A story...

I would like to share with you an incident that happened in India, a long time ago. Many years ago, in a village called Melayur, in South India, there lived an unmarried girl in her early twenties. One day, for reasons unknown to many people in her village, she committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Some people believed that her soul did depart, and that a few places in the village were haunted by her spirit. From time to time, people would claim that they heard an unusual, spooky screeching noise during their late night walks, or when they were getting ready to go to bed at night. Back in those days, there were more people who believed in the existence of haunted souls. Also, there lived an old couple in a big corner house in Melayur. Their house was surrounded with big courtyards and various trees like mango, coconut and tamarind trees. There was lot of greenery all around, complete with cows and buffaloes in the cow pen located at the back of the house. I am sure many of you are familiar with the Indian custom where women go to their parents’ home during the last trimester of child-birth. Things were a little busier than usual for the couple, as their oldest daughter, Mrs. D, who was expecting her first child, had come to her parents' house for the delivery of her baby. It was a smooth transition for Mrs D., since this was the same house she lived in prior to her marriage. But, things were not meant to be relaxing for her, for long. In one of her nightly after-dinner walks behind the backyard, she heard an unusually strange screeching noise approaching her. It was a sound that she had heard never before. The sound was accompanied by loud barking of the pet dog, that “followed” the sound running fast from the other side of the courtyard. Needless to say, Mrs. D was terrified, and she ran back as fast as could into the back-entrance to their house. The noise was heard by other members of her family, who had hurried up to the backyard to get her, since they realized that she had gone for a walk. Mrs. D could not stop trembling and shaking for the whole night, after her strange experience with the “haunted spirit”. Her baby girl was born early next morning, and can you guess what they named her? - No, not Kaateri! :) For those of you who think that this episode may be a joke; it is not! Mrs. D and her husband (who made it to the village 3 days later since he was travelling by train from Delhi) named the girl Latha (the Lata Kalaimani that we are all familiar with). To this day, whenever I walk on the same path that my mom walked on that night (in my grandma's village), I am reminded of what happened, and wish it hadn’t happened, regardless of whether I believe in haunted spirits or not. My husband calls me Kaateri sometimes, only because I go for walks after 9pm, most of the days. What to do, that is the only time I get for some much needed exercise! :) Why am I telling you all this? Because I really would like to know if you believe in haunted spirits. Yes or no, or if you have a minute, please give a mini-explanation! If you don't I'll haunt Yoooouuuuuuu until you do! Who has seen the 1973 horror movie, The exorcist? From my family, my dad was the only one who saw that movie back in the day, and I remember him telling us that there were ambulances waiting outside theaters when that movie was screened! I got to see the movie in video many years later (in US), and regretted having watched it! I am a scare-de'cat!