Peepal
Mamuni tugged at her mom’s saree, “Let’s go home ma! I want to go home!”
She and her mother were at Kinshuk kaku’s (uncle) house for a house-warming ceremony. They arrived bearing fruits and sweets for the new house and its loud inhabitants, who she was not very fond of.
It had been over 5 hours and it was starting to get dark and windy outside.
It looked like it was going to rain.
They didn’t live very far away. So they had walked to Kinshuk kaku’s house. But they’d had to cross the peepal tree near the clubhouse, which according to Mamuni (and her gang of 7 year olds), was haunted by Ontu.
…
Mamuni and Ontu’s family were neighbors. Ontu’s came from a well to do family.
But in the past few years, Ontu’s parents died, his sister was widowed, and his wife left him. The series of misfortunes drove Ontu to lose his mind, quite literally. He would loiter around the town in tattered clothes babbling to himself and screaming at passers-by.
Townfolks knew the family well. So on most days, they would give him a ride and drop him home. Sometimes, they’d pack him food, clothes, sweets and tell him to share with his sister. Nobody knew what he did with the donations. They imagined he just gave it to his sister back home.
His sister soon remarried and left Ontu all by himself. That’s when things started to get worse. Ontu would now roam around the streets bare chested, sometimes even naked. Some neighbours tried to lock him in but he would escape often and go missing for days.
One day they found him hanging from the Peepal tree in front of the clubhouse. Mamuni never saw the body but gossiping aunties were enough to set the image in her brain. They said Ontu had performed some black magic that went awfully wrong. That’s why the whole family was cursed.
Mamuni didn’t know what black magic was but she guessed it was not something she would ever like to try.
…
When Mamuni and her mother set off from Kinshuk kaku’s house, it was 9 PM.
It started to drizzle.
“Maa let’s call a riksha, I don’t want to walk…my legs hurt!”
“It’s only a few minutes away, if we walk fast we’ll be home in no time. And we have the umbrella too. Come on, now,” Mamuni’s mother urged her.
Mamuni started to walk faster to keep pace with her mother and stay under the umbrella. In a few minutes, they were crossing the road that led to the clubhouse.
It had started to rain properly by then. Heavy winds were wrecking the umbrella.
“Hurry up, Mamuni! I think this is a storm. We need to get home quick.”
It was cold and wet. The streets were getting colder and wetter. As soon as they entered the clubhouse road, a huge boom shattered Mamuni’s ears like thunder.
“Aaaaaaaah!” she screamed.
A nearby transformer had burst into flames. The whole colony’s power went off.
“It’s nothing, baby. It’s just an electric pole. Nothing to be scared of,” Mamuni’s mom clutched her as she blinked back the rain and wind.
The two scurried ahead in the brewing storm.
As they approached the clubhouse, Mamuni thought she saw someone hanging from the Peepal tree.
She froze.
“What happened? Mamuni? Let’s go come on! This is going to get worse. Do you want to be stuck in the storm?,” her mother tugged at her urgently.
“Ma, look!” Mamuni said pointing at the tree.
There it was— neck broken, hanging by a branch, swaying vigorously in the strong winds.
Mamuni’s mother stopped for a moment. The umbrella slipped from her hand and took off in the opposite direction.
It was pouring now.
She tucked her saree up in her waist, lifted Mamuni up and said,
“Close your eyes, baby. We’re going to run now. Just hang on to me.”
And she started to sprint.
Mamuni held on to her mother for dear life. As they approached the tree, she shut her eyes tight and clutched her harder.
Her mother was screaming.
“Shanti! Shanti! Open the gate. Open the gate now! Open it!”
They were just a house away from theirs.
She saw her aunt come running with an oil lamp and an umbrella at the gate but her mother didn’t stop there.
She stumbled onto the verandah panting and let go off Mamuni only when she was sure they were in the boundaries of the house.
“Didi! What happened? Why did you walk? Why didn’t you call a riksha, oh my god, you both look like you saw a ghost.” Shanti mashi looked concerned and puzzled.
Mamuni’s mother didn’t say anything.
…
While Mamuni’s mother was running with her in her arms, she remembered what her baba (father) had told her.
“Whenever you feel you see something unnatural and it makes you scared — stare at it. Challenge your fear. You have more power in you than you know.”
So with all her 7-yo-might, she opened her eyes mid sprint. They had just crossed the peepal tree with Ontu’s hanging body.
It was still swaying in the wind.
She was horrified to see the body sway, the broken neck hit the trunk again, and again, and again.
But she kept staring at it.
As they moved away from the tree, she saw nothing but a piece of cloth — probably a pant or a saree hanging from the branch. It was so clear now.
She stared at the hanging piece of cloth until they stumbled home.
