A Distant Memory...

As kids we all have our own lot of bhoot-pret anecdotes, thanks to the earnest enthusiasm of our Grannies and Great Grannies...and they indeed are a success at continuing the legacy of the supernatural.While this creates a base in our unripe minds of a dark and sinister world that cannot be helped or handled, and may end up creating foolish ninnies out of us who shake at the trivialest noise..I am not going to pass a judgement on them.These certainly create a action packed childhood.The story I am going to recount is of nobody's doing but my own mind's.

Dad, being in the Indian Army had to keep moving from one place to other: and without doubt our family followed suit.That's how I got to see a lot of different places and found myself in a new and strange school every two years.This was at the time when I was a student of class 1...way back in 1992(?).In a place called Bareily(UP), we were posted.The school there was a quaint red brick building.There was a senior part of the school(called 'bada school') and ours was the primary part (called 'chota school').There was a drain(nala) with a rickty plank that served as a bridge(atleast that is what we used to call it).Now when I think about it, it was just a laughing matter. But, for me as a small child my entire attention was rivetted to the time when I was to cross that precarious bridge again.I was sure it will be the end of me one day.It was constantly creaking under the rapid pressure of a rowdy bunch of students trying to overrun each other at chutti time.Once when I somehow managed to find myself in the middle of such a surmounting confusion on that plank, I thought my end was near...my face was wet with tears and I was wailing.But, as fate would have it, I was rescued.The incident kept me shaken for the rest of my days in that school and I always left school in the very end.Now, reader this was just a digression beofre I launched into the real tale.

My classroom was more dark than I can remember.The walls were cold and moist and very rough.I have no memory of my classmates save that I know they were a bunch of snooty girls and indifferent boys.I never managed to fit in with them.There was ,however, an exception.I had two friends,two boys. I cannot recall their names.We were forever getting out of class and roaming about, running through the building and discovering new places-the scarier the better.There was a room with the heighest ceiling ever.It was a store room with glass doors, and the furniture inside was broken piled one top of other till one could hardly see the ceiling.A lone ray of sunlight had somehow found its way in that room, and there was a dazzling halo coming from behind the wasted pile.It was magical, and the three had always loitered around the room, never daring to stand near the door(you see, the door could suck you in). The room was particularly interesting because there were the remains of crows n other bones and a pigeon nest.

My friends told me that many a students had been murdered in that chamber.It was a punishment room, in which you were locked for the night, and in the morning only the body remained. The same happened to the crows and other animals.Whosoever entered, never returned.It chilled me to my bones.One of them even managed to impress upon me that the furniture pile resembles a demon with many hands.It came alive at night.The only way to keep it from killing us was to feed it with fruits.Since that day the precious contents of my lunch went to that damned door.We even picked up berries(shatoot) and deposited it at the door to quench the demon's fury.Then we felt the wall on either side of the door and shook our heads at each other...'it was eating'.

One day miraculously the door opened.Probably some cleaning business.But, to us the demon was out.Whenever someone whispered I thought it was about the only thing I could think of.My friends suggested that one of us should go in and try to tell the demon not to harm us.But, none of us could muster up such courage.It was then that one of them made the rule that all of us have to do either of the two.Go to the demon, or go in the toilet.Now, I have comfortably forgotten to recount the terror of the toilet.It was the darkest place on earth and emitted the strangest sounds.No one in the right frame of mind would attempt to go there.We had seen some bigger students go in and come out in one piece.But then it was well known that whatever was inside harmed only the small children.

So that was that.A choice had to be made.We unanimously selected the toilet.Something that we still hadn't seen was preferred to the immediate dilemma facing us.It was break time.We held each others hands and looked self-important as well as scared to shit.Step by step, heart to heart ,left right left we all walk down, like scared 5 yr olds.Once inside the huge room, we could not see a thing..it was pitch dark.This is an extreamly unpleasant feeling...as you were groping in the darkness for something solid...and there are a thousand things out there to get you, maybe just behind you, or on your left or your right..and gosh! you couldnot see them.I could hear the shallow breathing...who was it???coz I know none of us had air left in our lungs.Still I had to keep my curiosity to myself as I didnot dare to make a sound.Suddenly, I was all alone...we had left each others' hand.Gradually my sight seemed to return and what I saw did not make me any happier.The compartmentalised toilet rooms were vacant...nothing human or otherwise...With a lot of courage I look above.I shouldn't have.

The ceiling was higher than anything known to me...like a huge dark sky coming down on me...the cobwebs halfway down were gloomy...sunlight came weakly through the dust encrusted(probabaly a century worth of dust) window panes.The air hung solid and there was a sickly greenish feel everywhere.As I gazed ahead I saw a half wall at a great distance and something was peering at me.It was a long face very long and strange...with big eyes and no nose and huge teeth.It had horns and was looking at me steadily.There was sounds of shuffling and the strangest possible noise.I was fixed and rooted...the gaze of the monster intensified and I felt as though it was nearing...that face.The taps were gurgling and sudden jerky noises of blocked water made me jump everytime.I could not speak and thought that I had lost speech.All I could hear was a swish..faint at first and then quite vigourous.Everything was turning white, strange white, I felt like my feet were liquid and I was falling down.There was no room left for thoughts now.

When I opened my eyes next, both my friends were looking at me and there was the groundsman.It would not have been very long.But, my nerves seemed to be shaken pretty badly.My friends were smiling and said we had successfully killed the demon and pointed somewhere.I found that the doors of the store room were open..n all the furniture was lying out in the verandah.I was too weak to respond.The groundsman was trying to make me drink some water, and seemed highly irritated that we were consuming his time unnecessarily.I stood up with some effort.It was already post break.So I joined the class.After the school got over I hurried back without stopping to talk to the two of them.Actually. I never ever spoke to them again...and if they tried to talk I ran away.

P.S:Later I found out that there was a stable on the other half of the primary toilet and horses were kept.Now, that didnot alleviate my fears.