The Challenge

It all started with a silly challenge. This story dated back to summer of 2007 on the year we appeard our board for 10th. My cousin and a couple of friends were sitting on the roof and planning for the next set of mischief when the topic of ghost and supernatural started. There is a place in our locality where history of murders have happened. A 2 km stretch of dirt road with no lamp post. On one side a huge pond and other side farming land. No houses at least 1 km from the road. Desolated and dark as it was it had an eerie feeling of being haunted. The place I am talking about is in Berhampur Odisha.

Tales of this place being haunted was imbibed to us by our family. We were not allowed to travel through the route after dark. People stopped commuting through the road after 7 pm as its reputation preceded it. Countless murders, robbery and accidents have happened in this place.

Coming back to the actual story Ashutosh, Vikram, me and Raja we childhood friends going to the same school and living in the same locality. Every evening we used to sit at my rooftop and discuss the next set of mischiefs that we would do in school the next day. As we were discussing, Ashutosh as a big boaster he was started boasting about not being afraid of ghost. Ashutosh being my cousin I had to support him by negating any argument that my friends threw at him.

After a lot of argument, Vikram proposed a challenge where Ashutosh has to walk through that road at around 1 am and meet us at a tea shop, near the Muslim burial ground, which remains open the whole night. It was a 3-4 km walk that included a hindu cremation place, Muslim burial ground and the stretch of desolate road in between. Vikram and Raja would be waiting for him near the tea shop and would pick him up from there back home. I volunteered walking with Ashutosh not knowing what was to come.

We started a around 12:45 pm with a pack of cigarettes. The road starts with a huge banyan tree, which is said to be the place where people have seen disembodied figures. As soon as we reached the place we lit a cigarette and smoked there for a few minutes before we started again. After smoking we decided not to look back at any noise that's going to come from behind and keep on walking whatever may be the case.

After walking around 200-300 meters Ashutosh told me that he is able to hear a tinkling noise of women's anklet. I being so into myself had not heard it. I asked him just to keep walking as we had discussed earlier. Few minutes later I could hear the tinkling noise myself. A little afraid and a little concerned about both of us I asked him to run for life. It still gives me goosebumps when I remember the incident. We are running but could hear the sound of the anklet as it was just right behind us.

Imagine being in a desolate place, running for life and suddenly your friend falls. The slippers he was wearing were off his legs, his hand and knees scratched and bleeding due to the slip. I stopped, helped him up and asked him to run again.

Running bare footed we crossed the Hindu cremation ground and Muslim burial ground and reached the tea shop where both of our friends were waiting. We heard the sound chase us for around 1 km after which it suddenly stopped. Although it stopped we kept on running until we reached the tea shop. Relieved of being safe I lit another cigarette and ordered a tea when Ashutosh pleaded to bring back his slippers. I asked him to forget it and we would buy a new ones instead of risking life going back to the place. But he insisted and hearing his plight me and Vikram rode back to the place on a bike after we completed the cigarette. Now the plan was clear, Vikram would drive, I will get down pick up those slippers and we drive back.

We drove for around 5 minutes in the empty road and we were there where Ashutosh dropped his slippers. I asked him to turn the bike while I collect the slippers and we start. By the time I collected and turned back I saw Vikram in a shocked state looking right through me. I asked him what it was and why is he looking so pale. The answer was plane and blunt "There is someone right behind you looking straight at us". I asked him who it was. He said a lady in saree.

I was afraid, both for myself and Vikram. I asked him to slip to the back seat and took over the ride. Not looking straight I kick started the bike turned it and rushed off from there. Vikram had lost his color, mumbling throughout I saw the lady standing behind you. We reached the tea shop. Raja offered him some water and after around an hour he was back to normal. We drove home and made a pact not to venture out at nights from then on.

To be true I was present when both of them crossed the road. Apart from hearing the tinkling sound of the anklet which Ashutosh also heard I never saw the ghost. To be exact, I could not muster the courage required to look at that. I chose to live and fight another day. What Vikram saw that night might absolutely true or his imagination, only he has the idea. But that incident made us all a little grounded and believe into the fact that supernatural entity exists.