke up to it. He was so sleepy that he did not even notice the darkness outside. He quickly got ready. He had only four hours of sleep that night. He saw his uncle quietly sleeping. He had been completely unbothered by the cuckold. That was also strange as uncle batuk was generally the first to rise between them in the morning. Ramesh went over to him and shook him so that he would wake up, but he did not even budge. Ramesh was irritated now. He himself lacked sleep and he had to wake up his uncle now. Ramesh was a careless fellow and now a mischief was forming in the corner of his mind. He thought of pranking his uncle. 'I will leave him right here sleeping, and when he wakes up late he would have no one to blame but itself', thought Ramesh and smiled as sometimes people do when they are doing something they should not. He put all his clothes in the small bag that he had brought with him. He was all set to go now. He crept back noiselessly to the door even though it was unnecessary. Batuk was so deep in sleep right now that even the footsteps of a giant would not wake him up. He opened the door and went outside into the courtyard. He now noticed how dark it was outside. 'It is just because of the clouds. The sun will come up in no time. Is should get going' he thought. The entire house was terribly quite. Ramesh went outside. The main door had creaked quite a bit when Ramesh opened it, but no one woke up. It was terribly cold out there. There was a gust of cold wind and Ramesh shivered. 'It is so cold' he thought and put on another kurta to keep out the cold. It made little difference. He considered going back into his comfortable room but dismissed it. He went on. The moon was high in the sky and its light guided Ramesh. Ramesh did not even notice the moon and if he had then maybe he would have gone inside. He walked in big strides hoping to cover a good distance before the sun rises but found himself panting. The cold was hurting his lungs and he decided to walk slowly. He crossed the village boundaries and still walked on. The entire village was asleep but in front of some of the houses, there still were some earthen lamps burning brightly. But outside the village there was no light but that from the moon. The air was sweet and fresh and it rejuvenated Ramesh. Now that he had adjusted to the cold, he found the weather pleasant. Above him there were stars. They were majestic and uncountable. Just then Ramesh realized something was wrong. He realized it gradually as he was walking. At this time the moon should not be this high in the night sky. The stars should appear less bright. There was no sign of the sun rising. The joke that he had tried to play on uncle Batuk turned on to him. He could not believe his own stupidity. Here he was standing on the brink of a forest, all alone while the world slept. He found this strangely funny and laughed more at himself than at the situation he was in. His laughter died abruptly. After thinking for a while, Ramesh made the decision to go on. If he went on at a steady pace he would make it to his village at dawn. 'Maybe my prank will turn out to be successful, after all' he thought. He went on. He entered the forest. The light entering through the canopies of the trees was even less. In that dim light, Ramesh could only see the path ahead of him. He followed it quietly. Ramesh was not afraid of the dark, he never was, even when he was a child. And he knew that in this part of the forest there were no wild animals. The forest was quiet even at night. There was little sound that Ramesh could hear except his the sound of his own footsteps. There was the occasional hoot of an owl but nothing else. The silence bothered Ramesh, but he went on. 'At least there are no animals' he thought. He once almost nearly fell because of an old tree root. There were trees all around him and between them there was wild grass and shrubs. He once saw a fox cross the path just in front of him. 'This is going to be an easy trip' he thought and just then there was a loud splash. Ramesh turned around. Then there was another splash. The sound seemed to be coming from his left. From beyond the wild bushes and trees. Ramesh ignored it and walked on. Then there was another "SPLASH!" sound. This time it sounded much nearer. Ramesh was alarmed. 'What could be making such a noise in the forest at such a time' he thought. He moved towards the trees on the left side. He pushed aside the dense bush and went inside following the direction of the sound. "SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!" the noise never ceased. The forest had been tranquil just a moment before but now it seemed disturbed. He waded his way in and out of the bushes trying to locate the origin of the noise. He was scratched by the branches of the trees. The bushes did not allow him to pass. He had to force himself through the brambles getting more scratched in the process. But it did not matter to him then. The sound had an odd effect. It was drawing him towards it. Ramesh was almost hypnotized. And just when he thought that the bushes would never clear, he emerged out into a clearing. He fell on his face stumbling over a rock. But there seemed no more trees or bushes. Slowly he stood up and what he saw horrified him beyond all measures. There was a well. No, not any well, it was the same well. It stood ominously in the center. There was a feminine figure besides it. She was clad in white. She was ethereal but at the same time solid. Its figure seemed to form and deform again and again. But on its ghastly face there was an expression that seemed to emanate darkness. She was smiling, grinning twistedly, revealing tiny little sharp teeth. The teeth instead of being white were drenched with blood. When Ramesh thought that he had reached his limit, he saw something more terrible but incredibly real. There were children beside the woman. They were as terrible as the woman herself. 'These cannot be human' Ramesh thought. They were doing something, all of them together. When Ramesh realized what it was, he fell to his feet. He saw the womanly creature lifting up one of her children. 'Yes they are her children, I can feel it' thought Ramesh. She cradled them in her arms and then she bit into them. She bit into their throats and with each bite she teared off some flesh and ate it, grinning all the time. Her white hair hung loosely covering some part of her face as she bent over to bite. After one bite she would throw them into the well. The fell with a loud "SPLASH!" the children kept reappearing. They were fighting for their chance. Ramesh was at his limit. He was disgusted and haunted by the horrid sight. Goosebumps sprang all over his skin. He was drenched with sweat on that cold night. His eyes bulged with terror. The sight was enough to drive anyone insane. Ramesh screamed just as he was losing control over himself. This helped him control himself and calmed him down. He bit his own arm. The pain lessened his panic. When he saw up, he saw that there was no woman. Suddenly he heard laughter behind him. He turned back involuntarily. He wanted to get away from the laughter. It was evil and inhumane. As he turned, Ramesh saw a small boy no more than ten years of age. It was the same boy he had seen in the morning. The same pale face with the decayed skin. There were small holes in the skin and worms crawled in and out of it. Ramesh had never felt so disgusted in his entire life. He felt sick and thought that he would vomit any moment now. But then he saw the boy's eyes. They were yellowish green reptilian eyes, unusually huge for his small face. They were glaring at him. They were predatory and just then a worm crawled out of the boy's nose. Ramesh could not bear it anymore and he fainted. The boy grinned and disappeared. Ramesh woke up some time later. He did not even realize it. He could not see anything, it was pitch black. The darkness was so complete that Ramesh could not even see his own hands. But he knew he was awake because he could touch the ground and feel it. The ground was slimy and greasy with moss. Ramesh panicked and took deep breaths to calm down. As he breathed, he noticed the rotten smell of the place. It was like dead fish. Even though Ramesh could not see it, he could sense the malicious intent of the entire place. He suddenly realized that it was a cage. It meant to keep him in, torture him, until that wretched creature appeared. Ramesh had never felt so helpless in his life. He thought of all his memories with his friends, his parents and especially his uncle. He thought that he will die here in this rotten place and nobody will even discover his body. 'Why did I come to the forest this late in the night? Why?' he thought miserably. He saw no way out. As he did not know what to do, he simply laid down onto the ground. He could feel the grease and the slime but ignored it. He still saw nothing. Complete darkness engulfed him. But suddenly in the darkness, the face of his uncle Batuk came into his mind. It was as if he really was there to help him. Batuk in his mind said to him, 'Son, god takes care of those in need. I know you can overcome the darkness. Believe in yourself and keep faith'. The voice of batuk was like a ray of sunshine in Ramesh's mind. Ramesh stood up. He was determined to survive now. He had faith in himself and his uncle. He went straight in one direct and ran into a curved wall. The wall, just like the ground, was slimy and greasy. Ramesh put his hand on it and walked beside it. He walked on and on. Sudden realization hit him. He was in the well, of course! But the well somehow seemed huge. Now that Ramesh knew where he was, he felt a bit more confident. He could only think of one thing to do. Pray. His uncle had told him to keep faith. The ultimate act of keeping faith was praying to god. Ramesh had finally realized that this was a matter beyond anything in his control and trying to keep a rational mind in this situation would simply drive him himself. He sat with his back towards the wall. He did not close his eyes. It did not matter any way, he was completely blind. He joined his hands and lowered his head. He slowly muttered a prayer that batuk had told him. He at first only whispered but then he said it aloud. He slowly increased his volume. Ramesh again and again repeated the prayer. His voice became more steady and powerful with each repetition. At the end, he spoke the prayer so loudly that the entire well seemed to echo. Ramesh was revitalized. His faith was now whole and power seemed to rush throughout his body. His feared slipped away. Very slowly, a dim light had appeared in the well. It appeared so slowly and gradually that Ramesh did not even realize it. He was able to see himself and his hands again. The well seemed to shrink to its original size. The maliciousness and the evil intent in it had faded. It was just a normal well, not even very deep. Ramesh looked upward and saw a yellow round ball of fire. Only then he realized that it was morning and it was the sun. He was happy and at the same time very content. He looked around and found a rope that was hanging. It was as if someone had deliberately thrown it in the well to help him. Ramesh was sure that it was a blessing from god as the rope had not been there before. Ramesh tested his weight on the rope and found it really strong. Slowly he climbed up the rope using every bit of his strength as he did this. As he emerged out of the well, the light was so bright that he was dazzled by it. The whole area seemed familiar. There was no sort of evil presence anywhere to be found. The well in itself seemed quite normal. The trees merrily rustled with the breeze. The sunshine warmed Ramesh and he felt the cold he had felt subsiding. The scratches and cuts were still there but they were not much of a problem. Ramesh thought about his uncle. He even cried a bit. He was so happy to be alive. Ramesh thought that he had caused enough trouble and should just go home. He found out the way to the main path. He was hungry and thirsty but that was fine. He walked on the path. Finally he emerged out of it into his own village, his home. He went straight home. He found his father outside, he looked worried. 'Where have you been, Ramesh? We had been looking all over for you? When your uncle came without you, we thought maybe you had lost your way in that forest. Oh thank God! You are okay' he said. Ramesh only smiled. He went inside and saw his uncle Batuk sitting with the same distressed look. Batuk asked him a similar question. Ramesh without answering it went straight to him and hugged him tightly. Batuk hugged him back and said, 'I missed you, son'. Ramesh once again smiled and whispered, 'This time I kept faith, uncle'. Batuk smiled and nodded.