A Strange Visitor

Ajay was bright in studies but that created a lot of pressure on him to 'keep upto the mark.' As a result, though being a student of 8th standard he was up to study till midnight on weekdays. His parents had attempted to persuade him to have more sleep but in vain.

One monsoon night, he was in like manner, up quite late. Thunder filled the sky and lightning illuminated the dark night. The boy's parents were asleep by then. There was a power cut and Ajay was nearing the end of a table of a chemical formula, when there was a knock on the door. Armed with his book and a torch, oblivious of the time, he went to open the door. When he did a bolt of lightning lit up the front doorway and he saw the outline of a tall, well-built man wrapped in a shawl, dripping wet. He said, 'Child! Please will you let me inside and allow me to stay here until the storm passes—I will go as soon as it does.'

Ajay, who was longing to get back to his formulae told the stranger to step in and motioning him to a sofa, said, 'You may lie down here to rest if you feel so. Tell me if you need anything.' The midnight visitor was more than satisfied with this response and blessed him before he returned to his room. He continued his task but was finding the last few ones quite hard to master. He used to memorize in his mind and not out loud, still the man somehow understood what he was doing and called out, 'Do you often stay up so late to study, child? It is not good for your health if you do so.' The boy, already frustrated at not being able to memorize the last few formulae, got up in the direction of the man to tell him to mind his own business. But before he could open his mouth, the man spoke again and to his utmost surprise he told him an easy mnemonic to remember those formulae. Ajay was awestruck, he could not find head or tail of any way how this visitor could know exactly which formulae he was facing trouble with, and this awe gave way to fear. Just then, a bolt of lightning lit up the room and for the first time, the visitor's face was seen by the boy. It was half burnt, looking not as if it belonged to any earthly creature but the other half told him that this was none other than Mr. Kapoor, a chemistry teacher in his school who had perished a few years prior as a result of an accident while working with chemicals in his personal laboratory. Ajay had seen his photo at his funeral.

As this reflection regarding the strange visitor dawned on him, his head whirled in circles, and he fell down unconscious on the floor while the deceased teacher laughed a devilish laugh. The next morning, he woke up on a hospital bed and was so full of shock that he could not speak for a good many hours. That encounter with the strange supernatural visitor is sure to remain fresh in his memory throughout his life.