Dimness within the Mango Grove

A terrible secret was hidden in a mango grove in the quiet village of Chandrapur, which was surrounded by the verdant Western Ghats. The people had a rumor that the forest was haunted, that evil spirits prowled its gloomy paths after sundown.

The Grove's Legend

Raghavendra Prasad, a wealthy landlord, once owned the area where the mango grove is currently located. He was notorious for treating the people who labored on his property with brutality and ruthlessness. Stories circulated about how he would take advantage of them, giving them pitiful pay and mistreating them.

A group of laborers dared to approach Prasad about their miserable conditions one fateful day during harvest season. Furious at their impudence, Prasad gave his goons orders to punish them severely. The workers were hauled into the mango grove as the sun sank below the hills, never to be seen again.

The grove began to experience odd happenings after that day. The villagers reported seeing ghostly apparitions strolling the paths at night, and some even claimed to hear spooky whispers reverberating among the trees. Superstition quickly spread, and the mango orchard was soon shunned at night.

The Curse is Revealed

As the years went by, the horrors committed by Prasad were only remembered in legends. But terror still enveloped the forest, its secrets hidden beneath the thick mango tree canopy. One night, Raj, a young man from the hamlet, ventured out into this aura of dread.

Raj had always laughed at the ghost stories and been inquisitive about the mango grove. He believed it to be nothing more than the result of superstition and hyperactive imaginations. With just his confidence and a flashlight, Raj ventured into the grove by himself, determined to disprove the doubters.

Raj felt a feeling of worry creeping over him as he moved more into the grove. In the moonlight, shadows swirled strangely, and the sound of leaves rustling in a faint breeze seemed to take on a macabre quality. Raj ignored his concerns and persisted in his quest to learn the truth.

The Meeting

Raj froze in fear when the silence of the night was broken by a spine-tingling scream. The flashlight quivered in his hand as he peered into the darkness to find the source of the noise. He would be haunted for the rest of his life by what he saw next.

A man appeared among the swinging branches, his body twisted and distorted in pain. It lurched towards Raj, its eyes gleaming with a dark light, and it let out a guttural moan that made him feel cold all over. Fear paralyzing him, Raj could only stare in horror as the phantom approached and reached out a ghostly hand that reached for him.

Raj turned and ran across the forest, his heart racing through his chest as he did so out of a primitive urge for survival. Despite the danger of being tripped by roots and branches tearing at his clothing, he continued to move forward until he was out of the grove's grasp.

The Disclosure

Gasping for air, Raj staggered out of the mango grove and fell to the ground, the adrenaline making his body quiver. Only then did he see the dim brightness of morning beginning to peek over the horizon, driving out the blackness that had engulfed the grove all night.

Raj saw the horror and astonishment in the villagers' eyes as he related his terrifying story to them. While others whispered prayers for protection from the evil that lurked in the mango orchard, many shook their heads solemnly in recognition. That was when an old woman appeared, the age showing in her voice quivering as she told the long-kept secret.

She uttered the words, "The spirits of those poor souls who perished at the hands of Raghavendra Prasad still haunt the mango grove to this day," her voice quivering with passion. "They seek vengeance against all who dare to trespass upon their domain, condemning them to suffer the same fate that befell them so long ago."

Raj, seeing the foolishness of his pride, pledged with a heavy heart that he would never again set foot in the mango orchard. He realized that certain secrets should remain undisturbed to prevent reawakening the buried evil that is present in all of us.