The night of justice

10^th of October, 2020 Washing 10^th Street,

“I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me,” said Sambhav looking the Jasmine sitting next to him puzzled, “Whatever I have been eating seems bitter, and I have been weird dreams all night.”

“Did you check with the doctor,” asked Jasmin.

“Yes! It’s the first time something like this happened to me I had to check with the doc, but he says all the reports are fine it might be anxiety or gastric issues.”

Sambhav’s phone starts to ring, he picks up goes outside, and comes back after five minutes. Replying to Jasmin’s curious looks, “it was my uncle from Pokhra, my village in India, who asked me to visit the village, some rituals need to be done urgently before 18^th of October, couldn’t get the message clearly as the voice was disturbed.”

“So are you planning to go,” asked Jasmin while still stirring the vegetables in the pan.

“Don’t know haven’t given any thoughts yet,” replied Sambhav, “I am not having anything tonight, have got a heavy head going straight to bed.”

Sambhav went to bed and immediately fell asleep. He was having odd dreams with people shouting, children crying, he was standing beside a big old tree in front of a dilapidated house. He opened the door, someone was standing with his back towards Sambhav, most of the house was dark only light was the light from the roshandaan falling on the person. Sambhav asked ‘why have you called me here’ the person replied in a crying voice ‘Have been calling you for so long, it is only now you have come’ and he turned back, he was wearing a dhoti and a janeu when he turned back Sambhav recognized his father with blood on his hands and his face was in shatters like that of a person in deep pain. His father pointed his fingers towards the tree in the verandah and tried to shout something but only plumes of dark smoke came out of his mouth and filled the room.

Sambhav got up from his sleep in shock, he was sweating all over the body. He got up from the bed had a glass of water, grabbed his pack of pall-mall, and opened the glass doors of his open terrace. He had been living in the US for the last many years and his father passed away a few years back. He saw two well-lit eyes looking at him from the dark, directly at him, not moving an inch as if the cat could see through him. After a while, the cat disappeared into the shadows of night.

The next morning Sambhav informed Jasmin that he is going back to his village and shall be back in two weeks. He convinced her that it's urgent without revealing last night's dream.

12^th October 2020 Sector 6 Dwarka, Delhi

Prerit was on his way to the office and stopped his car at the Sector 1 red lights. The light was usually the longest signal in Dwarka and had heavy traffic almost daily due to the routine office timings. Prerit took out his pack of gold flakes and was about to light one when a bagger almost fell on his car windscreen. The cigarette fell down from Prerit’s mouth, he shouted “can't you see you old man?” The old man responded “No son it's been a while since I lost my eyesight,” Prerit opened his windshield, the old man with grayish-white eyes straightened as if he was in a dream “But I can sense, I sense a dark force around you. You better visit the tree immediately. It's time to pay back. The Saturn is revisiting its old position. Someone who has been seeking for a while will quench his thirst.” And the old man scuttled through the maze of cars without turning back.

Prerit was totally disturbed by the words of the bagger and was not able to focus on driving anymore. He dialed a number, it was busy. The moment he reached the office his phone rang. Prerit picked up, “Hey! You called,” the voice asked. “Shobhit, we need to close what we started,” said Prerit.

“Did you get a call from Pradhan, that asshole has been screwing me for one month,” said Shobhit. “No it’s something else, I have heard that Sambhav is coming back and he and that Pradhan are going to perform some ritual at the tree. If they are going to touch that place or dig up something around all our secrets will be revealed,” said Prerit, still shaken by the bagger’s prophesy.

Shobhit asked, “when is this planned that ceremony they are planning?”

Prerit said, “It's on this 16^th I believe, they are saying that it is Amavasya and the position of Saturn is exact the same as it was on that day.”

Shobhit replied, “I’ll be there, see you on 16^th then.”

15^th October 2021, Pokhra Village

Sambhav reached the village about two days back and was made to stay in Pradhan’s house as Pundit Ji had advised. To his surprise, almost all the villagers were aware of what to happen and all were acting cordial. An assembly gathered outside Pradhan’s house to discuss the matter.

Ramkumar said “Your father Shankar was a poor guy, he didn’t get the type of end he deserved. You went abroad, and here in the village, multiple problems occurred. Some of the children went missing; many robberies happened in the village, all were quite depressed. I believe that led to his paralysis and eventual death.”

Pradhan said “ Sambhu, there have been multiple sightings in and around the village. And many a people including Lakkha the barber, me, my wife Sheela, and Ramkumar his old colleague all have seen your father Shankar Ji at multiple times and places. There’s something he wants to tell us but no one is getting it.”

“I had also seen father in my dream, the day before I left for India. His hands were covered in blood. What it can be uncle?” asked Sambhav.

Pandit Balkrishna who was listening to all this said, “One thing is for sure, there had been some crime or unjust that Shankar Ji is considering himself to be responsible,” everyone looked at Pundit Ji, “Shankar Ji was always a very honest and humble guy, there is something disturbing him that he had to come back from the dead,”  he paused for a minute and continued, “Also all the nakshatra’s are in order that brings an unsatisfied spirit the power to ask for justice or even makes it happen. We all have to be very careful tomorrow, as something unknown and unseen can happen on a night like this.”

16^th October 2020 The day of Justice

All the gents of the village gathered around 6 pm at the tree in Sambhav’s old house and pundit Ji started the ceremony. Sambhav was looking at the house that looked the same as he saw it in the dream. Sambhav was surprised to see his old mates Prerit and Shobhit also standing with the crowd. On asking, Prerit said, “How can we not be here when the whole village needs us?” Prerit quietly signaled and Shobhit picked up a large can containing kheer out of the car and started to distribute it to the villagers. Pundit asked them not to eat till the ritual is complete. When Shobhit reached near the tree where Sambhav and others were sitting his shirt was stuck in one of the tree branches, he tried to release it when some roots crawled from under his feet and climbed and clutched him and picked him up. He started to shout, everyone in the village was watching it all in amazement. All the spreading roots went deep in him cutting through the skin and in few minutes he was squeezed to death.

All of a sudden Prerit came shouting with a torch locked the doors and came shouting “You all want to know what happened here, screw you’ll screw this village, you all were sending your children abroad and nobody cared for the two skinny guys. Because we were just helpers. So we started stealing from your houses. We erased everyone who came in our way including children. But he caught us this bastard Shankar he saw us, Shobhit was about to kill him when he had a heart attack right in front of us and got paralyzed, we buried all right here in front of him he couldn’t do a thing, poor guy. And when he died we fled the village and settled in separate cities. God knows what pricked you guys again. So now I will end it forever. Will burn you all right here to close this chapter. ”

He tried to torch the tree but the fire went off. A skeletal hand came out of the ground and grabbed his leg. He shouted “Oh! What the hell.” Prerit fell on the ground, just then multiple hands came out of the ground and dragged him inside. All were puzzled and equally scared to see it all right in front, Pundit Ji asked all not to disclose the details outside this boundary.

Sambhav visited the house again, before leaving for the USA, it seemed more like the house he had spent his childhood in. A week back Sambhav would have never believed in ghosts and the afterlife, but this one night had it all changed. Finally, justice had been delivered.