Mists In The Campus

 Prof. Sadashiva Rao was tired. It was past 9.00 pm, and he was still in the library browsing books on paranormal sciences.

Additionally, he was browsing the internet for authentic treatizes on the subject, which in reality evoked very little interest in him.  

He was invited to attend a seminar on paranormal activities, and he wanted to update himself on the latest studies. As a man of science, he demanded scientific proof. Science, of course, counsels scepticism towards the idea of spirits, ghouls, and, in general, spooks. If ‘ghosts’ are not to blame for unexplained events, what might be? Though researchers have investigated culprits like electromagnetic fields and infrasound (frequency less than 20 hertz), Prof. Rao believed that the ultimate source of haunting might be that organ between the ears.

Professor hypothesized that infrasound might have a role to play. Based on limited experiments, some researchers concluded that infrasound might create sensations that a few people believed was that of being haunted. Still, others attributed the sensations to electromagnetic energy, caused by power lines and electronic devices. Professor thought that gullibility was enough to explain the 'phenomenon' - a draft in an old house or the creak of wood settling could easily be misconstrued as a ghost. It worked well in movies inside a movie hall with dimmed lights.

Brushing aside these thoughts, Professor called it a day and hurried to reach home early before the dinner got cold. His wife had already messaged him a couple of times. It was a chilly night in Bangalore and more so on the 25-acre densely wooded campus of the university where he lived. He put on his sweater and tossed the woollen muffler his wife had lovingly knitted around his neck. He called out to Ramaiah, the watchman, to switch off the lights and close the doors and left for his home.

 He came out of the gates of the university and started walking towards his home. Just then, he heard a stranger’s voice. In the direction of the voice, he saw a shadow near the poorly lit road leading to the residential complex.

“Namaste, Professor Sir," the man said in the local dialect. "Sorry for troubling you....". Professor squinted his eyes through the fog that was closing in.

“Who are you?” he queried. “What can I do for you?”

“My name is Manjunath Sir. I used to work under you in your lab for a few years before I quit the job.” 

"Oh, I see! If you want the job back, see me at my office tomorrow morning. There are a couple of vacancies in the lab, and I will try to help you. Bring all your credentials when you come."

"Today, I ended the life of my dear wife." The sudden loud response from the man was like a bolt from the blue. Professor's pulse began racing. He thought that this man must be a serial killer.

The voice stopped for a while and was quiet and then started to stutter. "This afternoon, I came home to give a surprise to my wife. I entered very quietly and what I heard destroyed everything in my five years of married life. I peeped through the half-closed door of my bedroom and saw my wife in bed with a stranger. They were talking animatedly, and I realized my wife was plotting to kill me and prove my death as a freak accident and grab all my property and then...," the voice sobbed, "I lost my mind, Professor. I was seething with uncontrollable rage!!

“I went in and shouted - Why? Why did you have to cheat on me? I loved you and would have happily shared the property with you. You should have told me your feelings frankly”.

"Then, suddenly, I was struck by something heavy on my head... I held my head with both hands, unable to bear the pain. There was the blood in my hands and tears in my eyes. I saw my wife and her paramour laughing at my plight, but I did not lose my courage. I fell next to the bed, near the brass lamp".

“I got up, grabbed the lamp and swung it at her lover’s head, with all the strength I had.” Manjunath suddenly laughed as if he was telling a joke. In between his fits of laughter, he continued his narration, "I then grabbed my wife with her hair and dragged her to our room. There were many of our lovely pictures of our wedding day. I kept asking her to look at them. Instead, she started screaming and screaming and screaming. I thought the screams wouldn't stop. I picked up a pair of scissors on the table and stabbed her repeatedly until she stopped screaming. Finally... ahh... eventually she became silent.

“Tell me, Professor. Was I not right in killing them?" He asked 

Professor tried to respond in a steady voice. "No, Manjunath! What you did was very wrong!! You said your wife was aware that you loved her so much. One moment's anger has left you alone in this world. You have no job. No family. Nothing! It would be best if you had not acted like a brute at that moment. I strongly suggest that you go to the nearest police station and surrender yourself. You will be arrested and sentenced to death for the unpardonable crime you have committed. But a good lawyer may get you out of this terrible mess and get a lesser harsh punishment.

Manjunath was defiant, "Why surrender, Professor? Why should I be punished with a death sentence?"

"Because you have murdered two people."

"It means because I killed them, the country's law will kill me? They had no right to kill me!” Manjunath laughed hysterically. I administered the right kind of justice to them. Tomorrow’s papers will tell you all about it.”

Professor took out his handkerchief and wiped his brows, too shocked to respond. He was profusely sweating even in the chilly weather.

The voice behind him pleaded "Listen, Professor. How can they hang me when I am already dead?"

 Professor looked back and froze. The figure had disappeared!

Professor quickened his stride and briskly walked towards the front gate. Luckily the door was open, and the light from the living room gave him some comfort. While nearing his house, he felt something at his back, but at no point did he turn around. He stepped inside as he pulled on the door closing it behind him. He smiled to himself and thought things over in his head, mad at himself for spooking out when there was no reason. He heard his wife calling out his name from the kitchen.

She appeared from the kitchen after warming up the food for him.

“You didn’t tell me you were bringing a guest along for dinner. Isn’t he joining us?”

 Professor frowned, “What do you mean? No one is joining us for dinner.”

 “So then who was walking behind you when you were nearing the house? “

--------The End---------