I was about 15 years old, when I was attaining to one of my younger Uncle’s marriage, in a remote district of West Bengal. His marriage was held at a nearby friend’s bungalow which was about a mile or two deep into the woods. I used to often visit his house on my summer vacations, and enjoy time in the village side. The simplicity of life, the breath of fresh air, the clear sky sometimes gives you a welcome break that one needs from a busy urban life.
This time around I was visiting for the sole purpose of marriage, and was staying at my Uncle’s house. On the night of marriage, I accompanied my parents to the ceremony house and was predetermined to spend the entire night witnessing the marriage rituals. While the night grew older, the only thing that I was succumbing into was sleep. That’t it, the marriage was over for me, and I decided that I must return back to my Uncle’s house and spend the rest of the night sleeping. Unfortunately the house was in the woods, so I couldn’t just leave without my parent’s permission, so after a while of persuasion they agreed and allowed me to leave.
The wood was inhabited by foxes, so I decided to carry a stick. Thus a torch and a stick was all that I had to help me get through the woods. While I was walking, I suddenly heard a voice call me, “Shon na!!” (Listen to me) I looked back, but to my surprise no one was there. I kept on moving for a while, until I heard the voice again. This time, it was coming from right behind me and a voice that resembled my mother’s. It called, “Kire, dakchi toh shunbi na?” (I am calling you, won’t you listen to me?) I felt a chill down the spine, and had goosebumps all over me. I decided not to look back and wait for it to come closer to me, because I hoped that if it was my mother, she would physically pull me back to make me listen to her call. I waited, but nothing touched me, while the call of my mother was distinct and up close. My trembling feet could barely move. I was turning numb by the minute, and only thought that came to me, was I had to run. I threw the stick and the torch, and literally started sprinting right through the woods, and only stopped when I reached my Uncle’s house.
On reaching the house, I opened the door, lit up all the lights, and waited for my parents to return. In my wait, I had dozed off, to be only woken up by my mother. The first thing I did was to ask her if she had called me when I was walking in the woods the night before. She laughed at me and said, “Ami toh biye te chilam, maajh raate jongole ki korbo!” (I was in the marriage ceremony , why will I be in the woods, that too in the middle of the night?) I looked at her in a pale face, and kept silent about the previous night’s incident.
Since that night, I have never visited my Uncle’s House again, and have always insisted them of coming to my house instead. Till date, when I recall the incident, I cannot reason with it, and force myself to believe that I was wrong, only to be gently reminded by my conscience that it was your mother’s voice