“GHOST” STORY

Vikram was an intelligent young lad who had come to Bombay to complete his Medical Course. He was an easy going guy and had made quite a lot of friends too. He stayed in the College Hostel. Vikram had a very fit and sexy body and was very handsome. When Vikram smiled at someone, they were sure to catch the smile and get their moods elevated.. such was his exquisite charm… and to speak of gals..hmmm.. needless to say, as Jasmine put it.. “one smile from Vicky (as they called him) for me and my day is done.”

Always cheerful, always helpful, and reliable, Vikram had but one little flaw, if at all it were to be called a flaw for a young handsome college lad… and that was.. he simply boasted a lot about his courage and strength. Vikram loved to tell everyone that he was afraid of nothing. He was strong and well built alright, and yet it was a bit irritating for some to hear Vikram brag about his strength quite too often but, however, nobody said anything to him verbally so, for they liked him for all his other virtues.

One fine day within the college premises, there was a lot of “hush hush talk,” some gossip spreading around like fire.. amidst scared looks, and unblinking wide open eyes showing fear in them …

In one place, many students had gathered together discussing on the same topic “seriously.” Vikram who had been out somewhere entered the group now, observed the “question mark faces with scared looks,” felt something was wrong and inquired.

Vicky: Howdy guys, Wassup??? you all look as if you saw a ghost or something?..haha.. Come on.. tell me.. what is it??..

Jasmine: Sit here Vicky, you may not be FAR from being right about your guess after all. Yes THERE IS some disturbing news. Some guys claim they saw GHOSTS in the “Anatomy Room” moving around past midnight peeping out from the windows. No one, however, knows who started this rumour first or whether it is a “rumour” at all. All of us are a bit worried and scared wondering if this was true or just a false alarm raised by someone.

(The “Anatomy Room” was the section where DEAD BODIES were kept on the table and were dissected by students to learn about the internal organs of the human body. There were 2 rows of 6 tables (total 12 tables) with a body on each table some of which had been cut open to expose various organs to explain the “systems within the body” to the students).

Vicky: (guffawed) Hoho…Haha.. just like gals to be afraid of everything.. I DO NOT believe in ghosts, Jassy (for Jasmine), and I think whoever spread the rumour was just trying to scare students to leave college and go. And ALL you Medical Students.. believed it.. pooh!!! hahaha..

Lucy: Stop laughing like that Vicky. It is NOT funny… but then, Yes Jassy, I think Vicky could be right. After all, how can we believe in such superstitious fundas?.. Ghosts!! bah… they are just pure imagination of a worried mind and simply do NOT exist.

Ramesh: But then, why would someone want to spread this kind of rumour? I for one DO BELIEVE that “ghosts” exist. Yes!!! friends, “evil spirits” DO exist, and some are even dangerous. I know many stories where they say that ghosts kill people. I will leave this college if this was really true.

Tushar: Shut up Ramesh. You and your stories.. Huh!!! .. Guys. The fact is someone has spread this rumour and it has spread like wild fire. Therefore, it HAS to be proved now that it was ONLY A RUMOUR. Until then, I think none of us will rest easy, and some of us might keep hallucinating of people or forms that do not exist and develop tachycardia (faster heartbeat) every now and then. So the question now is HOW do we prove it to be a rumour and WHO is going to prove it?.

Vicky said immediately: Hey!! that is too easy… I will PROVE to all that ghosts DO NOT exist. I will walk into the “Anatomy Room” past midnight alone and without lights except my torch and get back. You can keep a 1000 Rs signed note in one of the dead body’s hands and I will pick it up and bring it back as “proof” that I had been there. But I will keep that 1000 Rs… are you guys okay with it?? haha..

Jasmine: (with fear) Aren’t you scared Vicky? Suppose a ghost really exists there and does some harm to you.

Vicky: Let us not talk rubbish again. I am going to PROVE this tonight and nobody will be scared from tomorrow. I WILL prove that there is nothing called “ghosts.” Okay??

They all laughed and said “Great Vicky .. you ARE really a tough guy”.. and as usual this made Vicky swell up with pride.

***

However, in that group there was one guy named Praveen who was a very mischeivous fellow. He was jealous of Vikram’s popularity and wanted to humiliate him and prove him wrong. He felt now that THIS was the chance. He got up from the group excusing himself on some pretext and went out. He had to make some “special arrangements” for midnight.. “hehehe” .. he laughed an evil laugh to himself.

***

It was nearing midnight, and most of the hostel students gathered in the college ground now. The “event” had been arranged. Vikram had been to the Anatomy Room in the early evening with other friends and they had kept a signed 1000 Re note as decided in the hands of one of the bodies. They left the Anatomy Room, made sure all the lights were off, and came out. At the 12 o’clock midnight an alarm rang. Vikram showed his wrist watch to his friends.

Vicky: Hi guys, it is 12 midnight!!! Okay if I go now? There is no excitement really. I just have to go and pick my “prize of 1000 bucks.” Haha. See you all back in 15 minutes or even less. He smiled and proceeded to climb the stairs to the Anatomy Room on the third floor.

It was pitch dark. The Anatomy Room was on the third floor. From where they stood, the students could only see the torch light that was flashing, bobbing up and down as Vikram moved to the third floor. The torch light now reached the third floor.

Vicky was humming a tune from a film and was not a bit afraid. He felt the students were just silly and panicked because of the rumour. Anyway, he could prove them that he was a HERO. He would become famous after tonight and have many more girlfriends too.

He had reached the third floor now. As he pushed the door of the huge and heavy Anatomy Room door, the long creak of the door hinges sounded loudly in the silent night and the smell of formalin (chemical used to preserve dead bodies) came strongly from within. He shone his torch inside. Ah!!! everything seemed so normal. There was the body and there was the 1000 Re note in its hand. but… Suddenly Vikram stopped (he was thinking deeply)!!!. Something seemed to be wrong here. Definitely, if he was right, the 1000 Re note had been kept in the right hand of the body on table #3, but in the torchlight it seemed the 1000 Re note was in the right hand of a body on table #5. However, he brushed the thought aside, did not feel much concerned about it, and thought maybe he himself was just confused. Anyway the 1000 Re note was there to see in the torchlight. All he had to do was to take it and return back.

He now stepped forwards boldly towards table #5. One, two, three quick paces.. another two and he would be there.. suddenly his hair stood up involuntarily and he felt “goose pimples” on his arms. He had “heard” some faint noise behind him, like that of a “deep breath taken.” To make sure, he turned and looked back just in time in his torchlight to see a cat running out of the room. He smiled to himself but thought “haha .. film like.. but I think the symptoms I got MUST be what people call the “FEAR symptoms”. I can also hear my heart beating faster and I am sweating as the after effect of a simple cat made noise.”

After a brief pause, he smiled, reassured himself again that surely he was not going to be afraid of a cat and turn back. So he took the last 2 steps now and very casually put his hand out to pick the note from the dead body’s hand.

AND… !!!!!!!!!!!! As he put his hand out, suddenly he felt the “dead” hand come alive and GRIP HIS HAND strongly. Vikram’s adrenaline shot up instantly. He felt short of breath and FEAR began to cloud his mind. He tried to shake the DEAD HAND off but could not. The grip was too strong. FEAR in him escalated to a high degree now and he managed to let out a blood curdling LOOOOUUUUUDDDD scream … AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHhhhhh!!!!!!!..

His torch in his left hand spun around and he saw 3 more “dead bodies’ now wake up from the table and start to move towards him. Vikram tried to scream again but felt his throat choked. He was gasping for breath. The torch fell off from his hand. His body seemed to be paralyzed totally and then suddenly Vikram’s heart could not take it anymore and it failed to pump blood at the pace required by his very high blood pressure. Vikram felt sudden intense chest pain, felt dizzy, clutched his heart, swayed and then collapsed unconscious to the floor.

The students in the college ground heard the scream too and started shaking in their shoes. What was happening out THERE?? Were there really “ghosts” that Vikram saw and were they attacking him??

Ramesh was terribly afraid and he was trembling from head to foot. He said “I told you.. I told you… Ghosts DO exist.. I think Vicky has just seen one and he must have been TERRIFIED.. Urrrrrrr…. to scream like THAT…OMG!!!.

Tushar said: Shut up Ramesh. We do not know for sure what happened. Let us wait and see (though he too was trembling).

Suddenly they now saw the lights being switched on in the Anatomy Room and a lot of commotion seemed to be there now. The students watched with their hearts beating rapidly as to what was happening. Suddenly in 10 minutes an Ambulance arrived and they saw four people carry Vikram into the ambulance. The ambulance sped off.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital, the doctor was informed and he came immediately. He checked Vikram’s pulse, then put his stethoscope over his chest and pronounced him “Dead past 15 minutes due to massive heart attack.”

The death of Vikram came as a “shock” to students. Was Vikram killed by the “GHOST/s in the Anatomy Room?.” Was it true then that really GHOSTS DID exist after all and KILLED people? Ramesh felt very sure now that Vikram HAD BEEN killed by the ghost/s. He was too scared and every little thing that moved or made a sound now sent a chill down his spine. He decided he would leave this college as soon as possible. He did not want to stay in the hostel and hear a “hello” from a ghost. He did not want to die.

***

But friends… What really happened in the Anatomy Room that led to Vikram’s death??.. read on

The mischeivous boy Praveen, as you know, had made up his mind to humiliate Vicky. As such, when he came to know of Vicky’s plan for the night, he had gone out and bribed 4 peons of the college to sleep on tables in the place of the dead bodies and gave them the “drama-to-enact’ instructions. He told them it was just a “silly prank” he wanted to play on Vikram and took them into his confidence. It was a FAT bribe and so the greedy peons decided to go with the prank. As the peons entered the room now to take their places, one peon found that the body on table #3 was heavy to move, so he decided to sleep on table #5 thinking that it should not alter the plan anyway. Little did Praveen or the peons know that this prank would result in the DEATH of an individual.

Following the incident, Praveen kept his mouth tightly shut and did not tell anyone that he was the one who had played the prank and he told the peons also to cook up some other story, so that they could avoid being jailed. The peons agreed and so only told the police that they heard a loud scream and rushed to the Anatomy Room and found Vikram lying unconscious and they moved him to the hospital immediately, and there it was judged by the medical fraternity as a case of “massive heart attack” and “instant death.”

The whole college mourned Vikram and the girls cried a lot for they really loved the guy and his friendly helpful ways. Very sadly they bid “goodbye” to their friend at his funeral. The TRUTH of “how and why Vikram died” did not come out at all the next day and the students were now scared to death FOR they began to believe that EVIL SPIRITS EXIST and that they had killed Vikram.

The college principal was a very WISE man but presently he was at a loss to know what to do and he declared a 10-day holiday to the college. He also urged the students not to panic, asked them not to believe in SILLY superstitions. He told them that he WILL hire “special detectives” to find out the TRUTH behind Vikram’s death and assured them that He himself did not believe in the least that GHOSTS exist and that there was DEFINITELY more it than what was given to believe.

***

Praveen, though escaped being caught as the culprit, found that his consience did not let him rest easy. He now jumped at every little sound, began to see hallucinations, and also heard voices, especially one voice that sounded like Vikram’s asking him “Praveen why did you do this to me?… I am coming to get you Prav.” Praveen could NOT sleep. Therefore, to overcome this fear and panick Praveen started drinking heavily. It was three days after the incident, Praveen felt restless the third day evening and felt HE HAD to have some more whisky to calm his nerves. Slowly he escaped being noticed by other students. He went to his room, took a bottle of whisky, and went up to the terrace of the college building where no one would find him. There he started drinking. As the spirit in his body took over his sense, he rose up, suddenly started talking to himself and started pacing to and fro on the terrace. Whether it was unknown to him or whether there was a force that drove him to THAT open space in the wall, one cannot say, but Praveen did go there and stepped forward from this very open space where there was no foothold. He put his foot forward into thin air,… and CRASHHH!!!! he fell down headlong from the top of the terrace over concrete ground and died with a broken skull. His fall was deemed mysterious because, Praveen, though drunk, was always alert and everyone thought there was no reason why he should intentionally go to that open space in the wall and jump..unless if he planned to commit suicide which was rather unbelievable for Praveen…. OR…OR!!! . WAS it “the ghost of Vikram” that came there to take revenge on Praveen and pushed him over?? Nobody knew and some believed it MUST have been Vikram’s ghost.

Thus, the “GHOSTS DO EXIST” theory once again caught momentum and raised the degree of FEAR amongst students of the college.

With Praveen’s death, the peons were the most affected by the superstition. They started believing now that “Vikram had become a ghost” and was responsible for Praveen’s death and this set their nerves jingling too. They thought Vikram’s ghost would seek revenge on them next.

***

Well, the hired SPECIAL detectives set to work the very next day, found Vicky’s torch, took finger prints, and naturally, they had to question the people who could provide “first-hand” information at the site of Vikram’s death. The four peons were called in one by one. Each had to describe his version. With already the “fear of Vikram’s ghost” lurking on their minds, the peons blabbered and each made different additions to their statements.. and THAT evoked lot of question marks. The SPECIAL detectives immediately gathered from their body language that they were trying to HIDE something. Now they threatened these four peons that if they do not come out with the TRUTH, they will be put behind bars for 3-5 years. THIS was too much for the peons who had families to support and they gave in to this threat and narrated the whole story behind Vikram’s untimely death.

The TRUTH having been revealed thus CLEARED the “GHOSTS” from the minds of one and all. The STUDENTS heaved a sigh of relief, but had a tear or two run down their eye for poor Vicky, the unfortunate victim of the deadly prank, and all felt Praveen deserved to die for this, and felt no sympathy for Praveen. Ramesh WAS THE HAPPIEST FELLOW of the lot. His superstitious belief had been erased successfully once for all.

The principal who was shocked to find that his “staff (meaning the peons)” took part in this, immediately “sacked” the 4 peons, despite their plea for mercy. The principal DID not want SUCH members in the college staff and his decision was upheld by the students of the college who felt no pity towards the peons either.

Thus dear friends, the “rumour” though it did die instantly at that point, yet, unfortunately, did so only after taking the life of poor Vicky, the Brave Handsome Boy.

BOTTOM LINE: Friends, I personally DO NOT believe in ghosts and spirits either. However, I have met people with “panic and fear” in their minds always speak of seeing apparitions and hearing voices coming from empty rooms. Believe me, this is just a “psychiatric problem” that can be cured with drugs. GHOSTS JUST DO NOT EXIST be assured.

However, in many colleges, students playing pranks like the above and it can be dangerous. The “victim” of such a prank could either “go mad” for a lifetime or even “die” with heart attack or heart failure. Please DO NOT play such pranks on anyone and DO NOT be afraid to expose sadistic elements that “plan” to have such kind of dangerous fun.

Please let me know if you enjoyed reading this story. Thank you. :)

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