I have already told the earlier part of the story. Even now everything feels like a blur in my mind; everything seems confused. How did I come here!
From Bengal the road went toward Sitarampur. I kept walking along that road. My job at the railway company had been for many days; today it was gone.
However, I had no sorrow for that. The sorrow was that the job was lost because of an accusation. I did not steal, nor do I know who did it; yet in the judgment of the officials I was found guilty. Shame and humiliation prevented me from returning home. I wandered far away. My heart was still filled with pain. I was young, and though I had a little money in my hand, even then going to a food shop in such a strange village did not feel right.
At one place by the road there was a beautiful pond. I have always liked bathing. I placed my clothes on the bank and went down into the water. There were many water plants in the pond; I moved them aside and took several dips in the clear water. At the end I felt very refreshed. Nearby there was a tamarind tree; I spread my wet clothes over a branch to dry. The body felt cool, but the stomach had begun to burn with hunger. At such a time—is there any fruit of the forest? None came into my sight, though I looked around.
Just then an old man came to bathe in the pond. Seeing me he said,
"Where is your home?"I said, "I am very tired, I have been walking a long distance. It is getting late evening. I am very hungry. Can you give me some shelter?"
The old man looked at me for a while and then said, "Come."
I followed him and entered the village. After going a little further we reached an old house. He said, "My name is Nibarun Chakraborty. This house belongs to me, but I do not stay here regularly. My sons live in Kolkata and my daughter lives in Shyambazar. Such a big house remains empty, so sometimes I come and stay here. My sons don't like to come here. There is a large garden in front of the house with many fruit trees—bananas, mangoes, jackfruits and others. Will you stay here?"
I said, "Yes, I can."
He asked, "What work can you do?"
I replied, "Any kind of work."
He said, "As long as you stay here, you can live here and eat two meals."
I said happily, "That would be very good."
I felt relieved to have found shelter. He arranged food for me. After dinner he gave me an old mattress and a thick pillow and told me to sleep.
I had become very tired from walking all day. When I woke up from sleep, it was already late at night. The moonlight had spread across the garden behind the house. I went outside and walked around a little. Wherever I looked, there were only trees—mango and jackfruit groves and jungle. No other houses could be seen nearby. In the jungle I could see only a broken temple. I noticed a dim light inside it.
When I returned, I saw old Nibarun Chakraborty sitting and eating. He asked me, "Can you make tea? Make some tea."
I made tea. After drinking it he said, "In the evening cook rice. There is lentil soup, clarified butter and vegetables."
I said, "Alright."
He added, "Cook a vegetable from the garden for yourself. The kitchen is behind the house. Take the light with you when you go. And one more thing—keep the light burning in the kitchen all the time."
I said, "Yes, I will."
The house was very big. Upstairs and downstairs there were many rooms with wide verandas and long corridors. Most of the rooms were locked. In front of the kitchen there was a long veranda, and near it stood a few coconut trees and a lemon tree. To go to the kitchen one had to cross that veranda and go behind the house. That place was completely dark. But I was brave enough to go there alone to cook.The house was very large. Upstairs and downstairs there were many rooms. A long veranda ran along the house. In front of the kitchen there was a long corridor, and near the entrance of the corridor there were four or five coconut trees and a lemon tree.
To go to the kitchen I had to cross that long corridor and then go behind the house. That place was completely dark. There was no need for light there, but still I went there alone to cook.
While cooking, suddenly I heard a strange sound from outside. It seemed as if someone was walking slowly in the garden. I became a little frightened, but I tried to ignore it.
After some time, I finished cooking and went back with the light in my hand. When I reached the room, I saw that old Nibarun Chakraborty was sitting quietly.
He asked, "Did you see anything?"
I replied, "No."
He looked at me carefully and said, "If you ever see anything strange in this house, do not be afraid."
I was surprised and asked, "Why?"
He said, "This house is very old. Many strange things happen here sometimes."
His words made me a little nervous, but I did not say anything.
That night I went to sleep. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up because I heard footsteps in the corridor outside my room.
At first I thought it might be the old man walking. But the sound was very strange and slow. I became very scared and lay quietly on the bed.
After some time the sound stopped.
The next morning, when I woke up, I went outside and looked around the house. Everything seemed normal. But I still could not forget the strange sound I had heard at night.In the morning I went out of the house. I thought I would go to the nearby market. When I returned after some time, the old man asked me where I had gone.
I said, "I went to the market."
He said, "Good. You should get used to the place."
Days passed like this. I started living in that house and doing different kinds of work. The old man was quiet and spoke very little. Sometimes he would suddenly say strange things that made me feel uneasy.
One evening he said, "You know, many people have come to this house before you."
I asked, "Where are they now?"
He replied slowly, "They could not stay here."
I was surprised and asked, "Why?"
He did not answer clearly. He only said, "This house does not suit everyone."
After hearing this, I became worried. Still, I continued to stay there because I had no other place to go.
A few days later, the old man told me that he wanted to sell the house.
He said, "Such a big house is difficult to maintain. I am getting old. My sons do not come here. It is better to sell it."
One day a man came to see the house. The old man showed him the rooms and the garden. The man seemed interested and talked about buying the house.
After the man left, I asked the old man, "Will you really sell the house?"
He said, "Yes, if I get a good price."
Then he looked at me and said, "But remember one thing—some houses have their own secrets."
His words made me feel strange again.
That night I could not sleep properly. I kept thinking about what he had said and about the mysterious things happening in the house.After that incident, I did not sleep properly for the rest of the night. I kept thinking about the strange events in the house.
In the morning, when I woke up, I saw the old man sitting quietly. I asked him about the strange things happening in the house.
He smiled slightly and said, "You are not the first person to experience such things here."
I became nervous and asked, "What do you mean?"
He said, "Many people have come to live in this house before. But most of them could not stay for long. They all left after experiencing strange incidents."
Hearing this made me even more frightened.
I asked him, "Then why do you stay here?"
He replied calmly, "Because this is my house. I have lived here for many years."
The whole day passed in this way. But my mind remained restless.
That evening, while I was walking in the garden, I again heard a strange sound from the direction of the old temple that I had seen earlier in the jungle.
It seemed as if someone was whispering.
I stood there quietly, trying to listen carefully.
But after a few moments, everything became silent again.
I returned to the house feeling uneasy.
That night, when I went to sleep, I again heard footsteps in the corridor.
This time the sound came closer and stopped near my door.
I was very scared, but I did not dare to open the door.
After some time, the sound slowly moved away.
The next morning, I decided that I must find out the truth about the mysterious happenings in that house.That night I could not sleep properly. After some time I heard a strange sound again. It seemed as if someone was walking slowly in the corridor outside my room.
I became very frightened, but I remained silent and listened carefully.
After a while, the sound stopped near my door. My heart started beating very fast. I wanted to open the door and see who it was, but fear stopped me.
After a few minutes the footsteps moved away.
The next morning I told the old man about it.
He listened quietly and then said, "You should not be afraid. This house has been like this for many years."
His words did not comfort me. Instead, they made me even more curious.
During the day I tried to find out if there was anyone else living in the house or around it. But I could not find anyone.
The garden was silent and the jungle behind the house looked mysterious.
In the evening I again went near the broken temple that I had seen earlier. The place looked lonely and deserted.
I stood there for some time, trying to understand the strange feeling I was having.
Suddenly I heard a faint whispering sound again.
I looked around quickly, but I could not see anyone.
Feeling uneasy, I returned to the house.
That night I decided that I must discover the truth about the strange events in the house and the mysterious temple in the jungle.I woke up very early in the morning. The strange events of the previous night were still in my mind.
I decided that I would carefully observe everything in the house that day.
After some time, the old man came to me and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
I replied, "I am thinking about the strange things that are happening in this house."
The old man remained silent for a while and then said slowly, "Many people have tried to understand the mystery of this house, but very few have succeeded."
His words made me more curious.
During the day I walked around the house and the garden again. The place looked quiet and peaceful, but inside my mind there was a strange fear.
In the evening I again went near the broken temple behind the house.
As I stood there, I suddenly heard a sound as if someone was whispering nearby.
I looked around carefully, but I could not see anyone.
It felt as if someone was watching me from somewhere.
Feeling uneasy, I returned to the house.
That night, when I went to sleep, I again heard footsteps in the corridor.
This time the sound came very close to my room.
I held my breath and listened.
But after a few moments, the sound slowly faded away.
I realized that the mystery of the house was still unsolved, and I had to find the truth behind it.In the morning I woke up and went outside. I thought I should ask some people in the nearby market about the house.
After walking for some time, I reached a small shop. I asked the shopkeeper about the big house where I was staying.
The shopkeeper looked at me with surprise and said, "You are staying in that house?"
I said, "Yes."
He became serious and said, "Many people have tried to live in that house, but most of them could not stay there for long."
I asked, "Why?"
He replied, "People say that the house is haunted."
Hearing this made me very shocked.
I asked again, "But I have seen only an old man living there."
The shopkeeper said, "An old man? Are you sure?"
I nodded.
He then told me something that frightened me even more. He said that the owner of that house had died many years ago.
I was confused and scared.
If the owner had died long ago, then who was the old man with whom I had been living?
I returned to the house with many questions in my mind.
The whole place now seemed even more mysterious and frightening.
I realized that I had become part of a strange and dangerous mystery.