Often my mind used to wonder if at all the ghosts are scarier than humans. But in the recent present, I encountered an apparent experience that ensures me that humans are, indeed, scarier. This is definitely true for women. Women live under some threat constantly, since their birth and I hate living in such an unsafe world. I will quickly jot down what I’m about to.
I am not sure how it all began but I am still very weak physically. Heart attacks are energy draining, no doubt. Yet, I want to write down every bit of what I experienced before I forget anything. My handwriting may be a little crooked but I hope that my reader will understand.
One night, when vigorous thunderstorms were hitting the ground, I remember, I started getting conscious slowly. I felt a kind of biting pain all over my body. It took me minutes to realise that I was lying on a dusty ground. I slowly pulled up my head to find out that I was in a dark wood, and the tall trees around me looked like they were dancing in the wind. The sky was hardly visible but it was clear that the clouds covered it and the occasional lightning validated what I thought. I gathered all the strength I could to get up. My body ache worsened. But of course, there was no desire to keep lying there in the dust. When I finally was able to stand on my feet, I realised that my left knee was bleeding, when a lightning allowed me to. The cut did not burn, though. My entire dress was covered with dust. My favourite dress it was. The pink laces towards the knee were filled with my blood. But I caught the red colour only when the lightning showed it to me. Otherwise, I was unaware of the cut.
As I was still gaining my consciousness, I realised that I’ve to reach home. My parents must be waiting for me. I had no idea how I got there but I knew what my destination was – my home. That added a little bit of strength to my body. Of course, when one has a destination that they are excited for, the strength in the limbs are greater. So I started dragging my tired body through the forest. The frequency of thunders grew more rapid. I was afraid that it will start raining soon, which was why I had to compulsorily move faster. But I didn’t know where I would go. I decided to go in the direction of the wind: the direction in which the branches and leaves were dancing. On some branches, I noticed owls sitting, and staring at me. It appeared as if they were measuring my body just like a monster might do before engulfing its prey. I felt a shiver through my body. The weather was getting colder and worse and in a moment or two, it started raining. The temperature kept lowing to the point my brain stopped functioning. I started looking for a shed or I feared that I would pass out. As I ran towards a huge and old banyan tree, I slipped over something. I did not understand what that was. At the next flash of lightning, I saw that it was blood! And it was flowing rapidly from a source. My jaws dropped wide. I couldn’t feel my breath anymore. My entire body got wet in the rain and I started feeling dizzy. I felt that I would faint. But a yellow light caught my attention. It was coming from a hut, I figured. A sense of relief passed through my bones. I thought, finally I found a place where I might get a shelter during that bad weather. In another lightning, it got confirmed that it was a hut – slightly poorly constructed. But of course, I wasn’t looking for a palace there. I had to reach the hut. I was feeling nauseous with my feet still through the running blood. I gathered all the power that I could and quickened my footsteps. I started increasing my pace more and more. I started running when my left foot collided with a huge lump of something. I wondered that it could be a dead animal and from that perhaps the blood was flowing. That was the moment when I figured that nothing could worsen that night, but the lightning that appeared almost immediately made it clear that it was an arm of a human being. I could not hold it any longer and scream came out from me and my eyes widened. An arm! Perhaps someone was killed in here, I thought. And, after that sight, I could realise no more strength in my body. However, my brain knew that I had to keep going. Shivering rapidly, I finally reached the hut. The wet, grey door was open and I could hear a terrible noise from within. I was shaking like a pneumonia patient. As I looked into the house, I saw three men feasting on a dead woman’s body and there was huge pile of hands and legs on one corner of the house. I don’t remember anything else.
I don’t know how much time had went by since then, but when I woke up, it was still night time, and it was still raining. On my right side, I noticed those three men gazing at me, lustfully and perhaps hungrily. I did not lose my senses this time. I tried to stay strong but it took me minutes to find my voice. I felt drowsy. Finally I asked, “Where am I?” One of the men, with dark red eyes said, “You are at our house. You came here all by yourself”. There was sense of mockery in his tone. I stammered, “Wh..ho are you?” Another man with awful indescribable features said, “We are the three best friends. We live here on women’s blood and body and flesh. You, poor woman, are the first lady ever to reach our door on your own. Did you want us to find you?” And they all started laughing hysterically. I couldn’t breathe. The room stank of human flesh and blood. I couldn’t understand a word. The red eyed man told me, “I noticed that you were lying on the ground. I sipped some of your blood. It was delicious, I must say. But my friend said that he brought a tastier lady. So I left you there. Who knew that you were waiting for us to eat and destroy you!” What! Drank my blood? I wondered if these guys were all vampires and how could I get myself out if there. I never could imagine someone talking like that about women, or any person. I tried to sound stern and said, “Why on earth are you talking like that? You drank my blood? Are you insane?” The third man, who looked like any other regular man, said, “Oh calm down, Princess. You seem to be a little confused. I will explain. I am an antisocial. I am a rapist. That friend of mine with red eyes is a vampire. And that other one is a cannibal. I rape women and kill them. These two drink their blood and eat their meat.” That was exactly what I was fearing to hear. That blood that I saw running near the banyan tree and the arm must have been of the woman they brought. I figured that I’ll be their next victim. How ugly devils, they were. Such scary faces and ugliness. I wondered if I’ll ever be free. But my over sensitive mind sought one answer. “Why just women?”
The three men started laughing louder than before. They kept laughing and pointing at me. I could near that noise no more. I was still on the ground. I tried getting up but I could not and the laughter was killing me and taking my breath away. Just the moment when I thought that I couldn’t take it any longer, I woke up on my hospital bed.