The Whimpering Women

The relative who died was just an acquaintance and the visit was just customary. The bereavement and crying siblings had an emotionally distressing effect on me. Why are people born if they have to die some day ? I guess there are larger Truth n the mysteries of life unknown to mankind.

As usual like every time I come from a dead relatives or friends house, I kept wondering how it would be when my time came, who will be there crying for me, will my sons who are abroad able to make it to my burial in time? Why should I have such depressing thoughts when my health is fine. Even the blood test I took today morning had a satisfactory result. The doctor was kind enough to compliment me on my health and how it was better than many of my peers who were on the other side of fifty.

It was already midnight when the news of death came and I was sure I wont be back home for another two or three hours. On the way back I decided to walk from the main road through the paddy field, it was a good decision to take the torch. He would have dropped me to my home if I insisted, but it was already too late and I had already given him enough trouble.
Th junction looked empty and no one would guess how this was a bustling centre a few hours back. The only street light on the road side was flickering and created a eery feeling to the centre.

The car sped away and the red back light vanished around the corner. All of a sudden I felt lonely, not scared, what should I be scared of. I knew the town like the back of my hands, I had spend a good deal of my adult life in these streets and wandering through these now closed shops. I crossed the road and entered the gully that lead to the paddy field. How could everyone sleep so silently, except fro the wind gushing through the trees and leaves everything else was so quiet.


The torch was new, a gift from my youngest son who went abroad recently. The light was strong enough not like the old red torch which was only good for its antiquity. The path that lead down to the paddy field was slippery , I had to be really careful to avoid a fall.

The paddy field looked really beautiful in the half moon lit sky. The rectangular paddy field were surrounded by tall and narrow earth embankments for stopping water seepage and acted as borders of property. As long as I remember these pathways were as narrow and full of weeds, it would have been like this from the very day they were formed.

Our ancient palatial home was a good 15 minutes walk from the main road and it took longer in the night because of the uncertainties involved. Five minutes down the path near the ancient temple and the banyan tree along it, I passed with little faster steps.
It’s just psychological I thought, how can people come up with such spooky stories based on places like these. I tried my best not to recollect the stories said about these places and kept walking. At first it sounded like the wind passing through a crack of wood, then it got louder and clearer.

Yes it was the sound of a weeping women, it was coming from right behind me. It felt like someone was standing at my arms length and weeping into my ears, getting louder by the second. It is true in these instances intuition and inhibitions overcome logic. The adrenaline started pumping and a odd feeling strated building up in my stomach, can it be true, is my mind making me feel this, who can be weeping at this time of the night in the deserted field.
The time was running short, I had to decide something, if I turn back and see something scary that will be my end, I will die of shock.

If I don’t turn I can stay away from what was waiting for me behind. I gathered myself and started running the weeping sound followed me and it was followed by an eery silence. The kind of silence that follows a loud bang or an uncertain noise. The weeping sound turned into whimpers followed b y timely sobs.I kept running for my life , the torch fell from my hand in the panic and all that was left was me, the moonlight and the creepy sound. I don’t know how long the sound followed me, but luckily I made it home through the darkness and horror.

I must have fainted and when I woke up everyone looked worried, the anxiety and fear was evident in their eyes. I couldn't’t gather the words, the mumbling and jabbering made little sense to people around me.In occasional bouts of consciousness I knew that I was bed ridden for a good whole week. The gossip mongers had the time of their life describing the incident in the minutest of details. One thing I didn’t do after that incident was to walk alone through the fields after midnight.

AN ATTEMPT ON FICTION, PLEASE COMMENT