The Torcher 2

The last story I narrated to you about some demonic / unclad fellow and expressing possibilities of him torching the quarter of a law keeper, thus, killing people including the magistrate's wife, Suhasini and the magistrate himself who used to stay there, actually had a huge impact on my life. No doubt the billet was tormented by evil forces long before Suhasini came here to Silchar as a new bride and started assembling the dreams she dreamt of with Satyajeet by her side. She in fact had quite a tragic life, her whole family was seized from her in a murky incident when some anti government ultras hurled grenades in a market place while they went for shopping, back in Guwahati. She met Satyajeet later in her life who fell for her and eventually married her. Mini Chachi, her closest relative was her only guardian who decided that Satyajeet was indeed a good guy and could take utmost care of her.

Satyajeet completed his judicial trainings from Pune and came back to his home state to become a judicial magistrate when he first saw the angelic fairy known as Suhasini. Yes, she was in fact an angelic fairy that's what my perceptions told me whenever I thought about her. She was damn lovely, resembling more to Julia Roberts from the movie Pretty woman, it's true... The desi Julia Roberts she was. I never talked to her but was fortunate enough to discern her quite easily, numerous times and mischievously staring down at her, savoring and drinking her beauty. Her every move and reflex was celestial and she actually had kind of conquered my mind indiscreetly.

She was the same age as me, about twenty or twenty one and was really happy in her two months old marriage before Satyajeet and her landed in that quarter. I know quite a lot about her because Sangeeta, Suhasini's cousin and also a friend of mine who was one of the victims of the blaze told many things regarding her. Although I knew she was married and all but she made me a lunatic of some sorts. I'm telling you the truth, the great folly brat I was during those days that I even kind of stalked her at times.

Nevertheless I didn't have bad intentions and it was fun for me until the day I was told about her fears and the difficult matter she was dealing with and at once I acknowledged everything. I always knew that the place where they used to stay was spooky. I told you I never spoke to her nor did I get the chance but a rusty knife stabbed me deep within my mind after the cylinder explosion seized her life causing an excruciating pain. It became so hard for me to overcome the aftermath of the fateful evening that I went into a state of severe melancholia. I flunked my 3rd year examination in college whereas my friends were elevated, most of them deciding to go out of town to bigger cities for better educational life, to pursue their careers and all. Nothing was going in my way and I thought I was done for. I was examined by psychoanalysts, advised by astrologers but to no avail as my mental condition was kind of deteriorating. My parents were naturally worried.

Well, as a fact I'm telling it that my parents indulge themselves in pujas and rituals quite a lot, especially my mother who is a great devotee of Kamakhya (a Powerful Tantric Goddess that is said to have evolved in the Himalayan hills). I, myself, have always been a Lord Hanuman (a Hindu demigod) fanatic but wasn't so overtly religious. One day, they decided to take me to Kamakhya mandir, the famous oracle and shrine of Goddess Kamakhya, in Guwahati. It is widely believed that the "manifests" of the goddess is sanctified on the Nilachal hills where the temple is situated in western part of Guwahati city. We performed pujas intended to be beneficial for me in particular. I also met a strange priest there who gave me a taabiz of maha shakti (kind of a talisman) and suggested me to wear it around my neck. He told me a lot of stuff, recommended me on how to act on certain aspects of life and finally said something that I distinctly remember.

"you see, the puppet master above us create some norms and patterns for everything. No one except the puppet master can alter them... You have to... I mean, you NEED to believe it and regard it with high esteem."

We returned to Silchar. When we finally reached home I was dumbfounded to see a giant Tibetan mastiff (a bulky rough coated dog breed of Tibet) there. My uncle, a passionate dog lover had brought it from Arunachal Pradesh. My father was also fond of dogs so it was decided that the monstrous canine was going to stay at our place and that did upset me because I actually disliked dogs. My father gave it a weird name, Agni (A Hindi word, meaning FIRE, or one who breathes fire) and I grimaced. So, that was it, my trip to Guwahati didn't make much difference as I maintained the usual negativism that had concealed me for half a year and also a strong feeling of scepticism.

It was 1998, the charred quarter was repaired and a new family came to reside; a senior advocate with his wife and a son, who was three years junior to me. I had very limited friends at that point of time and the crew comprising of my classmates were gone i.e., no one was in Silchar except for me and I often went to the graveyard, that once happened to be our meeting point, all alone just for the hell of it and sat there staring blankly towards the sky. Sometimes I recollected thoughts concerning Suhasini and her ghastly demise. Most of the people liked to think rationally and concluded that the event was a mere accident occurred due to a cylinder leak when the family was busy with some rituals but there was a section who perceived it in the same way as I did. A few of them warned the new family not to stay in that quarter but since the advocate and the rest were quite adamant so the people asked them to perform some rites and rituals before deciding to settle down in that particular billet but they never took it seriously.

I kind of struck up a friendship with the advocate's son. I had a definite motive behind forging alliance with the fellow whose family had diced with death. I decided to play detective and know everything regarding the house. So, me and my new friend Rishi often hung out together, rode bikes and I even took him to my graveyard. He was scared at first, but I assured him it was all safe and narrated it's little history associated with me and my crew. He was a good guy, free and frank and quite convivial in nature. We used to discuss a lot of things that included ghosts and paranormals. He, one day, told me that the quarter was indeed creepy and he hated the fact that he actually had to live there.

According to him, his mom complained about something like the shadow of a man she saw regularly near the sanitation tank located at the backyard. Well I decided to give him a brief account of things that occurred in the quarter and with me before their arrival. I tell you, listening to all that he began to shiver. He expressed irony that how his family made the decision to settle there with a positive mindset and then started sensing the gloom in the atmosphere as abruptly as possible. He knew something was not right but he couldn't do anything about it since his dad was damn stubborn.

Every evening I came back home and noticed that Agni was staring at me eerily. I ignored it most of the time. I was cynical with the presence of the dog in my house and I often had arguments with my father though I didn't pressure him much but frankly speaking, I hated the dog.

One day I suddenly realized that 23rd November was approaching. This same unforgettable date witnessed the series of unpleasant events that changed me and my life. I met Rishi who was staying with friends at his place while his parents were out of station. I asked him if he wasn't scared at all and he replied laughingly that the company of 5-6 friends made him feel quite secured. He also invited me for a night's stay and the psycho that I was, accepted his invitation. I made up my mind that I'll target 23rd of November for the escapade. So, that evening, all pumped up, I visited Rishi...yes,I went to that same quarter where Suhasini had died and my heart started pounding due to an amalgamation of excitement and fear. There was also a chill in the atmosphere, obviously it was cold but there was an unknown and spiteful element omnipresent in the air.

I looked around, it was a huge region with a gigantic lawn fortified by strong walls and at some distance the other quarters were visible. Well, there was a dense tangled vegetation at the backside of the compound and many people often used to see vulpine like creatures sneaking in and out of it. I went inside. The interior was beautiful; obviously the house was reconstructed but the new family really kept it pretty neat, orderly and in a methodical way. The rooms were big and spacious. As I entered, I heard somebody whisper, "please don't do this..." from behind. Convincing as hell it was a female voice and shockingly, among those who were present there, none were girls. Anyways, I didn't mention anything to anyone.

Rishi introduced me to his other friends and we started talking and all. Some of them did speak regarding a kind of gloominess they felt within themselves throughout their stay in the quarter. We played a truth or dare game in which one has to choose between speaking the truth and daring. When it was my turn I decided to choose dare.

'Lets see... Okay here is the deal... We guys shall move out of the house for the night and leave you alone just for the hell of it... I just want to see if you can pull off this far fetched bravado...' One of the boys spoke up winking at me,

'and if you feel scared all at once and rush out of the main gate you lose the plot...done?...I mean it's your choice buddy'

At first I felt indecisive about it but then I became resolute, so I put forward a condition that if I succeed in my dare game they have to pay me two hundred rupees. They hesitated but finally agreed.

'So you sure you want to do it?'

'fine, I already knew I'm on for something sinister... Lets do it then' I said

Rishi was taken aback. My hasty decision was a bit indigestible for him as he was cognizant in respect to every dimension of the affairs regarding his quarter but somehow I managed to convince him. Ultimately, he planned to shift elsewhere for the night, so did the rest and forsake me as I rightfully wanted. Believe me, I, myself wasn't sure what I was actually doing however, the unforeseen infatuation of doom was so intense that I had a great surge of adrenaline all over. After they had gone, I watched TV for time pass, listened to some music and than had my supper.

'Here I am in the forbidden land' I said to myself as I sat on a chair and smoked a cigarette after the dinner was over. I began recollecting and arranging all the happenings as far as this quarter was concerned. I was thinking about all the people associated with it who died unnaturally; my friend Sangeeta and her cousin and also regarding the female govt official, probably the first victim of the obscurity. When it was half past one, I started feeling sleepy and therefore, went to sleep.

I was awakened abruptly by a loud and peculiar mooing sound that was supposedly coming from the backyard. I thought it was a cow but I wanted to inquire so I got up and went towards the backdoor. The mooing sound got louder and stranger at my advent to the verandah. I opened the door and went out to the backyard to find fire flies all around. When I managed to adjust my eyes to the darkness I could clearly see the sanitation tank... And a man standing over it. He was constantly making the uncanny mooing sound and his body quivered like hell. I was kind of stupefied by the sight. Somehow I gathered myself and decided to move on and the check the situation clearly.

Clutching at the taabiz of Maha Shakti (talisman given to me by the priest in Guwahati) firmly which I wore around my neck and chanting hanuman chalisa (verses of a holy book) under my breath, step by step I went forward in his direction. Without cessation, I went on chanting the hanuman chalisa as the mooing became louder and louder. His green glittering eyes were distinct and seemed perverse. All of a sudden he disappeared into thin air. Everything went silent leaving me baffled. My mind went blank and I just didn't know what to do. I looked around and he was nowhere to be seen.

I was turning to go back inside when something dreadful collided with me from behind and I hit the ground at once with a thud. I regained senses in seconds and realized that someone was sitting on top of me. It was that same guy with bright glittering eyes. I noticed that his face was partially burnt and was kind of deranged. The man was mooing so viciously, I thought the eerie noise itself would kill me. Throughout the intervening time I kept on uttering prayers under my breath as he grabbed my throat to choke me. I struggled hard but to no avail as he was way too strong. He mooed and suffocated me as I felt my life squeezing out.

I comprehended that my time had come. I was not trying to get free of the violent restrain anymore and images of my parents flashed in front of my eyes.

Suddenly the man loosened his grip. In fact what I saw was quite unexpected. An animal scudded at a lightning speed towards us and pounced on the menacing guy and took him away from me. I saw their tussle. It was a monstrous canine which was growling in rage while ripping apart the man to shreds with its malicious white fang. Man or demon whatever he was, stopped his mooing and began to shriek instead, as he was being decimated by the strange dog. I realized, it was none other than Agni, our pet who was gulping down every bit of the demonic fellow. After that my vision blackened and I went unconscious.

I woke up to find myself lying on the bed and the sun shining brightly on my face. I looked at the clock. It was 8:00 a.m. At once I became aware of the fact that I had the worst nightmare ever. It was really a terrifying dream and I started shivering the moment I thought about it. I decided to call Rishi. As I was making a phone call to him I saw something in the veranda. A black rough coated Tibetan Mastiff was sitting there and panting hard. It wagged its tail as soon as it saw me and cheerfully ran towards me. I was totally astounded. I had been telling myself what I experienced last night was nothing but a bad dream and now, in full consciousness I was seeing Agni right in front of me. I knew that my father kept him shackled every night and moreover I was 6 kilometers away from home so there was no way he could come here. I was bewildered and shaken all the while Agni leaked my feet.

Undoubtedly I won the dare game and Rishi and company owed me two hundred rupees but you see I was feeling victorious for some other reason. I went back home with Agni that day with an inexplicable pleasant sensation within my mind. I didn't know why but actually I felt happy... Happy after a long time. I looked at Agni. He had a twinkle in his eye.

Believe me, from that day onwards my so called state of melancholia started to fade. I was getting my sanity back and felt as if somebody had breathed life into me all of a sudden. Rishi told me that everything was going fine with him and his family. He also excelled in his final examination and decided to move to Guwahati. He declared that all of us were just going through some sort of psychological crackdown because of rumors and suspicions, and the quarter wasn't as haunted as we thought.

One day, I was attending a coaching class. The teacher was giving a boring lecture and it was getting under my skin. Then I felt as if the world around me was swiveling all at once and the people out there vanished completely out of sight. When the vision became stable, I fathomed that I was somewhere else probably transported by an unknown force.

I was actually standing on a hillside and there was a girl beside me. The angelic fairy that she was, smiled at me and my heart skipped. She was wearing a white salwar and was looking so gorgeous.

It was also the first time we exchanged words...

'Thanks Indrajit...' Suhasini spoke up

'Huh...for what?' I asked her out of perplexity

But without replying she slowly dissolved into the nothingness while I pleaded her not go and the next thing I remember is the scoldings of the teacher for not paying attention to his lectures and I was back in my classroom again as quickly as a wink. Man, that was one hell of an incomprehensible staff.

Years have passed by. I shifted to some other city after I received my college degree, pursued higher studies, got a job... Was able to establish myself in a definite manner and so on. I lead quite a normal and peaceful life, as of now and I'm not at all bothered by things from the past. The experiences have somehow helped me boost positivity around me. I'm quite religious now, to be precise.

I don't belong to Silchar anymore though I visit my place of birth quite often. I lost contacts with Rishi later on but I heard that he's doing well. No more stories of haunting has been reported from the quarter and that's obviously a good thing. As for Agni, he died just a few months ago after staying with us for around 15 years which is unnatural for a dog of his breed. He amazed me time to time because he was so intelligent, almost like a human being. I buried him inside the compound of my house and actually at times, I sit near his grave, lighting a cigarette and ponder regarding so many things. I still have some questions in my mind, the answers of which seems to be lost for eternity... But I do thank the puppet master who sent Agni to me for the Judgment day and the life thereafter.