February 2023

"I missed you so much ". My granny opened her arms and embraced me tightly.

"Likewise, Aayi" I cooed. Most of my worries just go away when I hug her. She is my second mother to be honest.

"How is the marriage preparation going? " my mouth was stuffed with a laddu before I could even finish the sentence.

"How is it?? Specially prepared for the celebration.". She continued before I answered the question. It was truly yummy.

"Your uncle is all stressed. With lots going on, he is barely having time to eat and sleep these days".

Speak of the devil. My uncle entered the room. I think he heard us.

"You are coming 3 days before the wedding right ??" his question was more of a suspicion. He continued "It's his marriage. You can't say no to your favorite cousin, can you ??"

I was hesitant to say anything. My voice was low. " Actually......"

He interrupted me with his authoritative deep voice " Come on !!! You guys are inseparable. He is gonna be crushed".

I chuckled at that. Yes, we indeed were inseparable. Even our birthdays are the same. We used to celebrate it together with homemade Jamoon and 7 good hours of vintage video games. Those were the good times. But truth be told, we didn't speak to each other anymore. No reason. Just don't communicate at all. I didn't dare to tell my uncle that.

"That’s what I was about to say. I will reach home on the morning of the ceremony. I am going on a trip to Pondicherry, mava. It's a solo trip. I waited months for that"

Nobody spoke for a minute.

The silence broke when my aunt entered the room with hot khashaya ( It’s milk with homemade cumin powder). I wasn’t sure whether my uncle was upset with my announcement but he indeed left the room to continue his work on the farm.

After talking to everyone for more than 30 minutes, I decided to take a stroll in the family farm.

In my place, February is the month when the weather is pleasant. Neither cold nor hot. Sun was eager to set, I felt. A cool breeze hit me in the face. A murder of crows flew across the blue sky, going back to their home after a busy food-hunting day. These are moments I cherish and adore. Millions of places on earth, I would still choose my village.

“What are you smiling about?”

I jolted at the familiar sound. My uncle was cleaning his mower with extreme patience.

“I am just enjoying my time here.”

His confused eyes met mine. “Meaning?”

"I can't settle here. My job is in the city," I said while walking towards him.

He shook his head with a snort. “You guys are brainwashed to think like that. It’s your decision where you want to live and what you want to do”

I knew this. Yet I failed to defend my argument. He didn’t mind my absent response.

Once he finished his work. He asked me if I wanted to visit the family Gudi ( Gudi = a small temple specifically built for local gods). Being an atheist, I said “Maybe another time”

He walked me home while explaining his new technique to grow pepper better. I listened keenly even though I had no idea about growing and farming.

I gave my granny a goodbye hug. It was 7.15 pm when I left their home in the hope of reaching my house before 7.30. ( It’s barely a 7 minutes walk so that seemed easy)

A distant croak didn’t bother me as I plugged my earphones and opened my pre-travel to-do.

“pack all the dress” check ✅

“Keep a heal for fun occasion” check✅

“medicines” of course !!!

I saw it. The shadowy figure that haunted me for months. Here I was dealing with PTSD and the boogeyman had plans for me still.

I stopped walking. I opened my mouth hoping my scream would reach a home nearby. But the figure I thought I saw wasn’t there at all. Maybe I was hallucinating.

At that moment I remembered something. A story. A story that could answer my questions. I ran; I ran like I was chased by Indominus-rex in the Jurassic World movie.

I reached my granny’s house in 2 minutes. Words were not leaving my mouth as I panted at the door with my bent backbone.

My uncle’s worried gaze greeted me when I stood straight. “What happened? Are you okay ?”

My voice rasped, “I will be once you answer my questions”.

I gulped a whole glass of water in one go. The whole family gathered around in a jiff. They had more questions for me than I had for them at this moment. I knew I should start talking.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to panic you, folks. I just….. “

I turned to my uncle. “ I just wanted to hear that old folklore you told me years ago. About the gudi in the farm”

“Now??” his irritation was clear in his voice.

“yes, please”

He agreed.

“About 200 years ago the king here was supporting Jains and fulfilled their wish of having Gudis. The place we inherited now was once belong to one of the Jain sadhus. I have been told that the reason we grow good crops is a result of the sadhu’s blessing back then.

When my grandfather was working in the field one day, digging the holes for new plants, he hit a rock. At least that’s what he thought at first. When they took it out of the ground, it turned out to be a sculpture of a Jina ( jain deity ). After this, we had built the gudi and did the pratishtapana (consecration). Again this is what I have heard my grandpa say.

A few years ago when I heard a call from the field one early morning. I assumed someone was stealing our areca nut. I grabbed the torch in a hurry and ran. I was still sleepy when an empty field greeted me.

I heard a faint walking sound but couldn’t see anything. I waited for 2 more minutes before returning. A few seconds after I started to walk towards the house I noticed something in my peripheral sight. I didn’t dare look directly at it. I tried my best to keep my pace steady and reached home. Later aayi told us that it was a Jina, who had been protecting our crops for ages. Neither did I know what I saw nor knew what to believe.”

My aayi interrupted him and started narrating her experience. “ I for a reason know it was The Jina. Your grandfather saw it when we were young. ”. She resumed her preparation of pan.

“How does it look like, the Jina I mean.” I was unable to stop shaking my legs.

"It was such a long time ago but as far as I remember it didn’t particularly have a body. It looks like a man. A tall man." 

My uncle added to it immediately “ I think it was as long as 7-8 feet. It was hovering. Like a black blob. But I can’t be sure. I didn’t take a good look as I told."

"And one more thing. Sadhu’s younger son stayed here to look after the land while his older son relocated near the temple so that he could maintain the pooja and rituals easily. Funny thing, it was almost near to your house is currently situated. Word on the street is that he conducted a ceremony to do a Jina pratishtapana at the new place. But that land wasn’t much fruitful I guess. No crops were grown anyway. But his family was protected well enough. Their home was the only building that wasn’t demolished when the cyclone happened. People can make up stories. It might not be true." my granny uttered while rubbing her nose bridge.

My uncle laughed abruptly “ Remember how your house almost collapsed when the slab was finished. ?“

I did remember that.

“Nothing happened to anyone so who knows, it could still be protecting the house and people over there” he started chewing a pan.

I stopped breathing for a second.

why are you interested in that gudi suddenly ?? Why did you run back ?? My aayis voice reached my ears.

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to talk about my crazy imagination. ( I wanted to call it so because the only other explanation is to believe in supernatural creatures.)

“I….. Actually….” I failed to answer.

Knowing me, my granny asked me to sit next to her and asked me to tell the truth.

I was hesitant in the beginning but I told EVERYTHING.

Nobody spoke for a minute. My uncle cleared his throat.

This thing you saw, was it a tall black shadowy man ??

I nodded

You saw it today on the road.? He added a follow-up question

I think I did. I am not sure.

My granny slowly held my hand and told me “ You were alone last year and you saw it in your room. If it was an evil creature, don’t you think it could have done something bad ??”

I thought about it.

Whatever I had experienced had a pattern

I heard a cleaning sound and, a watering sound as if someone wanted to keep the land healthy

I saw it in my room but I was unharmed.

Maybe I understood it all wrong.

My thought process was cut off by my uncle “ Back in 2010, while building your house we didn’t find any sculpture in your place. But that doesn’t mean nothing was there. Think of it as a blessing. You and your family, house included are protected. Even though we can’t comprehend the power or nature of this thing, all it did was to look after. Today you were going alone in the dark. Maybe you hallucinated it or it was the protection you needed.”

I wished I was dreaming. Unfortunately, everything I was hearing or thinking was real.

“let me drop you to your home. It’s already late.” I obeyed my uncle.

I never saw it ever in my life again ( till now at least.)

That is the end of boogeyman series.

Thanks for reading 💜

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