Halloween Tales

Favors from Strangers

In the heart of southern India, nestled within the ancient shadows of a time-worn temple, a trio of homeless souls eked out a meager existence. With a backdrop of ornate stone carvings and centuries-old traditions, they sat at the temple's entrance, their weathered faces beseeching the pilgrims and visitors for alms. Among them, Raju, a man with a crutch and a leg contorted into an unnatural position, drew particular sympathy. Passersby, moved by the sight of his disability, often bestowed more upon him than his companions. It mattered little, for at day's end, their collective earnings would be pooled and shared, a testament to the camaraderie that bound them. They were masters of the art of melancholy, perfecting sorrowful expressions to coax kindness from the next wave of pilgrims.

During the festive and holiday seasons, their fortunes surged. They could amass thousands of rupees in a single day, their pleas amplified by the generosity of templegoers who offered not just money but also food. Their stomachs remained satisfied while their meager earnings accumulated. Over the past three years, the trio has likely collected over Rs 20 lakh, a fact concealed beneath their street-worn facades. The world assumed Raju, the crippled man, had been orphaned or abandoned by his family, but this was a well-guarded secret, even from Subbu and Azhagu, his companions for the past five years. They rarely spoke of their lives before their fateful meeting, where they slept, or what territories they had claimed. The temple corridor, once closed for the night, became their communal bedroom, and at dawn, they were the first to stir, preparing for the arrival of new pilgrims.

This unchanging routine was disrupted when COVID-19 swept through the land, necessitating that public spaces be vacated. The government had established shelters for the homeless, considered safer havens, but Raju, challenged by the distance and conditions, had reservations. Despite his misgivings, Subbu and Azhagu moved to the shelters, leaving Raju to fend for himself. He explored a nearby hill, seeking a safe place to sleep.

Behind the temple lay a sacred pond, whose waters were once accessible to the public. Pandemic restrictions, however, had led to its closure. Raju discovered a hidden haven, a pavilion in the middle of the pond where, on special occasions, deities were ceremoniously placed. He now claims this spot as his own.

One fateful night, as he slumbered, unfamiliar mantras drifted to his ears. They seemed to emanate from a distant jungle beyond the temple. Disoriented but unafraid, he settled back to sleep. The following morning, Raju awoke and ventured into the water for a pre-dawn bath. When he emerged, his eyes fell upon a packet of steaming idlis neatly placed upon the pavilion where he had slept. A bewildered Raju scanned the vicinity, but no one was in sight. Tentatively, he wondered if it was safe to eat. Securing the food in his pouch, he slowly ventured closer to the temple, where a few stray dogs loitered. After offering a morsel to one of them, he confirmed that the food was not harmful and began to eat. It marked the beginning of a mystery, for this occurrence was not isolated. Each morning and evening, fresh, hot food materialized, leaving no trace of the mysterious person. Raju, confounded yet grateful, continued to partake in this silent exchange of generosity.

As the enigmatic events around him grew more ominous, Raju could no longer dismiss them as mere coincidences. Louder, unearthly noises pierced the stillness of the night, and he found himself unexpectedly drenched in cold, murky water at the oddest hours. Feeling watched and threatened, Raju decided it was time to shift his sleeping quarters to a different, more distant location. He discovered a new spot downhill.

Yet, the change did not bring relief. Rather, it amplified the eerie occurrences that seemed to plague him. His modest earnings, previously left untouched, now vanish mysteriously. There were nights when he woke to terrifying sounds that reverberated through the darkness. These unsettling episodes rattled his nerves.

One fateful night, Raju, determined to uncover the source of his torment, pretended to sleep while keeping his eyes barely open, a vigilance born of desperation. Hours passed, each second ticking painfully, but nothing stirred. As fatigue threatened to overtake him, a hauntingly chilling sensation crept over him. Just as he was on the verge of drifting into sleep, he heard it—the faint, ghostly whisper of footsteps drawing near.

His heart pounding, Raju lay still, willing himself to stay awake. The footsteps grew louder, echoing ominously in the dead of night. He yearned to catch a glimpse of the intruder and finally unveil the identity of the elusive tormentor.

In the end, his patience was rewarded, but what he saw sent a shiver down his spine. Emerging from the shadows were faceless figures, their features hidden beneath a shroud of darkness. As they moved closer, their bodies seemed to flicker and blur, as though they were ethereal phantoms. A bone-chilling realization washed over Raju: he was not dealing with ordinary intruders but with entities that defied the boundaries of the mortal realm.

The faceless shadows advanced with an eerie purpose, their presence exuding an uncanny aura of malevolence. Raju's heart raced as fear overcame him. In the eerie silence, he struggled to comprehend the nature of these spectral visitors. What did they want? Why had they targeted him?

Days turned into weeks, and Raju's encounter with the faceless shadows became an unsettling secret he kept locked within himself. When he finally gathered the courage to share his harrowing tale with Subbu and Azhagu, he was met with laughter and disbelief. They dismissed him saying that he was hallucinating or making up stories to keep himself entertained.

The weight of their skepticism bore down on Raju, and he felt embarrassed and sad that his closest friends did not believe him. Their laughter echoed in his mind. For a moment, he began doubting himself, wondering if any of it was real.

Three days later, Raju awoke to a chilling realization—Subbu and Azhagu were missing, their usual spots unoccupied. Panic gripped him as he tried calling them on their phones, but there was no response.

The lingering doubts and suspicions about the faceless shadows resurfaced with a vengeance. Could they be responsible for the disappearance of his friends? Were these entities more than mere specters? What did they truly desire? Raju's world had descended into a nightmarish puzzle, with the answers eluding him.

As he scoured the temple grounds, the pavilion, and the once-familiar surroundings, Raju found himself grappling with a profound sense of dread and uncertainty. He had unwittingly been drawn into a realm where reality and the supernatural converged, and the boundary between benevolence and malevolence had blurred beyond recognition.

Haunted by these unsettling questions and the inexplicable disappearance of his companions, Raju was left with no choice but to confront the enigmatic forces that had invaded his life. In a desperate bid to uncover the truth, he would delve deeper into the mysteries of the faceless shadows, searching for answers that might provide solace or plunge him even further into the abyss of the unknown.

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What do you think of this story? I would love to bring in spooky stories from my Indian folklore too. Let me know what you think.

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Prompt 14 from Olivia_Benedetti's Halloween Bash