Previously
I tore my gaze away from the tree and ran towards Ashish. I dragged him by the neck to the hedge.As soon he lost sight of the tree, he snapped out of his trance .He looked petrified! Together, we three ran all the way back, and we stopped only when we saw our hostel.
Nobody spoke of what had happened.
Next day we saw Shankar Anna. When he heard our ordeal, he was not surprised. He told us of a time when the whole forest was infested with ghosts. When the land was sold to the college, a grand havan was organised and each tree was exorcised. This can be seen in the form of a Nail, embedded in each tree on campus. Only the tree in question, the Ashoka tree, was in grips of a powerful ghost and it was impossible to purge. So that tree was left in place, and the area was cordoned off with bougainvillea. “I have never had the courage to walk past that area, and now I know it was a good decision.”
When we checked later, each tree did have a nail hammered into its trunk. Every tree on the campus.
After that, we curbed our nightly expeditions. Mainly because our narration of the experience shook everyone, and they were hesitant to venture out in the forest. Nevertheless, That experience scared the daylights out of me.
Sometimes, on a stormy night, lightning flashes bring back that image which has been burnt into my memory. The face, the tree, and the Bougainvillea.