'Chakwa' the Diverter

 

There is a well-known ghost in India; especially in Maharashtra. Its name is ‘Chakwa’; the word literally means ‘Delusion’. It is infamous for distracting the travelers from their path, or sometimes it locks them into a loop. The travelers get trapped into that loop for hours, exhausted and unable to find their way out. Chakwa enjoys their anxiety, it likes to see them confused and scared.

Chakwa is not dangerous or harmful, but once it traps any innocent traveler, it won’t leave him until he is scared to his limits. It appears in a human form, but nobody knows what its actual appearance is. It dwells usually on the boundaries of the cities and the villages.

One night, Sumeet was travelling in his car. He was coming from city, and headed towards his hometown. He was running late and that’s why, he had to travel at night. It was 2 AM already and Sumeet was the only traveler on the road. After driving for few hours, he finally reached to the boundary of his town.

As soon as he entered the boundary, he noticed that the road seemed totally different. He thought that he might have missed the track and accidentally took the wrong way. Sumeet was pretty confused at the moment, he’s been travelling on that road for many years, and he never ever missed the track. Besides, he couldn’t see any sign of a human residence around. It was only trees and bushes at both of the sides of the road. Sumeet wanted to ask for the right track for his town, but he was unable find anyone on that empty road.

After driving for few minutes, he saw a big banyan tree. There was a little temple and a concrete platform built right beneath that tree. Sumeet saw an old man was sitting on that platform, so he decided to ask that man for the directions. He stopped his car right in front of that old man and said,

“Excuse me? Is that the right way for Pune?”

The old man said, “Yes Beta, this way goes to Pune.”

Sumeet was relieved by hearing his words; he thanked the old man and moved forward. He followed the road into the moonlight; until he came to a place where he saw an abandoned school on one side of the road and a deserted village on the other side. He was surprised to see those; he was pretty sure that he had never seen that school and that village on that road before. But he ignored that and carried on his journey.

After driving for some time, Sumeet saw that banyan tree, temple and that old man again. Sumeet was startled by seeing them; he thought he must have taken a wrong turn again. He stopped the car in front of that old man and said,

“Hey mister, you said this way goes to Pune.”

The old man looked at him with a confused expressions on his face. He said, “But… who’re you?”

Sumeet was confused by his words; it wasn’t that long when he met that old man last time. But Sumeet considered that the old man’s memory must be fragile. He knew that the people of that old man’s age are pretty bad with their memory. And that’s why the old man didn’t recognized him. So he shrugged his shoulders and said,

“Okay then… will you please tell me if that way really goes to Pune?”

“Yes Beta, this way goes to Pune.” The old man said.

After hearing that, Sumeet moved forward once again. He drove for a while and to his surprise, he saw the same school and village again. Sumeet was totally confused at the moment; he thought he might have taken the wrong turn again. And after driving for a while, he again saw the same banyan tree, temple and the old man. Now he was in an extreme confusion; he wasn’t able to think what was really going on.

Instead of stopping his car this time, Sumeet decided to keep moving on. He noticed that the road he was driving on, didn’t have any turn. It was a straight way, without a single branch. He again went passed by the school and village, and eventually the old man.

Sumeet drove in straight line for quite some time; he went passed by school, village and the old number of times. He was shocked to see that how could he reach to the same spots, without even taking a turn. But Sumeet was fade up by that series of occurrences; that’s why, when he saw that old man again, he stopped his car immediately. He said,

“Hey… is that a joke? You said this way goes to Pune, but I can’t even pass this place. I’m reaching here again and again.”

The old man was listening Sumeet very calmly; he got up from his place and said,

“I said this way goes to Pune… I didn’t say you will reach there.”

After saying that, the old man started to laugh loudly. His laughter was so terrifying that Sumeet felt the shivers on his back. At that time, he was totally aware that he was in a big trouble. He started his car and began to drive faster. He was running on the straightway. He was passing by the same scenarios again and again. And he was watching the old man in each loop, standing on his place, laughing like a maniac.

Sumeet was out of ideas and trying all his best to get out of that situation. Just then, he saw that it was the time of dawn, and the sunlight began to appear. When he reached to the old man, he saw that the old man was standing at the corner of the road. Sumeet topped his car near him, and the old man stopped laughing and said,

“LUCKY BASTARD!!!” and he disappeared.

Sumeet was totally terrified by watching that; his hand were shaking with fear and he was sweating very badly. He took a deep breath and moved forward. This time, he didn’t witness any school or village. Instead, it was the very familiar road, on which Sumeet has been travelling for years. Eventually, Sumeet reached home safe and sound, and he never travelled at night again.