The sun was about to set. It looked like someone had painted the sky, starting with bright colors at the bottom, and finishing with dark shades at the top, each color perfectly blending in with the next.
Saanvi was enjoying her short vacation at Dumas Beach in Gujarat. The soft sand beneath her feet, with the waves gently washing them and the scenic beauty around, was a perfect escape from her monotonous work schedule. She sighed as she stared at the birds flying back to their homes in a perfect V- formation. Saanvi wished she could stay there forever.
The sky was now being dominated by hues of violet and mauve. The sun was slowly disappearing below the horizon when she saw the silhouette of a woman a few feet away from her. There were quite a few people scattered across the beach, but Saanvi felt that something was intriguing about this woman. She didn’t seem very far away from her, yet all Saanvi could see was the woman’s silhouette.
As if in a trance, Saanvi followed her slowly. The silhouette moved further away from the main beach, and soon the only sound heard was that of the waves that were no longer gentle but now mercilessly crashing against the rocks and that of the occasional gusts of wind.
Saanvi suddenly noticed that the silhouette was floating instead of walking.
‘Weird,’ she thought but continued to follow her.
Saanvi suddenly realized that she was right behind the woman. She was still a silhouette. Saanvi’s hand trembled as she slowly extended it to see whether it was just a play of her eyes. The figure in front of her suddenly reached behind and grabbed her hand.
“Help!” exclaimed Saanvi. Her fear turned to disbelief as the figure turned around. It didn’t have a face and was entirely dark–just like a silhouette.
Saanvi tried to pull her hand away, but the silhouette’s grip was too firm. Saanvi could hear it whispering something in a strange language, and the silhouette slowly released its grip. Its face then came into view and was almost entirely covered by its long, black, unkempt hair.
What was this creature? A ghost? A zombie? Or was she imagining things?
Before she could complete her thought process, it started advancing toward her.
“Aah!” screamed Saanvi. She tried stepping back but found herself rooted to her spot. The figure came closer to her, and Saanvi closed her eyes, her entire body trembling, praying for the worst not to happen.
***
The next morning…
Saanvi slowly opened her eyes.
“Hey, are you ok?” asked a man standing above her.
“Huh?” asked Saanvi as she looked around.
“Good that you weren’t here at night; this place is believed to be haunted by spirits.”
Saanvi turned pale for a moment, and then suddenly her neck jerked backward.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
Saanvi’s neck moved forward, and she said in a slightly different voice, her eyes glowing, “Yes, I am.”
***
Author’s Note:
The Dumas Beach in Gujarat, located along the Arabian Sea, was once a Hindu burial ground. It has black sand, which is believed to be white sand mixed with ash, created by burning the dead. The beach is said to be haunted by spirits at night. Those who stayed here at night, either never came back or had the worst experiences.
[zombify_post]
