Touching the Afterlife

The night was bare. There was no moonlight as the moon hid behind a large looming cloud. Neither did the stars shine to provide any relief from the pitch black darkness. He was alone in the room on the first floor. The window beside his bed was partially open and a draft of cold air entered the room and made him shiver slightly. The entire compound housed about twenty rooms in this inn atop the hillock. And neither had any occupants today nor was the janitor around. As the midnight approached, the lights in the adjoining village went out. The compound sank in to darkness. Lying in the bed in his room, he could hear the deep bass of flowing water. The river was just a few yards away. The wind blew hard. He felt lonely and a shiver ran down his spine.

Just across the block a few days ago, two women had stayed in the inn. He remembered that the two women stayed closeted in the room day and night. He was sure they practiced witchcraft in that room. He could not sleep. He tried to force his mind to brighter thoughts, but it was a vain effort.

In the thick shroud of inky blackness, he imagined the older woman with her craggy features, silently shuffling about the corridor in that empty building as if searching for something. She seemed too engrossed in something –almost in a reverie. The slow deliberate shuffle, distant at first, now grew clearer- and nearer. The shuffling seemed to pass his room and move ahead. The moon emerged from behind the clouds now and he could see it from his bed. He stared at the full moon, hypnotized. And suddenly he froze as the shuffling ceased. Eyes round with fear, he looked at the window. Framed against the moon, was the craggy-featured face with only the whites of the eyes visible, staring intently at him. He could feel the sweat on his palms and the soles of his feet. A few more minutes and my heart will stop, he felt! He clamped shut his eyes as convulsions ran through his frame. He felt the onset of a charley horse in his left calf. It was excruciatingly painful. Even in the pain, he wondered what would happen if the heart muscle went in to a cramp!

A while later, there was no face in the window. The wind still blew hard. The deep baritone of the flowing water was clear and loud. He found himself drenched with cold sweat. This was to be a night of the rendezvous! He would meet the afterlife and be claimed as one of their own!