Shadows...

When I got out on the main road, it was 10.30 p.m. in the night. There was this big party hosted by our boss, Mr. Sukhwani. His daughter had stood 1st in the ICSE examination….so, I guess the reason for his happiness.

As I walked out on the road, I wanted to beat myself. I should have taken an Ola to reach my house. Don’t know why I…

My legs were feeling very stiff. I managed somehow to walk briskly on the empty road. Damn, I had eaten too much. The weather was also not fine. And on top of that, I had a bowel syndrome. Oh Christ…

Suddenly, I stopped. 

Was there someone behind me?

I turned behind, and noticed someone was standing over there, at the divergence of two houses. The yellow streetlight of the street cast a long shadow…

I began walking again. I could hear the footsteps of the person coming behind me. Every time I stopped; the sound stopped. 

I didn’t know why but I felt I knew who it was…

AND THEN IT CAME TO ME.

As I walked staring into the night sky, I called out:

‘So Rohit, here also at last?’

Let me just give you a brief introduction: Rohit was my school friend. Surprisingly, we got into the same college, university and even the office I now work as an IT professional. He was a jolly fellow. He had a weird tendency of lurking around people’s backs and surprising them.

Weird, huh?

So naturally, I thought that this was his way of scaring me. Sure, it was a good night to be scared. Misty roads, the moon high above, the streetlights.

Not to mention that there was a report of a lunatic who had escaped and killed off 3 people…

Which made me even more regret my decision of walking out here alone. Damn!

Five minutes passed, he still followed me. I tried again by calling out to him, but no answer.

Ten minutes. The sound of footsteps was still being heard behind me…

At the end of twenty minutes or so, I started to feel that there was something wrong.

Way wrong.

Rohit had that ‘sneaking up’ tendency, but he wouldn’t use it to scare people…

And especially not me, he knew I was one heck of a punch…

So, who was it then that was following me?

I felt myself sweaty in the wintery atmosphere. My legs were growing too tired. If I could manage the old bus stop…

But wait, I thought. It could be Rohit though…he was extremely silent while doing all of this. There was only one way to confirm it.

As I continued walking (and so did the person behind me) I opened up my phone, and dialled Rohit’s no. 

‘Kr-kring! Kr-kring!’

A little while later, someone picked it up. It was Suniti, Rohit’s younger sister.

‘Hello?’

‘Suniti? It’s me, Ganguly.’

‘Oh, Farhan! How are you?’

‘I’m fine, thanks. Hey just wanted to let you know one thing…’

‘Yes?’

‘Your brother is irritating me again with his sneaking. He really needs to-

I was interrupted by her. At her words, my heart turned cold.

‘Farhan, he’s over here with me – eating dinner. He had not gone outside- hello? HELLO?’

I had hung up the phone.

A shiver ran down my spine, as I now began to move. This time, I ran. 

The shadowy figure also began to run after me.

Who was this? Who the heck was he? Why was he following me? I had no answer but one – if I stopped, then, then..

‘AH!’

I tripped over a stone and fell down on the road with a thud. My forehead scratched and started bleeding a bit.

‘Please, please!’ I cried out. ‘Whoever is there, listen to me! I’m a simple man. I’ve done nothing! Just leave me man!’

I turned around as I got up.

There was no one over there. The figure had disappeared…

Strange, where did he go? 

And that’s when it all became clear to me. It’s really stupid, I know.

I had abstained from alcohol ever since I first heard the name of it. Bad stuff. But today, by somehow, I had drank a lot.

A LOT.

And you know what happens?

You see stuff that is not over there usually…

Which led me to believe that there was someone behind me…jeez.

I had to apologize to Rohit the next day, I thought, as I started to walk back.

And then, I again stopped.

My shadow wasn’t moving.

No, I was being serious this time. The shadow wasn’t moving.

I took a step towards my left, and that’s when I noticed.

There was another shadow just behind me. It was just standing still….

‘What the-’ I said, as I turned around, and suddenly,

‘TH-WATCH! AHHHHHH!’

Something had been stabbed into my heart and there were footsteps running away. I cried out in agony as I fell down…

The shadow had receded into the darkness…

***

When I woke up 3 days later, I was in hospital. A couple was returning that night using the same road on which I was walking, and they witnessed me being stabbed nearly to death by a man. Hadn’t they were not there, then…

Upon investigation, it was found out that the lunatic – the so-called man who had murdered off 3 people in South Calcutta – was the one who tried to murder me that night…if the family…

To this day, I’m still afraid of dimly-lit roads. You never know, but somewhere behind you, a shadow might trail behind you…sometimes real…

Or perhaps, an illusion…

***

M.Macabre

19.01.2021

Dedicated to: Edgar Allan Poe (Happy Birthday!), Redi