The Hungry Ghost

It was a silly bet. But then, what do you do when your friends dare you? One just can’t compromise on Courage and Bravery, especially to an all-boys group, more so when one belongs to this teenage gang. So Avatar accepted it. On the face of it, it was a simple dare. The Dutch Cemetery, just off the beach at Fort Kochi, was the venue. Avatar was to spend a whole night there. In return, his friends will buy him Kachoris and Samosas, with a cuttings Chai from Shantilal (the Shop opposite Gujarathi School at Mattancherry) for a whole year.

The dare took shape when the boys realised that Avatar’s feet left no sweat marks on a red oxide floor where he stood bare foot, while all other boys left a clear impression. That was when the boys realised that Avatar’s feet and his socks did not smell either, while theirs did. One of the boys propounded the theory that such boys, when they grow up, become leaders with great courage. This split the group into believers and practitioners. The practitioners of course wanted proof. Avatar did not have any choice in this matter. He had no idea how he got suckered into this silly bet, but there he was around 10 PM near the cemetery. He had a dried grass spread and a pillow, along with a blanket under his arm. Three of the boys were waiting for him, to see if he will really do it.

Avatar said his hellos and then walked into the Cemetery. There is this one grave with a large tombstone. This one had a hand carved into it. The bet was to lie down next to this grave

The night was warm and balmy. Stars were shining. Not a speck of cloud to be seen. The Arabian Sea was growling in the distance. The crickets were stridulating their melody. Suddenly, Avatar felt apprehensive. He had not felt anxious so far, but out of nowhere his heart started beating faster. He had no control over his hands when they started trembling. A shiver went up his spine. He looked around, and slowly walked towards the grave. He unfolded his dried grass mat, and sat on it. Then he looked around again. In the distance he could hear the fishermen call out to each other. He laid down, covered himself with the blanket, for the breeze brought a shiver in his body.

He did not know what time it was. But a shapeless thing stood before him. It was ethereal to behold such a being. That thing introduced itself. The accent was British (strange, for the cemetery was a Dutch cemetery). “I am the Ghost of this area. What are you doing here?”

Avatar: “Oh! I have never seen a Ghost. Glad to meet you.” Then he remembered Ms. Rukmini who taught English. So he added: “How do you do?”

The Ghost: “I am hungry!”

A: “What a strange response! I was taught that one responds: I am fine thank you! How do you do?”

G: “I am Hungry. I eat only Useless Souls.”

A: “Go find some. I want to sleep. I am so sleepy. Yawn!”

G:”Are you not afraid of me?”

A: “Hey! What do you mean Useless Souls?”

G: “Yes, Useless Souls.”

A: “How so?”

G: “Well. All humans are born with a purpose in their life. The Useless ones fall under the following 4 categories:

1.)   The Ones who work on it for some time and give up because of various issues, and never ever pick up from where they left off.

2.)   The Ones who find out and create a plan but do not act to achieve it, citing one reason or other.

3.)   The Ones who, after finding out their purpose, don’t do anything to plan to achieve it, and, finally,

4.)   The Ones who make no attempt to find out what their purpose is.

This is in my preference of taste. The tastiest ones fall under the first category. If I eat several such useless souls, I will be liberated from this world, and I can then be reborn to give another shot at my purpose in life.”

A: “Ok. Go find someone to eat. I am sleepy. Also, I have a goal in life. I am going to build the first Flying Saucer in the World. Now go!”

The Ghost was angry. Its eyes started to glow. And before Avatar knew it, he was struck by a beam of fire. Oh! The heat!

He woke up to find that the sun had risen. The sun rays were falling on his face, causing the heat. He was in his bed room, in the present. Blast! Another dream!

Then he remembered. He did give up his dream to build the first Flying Saucer; for that dream was a teenage fantasy. There were other dreams that he did identify and achieve.

Silently, he thanked The Wise Old Man.

What do you make of the story? ||| 1.) What does the Cemetery represent for you? 2.)   What does the Ghost represent for you? ||| 3.)   For you, what does “The Wise Old Man” represent? ||| 4.) What is the Flying Saucer that you dream of building? ||| 5.) What ray of sunlight wakes you up from your slumber? ||| 6.)   Other questions?

As always, it is your comments that bring these stories alive. Share your comments. Your perspectives give meaning to the story, and your interpretation helps others clarify their own thoughts.