One little boy and three bad ghosts

Have you ever had that feeling while you were sleeping and you felt like you were falling? You are falling fast into a deep pit with no boundaries and no light. You are screaming for help but you can't even hear your own voice. You feel light. You feel helpless. And, just when you have given up all the struggle you fall hard and your head smashes with full force on the ground. This is about the time when you wake up. You check to see if your head is still in one piece. You look around and make sure everything is normal. In the end, you smile thinking that it was just a bad dream. I am sorry to tell you that you are wrong.

This is the story of a little boy called Olaf. Olaf was a lean, tall and strong boy of eight years. He worked in the farms with his Papa and two elder brothers. He had a little sister and an elder sister who stayed at the house with his Mamma. Olaf looked after the cattle and fed the chickens. He ran around the farm and helped his brothers with endless things. One evening, Olaf was returning home with his pet dog Jojo. Jojo loved to play with him. Olaf had a ball which he kept throwing so that Jojo could fetch it back to him. During their game, Olaf once threw the ball a long way. Jojo ran to fetch the ball. But, he did not return. Instead, Jojo started barking at something. Jojo was looking towards a big old Oak tree and barking. Olaf came to Jojo and looked around to see why he was barking. But he could not see anything. Jojo kept barking at the tree and did not move from his place.

Suddenly there was a big gush of wind and the Oak Tree started shaking menacingly. The little dog got scared badly and ran away back to the farm leaving little Olaf alone. An eerie sound was coming from inside the tree. Suddenly, three spirits emerged out of the tree and started to hover in circles over little Olaf's head. One of the spirits was wearing a bright red coat with big buttons. On its head, this spirit wore a big blue hat. The other spirit was completely white. The only thing Olaf was able to make out was its big head, small eyes, a little mouth and a big tail. The third spirit was a lady's spirit. She wore a black dress and a big black colored hat. Poor Olaf was scared to see all the ghosts and asked what they wanted of him.

The lady's spirit stopped circling around him and stood in front of him. The spirit was very tall and when she opened her mouth to speak Olaf could see her rotten golden colored teeth shining inside her big mouth. "Little boy, we are the spirits of this tree. You and your dog have disturbed our sleep. Now, you will have to pay up for it with your life", saying this she brought both her hands forward menacingly and took them to Olaf's neck to strangle and choke him to death. Olaf got really scared and screamed,"Spirit, I am really sorry. Please don't kill me. Tell me what I can do so you can spare my life?". The spirit laughed wickedly. It was as if she had been waiting to hear these words from the little boy.

"We have been caught on this tree since two hundred years, you will need to free us if you want us to spare your life." Olaf replied,"Tell me spirit, how can I do that?". The spirit smirked and replied, "You will need to find three other people who are ready to die and take our place on this tree. You have three days until the next full Moon to complete this task. If you fail to bring three people then we will come and take you with us." Saying this, the spirits started laughing and started circling around the little kid and finally disappeared again.

Little Olaf was scared and walked back home. He kept thinking where he would find three people who were ready to die for him. He was sad and was quiet during the dinner. His Mamma Jenny saw that her little boy was very quiet that day. After the dinner, Jenny called him aside and asked him what the matter was. Olaf never hid anything from his mother, so he told her the entire incident and how he had to find three people who were ready to die for him in three days time.

His Mamma listened to him and assured him,"Go to sleep, my little boy. Let me take care of this problem. Pretend nothing happened to you and do not tell about this incident to anyone else." Olaf promised his Mamma that he would keep this incident a secret and he would not tell his brothers, sisters or Father about this incident.

The next day Jenny got up early in the morning. She took a large Axe and headed straight to the tree Olaf had described to her. She took Jojo with her so that he could point out the right tree to her. Jojo accompanied her and as soon as they approached the tree he became scared and started whining with fear. So, Jenny told him to leave. Jojo ran back to the house. Jenny went straight to the Oak Tree and started chopping it with the large Axe. As soon as the first blow of the Axe landed on the Tree the spirits arose and let out an eerie cry. Any other person would have got scared and run away from the place. But, not Jenny. She was prepared to do anything to save her child. So, she kept chopping the Tree. The spirits of the Tree got very angry and attacked Jenny. Jenny was not scared and she kept chopping the Tree. Finally, the lady's Spirit requested her to stop. But, Jenny would not listen. So, the lady's spirit begged her,"Please don't chop this tree. If you cut this Tree we will never be freed from our curse. We would keep haunting people for eternity." Jenny stopped finally. She told her,"I'll stop. If you promise not to hurt my child." The lady's spirit told her that it was beyond her power to save the child. The deal Olaf had made to them was now approved by the Devil himself. So, Olaf had to keep his promise or else the Devil would come to take his soul.

Jenny asked her if there was no other way to save her child. So, the lady's spirit replied that if she agreed to take her place on the Tree then her child would be spared. Jenny agreed. The lady's spirit entered Jenny's body and Jenny's soul was now bound to the Tree. The lady's spirit was called Diana before she has become trapped in the Tree. Diana was very happy to get a new body after two hundred years. She headed to the farm to her new family.

Meanwhile, Jenny came to know about the other two spirits. One of the spirits was a French Naval Doctor called Abraham Petit. The other spirit was of an unborn child. The lady Diana was his wife. The Doctor had been hanged on the tree two hundred years back for murdering another man during a drunken brawl. Two days later his pregnant wife had hanged herself from the same tree. Jenny said that she was sorry for what had happened to them. Abraham told her that Diana had lied to her. She would kill Olaf and her husband on the full moon night so that he and his unborn child would also be freed from their curse. Jenny was very angry when she learned this. She tried to fly back to the farm. But, her spirit was caught in the branches of the tree. Invisible chains bound her to the Tree. She could not escape these chains. So, she wept for her child and husband.

When Diana returned home, Jojo saw her and immediately recognized that she was the evil spirit. But, when he saw the large Axe in her hand and saw that she was heading straight to him he realized that she was coming to kill him. So, he ran with top speed and disappeared. Diana was happy that no one could recognize her now. She prepared a great meal that night and came to know about everyone in the family. She waited for the full moon night two days later because her husband had been hanged on a full moon night. Their curse would be released only on the Full Moon night.

That night, when Olaf was sleeping he saw a dream. In the dream, he saw that he was standing in front of the Oak Tree. He saw his mother was trapped in the Tree and she was calling him for help. He climbed the tree to talk to his mother. His mother told him of what had happened to her and told him to go back. Suddenly, the other two spirits attacked him and he lost his balance and fell from the tree. As he fell he screamed. But, he could not hear his own voice. He fell with a big thud as his head smashed against the earth. The next instant, Olaf woke up from his dream. He turned around and saw that he was lying in his own bed. He went to his parent's room and saw that his mother was sleeping peacefully. He smiled thinking that it was just a bad dream. So, he went back to sleep.

The next day, Olaf was sad because he could not find Jojo anywhere. He searched for him everywhere. But, he could not find him. That night, Olaf saw the same dream again. This time he saw that Jojo was sitting near the tree. To his surprise, Jojo was speaking to him in human tongue. Jojo warned him that Diana had captured his mom's body deceitfully. He warned that tomorrow night she would kill him and his father. Before he could tell him any further. The other two spirits of the Tree attacked him and once again he fell down with full force from the tree and smashed his head. Once again, Olaf woke up in his bed drenched in his sweat. This time he was convinced that what he had seen was not a dream.

The next morning, he ran to the Oak Tree and saw Jojo sitting next to it. Jojo ran to him and licked him with great joy. Olaf understood that their lives were in danger. So, he called his mother's spirit for help. Jenny appeared from the Tree and told him,"My dear child. The wicked Diana will try to kill you and your father tonight. However, if you can find her grave and place a water lily on it before the night she and her family will be released from this curse. She will no longer trouble us and I will return to you. Go soon my child for we have very little time left."

Olaf ran back to his home. He went back to Diana and pretended that he did not the truth about her. After sometime Olaf noticed that Diana got up silently and started going out of the house. He followed her precariously keeping a good distance from her so that she could not see him following her. He saw that Diana went to an old abandoned French house. She disappeared in this house for some time. Olaf waited for her to return. After some time, he saw her coming out of the house wearing a blue hat and carrying a rattle. She was smiling and talking to herself. Suddenly, she burst into a loud laugh and started singing a lullaby in a hoarse voice. Olaf had never heard of this lullaby before. But, he was very scared seeing Diana singing the lullaby to herself. Olaf waited till she had gone out of sight. He then sneaked into the abandoned old house. As he walked into the house, the old wooden floor creaked beneath his feet and produced a blood-curdling sound. Olaf was scared. But, he had to save his parents. So he searched the house looking for some clues.

Olaf saw an old painting hanging on the wall of the bedroom. The painting showed Diana and her husband standing in front of their house. It seemed like their wedding painting. Diana was wearing a blue lily in her hair. Olaf searched the whole house but he could not find any clue where to find the grave. So, disappointed he came out of the house. As he opened the door, to his shock he found Diana standing outside. "Why you little brat, you thought you could sneak up on me," saying this she pounced on the little kid. Olaf ran back inside the house scared. He ran up to the first-floor bedroom and locked himself inside. Diana started banging the door violently. The scared child saw a window and an Oak Tree adjacent to it. So, he opened the glass window and climbed the nearest branch. Just then, Diana opened the door and burst into the room. When she saw Olaf climbing the Tree she went to the branch and shook it with full force. Olaf lost his balance and fell down.

As Olaf fell he remembered his dreams. But, he knew that now he was not dreaming and he was sure to die. So, he just gave up and closed his eyes. But, as he fell he landed straight into a pond. He swam to the top to see Water lilies growing all around him. He looked up to see Diana staring at him angrily and cursing. She disappeared from the window screaming loudly. He knew she was coming to get him. He jumped out of the pond and plucked a water lily. Olaf ran and turned behind to see Diana running behind him. As he ran, he heard the bell of an old church. He had never before come to this part of the village and did not know if any church existed there.

Olaf ran with all his energy towards the church. He was surprised to find the church abandoned. He wondered who had rung the church's bell. He suddenly heard his mother's voice,"The grave is in the church's backyard. Hurry my child." Olaf ran towards the door but he saw that Diana was blocking it. He ran towards her hoping he could slip below her. But, Diana flung her arm towards him to catch him. Just then, Jojo appeared out of nowhere and flung at her and bit her hand. She writhed in pain and started cursing loudly. She attacked Jojo and tried to throw him down. Meanwhile, little Olaf ran out and searched for the graves. In the backyard of the church, he saw a graveyard. He searched frantically for Diana's grave. He finally found her grave in a corner. Just then, Diana emerged out and ran towards him with great menace. Olaf placed the water lily on the grave. Just as he did this, he heard a loud scream from Diana,"No." She fell down and he saw a dark spirit leaving his mother's body.

He ran to his mother. Jojo came and licked her face. Soon, Jenny regained her consciousness. She was very happy to see that her son was alright. She said that Diana would never trouble her family again. The next day, Jenny accompanied her husband and burnt the Tree. A Pastor was called to offer prayers at the spot. Diana and her family were released from their curse and they were free to be reborn as humans again. As for Olaf, he now knew that if someone fell down in a dream it was a warning of a bad thing about to happen in real life.

The End

The Boat Psychology

My name is Rohit Bhalla. I am a Psychology student. During one of my classes, my professor Dr. Ashok Rai narrated a story to us.

There was once a very learned and wise monk. His name was Lei Wunk. He had mastered all the ancient philosophies and religious scriptures. He had studied under the highest philosophical Masters of the time in Tibet and India. He was traveling to the great city of Pushpa Aranya in India to spread his religious philosophies. To reach the city he had to get across the river Brahmaputra. He climbed onto a passenger boat. The wooden boat could carry a maximum of three passengers along with the boatsman.

The wooden boat was carrying another man and a child as well. On conversing with the man Lei Wunk came to know that the man was the heir to the throne of Pushpa Aranya. His name was Prince Vichitra Virya. The Prince had just completed his Gurukul education and was returning to Pushpa Aranya to be coronated as the next King.

Lei Wunk took a quick look at the child who was a slender looking eight-year-old boy with sunburnt dark skin and long disheveled hair. He was not so much curious about the identity of the child. So, he did not try to ask him his name or who he was. He, however, asked the boatsman's name and came to know that it was Shishupal.

Shisupal started rowing the boat to get across the Brahmaputra and reach the city of Pushpa Aranya. The boat journey was about two hours long. Shishupal thought that once he reached the city he would head to the Inn for having his lunch and take a short nap before making the return journey. Shishupal sang a local song to entertain his passengers. Lei Wunk was thinking about the great religious work he was about to do when he reached the city. Vichitra Virya was excited at the prospect of becoming the new King. While the little child was happy to see the river and enjoyed the journey listening to Shisupal's beautiful song.

Somewhere, in the middle of the journey, the weather changed suddenly. It started raining very heavily and the boat was being tossed in the raging river. Suddenly, there was a leak in the boat and water started filling inside the boat. The Prince and the Monk got worried that the boat would sink. However, the child remained calm. Shisupal said that he was an expert boatsman and he had faced similar situations before. He said that he could steer the boat to safety. But, there was a problem. He said that two of the passengers had to voluntarily jump off the boat so that he could maintain the balance of the boat. Only one passenger's life could be saved.

At this point, Dr. Ashok Rai stopped the story narration and turned to the class. "Who are the two people you think who should jump off this boat?".

My classmate Aarti lifted her hand. The professor gave her permission to speak and she answered,"Sir, I think the Prince and the Monk should jump off the boat. They should save the innocent child's life."

Next, my classmate, Alok answered,"Sir, I think the Monk's life is more important. Since he can save thousands of more lives by spreading the message of peace and love."

One of my other classmates Neha also answered,"Sir, I think the King's life is the most important. Since a great ruler could transform a whole Nation."

Our Professor appreciated all their answers. Finally, he turned to me and asked, "Rohit do you agree with any of them or do you have your own theory?".

I got up shyly and looked around me. Everyone seemed to have fixated their eyes on the last bencher. I adjusted my looking glasses and coughed slightly to clear my throat's dryness. I answered in a low tone,"Yes Sir, I have a theory of my own. Though, I am afraid it may not be correct."

"It's alright Rohit, go on please," the professor encouraged me. So I began,"Sir, I think that the boatsman was a liar. If he would have really been in this situation before there was no need for anyone to die. Lei Wunk was a wise person. The instant he got into the boat he noticed that the child was the boatsman's own son or kin. The way the child felt confident and self-assured in the presence of strangers made him feel that the boy was somehow related to the boatsman. So, he did not bother to ask the child about his identity when he got into the boat.
Shisupal perhaps was aware that the weather would be bad along the journey. His remark that he had been in this situation indicates that he had looted several of his passengers in the same manner. Most of the passengers would see the little child and out of pity would jump off into the river leaving their luggage in the boat. Some others that did not want to die would offer to pay him a handsome fee if he helped them to cross the river safely. So, it was a Win-Win situation for Shisupal.
Sensing the situation, Lei Wunk would have whispered the wicked plot of Shisupal to the Prince. The Prince angered by the boatsman's deceit would have threatened Shisupal to steer the boat to safety or face dire consequences. On reaching the city, Shisupal would be reprimanded for his crimes."

There was pin-drop silence in the class once I finished my narration. The Professor looked at me with admiration and remarked,"Great thinking Rohit," and started clapping. The whole class started clapping and applauded my theory.

The End

My first experience with the Paranormal entities

They say that the best way to believe in something is to experience it first hand. The shock that your senses experience when they visualize something extraordinary places a lasting impression on your mind. No matter how hard you try, the image keeps forming in front of your eyes. It does not let you sleep. It does not let you eat. It does not let you rest. It does not let you be what you were before this experience. Your whole life simply changes.

I have never believed in ghosts. I have seen so many Horror movies that have scared me to death. But, once I was outside the theater I knew that those movies were unreal and those ghosts were fake. I have been curious about ghosts, demons, and ghouls. But, after all these years I never once came across any conclusive evidence which could shake my beliefs. My friends tried to scare me by showing some YouTube videos of people caught on cameras doing weird things. I have seen videos of people talking to someone in an elevator when clearly there is no else with them at that time. I have read articles about haunted mansions and spooky towns. But, since I have never really seen any of these things with my own eyes I have never been able to ascertain the facts from the myths. But, all my beliefs were tested to the core when I visited the hill station of Shimla.

Shimla is a beautiful hill station located in the Northern part of India. It is the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh. Before India's Independence, it was the Summer Capital of the British. The cold climate of this hill station attracted the British to establish this city in the dense forests of the Himalayas. I had taken the Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to reach Kalka. The train journey was about four hours in duration. From Kalka, I took a connecting train to Shimla. Even though the car journey from Kalka to Shimla is about 90 kilometers and it takes around three hours. But, I preferred to make the longer trip of five and half hours by the famous Kalka Shimla toy train. The train took me through the famous and picturesque Kalka route. The narrow gauge rail line has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the steepest rise in altitude in a distance of 96 Kilometers. The Kalka-Shimla railways line has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for the Mountain Railways of India. I captured some amazing photos on the way and felt that I had taken the right decision to travel by train.

My train arrived at Shimla by late evening. It was around 9 pm and I was tired from my ten-hour long train journey. I had booked a hotel close to the Railway station. I took a cab from the station to reach my hotel. After completing the hotel room booking formalities I went to my room to freshen up. I changed my clothes and went to a restaurant just outside my hotel to have my dinner. After eating my favorite butter chicken and a couple of tandoori rotis I really felt heavy and sleepy. I paid for my dinner and hit straight to my hotel room. I went to sleep the instant I landed on my bed.

I woke up the next morning around 7 AM. I looked outside my room window. It was snowing outside. It was my first experience of seeing snow. I felt so happy. Experiencing snowfall had been a top item on my bucket list and I was finally going to cross it now. This was the main reason I had traveled to Shimla in this chilly month of January. I quickly took a bath and got ready to have my breakfast. I had a quick complimentary breakfast in my hotel restaurant. The snowfall had ceased by the time I had finished my breakfast. I learned from the waiter that it had been snowing all night.  I had booked a cab to show me around the city. I was worried if the snowfall would have caused roadblocks. But, the waiter informed me that the government snow clearing machines had cleared the snow from the roads. He said that the tourist income was a major source of the state revenue and the government ensured to keep adequate facilities to boost tourism. I tipped the waiter and went to the car parking outside the hotel.

My cab driver was waiting for me in the parking area smoking a cigarette and reading the Daily newspaper. He smiled as he saw me approaching his old white ambassador car which he had washed and cleaned for our trip. I smiled back and got in the car. I had just packed a small backpack with few snacks and a spare set of clothes. I had slung my Nikon DSLR camera on my neck. I wore my Rayban aviator goggles and my new Nike hat. I was wearing a black leather jacket and a red scarf. I was also wearing a muffler and heavy boots. I was looking every bit like a seasoned tourist now. My great Shimla adventure was just about to start.

My cab driver first took me to the Ridge. This is the most popular tourist destination of Shimla and located on the Mall road at the heart of the city. This beautiful place was brimming with tourists. There were cafes, bars, boutiques, shops, and restaurants everywhere to attract a large number of tourists. There were Pine, Himalayan Oaks, and Fir trees everywhere. I was mesmerized by the beautiful Gothic architecture. I was able to capture some amazing pictures at this location. I had a quick lunch in one of the restaurants. After my lunch, I bought a beautifully embroidered shawl for my mother.

I told my cab driver that I wanted to visit a calm place now which had a lesser number of people. So, my cab driver said that he would take me to Chail hill station which is located about 44 kilometers from Shimla. He said it was a summer retreat built by the Maharaja of Patiala during the British Raj. He said this hill station had the world's highest cricket ground and a Polo ground at an altitude of 2,250 meters. I was very excited by the description of this hill station and waited eagerly to reach there.

We reached the hill station after a drive of about one and a half hours. I was amazed by the breathtaking view of the valley. Since the weather was good my driver asked me if I wanted to do some hiking before we visited the nearby tourist places. I was super excited by the prospect of walking in the snow-covered jungle and told him I would love to go hiking. He asked me to stay on the walking trail and return in half an hour.

I started my walk along the beautiful valley trail. I could hear the chirping of the Himalayan Magpies and Thrushes perched on the tall oak trees. In the distance, I could hear the water flowing along the slopes of the hill. There was fresh snow on the trees and along the goat's trail. There was absolutely nowhere around and I felt a profound sense of calmness had descended on me. I was walking peacefully in solitude far away from all worries of the world all alone but not lonely. My heart was experiencing an inner joy which I had never experienced before. I kept capturing the beautiful landscape on my camera. I saw some deer grazing in a distance and walked in their direction to capture their pictures. I was able to capture some lovely photos. I had been walking for quite some time and had lost track of time. I looked at my watch and it had been almost two hours since I had started my hike. I thought of returning back. But, suddenly I looked around and realized that I had forgotten my way back.

I was now in a thick part of the jungle and it was almost 4 pm. It gets dark very early in the winters and the weather had also started to become cold. I checked my phone and there was no network. I tried hard to recollect the way back to the walking trail. But, I could not find it. I looked around for someone else and shouted for help. But, I could see no one else. I realized how foolish I had been in venturing so far without any proper equipment or a guide. I tried frantically to find a way back but I had to finally give up after a struggle of a couple of hours. I now thought realistically and thought that if I had to survive the night then I would have to find some shelter. The jungle was home to some wild animals like wolfs and leopards. And, there was also the danger of snowfall and dying off the cold. So, I started moving further in the jungle looking for a shelter or a place to spend the night. I was starting to feel hungry and exhausted. Luckily, I had brought my backpack and ate a few snacks and drank a little water to keep hydrated.

I kept walking in the jungle and it was almost pitch dark now. I was using my cellphone's torch to look around. I had almost given up hope when suddenly I saw the glow of a lamp at a distance. I hurriedly rushed in the direction of the light. When I reached closer, I found the light was coming out of the window of a small cottage. I knocked on the door but no one answered it. I crept inside from the window. I was surprised to see a well lit and nicely furnished cottage with no one inside. The light was coming out of candles and lamps inside the cottage. A wooden dining table was placed in the center of the cottage. The dining table had been laid with a variety of dishes, fruits, salads, meat, roast turkey and fine wines. I wondered who had laid out this magnificent candlelight dinner in the middle of the jungle.

Since it was getting very cold outside, I pushed the door and after some effort, it opened up. I quickly closed the door and sat on a chair beside the table. A fire was burning close to the chair and I put my hands over it to keep warm. After I had warmed myself, I began to feel hungry again. I really did not want to eat someone else's dinner. But, since I was feeling very hungry I thought that I would eat just a little food and explain to the people that I had lost my way. I thought that they would probably be understanding and helpful. I also thought that maybe they would also help me tomorrow morning to find my way back to the hilltop as well. I helped myself to the soup and the chicken. I sipped a little brandy to keep me warm. The meal was hot and delicious. I had been anticipating that someone would arrive at the cottage at any moment. But, surprisingly no one turned up.

I soon started feeling sleepy and decided to take some rest. My legs were stiff after the long trek. I lay down on a mat beside the door. I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep. I had been sleeping for a few hours when I was suddenly woken up by a loud guffaw in the middle of the night. I opened my eyes dreamily to see a young military officer and a lady having dinner. I woke up with an alarm. I thought that perhaps my hosts had been kind enough to sense that I had been sleeping and decided not to disturb me. So, I approached the young officer to thank him.

"I want to thank you so much for your kindness," saying this I stepped forward to thank the officer. The officer took no note of my presence. I turned to the lady and she too seemed to have ignored me. I felt that I must have really annoyed them by encroaching on their privacy. I felt very ashamed. "I am so sorry Sir, I should not have had your dinner without your permission. I should have waited for you. I had lost my way, Sir. And, was exhausted. My sincere apologies to you and the Lady," I apologized to my hosts. Still, the officer continued to guffaw and enjoy his meal. The lady laughed shyly. It seemed they were completely oblivious to my presence.

I sensed that something was wrong. It took me a moment to realize that the young officer was actually not an Indian military officer. He was a smart, lean, white man with black hair and wore a Khaki color uniform. Indian army officers wear green color uniforms. The lady was also not an Indian. She was a white girl and had black hair and was dressed in a beautiful white gown. She was wearing a big pink hat with plumes. The couple was talking in a British accent. They looked like husband and wife or lovers and they were totally in love with each other. I stood looking at them bewildered. I felt like I had breached a very private dinner party and my hosts were ignoring me to make me feel that I was an unwanted guest. So, I decided to try to apologize one last time to them and leave the place.

I approached the officer and kept my hand over his shoulder to seek his attention. I was shocked beyond words when my hand simply slipped through his body. It felt as though my hand had made contact with thin air. I was afraid and my whole body froze in sheer fright. The whole thing finally started making sense. It seemed like the British officer and the lady were actually some ghosts from the bygone British era. I had stumbled upon them my by chance when I had wandered into the jungle. My whole body started shivering with fright and I rushed to the door. I pushed the door open and ran out. It was cold outside but it was nothing compared to the chill that I had just experienced inside the cottage.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and after some time, I stumbled upon a small village. It was 4 AM in the morning. I went to a hut and banged on the door. A villager came out and looked at me curiously. I told him that I had lost my way and begged him to provide shelter to me till morning. The hut dweller was a kind-hearted man and he took me inside his hut. He woke up his wife and asked her to prepare tea for me. When I had settled down a little bit I told him about the strange experience I had in the jungle.

The villager and his wife stared at each other. The villager said,"Babuji (Sir in Hindi), You are very lucky. The good souls have provided shelter to you. The ghosts you saw were of a British officer William Higgins and his wife. Everyone in our village has seen them. It is said that the husband-wife had gone to the jungle on a Shikar (Hunt in Hindi). At night, when they were having dinner a gang of dacoits attacked them and shot them dead. From that night, their souls are haunting these jungles."

I was taken aback after hearing this story. All these years, I had thought of ghosts as fictitious characters created by fickle minded people. But, here I was in the middle of a ghost story myself. My whole life and how I viewed it had completely changed after this incident. I stopped visualizing ghosts as shown to us in the movies. I did not think of them as bloodthirsty ghouls or ferocious monsters anymore. They were not scary creatures who walked in a twisted way or were hell-bent on revenge. I rather see them now as wandering souls who are completely unaware that they are dead. They are waiting for someone to help them and free them from their pain.

After returning to Delhi, I decided to study the paranormal science and help the lost souls to find peace. My trip to Shimla had completely transformed me. This was the first account of my experience with the Paranormal entities. I have since encountered several such events during the course of my long career as a Paranormal consultant. I am writing a book on all these events and will be publishing it shortly.

The End

The Holocaust

My name is Tom Walters. I am a spaceman. At present, I am stationed in Planet Mars and taking history lessons from a robotic teacher in Titan. The history lessons are mandatory for each human after every ten years so that we always remember our origins.

In the three hundred years since the war on Earth, we have developed technology to travel our entire Solar system. We have mapped the entire Solar system on 4d maps. Our space crafts are built of special metal alloys and biofuels which have helped us achieve surreal speeds close to a ten thousand miles per second.

"It's the year 2017. People had close to perfect lives in several developed countries. Every house was connected by electricity, internet and gas lines. Almost every adult in the house had their own car. Everyone had their own laptops, smartphones, and tablets." our history teacher was giving us a lecture on the Holocaust and streaming videos on our space-top devices. The powerful Z-rays discovered about a hundred years back were transmitting the videos in Space almost in real time. She continued,"People were divided on economic basis using a concept called Money. People with money had complete control over the society. People wasted precious resources like food, water, and fuel on concepts like Parties, Recreation and showing off on Social Media." "That sucks," I muttered.

"Then the tragedy struck. The nuclear war that followed wiped out 97% of the world's population. A million species of birds, animals, and insects went extinct." She took a deliberate pause after her last sentence. She wanted the gravity of her last sentence to sink into our young minds. I was shocked to see the horrific pictures and videos she was streaming. "What a waste of life!," I thought to myself.

"It was a miracle that a few lucky people survived the Holocaust. A few nations had already anticipated that a disaster like this was imminent. So, they had secretly developed a few spacecraft and had already colonized Titan which is a moon of the Planet Saturn about ten years before the war."

Anastasia rose her hand eagerly. "Isn't Titan very cold compared to Earth? How did we manage to colonize this moon?".

"Very good question, Ana," remarked the teacher and proceeded to answer the question. "You see Ana when we first send out space probes to Titan we discovered several things which completely astonished us. To say that we colonized this place without any help would be untrue. When our space probes landed here we found an entire city built underground the moon already. There was water, plants, and houses built already. But, we could not find any sign of other life. It was as if someone had built the entire city for us already. All we had to do was to bring in the people to inhabit this place."

"Wow, that's unbelievable," gasped Ana. The teacher smiled back.

As the atomic clock struck 12 o'clock the class came to an end. The teacher said that she would teach us about the colonization of Titan in more detail tomorrow.

I switched off my space-top device. I looked out of my cabin window and saw the vast emptiness of space all around me. A few stars shined brightly in the distant sky. Looking at them I wondered if the nuclear war had proven to be good for mankind. How could we have achieved so many technological advances if we had stayed in a corrupt place like Earth? Although, I definitely felt sorry for the great loss of life. But, was it not their own doing in the end? Endless weaponization and wars. Some disaster like this was always on the cards. In fact, I was surprised to know how the intelligent media of that time had warned about such disasters repeatedly in so many books and movies. But, history tells that Mankind likes to repeat its mistakes.

I had now been alive for over two hundred years and had supplies for the next fifty years in my spacecraft. I had read that the mortality rate on Earth was very high and people died at a relatively young age. With our body implantation, conscious transfer, and tissue growing technologies, it was now possible to live technically forever. There was no known death of a human in the last two hundred years. Also, human reproduction through primitive biological means was totally redundant. The human embryos were frozen and were used to create test tube babies and clones when necessary. These clones were then sent on intergalactic missions and deep space probes.

There are a total of ten thousand humans alive today and we are spread throughout the Solar system. To think that there were close to 6.5 billion of us living on Earth alone completely blows my mind. I wonder how all those people might have lived on such a small land mass. No doubt, this mindless rubble simply destroyed their home planet.

I am curious though to learn more about the entities that helped the few of us to escape the holocaust and survive. Who are these people? Are they aliens? Are they Gods? I am determined to find these answers. I have vowed to continue my research and explore the Galaxy to get answers to all my questions.

The End

A Lion's tale

There was a conspicuous silence. All talks had died to hushed whispers. The leaves fluttered in the wind and the dried twigs snapped under the weight of the rushing animals. Even the big predators like the tigers and the leopards stepped aside and bowed their head. The big Elephants raised their trunks. The small rabbits scurried to a corner. The birds flew up and started circling around the pool. The monkeys climbed the nearby trees and dangled from its branches. The King of the jungle had arrived at the pool for a drink. The Lion King arrived at the pool accompanied with his pack. He majestically walked up to the pool. He took a drink followed by his pack. As he turned to leave, he gave out a loud roar to acknowledge his subjects who were patiently waiting for him to quench his thirst. As the Lion and his pack left the pool, the animals resumed drinking the water.

After the Lion had left the pool he turned to his male cub and asked him,"Little one, Why do you think the animals waited for us to finish drinking the water?". The male cub replied gingerly,"Because, you are their King and they are afraid of you." The Lion laughed and patted the little cub's head lovingly. "My dear child, you are both right and wrong." "How's that father?", asked the little cub curiously.

"You are right that the animals waited for to finish drinking as I am their King. But, you are wrong to think that they do so out of my fear." He continued,"My child, they Respect me. You can make people bow to you out of fear. But, you can never win their respect in that way. A good leader is one who loves his people and treats himself in the same way as any one else. He does not trouble his people and is always ready to defend his people like he would defend his own family."

"But, father we hunt these animals. Aren't these animals afraid of us?" the little cub asked the Lion King not satisfied with his father's reply. "Yes, child. We hunt the animals but only when we are hungry. Eating flesh is our nature. We can't go against it. But, we don't hunt for sport. We protect the animals in our territory from predators outside our jungle. My subjects know this and show me their gratitude by giving me the privilege to drink first from the pool."

The little cub was happy to hear his father's reply. He said,"Father, I am proud to be your son. One day, I too shall become a great King like you."

After the Lion had left, the animals began talking freely. The Rhino said to his brother,"Did you notice how much fat this Lion has become?". "Yes, brother. All he does is to sit full day while his pack hunts innocent animals." replied his brother.

The hyaenas gathered around and laughed wickedly. Let us follow this foolish pack and snatch their kill.

One of the Elephants trumpeted loudly and exclaimed,"Gosh, my trunk is hurting. Why do we have to salute this stupid Lion?" The elder Elephant replied,"Our salute keeps the Lion and his pack happy. They don't attack our calfs."

The leopard whispered to the tiger,"This Lion thinks he is some kind of noble animal and we bow to him because he is someone special. He does not even know that all these animals laugh behind his back." "Why do you think they do that? He seems like a nice chap." the tiger wondered.

"After he killed his own brother to claim the jungle's territory, all animals are afraid of him. He thinks he liberated us from his brother. He does not even know that his brother was far less cruel than his pack. His pack feeds on at least ten small animals every day. While his brother only used to hunt only one or two buffalos every day." the leopard explained to the tiger.

The wise eagle had overheard the conversation of the Lions as well as the other animals. The eagle thought,"The foolish Lion thinks that his subjects love him and respect him. But, the lion cub was right. They are just afraid of him. In the end, everyone cares only about themselves and thinks they are on the right side. But, others look only look at our faults."

The End

The Three Tests for the Golden Throne

King Dheeraj was the ruler of Shakthi kingdom. He had two sons with his Queen Shyama. The boys were twins. Their names were Vayu and Surya. When they grew up, the King decided to coronate one of his sons to be his successor. So, he summoned his wise ministers and sought their counsel.

The ministers were asked to discuss the matter and come up with the successor's name in one month's time. The wise ministers held a meeting and decided to come up with three tests to decide the next King.

Next day, both the Princes were summoned to the court. They were told that they would have to go through three tests. Whoever completed all the tasks would be coronated as the successor. Both, the Princes were happy with the opportunity and said that they were ready for the challenges.

Their first task was to climb the sacred mountain Kishore and bring back the blue lotus from the Mansi Pond at the top of the mountain. Prince Vayu was the stronger of the two Princes. He was a good mountaineer. He immediately made the preparations and started ascending the tall mountain to bring back the blue lotus.

Prince Surya was intelligent and had an analytical mind. He liked to think well before committing himself to any task. He thought that the mountain was very tall and it would take at least three to four days to climb it. Also, very few people had managed to come back alive from this dangerous quest. He had often stood at the foothills and seen few mystics climbing the mountain. He often wondered how those mystics were able to climb the mountain so easily.

So, he went to the old library and ordered the librarian to get him all the books on the Mountain Kishore. As he pondered over the books, he finally got what he was looking for. He got hold of a book called "The secret pathway to the Mount Kishore". When he finished reading the book, a smile crossed his face.

Prince Surya made his way through the secret pathway in the Mountain and was able to bring back the blue lotus all in two days time. Prince Vayu took four more days than his brother to return back. When he returned, his condition was bad and he needed one more week's rest to recover his full strength again.

Prince Surya was adjudged the winner of the first task. The ministers next announced the second task. There were two small kingdoms located in the Northern and the Southern borders of their kingdom. These kingdoms were very strategically placed and it was vital that they were conquered. So, the Princes were told to conquer these kingdoms. Whichever Prince conquered the kingdom with minimum casualties would be declared the winner.

Prince Vayu was assigned the task of conquering the Kingdom of Supradesha which was on the southern border of Shakthi kingdom. Prince Surya was assigned the task of conquering the Kingdom of Vijaya which was on the northern border of Shakthi kingdom.

Prince Vayu was desperate to win the second task. So, he pulled out the best infantry and the best cavalry units from the Kingdom's army. He handpicked the most fearsome fighters from the Kingdom and also took out the best siege weapons to help him in his battle. He marched with a strong army of twenty-five thousand men to conquer Supradesha.

Meanwhile, Prince Surya was again thinking hard to find an easier solution to his task. He studied the geography of Kingdom Vijaya thoroughly and also asked his ministers and spies to bring him any more information about this Kingdom. He learned that the main source of power Kingdom Vijaya was that they had four huge dragons to guard their kingdom. So, no Kingdom in the last hundred years had dared to cross paths with them. Apart, from the dragons, they had just a few thousand soldiers. So, once you took out the dragons the kingdom would fall in no time.

Prince Surya learned that the dragons loved to eat cows and goats which grazed on the borders of his kingdom. Many shepherds had reportedly complained to the King to check their menace. This was also one of the reasons why it was important to conquer this kingdom. Prince Surya came up with a plan to tackle the threat of the dragons.

He ordered the shepherds and farmers living near the borders to feed their cattle with grass after mixing it with a secret potion. The secret potion was actually a special type of sedative called Herba. The cattle were immune to this sedative. But, if a carnivore were to kill and devour the cattle, immediately Herba would be released in the form of a gas inside the body of the carnivore and would temporarily paralyze it. This drug was often used in hunting to capture the wild beasts.

The shepherds and farmers did as they were instructed. After about a week, a news came which Prince Surya was eagerly waiting for. Two of the dragons had ventured into their territory and carried a few cows. The dragons had reportedly been paralyzed after devouring the cattle. The soldiers who had been waiting for this to happen had already captured the dragons and bound them in huge chains and locked them in underground dungeons.

Prince Surya next sent an emissary to the Vijaya Kingdom. The emissary threatened the Vijaya Kingdom that if they did not surrender by that evening both their dragons would be slaughtered. The sudden disappearance of the two dragons had created a huge panic in Vijaya kingdom. Their King was weak hearted and did not dare to cross swords with a huge kingdom like Shakthi just with two dragons and a few thousand soldiers at his side. He immediately signed the surrender documents.

Prince Surya had managed to conquer a whole kingdom without shedding a single drop of blood on either side of the Kingdoms.

Meanwhile, Prince Vayu attacked the kingdom of Supradesha with his huge army. The kingdom of Supradesha was ruled by a princess called Shalini. She was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed during a hunting expedition. She was a strong lady and a fearsome military general. The kingdom of Supradesha was well fortified on all the four sides. The kingdom of Supradesha had only a force of six thousand men. But, what they lacked in numbers they compensated in their technology.

The princess Shalini had invited several travelers to her kingdom. Through them, she had learned the latest advances in weaponry. Shalini's armory boasted of a rocket division. No other kingdom, in the seven lands had heard or seen this weapon before. It was an ingenious weapon, the technology for which she had obtained from a Chinese traveler called Hiwen Twang.

When Prince Vayu led siege to the kingdom of Supradesha he had not expected much resistance. He was over-confident and arrogant. He thought his huge army would crush their opponents in no time. All these theories were put to the test when his whole army was found running helter and skelter in the wake of the rocket attack. The Rockets exploded and destroyed two of his infantry divisions and three of his cavalry divisions all within a span of one hour. Prince Vayu was left with no choice but to retreat.

When he returned, he learned of how Prince Surya had conquered Vijaya kingdom.  He immediately went and congratulated his brother. He told the ministers that there would be no need for a third task as he had admitted that his younger brother was more deserving to be the successor. The ministers and the King were happy with Prince Vayu for accepting his defeat gracefully.

The king summoned the Prince Surya and told him that even though his brother had accepted defeat from him. But, there was still the problem of the kingdom Supradesha which needed to be tackled at the earliest. He said that conquering this kingdom would be regarded as his final test which would earn him the right to sit on the Golden Throne of Shakthi kingdom.

Prince Surya bowed to his father and took his leave. He talked to his brother and learned that the enemy had used a new weapon on them. Prince Vayu's soldiers had managed to collect some rocket shells and showed these to him. Prince Surya was amazed after seeing the new weapon. From his spies, he learned that this weapon was gifted to the Princess of Supradesha by a Chinese traveler.

Prince Surya sent emissaries to the kingdom of China with many gifts and a message. The message said that if the Chinese would share their weapon technology with them, they would be given a dragon in return. Prince Surya very well knew that the Chinese were crazy about the dragons and they would never refuse this offer.

As expected, the Chinese transferred their rocket technology to him and sent three scientists to assist him in making new rockets for his armory. In return, Prince Surya kept his promise and gifted them with one of the captured dragons. He was happy that at least one dragon was now permanently taken care of.

When the rockets were ready, Prince Surya sent a messenger to Supradesha kingdom. The messenger told the Princess Shalini that the kingdom of Shakthi also had now learned to make rockets and there was no use in useless bloodshed. The formula for making the rocket with gunpowder was delivered as a proof. Princess Shalini was taken aback and stunned at the wisdom of the man who had outwitted her. She learned from the messenger that the architect of this great battle strategy was Prince Surya. The Princess returned the messenger with another message.

The messenger announced that the Princess Shalini had refused to surrender. She said that the people in her kingdom preferred to die rather than live as slaves. When Prince Surya heard this he was shocked. For the first time in his life, someone had not accepted his terms. Prince Surya was a wise person. He appreciated the valor of the young princess and this time he himself traveled to her kingdom in order to persuade her to join hands with his kingdom.

The Prince went to her and proposed to her so that both their kingdoms could live peacefully. The Princess accepted his proposal and they got married. On returning to his kingdom, the Prince was coronated as the next King and he was made to sit on the Golden Throne where he ruled as a just ruler to the end of his days.

The End

A Simple Classroom lesson

My name is Tom Combes. I was nine years old back then. I studied in a boarding school called St. Patrick's. I was in the third grade. It was prep time and we had to complete an exercise on Arithmetic. The Examiner was none other than the dreaded Physical Instruction teacher Mr. Hayes. Every boy in our school was afraid of him. Mr. Hayes was a short, stout and an arrogant person. He walked with an air of superiority and his cold glance could freeze the blood in any boy's veins.

The exam paper had twenty-five arithmetic problems which we were supposed to complete in two hours time. I began answering my paper deftly. Contrary to most boys of my age, I loved Maths. I quickly began solving the problems one after the other. At some point during the middle of the exam, I heard a whisper. I turned to my side to see another boy of my class Dawson calling out my name.

"Tom, Do you have a spare pen?" he whispered to me. "Yes," I answered in a low voice and handed him my spare pen. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we heard the loud explosive voice of Mr. Hayes from the corner of the room. He was pointing a finger at me and shouting at the top of his voice. "You there. Yes, you boy. Cheating in the exam. Come over here, will you?" he said in a threatening tone. Every boy in the class was staring at me.

"But, S-Sir, I was not cheating" I stuttered in fear. "Do you think I am a fool or a liar?". "I saw you with my own eyes taking notes from the other boy." Trembling with fear I made my way to the dais. Mr. Hayes snatched my answer sheet and scribbled something on it. He handed the answer sheet back to me and asked me to leave the exam hall at once.

"Caught cheating in the exam. Zero Marks". These were the words scribbled by Mr. Hayes on my answer sheet. I left the exam hall with a bowed head and clenching my answer sheet. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

Later that day, I was summoned to the Headmaster's room for punishment. Everyone knew what that meant. I would be caned for bad behavior. Trembling with fear, I made my way to the Headmaster's room. I knocked on the door. A voice barked from inside the room "Come in!".

I walked in slowly and stood in a corner. "Mr. Hayes caught cheating you in the exam today. What do you have to say for yourself?" the Headmaster asked me menacingly. I raised my head a little to glance at the angry face of the Headmaster and muttered "Headmaster Sir, I was not cheating. I was only trying to help Dawson."

"Are you implying that Mr. Hayes is a liar?". "He saw you cheating on the exam today. And, why would a good student like Dawson need your help?".

I was scared by the flurry of his questions. Also, I was a little taken aback by his last sentence. Dawson was indeed a very good student. I knew that there was no more point in arguing with the Headmaster. Since Mr. Hayes and the Headmaster had already decided that I was cheating. My fate had already been sealed.

The Headmaster asked me to kneel down and punished me with six cane strokes on my buttocks. Every cane stroke felt like a lightning bolt on my rear. Bruised and deeply insulted, I left the Headmaster's room. But, I did not cry. I decided I would not feel weak despite the injustice meted out to me.

I walked slowly back to my dorm room clenching my buttocks with both my hands. I could feel the deep bruises and cuts. A little blood had trickled through the cuts and dried leaving blue marks. It would take at the least three weeks to heal the wounds.

When I went back to the dormitory, I was surprised to find all the boys from my class there. They surrounded me and expressed their deepest sympathies. The boys knew that what had happened was wrong. Dawson came over to me and hugged me. He started crying and started saying that it was all his fault. He begged me to forgive him.

I consoled him and said that there was nothing to forgive. I hugged him and said that the grown-ups had not understood what we were doing.

That day, I learned two important lessons in life.
One, that life is not always fair.
Two, that children are not always at fault.

I am glad about whatever happened to me. It taught me a new perspective about life.

The End