Two men unboarded the last bus to the village
Right after the bridge after 11 pm
After watching a movie in the town
They walked with torch showing the path
On a pitch-dark night
The frogs and crickets in the paddy fields
Let their presence known
They saw two strangers at the river bathing
ghat
They jumped into the river and swam merrily
They asked, do you want to join us?
It is serene with cold water
The men asked the strangers
Who are you? We have never seen you before
Strangers laughed and spoke
We are the guardians of this river
For many years now
The men realized that their villagers used to
remind them
If two men ask them to join in the river at
night
Never jump into the river
As those were the ghosts of men drowned
In the river
So fond of swimming in that river
The men started running in fear and climbed the
hill
They lost their torch and direction
The ghosts screamed and chased them
One of the men fell unconscious
The other somehow reached home
Those strangers still wait for people at night
At the bathing ghat
The legend continued and many more people
Saw the ghosts at night and ran for their lives
This poem is based on a legend in my village. Image from iStock !
