Spooky Stories
Page 14
‘Don’t worry! I have a foolproof plan,’ Mahesh smiled enigmatically at his friend.
As planned, the three of them managed to swap duties with obliging friends. Carrying swimming costumes, towels and some beer bottles in their backpacks, they set out for the beach on Saturday evening. In his backpack, Mahesh carried the black overalls with the skeleton painted on it. He wanted to ensure that Varun did not win the bet.
The sun was yet to set when they reached the beach on their bikes. Parking their motorcycles, they walked behind the row of sheds and changed into swimming costumes. Leaving their backpacks near Santosh’s stall, the three of them walked to the beach. His feet sinking into the soft, black soil, Varun gazed around the beach.
It was the busiest time of the day and the beach was packed with weekend revellers. Children romped around, couples romanced, elderly people walked and families picnicked. Some of them were content watching from a distance while others bathed in the sea. Waves roared and rolled, sweeping the shore with a soft murmur. People posed for photographs against the sea.
The interns swam in the sea till, exhausted, they returned to the shore and plonked themselves on the sand. They took several selfies on their phones.
The sun had begun to set and the sky darkened. Varun sat mesmerized by the scene unfolding before his eyes. He had not imagined the place to be so beautiful.
‘I have been to several beaches but never seen sand so dark in colour. It’s almost black,’ said the junior doctor. ‘Golden sand is supposed to be beautiful, but this has a charm of its own.’
‘Do you know why it is black in colour?’ asked Dhaval.
‘Long back, the beach was used as a cremation ground. Locals believe that the ashes of the dead have made the sand black,’ replied Varun. ‘Don’t look so surprised,’ he added. ‘Last night, I read up all about this beach on the internet.’
‘So, now do you believe that the beach is haunted?’ Mahesh wanted to know.
‘That’s a different matter. I don’t believe in ghosts.’
‘That means that the bet is still on.’
‘Of course, it is on. I am not a coward and I am not quitting,’ Varun replied.
Soon, parents began gathering their children and leaving for home. Half an hour later, the beach looked deserted. Most people, except for a few young couples, had left the place. Vendors started winding up their stalls. Santosh was preparing to leave.
‘Wait!’ Mahesh called out. ‘We want some tender coconuts.’
After changing out of their wet costumes, the three interns sat at Santosh’s stall sipping cool and refreshing coconut water. The sea was getting more turbulent by the minute. The waves rose and fell with renewed vigour as time passed.
Santosh left soon after.
‘Let’s walk to the far end of the beach,’ suggested Dhaval. ‘It’s much cleaner.’
‘That’s true,’ agreed Mahesh. ‘Since the food and curio stalls are located at this end of the beach, people prefer to crowd here. Not many venture to the far end.’
Carrying their backpacks, the doctors began walking towards the secluded part of the beach. They had gone about five hundred metres when Mahesh declared he wanted to relieve himself. He nodded at Dhaval and vanished in the dark. According to the plan, he would be returning in his black overalls so he could frighten Varun.
As they waited for Mahesh to return, Dhaval and Varun opened the bottles of beer they had carried in their backpacks. All of a sudden, a skeleton emerged from the darkness. It began walking towards them in a purposeful manner. Varun giggled. He had been expecting Mahesh to repeat the same old prank.
Dhaval pretended to be frightened. ‘It’s a ghost,’ he said, sliding closer to Varun.
The skeleton came closer and stood at a distance from the two interns. It raised its right hand and gestured with its index finger, summoning them closer.
‘The ghost seems to be calling us,’ Dhaval whispered. ‘Let’s get out of this place. It’s quite creepy.’
Although he didn’t believe in ghosts, Dhaval sensed that there was a disturbing change in the surroundings. There was a sudden drop in the temperature around them, and eerie moaning sounds were emerging from the sea. His mouth felt dry and a cold hand of fear gripped the base of his spine. Despite being aware that it was just Mahesh dressed up in the black overalls, he couldn’t shed the feeling of fear.
‘Doesn’t Mahesh sir realize that the same old trick won’t work each time?’ Varun shook his head. ‘I must say that the two of you are totally bankrupt of ideas. Let’s walk up to your friend and say hello.’
‘You can say hello and shake its hand,’ said Dhaval, shuddering at the thought of walking up to the skeleton. He was no longer pretending to be frightened. He was really scared. ‘I am not budging from this spot.’
‘Well, if you say so.’ Varun got up and started walking towards the skeleton. Mahesh had not returned and he was convinced that the guy was fooling around.
He was amused when the skeleton continued to gesture with its index finger, asking him to follow as it began backing into the sea. It kept moving into the waves and, laughing, Varun followed.
He was ankle-deep in water, but the skeleton continued to walk into the sea. Soon, the waves were crashing around his knees. The skeleton continued to lead him farther and farther and he was unable to stop moving. Alarmed, he realized that the water had reached his chest and his feet were sinking into the seabed. He found himself powerless to fight the rip current that was dragging him deeper and deeper into the water.
On the beach, Dhaval strained his eyes to follow the movement of the intern. Horrified, he watched him going deeper and deeper into the sea.
‘Mahesh is taking the matter too far,’ thought Dhaval. ‘He should end the joke before there’s an accident.’
He got up and began shouting. Just then, Mahesh ran up to him. ‘Drat! I forgot the backpack,’ he panted. ‘Where’s Varun?’
Shocked, Dhaval turned around and saw the backpack lying on the sand. ‘Who was that?’ he screamed.
Varun was neck-deep in the sea. The two friends ran towards the water, shouting and waving to the junior doctor. The tide was rising and it was dangerous to go any further into the sea. The waves were getting higher by the minute, and their roar was threatening.
His head bobbing over the water, Varun looked like a tiny speck in the distance. They saw the intern’s shoulders immersed in the water and then a large wave washed over him and he could be seen no more.
They panicked and began shouting. The two of them stood in ankle-deep water, screaming for help, but there was not a soul around. Finally, they could see something riding on the waves. Straining their eyes in the dark, they noticed it was moving closer to the beach with each wave. Fear clutched their hearts in a deathly grip as the object came closer. A minute later a body landed on the beach.
It was Varun’s body.’
14
THE THIRTEENTH STORY
Anirudh heaved a sigh of relief. Everyone in the room had told his story, so now he could have some peace. It was almost 4 a.m. and the train should be arriving soon.
‘We are ready for your story,’ said Mala. ‘You are a writer. We won’t let you go without hearing a story.’
‘You can’t escape without sharing your story,’ seconded Dr Basu.
The rest of the crowd lent support to her statement.
Realizing he couldn’t get away, Anirudh raised his hand. ‘Alright! Just give me a minute to think of the story I want to share with you. After all, it’s got to be as far-fetched as the ones narrated by all of you.’
A few voices rose in resentment.
‘Silence!’ shouted the soldier. ‘Let him narrate his story and then you can comment upon it.’
Just as he was about to begin his story, he heard the whistle of the approaching train. He sprinted towards the door, unwilling to miss it.
At the door, he turned to ask if anyone wanted to take the train. His eyes found the
room absolutely bare. There were no chairs, nor anyone in the room. Shocked, he fell into a swoon.
Dawn was breaking when he sat up and found himself surrounded by the ruins of a railway station. The very floor under him was broken, as were the walls. There was no ceiling, either. Puzzled, he looked around. There was no one around except an old shepherd herding his flock along the railway tracks. ‘Baba, where has everyone disappeared? What happened to the railway station?’ Anirudh asked.
‘What railway station, babu?’ The old man grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. ‘This station crumbled a long time back.’
‘But my train halted here and I saw the station master and several passengers.’
At that, the shepherd began laughing. ‘Twelve years back, there was an earthquake in this area. The railway station collapsed and many people were buried under the debris. There were more than a dozen deaths. Among the unfortunate ones was the station master. Death did not spare the dozen passengers seated in the waiting room. Since then, the station is haunted by ghosts. The station was never rebuilt. No one comes here, nor does any train stop.’
Anirudh couldn’t believe his ears. ‘But …’
‘Come with me, babu,’ said the man. ‘My grandson has a motorcycle. He’ll drop you at the new railway station, which is about seven kilometres away.’
‘But, my train halted here,’ Anirudh insisted.
‘That must be because a gang of robbers operate in this area. They rob the passengers travelling by train. Once their job is done, the scoundrels pull the emergency alarm chain to stop the train so they can escape into the forest,’ explained the shepherd. ‘I guess you must have got down from the train, and missed it.’
Stunned, Anirudh wondered if he had spent the night in the company of ghosts.
About the Illustrator
Kaveri Gopalakrishnan is an illustrator and comics writer who enjoys crafting imaginary worlds via the lens of graphic narratives.
Kaveri did her undergraduation in Animation Film Design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2012, and a research-focused Master of Design at UNSW, Sydney in 2020. She has contributed visual storytelling in the form of character design, print and digital comics, installations, merchandise to Google, Instagram, Scholastic India and GE Healthcare among others. Her original work has been exhibited at Internationaler Comic-Salon, Erlangen and Mangasia at the Barbican, London. She has illustrated over 13 books for children, translated into multiple languages.
Kaveri's practice is informed by themes and research that oscillate between the socio-political, the fantastical and personal. She is currently based in Goa, India.
About the Book
A writer’s journey turns into a nightmare when he disembarks from the train to catch a thief and misses the train.
Anirudh is forced to spend the night in a tiny railway station with barely anyone in sight. A power failure adds to his woes. Guided by the flashlight on his phone, he finds his way to the waiting room. There, he finds thirteen chairs and a dozen passengers seated in the room. The next train is due at dawn, so they decideto pass time by swapping ghost stories…
Uncover the mysteries of an ancient Egyptian tomb, travel to the ruins of an old fort and meet the ghosts of China’s Forbidden City in this unusual set of eerie, spine-tingling SPOOKY STORIES!
About the Author
Born in New Delhi, Tanushree Podder worked in the corporate sector for eight long years before she quit the rat race to start writing. A well-known travel writer and novelist, she has written several novels. Among her books are Nurjahan’s Daughter, A Closetful of Skeletons and The Teenage Diary of Laxmibai. Two of her books are slated to be adapted into web series. A chocolate addict with a penchant for the unusual, she has collected dozens of interesting certificates that range from a wine-master's assistant at Australia, an international reindeer driving licence from Lapland, to one from Royal Selangor.
TALK TO US
Join the conversation on Twitter
http://twitter.com/HarperCollinsIN
Like us on Facebook to find and share posts about our books with your friends
http://www.facebook.com/HarperCollinsIndia
Follow our photo stories on Instagram
http://instagram.com/harpercollinsindia/
Get fun pictures, quotes and more about our books on Tumblr
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/harpercollinsindia
First published in India by HarperCollins Children’s Books
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers in 2021
A-75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Text copyright © Tanushree Podder 2021
Illustrations copyright © HarperCollins Publishers 2021
P-ISBN: 978-93-5422-839-1
Epub Edition © July 2021 ISBN: 978-93-5422-902-2
All rights reserved under The Copyright Act, 1957. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers India.
Cover design: Kaveri Gopalakrishnan
www.harpercollins.co.in
HarperCollins Publishers
A-75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India
1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, United Kingdom
Hazelton Lanes, 55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900, Toronto, Ontario M5R 3L2
and 1995 Markham Road, Scarborough, Ontario M1B 5M8, Canada
25 Ryde Road, Pymble, Sydney, NSW 2073, Australia
195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, USA