The Horror Of The Night

I was 25 then. The new job was interesting, but the place where I had to live as a paying guest seemed more interesting.

The area was a distant corner of red soiled Bankura Plateau, and most areas were desolate and forlorn. The beauty of a desolate place had such an intoxication in my young blood that I could not reject the offer of an old woman so willing to keep me as a renter in her house. The surroundings were eerie, particularly at night when the green trees blocked the scattered sky, and the moon was changing its shape from place to place. It was a wonderful sight from my balcony to watch as the soft white moon was scrolling through the tangled branches that stretched their hands like the shriveled hands of a witch.

The food was delicious, and the water had a unique taste of its own... the smell of newly dug wet soul lingered in its drops.

But the nights were pitch dark...even during the full moon when the moon was solid and stubborn to hide under the cloud. The dark shadows from my room would not allow a single radiance of it. There was an uncanny sensation that I could feel but could not describe. 

One week passed by and everything was perfect as I had fancied.

But things started changing from one night. I was standing on the balcony, enjoying the darkness. The smell of numerous wildflowers mixed with dust was wafting in the breeze. I was so absorbed that I didn't notice anything at first. Then I perceived a little stirring under my balcony. For the darkness, it was not visible clearly, but it was like an animal as I could discern its four feet scratching the soil and its fierce whining as it was trying to detangle itself from something that coiled it tightly. Then suddenly it jumped forward and looked at me. Even today I could feel those piercing eyeballs blazing in rage and revenge. I stepped back and bumped my head on the pillar. But my pain was less than the shuddering chill that froze my breath to death. My legs were fixed, and I felt I couldn't turn back and run into my room. The chimeric animal stepped towards me like a hunter sure for the victim. In its cruel eyes, I clearly discern my doom. My palms broke into a sweat and my throat was desert dry. Suddenly the animal howled. My stupor broke as the sound tears apart the tapestry of the night with a vicious knife. Without allowing myself time to ponder I mustered the courage to turn back and enter my room. I bolted the room tightly. My heart was leaping at my chest, and I dared not to put on the light. It might follow me through the light. I fumbled for my phone and switched 

on the light to arrange my bed as early as possible. Hugging tightly the pillow I tried to join the crossword puzzles. I didn't know when I fell into a disturbed sleep.

In the morning I asked my landlady if she had heard anything during the night. But as she took sleeping pills regularly, she denied any sleep disturbance on her part and made a detectable dish for me. Her all-composed reaction to my agitated mood slightly alleviated my fear. Even I felt a bit awkward and shy at my overthinking or exaggerating a trivial situation.

But at night again I felt the same torturing silence disturbed by impending apprehension. I dared not open the balcony gate and checking all the bolts again and again I went to sleep. From my pillow, I could hear distant hoofing. It followed a blood-curdling scream in the distance. But it was gradually approaching. My alert ears caught every step of it as it was advancing. The shriek like a death threat was slashing my alertness. Not a single trace of sleep was there except tremendous terror. The sound finally halted under my balcony. Then there was complete silence. I was sitting on my bed. I dared not to touch my phone. Time tickled through the uncanny silence. Finally, gathering some courage I came down from my bed. Tiptoeing I huddled near the balcony door and tried to listen to it. But there was nothing. I came back and fell into a fitful sleep.

Every night turned into a nightmare. The sound appeared from nowhere suddenly in the middle of my sleep and stopped near my balcony. Sometimes it seemed it was just near me... the sound of a wild hunter watching its prey on her bed. Even I could feel its hungry pant on my naked nape as I lie stiff on my bed...cold and shivering in fear. I could not sleep any longer. 

I asked the local people if any of them had heard such sounds. But no one agreed. And my fear of sleepless nights started escalating. I felt before my fear led me to insanity, I had to confront it. I was a brave lady and not a believer in ghosts or spirits. There must be something in this story of the night that no one but only I could face. I had to dig up the truth.

That night I arranged a powerful light and placed it at the corner of my balcony at off mode. Then leaning at the wall cloaking myself in the darkness I started waiting for my night call. Time passed on. Pitch-black darkness was illuminating only through occasional streaks of distant streetlights. After numerous sleepless nights shadows of my eyelids feel heavy upon my checks. I could not remember how long I waited in the darkness. Then suddenly the swift leaping sound with the holler of an animal was heard afar. I sat alert. My heart started beating in my chest and my body was consumed by indescribable terror.

The animal sound was approaching. Putting my hand on the switch of the light I waited for the moment. Then it stopped under the balcony with a threatening growl. I felt a strange inertia within me as if there was not a bit of strength in me to take any action. The sound had such an ominous hypotonic tone that could congeal warm blood to death. It was like a death call that you could not ignore, could not avoid. Pushing my frail spirit, I struck the switch button. Suddenly Light flooded the horrific dark world. But it was a fatal fault. The light only acted as a spotlight highlighting my presence. And before I could take a proper look the gigantic animal took a giant leap and reached me. With a shiver, the lamp fell from my hand with a loud thud, and slivers of glass splintered in the precincts like a carillon.

Now again impenetrable darkness engulfed the world and there in the darkness stood both of us.