It has been years, since I had slept alone in a room. Being a family man that does not come as a surprise, does it?

A man’s dream of listening to podcasts, watching his favorite movies on Netflix, or, even texting his friends till late night, all comes to a grinding halt after marriage. As one develops from an overgrown kid to a matured man (usually after marriage), but, every now and then, he still feels to be left out all alone by himself. For that matter, even a locked restroom would suffice (an extended stay would be a bliss). You can’t blame him. It is like a magnet where opposite forces attract. It’s nature’s law.

That brings the story to my situation. I was a total opposite. I didn’t like to be alone. That doesn’t mean that I was a born mature. I had my boundaries and real thick ones.

It was during those days, I used to watch some real scary movies. The thrill of watching scary movies and then cuddling in a corner of the bed was just a crazy thought. But, tell me how many of us had gone through these experiences? But, I took it to the next level.

When my parents noticed my fear of ghosts, their instant thought was that I was Phasmophobic. They consulted their friends for help. But, the fear never really went away.

When I said, I took it a step further, I had meant to say that I used to fascinate by saying that the shadows of the night wants to whisper something to me. I mean, someone in the shadows wanted to communicate with me. For some reason, I believed that I was their only mortal help, if at all they needed help, that is.

Well, if my parents knew about this (sadly which I never ever told them in the fear to lose their credibility) they would be forced to believe that a psychiatrist is all the help that I would require.

But, this was during my hay days, and to my disappointment I seemed to lose the favorism of my unseen characters. Thinking and limiting to the thought that I was growing up, I left that fascination fade away.

Coming to the present day, I’ve had a recent bout of flu, which gave me a heavy headache and a fever. Also, the situation was bleak with so many variants of Covid 19 spreading rumors and news alike. Fearing that it was Covid, I isolated myself away from my family and spent my days in another room.

The fever subsided in a couple of days and I regained full health (Glad it wasn’t Corona). Yet, I did not want to risk my family to catch an unwanted cold, and decided to stay another day in my room.

That night I retired early. But, the sleep was not an easy thing to come. Fever had put me to sleep the last two days. So, I forced myself with some random thoughts hoping that it might soon pull me to sleep. Somehow these thoughts connected to the shadows that used to whisper to me. I became nervous.

My mind began to wander the room. There was a faint rustling and brushing noise attracting my attention every 10-12 seconds. I feared that it was a rodent. But rodents are neither disciplined beings nor mechanical to make a sound at such a constant pace.

I just strained my eyes towards the direction of the noise. To my horror, I saw it. It was a shadow, and moving frantically in the low summer breeze. It was the shadow of the polythene bag that was hung outside (and, which I had totally forgotten) to scare rogue birds.

I was relieved and then, sleep overtook me. Then, I had a dream where I found myself travelling in a car with an unknown man, wearing a long coat and a top hat. To know this man, I went to have a closer look and he seemed to spring upon me with his hands. As I was struggling I could smell the foul stench of the man breathing beneath my neck.

As I opened my eyes, I was sleeping with both my hands stretched over me like a baby and my tee shirt lifted chest high revealing my belly and the chords of my trousers. I was sweating all over. I walked up to the other room and picked up a prayer book and placed it underneath my pillow. If at all I had to sleep tonight, then, this was how.

I woke up late in the morning. I walked straight to my balcony to see the polythene fluttering harmlessly. I had to smile. Perhaps there are no shadows, maybe they never were present to whisper.

Once again, I was sorry to let them go. I know, I cannot help them and if at all they needed help then it can be the Almighty, the only answer. Well, it is not a Prophesy. But, a fact. A fact which we all learnt to believe when we pray for them by saying, ‘Rest In Peace’.