...Hauntings..

...SICKLE...

...Sickle...                                                                                                                                        Tiruvanamalai (2010)

There are many haunted stories in the villages surrounding tiruvanamalai in the south of the country. One such story is of the SICKLE SPIRIT; a vendor who used to sell coconuts in the villages around tiruvanamalai. 

He was an honest integral man, poor but hardworking. It is not very uncommon for wives of such workers to have extra marital affairs. So the story goes like this – 'one winter night when the seller returned home, he found his wife with the landlord of the house in a very compromising position. In a fit of rage he hacked the landlord to death with his crescent sickle and then moved his gaze to the wife. She confessed that she had resorted to such means because she did not have any money to pay the landlord for rent and that she also knew that her husband did not have the same. She said that she was helpless. The Coconut vendor did not listen to her plea. He beheaded the wife and buried her deep in the woods behind the village. Although the police caught the accused, he committed suicide in the jail. 

People around these parts still believe that his florescent spirit haunts the forest around the small villages. Shops close by seven in the evening and by eight in the night the village looks absolutely deserted. They say that it would be a challenge even to hear a dog's howl...

This story dates back to the heavy rain months. I reiterate it, as the local police and the village headman of the surrounding village put it together. I tell you folks, this story can give you sleepless nights for days but its credibility is still much under question and mystery.

Raj and Priya had taken a car on hire. They had got married just a month back and were touring the south as it was for long, their dream honeymoon destination. The hills were perfect, the greenery divine and the long undamaged roads in this part of India were a sheer bliss. It was raining heavily, the downpour could confuse any professional driver let alone Raj; who had just got his learners license a few months ago. 

The father was a big industrialist and the boy did not have to drive around himself but now that he was with his wife he had taken the risk to do so. Priya was worried too, they were on a winding road going through the forest, climbing slowly but she could neither see a car nor a human being on the road. South India was a safe place, she did not really fear getting mugged or killed but sometimes emptiness and fear combine to form palpitations in the heart.

"Are you sure we are on the right road?" asked Priya turning to Raj. Raj smiled and replied "Don't worry baby, even if we are not, their must be a cafeteria or a shop around the bend, relax, I am there with you" , saying this raj cupped Priya's hand into his left hand while keeping the right on the wheel.

Raj was pretty sure of the small shops on the bends but even he had started to get a little bit panicky when he realized that there were no shops or cafeteria's around the corners, they had driven for miles and miles without a trace of where they were and the GPS on the phones had cocked off a long time ago. "Raj I told you, please find a place the rain is getting worse", Priya was getting worried by the second. Raj turned to look at her "Don't worry we should be fine". Raj completely forgot looking at the road and  in a split second, the car hit something hard and barrel rolled down the side of the valley, cam to a halt on its wheels at the bottom of the forest...

Raj had hit his head on the wheel. There was a minor cut on his forehead. He immediately turned to Priya to see if she was fine. Priya's head had hit the dashboard too. She groaned and got up, she too due to gods grace had sustained minor injuries only.

Raj opened the door and walked out of the car. Priya could see through the rainy windowpane her husbands figure looming in front of the headlights. Raj came back to the drivers seat in a split second to meet his wife by now he was totally drenched "The car is in a bad shape, I might have to go up the mountain for help, you stay put here. Lock the car doors from inside and do not open till I come back, the windowpanes are intact. No wild animal should bother you". Priya's heart literally started beating in her throat. She could not stay alone in the dark in the forest in a closed car

"Raj the stories in the village, the headless spirit", she said clutching her husbands hands and digging her nails into his wrist in fear. Raj laughed, "Oh my god you seriously believe in folklore like that, those are just stories honey to keep the tourists away from the villages, don't worry if he comes your face is so scary he'd run away". Priya punched her husband on the shoulder "very funny!" she said in a sarcastic tone. "Don't worry I wont be gone for long, if you feel scared there is a flashlight in the dashboard". Priya kissed raj on the cheek "Be safe" she said. "Don't worry baby "I'll fly like the wind and be back like a storm" saying this he moved out of the car and pressed his face against the wet pane to inform Priya to lock the car.

As soon as Raj left Priya switched on the blinkers of the car too. Not that it helped the view but definitely calmed her fears. The headlight did not show anything clearly, it was all blurry because of the rain. Priya knew it had been only minutes that Raj had trekked up the mountainside but the passing time and emptiness and fear were pricking her making the clock in her mind tick faster. the rains worsened, the patter of the drops on the hood of the car made it sound as if someone was playing a set of drums right inside Priya's ears.

Priya held her ears with her hands to muffle the noise when she stopped herself. There was another noise among the raindrops. A soft rhythmic thudding coming from somewhere close, like something heavy was swaying in the wind and hitting a tree. The noise was irritating Priya, but she did not wish to move out of the car, fear had gripped every nerve and the Goosebumps were now making her hair stand at an end.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a blurry figure in front of the headlights. Raj was back. Priya opened the door to welcome her husband but as soon as she stepped out of the car in the rain, she realized there was no one in front. It was a mirage. She was wet scared and confused and she also realized, she had kept the auto lock on, she was locked out of the car in the rain...

Priya looked around to hear any signs of any car from the rood above but to no avail. Just then the thudding noise she had forgotten about suddenly started messing with her mind again. The noise was coming from somewhere close. Priya peeled her eyes to look clearly in the rain. From a tall tree nearby was hanging something that was almost six feet or so tall, it was swaying vigorously in the winds hitting the trunk of the tree. Priya started talking slowly towards the tree, the wet mud made awkward noises under her feet. As soon as she reached the tree, she looked up...

There was a sudden flash of lightning and in small time window, Priya saw the cold face of her husband. His neck was slit so deep that he was nearly decapitated. His lifeless body was swaying vigorously like a rag doll and the puddle below the tree had become deep read with his blood.

No one heard Priya's blood curling scream in the night. Priya ran towards her car and tried to open the doors, but to no avail. Tears of fear were rolling down her eyes and she was not being able to breathe. After futile efforts of yanking the door , Priya tried running up the valley to the main road for help but her run was short paced. she hit against something and fell down...

In front of her drenched in blood and rain was the headless spirit of the vendor. Priya screamt out loud and started slipping back in the mud. The headless spirit came close with each step and raised his crescent sickle. He held Priya by the head and brought down the metal crescent with a heavy blow. Priya felt her own blood gushing into her throat and in the surrounding forest floor. She grasped at her throat to make her final breaths easier but to no avail, she was slowly and steadily blacking out....

The car was found the next morning and so were the bodies of the young couple. A case of robbery and murder was registered against a local village gang but nothing was ever proved.

But even till today the story of the sickle spirit is famous in different parts of South India. Don't believe me? Experience yourself.... Make a trip to the forests on the outskirts... but do not leave your car...