The End

I looked up, followed by the priest. The two souls looked up. A strange brilliance appeared above the tree. It shone upon the four of us. It was one of warmth, calm, peaceful and tranquil feeling. A kind of feeling when one was safe in the arms of our mother or father. There was no fear. I cried and wept as I knew the end was just around the corner.
Slowly, the two of them were lifted up towards the brilliant light. It was a sight to remember. I could bet that the four buddies had seen this miracle. As they rose higher and higher, they waved to us. I put up my hand and waved back both for farewell and for a happy ending. My tears rolled uncontrolled down my cheeks. I was not ashamed. I was weeping as if I had lost someone very close. The priest wiped his eyes for he had also cried.
Then I realized that the other four buddies were also beside me. They were seated on the ground beside me. I heard a sniff and someone sighing.
The brilliance faded as the two rose higher and higher. Then they vanished. The moon had appeared once again as the clouds were nowhere in sight. We were bathed in the total brightness from the moon.
My shirt and shorts were covered in dirt and dust. My hair was unkempt and untidy. I was totally soaked in sweat. The four buddies were neater and cleaner because they were not affected by the whole incident.
The priest looked horrible; hair blown loose and unruly. His white dothi was dirty and white anymore.
We got up and together we walked away relieved and happy that we had carried out a deed few had done before. We were proud too. The fear of the place and the stories had faded and we walked away not fearing anymore. We thanked one another and especially the priest for his help and service.
The tamarind tree is still there, tall and mighty. The house had been pulled down as the company had ceased operation. I have not been to the place again since the incident. I do not know if other children still go there to gather the tamarind fruits or to get the sap from the useful tree. I hope to visit it again. But this time, I am sure I shall go there with a sense of pride and happiness.

Give them the rings

The priest looked around as if searching for something. I knew it. God was against us helping them unite. How cruel! With a courage I had never known to possess, I crept nearer, eyes focused on the ground where the priest had been hit by the lightning. I scanned the area and to my utter astonishment and relief I saw the two rings. I picked them up immediately.
A sudden warm and calm feeling came over me. There was a warmth from the rings. This has to be something good, no doubt. It was like coming to the end of a race and heading to the finishing line. The end was in sight and my heart was about to burst with joy. I had no fear now. What mattered most was to get the whole business done.
The rings seemed to glow with a strange brilliance that I had often seen in the sky when the stars twinkled. The couple was smiling at me. That gave me the confidence. Their faces glowed as if they knew the end was near. Their faces were not hideous as one would expect. They were smiling and beckoning to me. The fear I had all this while faded and I knew for once that I need not fear ghosts or devils.
Without hesitation, I handed the rings to the priest. He nodded and quickly said his prayers although I could not understand a single word. From the gestures and movements of his mouth, I knew that he was performing what he had to do.
I knelt by his side facing the two pitiful souls. The wind was still furious, the lightning was sill flashing but it was far away. Thunder was pounding away in the distance.
The priest handed the rings to them. The girl took the rings and put one on her finger and the other onto the boy's finger. It was at this instant when the two had their rings on that something unexpected happened. The wind suddenly died down. The lightning ceased all of a sudden. Even the thunder faded without leaving any trace. I was amazed and shocked. I looked a the priest. He looked at me in return. We turned to the place where the two souls were huddled. They were standing up now and were holding hands. They were in total happiness and were smiling from ear to ear.

LOST AND CONFUSED

The priest was totally in a daze. He was still transfixed on the landing beside me. I gathered my strength and courage. Then with a strange surge of bravery, I pulled at the arm of the priest. He suddenly awoke as if from a trance. I pulled him again, urging him to approach the two poor souls who were struggling at the foot of the tree.
He understood my message. Quickly he ran but stumbled along the way because he tripped over roots and stones. The struggle was one which I had never experienced.
Lightning was everywhere and the sound of thunder was getting louder by the second. My mind was num and I could not hear anything. My eyes were only focused at the pair of souls. My only aim was to help them in whatever way I could.
The priest was also struggling. Together we crept an approached them. Now we were facing one another. My heart sank when I saw the two of them. The boy was struggling to get up while the other girl was helping him.
'Love Story' and 'Romeo and Juliet' could not match the intensity ofd the scene in front of us.
"Help them. Help them." My heart cried out.
The priest understood or knew what was to be done. He took out the rings from his tiny bag and was about to say the prayers when another bolt of lightning hit the ground beside the four of us. We were thrown about, scattered like little rats.
We regrouped; the priest and me. The two souls were hurdled; hand in hand against the tree.

My prayer and hope

"Go away! Leave these two souls alone!" I begged.
"Let them be united and be happy." My heart cried out.
My four buddies were crying and whimpering like little puppies. I could divide my attention. I had no time for them. I knew that my role was of major importance. They were just witness to a great event in their lives.
The girl moved forward and all the time she was begging the priest. She knelt and got up a few times as she approached the priest. Then the unexpected happened.
A bolt of lightning flashed out and struck. For an instant I was dazed. When I regained consciousness, I saw the boy on the ground under the tree. He crept slowly probabl;y he was injured by the lightning. The girl was beside him and helping him up. It was a really sorrowful scene; like a sad love story that was about to end. Was that the end of the whole affair? No, it couldn't be.
The end was yet to come.
I stood at the landing of the staircase. Instantly I knelt and put my palms together and prayed.
"God, have mercy. Let them be united. Let them be. Let them be together. Be merciful."
I was not sure what I was praying. I guessed those were the words of my prayer, more or less.

It Happened

It was then that we saw them; the two ghosts or souls. The boy was dangling and swaying to and fro from the very branch we expected. We could see clearly now as we were only ten metres away. The girl was standing under the tree and looking at the hanging figure. She was sobbing and wiping her eyes.
The priest at the bottom of the staircase stood up and was totally transfixed. I for one was unable to speak. I watched everything as if I was a part of the plot. The other four buddies were huddled together at the top of the staircase shivering and whimpering like lost puppies. They must also have seen the two figures. They could not move or run away. I was the only one who got up and stood beside the priest. We stood and stared in silence.
The breeze had turned into a wind. The branches swayed in time with the figure of the boy still dangling by the rope around his neck. Leaves rustkled and flew around the tree. The girl stood up and turned. Her movements were slow and light as if in a dance. Her tears were rolling down her cheeks and her hands were outstretched. Her gestures were of begging and her facial features were genuinely sad and sorrowful.
The wind that was gathering speed together with the thunder and lightning was so powerful. These elements were working in union as if they were against the two souls that were about to be united.

Who is that? The Ghost?

A short breeze started to blow. It did not produce any effect. We were still sweating. Leaves on the tree began to rustle and the dried leaves on the ground began to scatter about. The speed of the breeze began to build up. From experience we knew that a storm was brewing. We were in total darkness now as the moon was slowly being blocked by dark clouds.
We could only depend on the flicker of light from the houses a few hundred metres away. This gave us some guidance and direction.
The five of us suddenly screamed our hearts out because out of nowhere something or someone appeared beside us. Se sensed it because of the heavy breathing suddenly bearing on us. Our hearts must have stopped beating at that very moment.
We turned slowly because we did not dare to see what it was. We were about to run away when a pair of hands blocked and stopped us.
In a whisper, the voice said, "No, no. Don't go. Don't be afraid. It's me."
From the tone of the voice, we concluded he was the priest whom we had been waiting for. We began to calm down. We had no time to ask him how he had appeared out of nowhere because there was a drizzle.
Quickly, we made our way to the abandoned house. We had no choice because we did not want to be caught in the rain that was sure to follow.
The six of us moved slowly with the priest leading the way. He seemed confident and not the least scared. The five of us sat on the same staircase and waited. Surprisingly, the clouds parted a little.

We saw something...what

It was then that we saw something or someone, at first faintly and then quite distinctly. We wanted to scream but we could not. We seemed to have been rooted to the spot speechless.
The figure moved slowly from behind the house towards the tree. If only the clouds had move away to allow more light to seep through, we could see clearly who the person was.
Then it disappeared behind the tree. Our fear kept us rooted. Even Ravi was unable to move. He was shivering and Guna quickly held him close to his side. Our eyes were all peering directly at one direction; the tamarind tree.
In most horror films, at the least unexpected moment, something would spring out to scare the wits out of the audience. Then everyone would scream their heads off. None happened here. Not a thing.
In my mind a thousand questions and possibilities kept churning. Maybe we had been fooled. Who was the person behind the tree? What was happening? Why didn't the ghost or ghosts appear? Should we go home? Should we wait? My mind was numb; totally confused.
I could bet the other buddies of mine shared the same feeling. They must have been waiting to run away and be safe in their houses; in the warm beds rather than standing and expecting the worst.