by Pratik Mainali

Strange occurrences did not frequently occur in Hadigaun, a little community. Yet something was cooking on this particular evening. There was a peculiar and unsettling sense in the air as a storm approached.

Jenny, a fresh-faced nurse at the neighborhood hospital, was on her way home after her shift when she felt it. Her feet first felt a weird sensation, which gradually traveled throughout the rest of her body. She experienced vertigo and confusion, as if she were in a trance.

She whispered to herself as she struggled through the pitch-black, abandoned streets, “What the hell?” Despite being fully awake, she had the impression that she was dreaming. She could hear thunder in the distance as the wind picked up.

She noticed a figure standing in the center of the road as she rounded the bend onto her street. It was a tall, commanding man wearing a long, black coat and a wide-brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face.

Jenny said, “Excuse me, sir,” her voice quivering. Can I assist you?

While remaining silent, the man held up a hand and motioned for her to come closer. Like a moth to a flame, she was drawn to him.

He murmured in a low, gravelly voice, “Come. I want to show you something.

For a brief moment, Jenny paused, but the hypnosis was too powerful. As she approached the man, he led her down a little alleyway. Now that the wind was roaring, heavy raindrops were beginning to fall.

They came out onto a tiny courtyard that was lined by old brick buildings. A huge, gnarled tree with branches that bent and turned in the wind stood in the middle of the courtyard. As the man guided her closer the tree, she noticed that the trunk of the tree had a little entryway.

The man said, “Get inside.” “You’ll find it,” the person said.

The hypnosis was too strong to stop Jenny from experiencing a surge of anxiety and unease. She approached the door and pushed it open. There was a little, winding stairway inside that descended into the gloom.

The sound of her footsteps resounded throughout the little area as she descended the stairs. She could smell the musty, heavy air and feel dread seeping up her spine.

She noticed a hazy glimmer in the distance as she descended the stairs. As she moved in its direction, she could see that it was coming from a little chamber. A man was in the room, or at least she believed it to be a man. His face was contorted in a hideous expression of misery, and he was caked in mud and grime.

Jenny experienced a wave of horror and disgust, but the hypnosis was too powerful. He raised his eyes to meet hers as she moved closer to him.

He said, “Help me.” “Please assist me.”

When Jenny stretched out to touch him, she experienced an electric shock as her fingertips touched his flesh. It seemed as though she was tied to him and that her suffering was also his.

She was abruptly transported back to the courtyard where the man in the black coat was waiting for her.

He said, “You’ve seen what you needed to see. You must now make amends.

Jenny attempted to run, but her feet were stuck in place. She first glimpsed the man’s face when he lifted his hat. It had eyes that shone like embers and was twisted and damaged.

She heard him say, “You belong to me now,” and she felt a chilly hand wrap tightly around her heart.

The wind was roaring and whipping the rain into a frenzy as the storm raged on. Jenny was immobile and speechless while she was in the trance. As he dragged her through the streets, the man in the black coat’s hold on her grew more and more firm.

Jenny noticed changes in the town as they strolled. The streets were deserted and empty, and the buildings were in disrepair. It appeared as though they had reached a another world—one filled with gloom and death.

She was taken by the man to a little, run-down house on the outskirts of town. She was taken inside after he forced open the door. The interior resembled a scene from a nightmare. Strange symbols were painted on the walls, and the furniture was damaged and twisted.

A knife sat on a little table that was in the middle of the space. Jenny received the knife from the man after he picked it up.

Kill, he commanded. Murder and gain freedom.

A wave of horror and contempt overcame Jenny. She was aware of what the man was requesting of her and was aware that if she complied, she would be lost forever.

She spoke the word “No” in a whisper. I won’t do it, I say.

He lunged at her with a twisted sneer on his face. Jenny waited with her eyes closed for the knife to pierce her heart. Yet it was never there.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that the man had left. Sunlight was streaming in through the smashed windows now that the storm had passed.

Jenny stumbled outdoors as her heart beat frantically. She observed the community as it had always been, complete with cheery stores and active streets. It appeared as though the trance had never occurred.

She was worn out and lost when she got home. She had no idea what had occurred to her, but she was aware that it had permanently altered her. She wasn’t the same nurse who had walked home from work; she wasn’t the same person.

She began to experience constant terror and dread after that day. She was aware that the trance might reappear at any time and that the man in the black cloak might come looking for her soul.

She was aware of her ability to resist and to battle the evil, nevertheless. She was aware that she needed to be resilient to survive because she had witnessed the horrors that were beneath the world’s surface.

She would share her tale with everyone who would listen years later, in her old age. They would dismiss her as insane or a liar, or they would just shake their heads and leave. But she was aware of the reality and was aware that she had escaped the trance.

And nobody would ever be able to take that away from her.

About the Author:

Pratik Mainali, BIBM University of Wolverhampton. Mainali is an aspiring writer from Kathmandu, Nepal