The eastern winds had grown stronger than usual by the time I came to my senses. I could see a big scratch on my left foot but I felt no pain. A loud groan escaped my mouth as I stood up. The winds were becoming stronger and soon a gale would arise. I walked slowly to find a shelter.
I could not remember what had knocked me down and when I tried to recollect my past I found that I could remember nothing- nothing at all, not even my parents. I had lost all my memories; I was gong mad.
My foot struck at a stone that protruded out from the landscape and that brought me back to my present. It was only then, after such a long time that I realized that I was in a graveyard. There were many filthy slabs that were into the ground and I noticed that I had struck at one of those slabs.
I walked hurriedly out of the place feeling agitated at the thought that a corpse was just under my foot. As I was walking, I could make out the outline of a person who was crouching in the dense darkness. At first I hesitated to approach the person but then a surge to have company drove me to the man. I saw that he was not looking at me and he seemed all right except that his attire was torn at a few places. I halted at my place and made a rustling noise by my feet.
The man turned his head.
“Who are you?”
I could not remember my name. I had been swept clean of all my memories.
“Thomson” I lied.
“What do you want?” he asked me.
“Uh- I- I want a companion” I said without thinking.
“I can’t accompany you. I am dead. See, here lays my dead body” he said. I strained my neck to see and then closed my eyes tightly and sped away from there. The man’s stomach had been cut open and there was no heart inside it!
I ran till my knees began shivering and that moment I fell down. My body was full of scratches, my cheeks were red and my hands and my fingers were unusually long. My legs were short but my foot was wide and I was bald.
I walked slowly as my knees were quaking. I was walking towards shelter; or so I thought. The trees were waving to and fro due to the gale and the voice of the winds and the rustle of the leaves were clearly audible. The muddy ground was covered by leaves and they made a kind of a carpet on the floor. I continued towards my destination. The graveyard was very big and I could not even see where it ended. A supernatural thing suddenly began pulling me towards it and I could not help but run at a very fast pace towards the source.
When I saw the banyan tree about which people said was haunted, I applied all my effort to stop myself. I was just slowing down when I realized that I had got back my memories. I had recollected the rumour which my sister had conveyed to me- Ah! My sister, I remembered her. Tears rolled down my eyes as I recollected my parents and all those who cared for me. I could remember the farmhouse where I had grown up and also my old grandpa who was very loving.
These things distracted me and I found that I was standing right in front of the banyan tree. My past memories flashed in my mind and I could now remember how I had indulged in a drunken gamble.
I looked down at the foot of the banyan tree and I saw a corpse that had unusally long hands and fingers, red cheeks, short legs and a wide foot. I gasped when I saw that his body was full of scratches.
The flashing memories indicated to me that the drunken opponent had deceived me and when I had rebelled; he had scratched me all over with his dagger. It told me what my last sight was- the hands of the criminal choking me. I was dead!
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