A silent night

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It was pitch dark. A silent night it was, without any moonlight. A consistent breeze kept sweeping the leaves that fell from the Ashoka tree outside the house. A mild rasping sound they made, as the dried up leaves swirled with the wind. The dogs howled in a distance, an eerily similar sound of human wails, plaintive wails of the ghosts of tortured men. The path that led from the gate to the house was deserted with only the faint light from the small bulb in front of the house to give it a slight illumination. The yellow light gave the entire view an insidious look, one of decayed and horrific emptiness. The road beyond the gate was not visible. It was one large empty space of blackness. What horrors stood there my mind asked itself. It imagined up white clad enchanting looking ghosts with razor sharp teeth and anemic vengeful eyes looking for my blood. It conjured images of terrifying faces with coagulated blood and dripping tissue. I shuddered and looked around to make sure I was alone.

It was on a dark and silent night like this that I had finished off Kumari. Her eyes, as I took her pathetic life has been haunting me for days now. How easy it had been, just to strangle her with her own saree and then put her up on the beam of the house to make it a suicide. The entire village knew about our wretched life and there was no surprise when it was done. I had tried to make everything work, didn't I? But the woman would never come down and agree for anything no matter how much I was willing to try. I even suggested we could all live together, me her and Prema, but she wouldn't listen. She started off with that sassy mount of hers. I could't stand her nagging anymore. And the last straw was when she threatened to go to the women's police station. I was having enough trouble with the men's station and here this dirty bitch wanted to get me hooked under a women's police station. Prema was only too happy to get rid of her. I decided to end it once and for all. I had borne with her constant nagging and castigation's enough. And so on a night just like tonight I finished her off.

Ever since that night I have a sense of someone watching me all the time. I have this sensation of someone standing besides me always. In the nights when Prema was there it was alright but spending nights alone has become a torturous affair. The finger I had to chop off of her hand to keep the ring added to my misery. I had a faint feeling that Kumari was coming back for her finger. Tonight it was worse than usual. The night was quieter than ever and dogs were howling more than usual. Was it in welcome of Kumari's departed soul? The hairs of my hands and legs are on bristle. I can hear my heart beat thumping and the cursed dancing leaves seem to be some vicious portent of oncoming evil.
Inside the hut was even worse than outside. With the oil lamp on, the dancing shadows were sinister and without an oil lamp in the dark I couldn't help but feel Kumari lying next to me and asking for her finger back.

The gate creaked open. Was it the wind? Or was I imagining things? No it had creaked open. It couldn't be the wind. I had secured it last night with the bolt. The wind could not have opened a closed gate. I couldn't breathe. As the sweat trickled on my brow and back I heard a twig snap. A rustle among the dropped leaves. Was it anklets?  The jingling noise was unmistakably that of anklets. And they came towards me in measured and sure footed slow steps. Oh heavens, was this the end? It was a saree clad woman. I could make out her form as she got closer towards the house. Her form eerily inched closer and I could discern the features from the dim yellow light now falling on her form the veranda light. I froze.....

As Prema came closer my relief and joy knew no bounds. My anger rose but my relief overpowered it and I smiled at her, my smile must have been a big one for she had a questioning look on her face. She came and sat besides me.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night Prema?" I asked.

"Appan slept off in his drunken stupor and seeing the nice breezy night I couldn't sleep. I wanted to spend the night with you" she said avoiding his eyes and looking down in shyness.

He was thrilled at the thought of her presence that night. It had two reasons, one was carnal and the other was the relief of not having to live in fear until the morning came.

He smiled at her and chided her playfully for having sneaked upon him and scaring him like she had done. He lustily looked at her. She had an unusual glow today. Her white saree accentuated her beauty. The slight fragrance of the jasmine flowers in her hair wafted to his nostrils and the heady smell allured him. He looked at her longingly; with a renewed courage went alone to the gate, locked it and came back. He sat there gazing at her beauty and enjoying the night. How much of a change her presence brought about. A frightening night had suddenly blossomed into one of amazing beauty. He smiled to himself at the opportunities that lay before him on this night, a night that barely ten minutes ago was as frightening as death itself.

As he sat there the winds gently caressed his face and her saree playfully moved up and down revealing  her hips and bosom. He wanted her and was wondering if to take her in right away or enjoy the breeze a few more minutes.

As if reading his mind she stood up silently and walked into the house with a sly smile. He followed her and in the darkness made out her figure sitting on the string cot. He went up to her and sat down. He laid her down and slowly moved on top of her. As he held her hands he felt something amiss. Her left hand was missing a finger.

The villagers vouched that they heard nothing the previous night. Maybe it was the winds or maybe it was the magic of the Yakshi's they said.

Ponnan's body was found the next day pinned to the coconut tree outside his house. It had deep gashes and the blood had been drained - a pale blue corpse it was. One finger on the left hand was missing and the blue box in which Ponnan locked up all his worldly belongings was missing.