It was long past sundown when the sun dipped into the horizon, casting an ominous and dark shadow on the small town of Kendrapara. The scent of blooming flowers filled the air as far-off drumbeats could be heard in the streets.
Ramesh, an Angul teacher from Odisha, had been driving for hours with a growling stomach. He had been invited to a school in Kendrapara district and was desperate to reach there. Turning at a corner, he saw a number of people gathered near a brightly lit building.
Assuming it was the school, Ramesh pulled over and got out of his car. A peon approached him, smiling warmly. "Sir, come and join the party. We have a marriage celebration tonight. You must be hungry, come and eat with us."
Ramesh gaped wide as he was accompanied to the building by the peon. The hall reeked of aromatic cuisine with laughter and discussions resounding within it. The loud rumble in Ramesh's stomach grew louder as he found his place at the table.
The food was amazing, and Ramesh relished every bite, finishing his meal with a glass of wine. The night passed into the darkness, but then he began to feel out of sorts. Something wasn't right.
It was only the next morning that Ramesh realized the horrific truth. He was stumbling out of the building when he was met by a sea of faces staring at him with a mixture of shock and horror.
One of the men approached him, shaking his head. "You're the one who was eating and drinking with us last night, aren't you?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Ramesh nodded, his mind struggling to grasp what was happening.
The man's eyes opened wide. "You were dining and drinking with the dead," he whispered. "This is a shamshaan ghat, a cremation ground. The people you were with last night were all dead bodies, and you were.you were."
Ramesh's eyes spread wide with the truth slowly dawning on him. He stepped back, lost in the horror that assailed his mind. Ramesh had been tricked into attending a fake marriage ceremony and eating and drinking with a dead person.
As he turned to run, he heard the sound of laughter, a cold, mirthless sound that seemed to come from all around him. Ramesh knew then that he would never be able to escape the horror of that night.
By Pabitra Behera
© Pabitra Behera
© India
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