Silent Shadows

3. The Dark Road

Do spirits haunt the lonely roads? Is there any truth to it or it's just a scary bedtime story? I have heard stories where a lonely road and an angry spirit go hand in hand. But what is the story behind it? Many people believe it but many ignore it like rumours. There have been deaths and accidents in those locations, but it had some logical reason behind it. But not all explanations are what it seems.

It was a full moon night. The entire town was flooded with the cool light of the moon. The sky was clear, with slight patches of clouds. The air was cool and was blowing gently. The faint sound of the rustling leaves filled the entire area. The gentle wind was blowing away the fallen leaves. The entire stretch of road reflected loneliness. The moonlight had dominated the area, but the road remained under the darkness of the trees.

The road was no one's ally during the night. No one dared to pass through the road in the night. Even though it was a full moon night, the travellers feared the haunted spirit on the road. The nearby shops were already closed. The crowd had already dispersed. A few rickshaw pullers were winding their day before they get into any trouble.

A man in his forties came near the stand and asked some of the rickshaw pullers, but no one agreed. All were in a hurry to go back. He was visibly irritated when he saw a rickshaw puller sitting quietly in a corner.

'Ki re, jibu ki nua shahi?' the man asked. (Will you go to New colony?)

'Na, babu (sir). Bahut rati hei gala ni aau se raasta re jiba theek nahin.' the old rickshaw puller said while wiping his face with his towel which was already wet with his sweat. (No sir. It is already very late, and that route is not safe at this time.)

The darkness of the night had already taken over and with the rickshaw puller's attitude, the man got irritated. He looked at him angrily. The man looked exhausted. His hair was scruffy, and threads of silver lining covered his entire head. His heavy black coloured spectacle had slid over to his nose. The man kept on adjusting his spectacle. His face was cleanly shaved. He was tall and fair. His neatly trimmed pitch-black moustache rested on his lips as a tailored-made suit. He wore a white-coloured Dhoti and a light cream coloured Kurta which complimented his entire attire. He carried a brown bag. His shining black slippers were covered in dust, giving it a tattered look.

'What is your problem? Don't you want to earn money? This is the problem with people in this town. All are lazy.' said the visibly irritated person.

He looked at the rickshaw puller. His shirt was stuck to his body because of the sweat. He wore a dirty Dhoti which was pulled over to his knees. He stood barefooted and was wiping his face with an old red chequered towel, which he tied on his head after wiping off his face. His shirt looked older than the owner of the shirt. His feet were dirty and dry skin had formed a thick layer on his feet. His legs were muscular and strong because of the regular peddling of the rickshaw. His hands looked strong and sweaty. The nerves were bulging out of his hands. He looked strong and athletic but looked old. He had slight strands of black hair and his beard was all white. A layer of dust had engulfed his entire body.

'It's not about being lazy. To reach your house, we have to cross that road, which is not safe at this time. I am telling you, Babu, I can take you to some hotel for the night and tomorrow morning, you can go to your destination.' said the rickshaw puller.

'What nonsense you are talking about? I am not going to anyone's house. I am the owner of the house. I stay there. I go by this route. I have experienced nothing. If it is about money, I will give you more. Now let's go. The more we linger here, the darker it would get.' said the Babu.