Haunting shadows of friendship

I got down at that small station from the narrow gauge train. I had boarded that train from Katwa. It was raining heavily , it was windy. The windows of the compartment were kept open so that the wind can blow through or otherwise the train might get toppled by the high velocity blast.The rain drenched wind was freely blowing through the compartment. I had come prepared with rain coat, but it was not a comfortable journey.

The gentleman sitting next to me also went on badgering me on all kinds of odd topics. "Do you believe in god?'" “Yes," i said. "Do you believe in ghost?'' " I really don't know.Some nights i get this strange feeling as though some one is there in my room,especially in weathers like this and open fields make me feel apprehensive.As though something bad is going to happen." That man sighed and said, " I was getting this strange eerie feeling so i started this conversation with you.I too believe in god and that nearness to HIM keeps me strong." He started chanting Gayatri Mantra. The dim light of the compartment with only two of us and the incessant rain , his talk about God and ghost started giving me goose pimples. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. He got the hint and did not disturb me any further.

 It was pitch dark and the rain was continuing,after getting down from the train i waited for sometime in the shed but there was no sign of rain getting eased. The small station had a tin shed as office cum booking counter. The diesel engine blew whistle and chugged out of the station,no other passenger had got down. I did not wait for the rain to stop, walked out of the station.

 There was only one solitary cycle rickshaw , i took that and directed him to take me to Bamun para. The road near the station was tar topped but after a while it was gravel road and quite slushy because of the rain. When i came to know that Ajit had come back from USA and was settled in his village house then i made this plan to visit him, at least i could escape from my routine mechanical life for a few days. We were out of touch for more than 30 years but then a mutual friend informed me about his coming back. 

When we were in college then i used to go to his village regularly to enjoy the village life away from the bustling crowd of Calcutta. I had informed him about my coming on that day, after finishing my official work at Katwa and took that narrow gauge train.

 There were no street light and added to that there was a load shedding, the houses by the side of the road were sparsely lighted by candles or hurricane lamps. After travelling for about 15 minutes I could locate his sprawling house easily , nothing much had changed in that village, some of the thatched roofed houses had become pucca , telephone and electrical poles along the roads were the new addition to usher in modernity. I got down near the gate , paid the rickshaw fellow. 

Ajit was standing with a lantern and umbrella . I could see his long shadow, he was not visible fully because of the rain and umbrella. He waived at me. I shuffled towards him in raincoat with my overnighter in hand.He was in kurta pajama, still his face was not visible. We walked fast towards the portico to avoid the splashing rain.It was double storied old patterned house with high ceiling. The drawing room or the baithak khana was in the ground floor with guest room , dinning room and kitchen. We entered the drawing room and then i could see him closely in the light of lantern as the load shedding was still continuing. I was amazed to see that he was still a strapping 30 years old as i had seen him last. Here i was more than 60 years of age with almost all hair fallen, pot bellied and there he was standing without the ravage of time. I was nonplused , he was giving me his usual mysterious smile. Without any talk he led me to the guest room, i was familiar with that room as i used to stay there whenever i was coming with him to this house.The rain was still continuing and there was no scope of electricity getting resumed, probably there was a fault.There were heavy lightning strikes, the atmosphere was charged and the old house gave me feeling of a haunted house. 

Ajit left the room quietly, there was a lantern near the bed. While removing the rain coat i started getting eerie feeling, the whole ambience was unnatural.There was no light, heavy rain and the most stunning thing was Ajit had not aged. I was also surprised that he had not spoken a word. There was sound of the falling rain and croaking of frogs. A thermo flask was kept on the table, with cups and saucers by its side.I poured myself a cup of hot tea and started analysing the situation logically. There i was in my friends palatial house where the only soul i met was my friend and who had not aged, looked like a 30 years old lad when he was actually more than 60 years of age.I knew that his wife died long back but then where were the servants? I started getting goose pimples. All sorts of queer ideas were running riot in my subconscious mind. Why did he leave me alone without even exchanging pleasantries? There was a surrealistic atmosphere all around.Was that really Ajit or his ghost.The age of a ghost of a known person depends on at what age one had seen him last.He was 30 years old when i last saw him and he looked the same now.I had this premonition that something bad had happened to Ajit, the destiny had brought me there to unravel some mystery.

As such i was quite tired after that arduous journey in that rickety narrow gauge train , that philosophical talk with that unknown gentleman in the train , the journey by the rickshaw in that heavy rain and on the top of that this shocker of non aging of Ajit made me feel dizzy.I lied down on the bed. The door was open, i found some shadows moving around.The lantern light had dimmed. I tried to get up but could not, as though i was riveted to the bed. Those faceless shadows started hovering around my bed.Suddenly all of them were looking like young Ajit, they all tried to pull me out of the bed.I tried to cringe to the bed. I could not fight against their combined force.I was bodily lifted from the bed. I got up with a start and found the room lighted. 

The power had resumed and an elderly man was holding my hand.Then i realized that i was having a nightmare and that gentleman holding my hand had woken me up. "Hey Samar get up my friend." "Who are you?" I stammered. "Me,Ajit yar." I looked closely at him and found my friend Ajit in him. He had put on weight and had grayed like me. "Sorry, i could not be there when you arrived. I had gone to the market with my servant. Then this heavy rain and power failure delayed my coming home.By that time you had arrived.I left tea for you in that flask. Oh, i see you have taken tea."

 "What about that young man who looked exactly like you when you were young? He received me, but did not utter a word.' 

"He is my son Parimal, yes he looks like me .His appearance has surprised many of my old friends. He looks like younger version of me. Unfortunately he is deaf and dumb. He is a good boy but a bit shy. You look shaken, what's wrong?" 

"Oh, that explains everything." I said guiltily. "Come, let us have some drink before the dinner, you look pretty shaken." Ajit said smilingly.

 I did not explain him the thoughts of my fertile mind under that extraordinary circumstances.I was still recovering from the shock.