They say if you are persistent in perusing something, you’ll eventually get it. Well, I have always been too curious about supernatural and paranormal incident. I always wondered why people don’t believe in ghosts, jinni, spirit, or in more general term supernatural or paranormal incident while most of them believe in religion and religious incidents happened thousands of years ago? There are mentions of Jinni and Satan in religions. Many people claim that they have seen a Ghost or at least heard or experienced something that felt like supernatural. Why can’t we believe paranormal incident if we can believe in so many other things that barely have any relation to reality? So, I turned myself in and started to do whatever it takes to see, feel or meet a ghost (spirit, jinni or alien – through ghost I mean anything not of our earthly experience). I started to participate in planchet, ancient cults, spells, religious recitation. Nothing worked. But my curiosity never seemed down. Well, curiosity didn’t kill this cat but taught a very good lesson.
I like to journey at night. It was winter vacation. My university was closed. So, I thought about giving a surprise visit to my pen pal Tuhin. He used to live in Kawra, a village in Shariatpur. I started at 8pm and reached Shariatpur at about 12am. The bus station was a very busy place. I asked a person for the way to Kawra. He suggested me to take a rickshaw to Jafura. From there it’s about a quarter kilometer walking distance. So, I did as I was told. The rickshaw puller had a lamp so we didn’t have any problem going down the village road. The rickshaw puller stopped at Jafura and said he can’t go any further. So, I hoped out paid and thanked him. I was a bit nervous about how to reach Tuhin’s home because of the darkness that was creeping all around me. It was so dark that my mobile phone’s flashlight could not clear up the fog even two feet. I asked if the puller knew where Rehman Mirja (Tuhin’s Grandpa)’s House was. The rickshaw puller said, “Go a quarter kilometer straight ahead and you’ll see a big house.” After saying this, the rickshaw puller turned in such a hurry and disappeared in the fog in moments.
I suddenly felt the weight of darkness on my shoulder. The place was totally unknown, and there wasn’t a sole around. On top of that, there was no moon in the sky. But I shrugged and muttered to myself – what can happen at worst? I can get killed – that’s it. I felt better instantly and started to walk. After about 2 minutes or so, I heard footstep behind. I looked back, raised my cell phone to see if anyone was there. The sound stopped. I kept on walking. Again after a minute or so I heard footstep again. I looked back and found nothing. So, I turned my head to the path, I saw my pen pal Tuhin, who sent me his picture a week ago. It was so sudden and so unexpected, that it shook my whole body with an eerie feeling. As I tried to get my breath back, he gently tapped me with his hand and said, “You came finally, and my hunches said you would.” I was shocked; but I was relieved to have him by my side. As it felt strange to see someone walking in dark at such period, I asked him, “Do you go out to walk at this deep in night?” He replied, “Not always, but I heard from a fellow villager that someone from city came and was asking about my house.”
The next few minutes were fun. We talked, laughed and shared a few recent news till we got to his home. It was a really big house. The generator wasn’t working. No electricity was available in that area. He told me everyone was asleep and took me directly to his house. He gave me some cookies, cakes and drinks. We ate and suddenly I felt so tired. I told him I felt sleepy. So he told me to sleep on the bed, and he would sleep in the other room. He took the lamp with him.
In the morning I wake up to find that I was sleeping on an abandoned and nearly ruined house’s veranda on a nearly ruined cot surrounded by curious villagers. I searched my accessories. My mobile phone was gone, my wallet, shoes and bag everything was gone. Thank God, I had my clothes on. I was not sad, because, the mobile phone, my bag and my wallet would hardly cost taka 4000 in total. It didn’t bother me. What bothered me is the thought of how a nice, elite person like Tuhin could fool me! I told them what happened last night and they said, “You might have come across a fraud.” I told them I knew the person, I have a picture of him in my pocket and I showed them the picture. They looked at it strangely and whispered something. Then one of them told me, “We’ll give you some money. You should be able to reach your university with the amount. By the way, did you drink or smoke last night?” I couldn’t understand why they would ask me something like that. I answered in no. The person replied, “The picture of the person you showed us used to live here about 15 or 20 years ago, until one day they took poison and committed suicide all together due to some unfortunate event. Poor old kid Tuhin! He was such a nice guy!”
I did whatever I could to explain it. But whatever conclusion I reached, seemed unrealistic. Tuhin and I were pen pals for 3 years, time to time he sent me books, music CDs and other gifts. I also sent him some books, but the gifts he used to send me always were more expensive than mine. My stolen accessories wouldn’t cost more than taka 2000 since those were used and stolen materials. So, it didn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense yet. I am still searching for an explanation. The only logical conclusion is that I hallucinated the whole thing! But I have no records of mental disorder. I understand that it is a very subjective experience and none will believe me. But it’s what I experienced, if not in reality, then at least in my imagination.