More Spooky Stories by Tanushree Podder

Author:Tanushree Podder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

7

THE SPOOKY GALLOWS

‘My story is about a friendly ghost,’ announced a voice from the other end of the table.

‘There is nothing like a friendly ghost!’ Uday snapped. ‘All ghost stories are about scary ghosts.’

The grating voice of the man was getting on his already frazzled nerves.

‘You don’t believe there are amicable ghosts? challenged a man wearing a suit. ‘I assure you, not all ghosts are vindictive or violent.’

‘Let me decide after you narrate your story.’ Uday wished the fellow would proceed with the story instead of wasting time.

‘Yes, let’s hear the story,’ clamoured a few voices.

‘It was an election year, and as with every election, this one also saw feverish activity and many violent incidents. Violent incidents were on the rise as were criminal activities. The prisons were getting crowded as the police went into overdrive. In the capital, an important person was murdered, and three suspects were put behind bars in Tihar Jail. They had been caught at the railway station. Among them was a man named Pawan, who was returning to Delhi after attending his grandfather’s funeral in his village. Unwilling to miss the late night train, he boarded it without buying a ticket.

Fate caught up with Pawan when he alighted at the New Delhi Railway Station. To his misfortune, someone in the crowd had planted a gun in his backpack, the very weapon that had been used for the murder. He had no idea how it came into his possession, but the police refused to believe him. Pawan was stunned. He had assumed that he was being arrested for ticketless travel but found himself charged with the murder of a politician.

The poor chap had no money, and his phone had been stolen during the journey, so he could not inform his parents or seek anyone’s help. After a flurry of court procedures, the magistrate remanded him in custody along with the two other men, accused of the same murder.

Pawan found himself in Tihar Jail No. 4, along with other undertrials. As against the sanctioned capacity of 6,250 prisoners, the Tihar Jail housed over 10,000 inmates. So, some of the hardened criminals were housed with the under-trials and this resulted in several unpleasant incidents.

Jail No. 4 of the Tihar Jail, where Pawan was crammed in with several criminals, was a miserable place with a nauseating smell of sweat and stale food. Helpless and dejected, Pawan began weeping till he was exhausted. It was midnight by the time he fell asleep. Suddenly, he was awakened by a stinging slap. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Who had slapped him, he wondered, looking around the cell. Then he saw a man standing near the bars. Dressed in white, the fellow wagged a finger warningly, as though scolding him for some wrong deed. Suddenly, the man vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

Pawan had dozed off when he heard another slap ringing in the dark. The slap was followed by loud cursing. The sounds were coming from the adjoining cell. He wondered what was happening.

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