Man who wanted to marry a 'ghost'

Harish went to meet his aunt Mala, who he had not seen since his childhood, at a village in Uttar Pradesh. He falls in love with a woman there but what stops him from marrying her — was she really human?
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Harish, who is in his late 20s, had gone to a remote village by the name Arara at Balia district in Uttar Pradesh to meet his aunt Mala, who he had not seen since his childhood. 

It is one of the nondescript villages in the district, grabbing little attention from the authorities. As a result, the village had stayed still for decades and has seen very little development. In the evening, some areas are dotted with electric lamps but most parts remained in the dark ages, literally. Even Mala stayed in a cottage that had two dimly-lit bulbs.

Mala, who stayed with her son 20-year-old Sonu and 15-year-old daughter Monu, was excited to see Harish after so many years and vowed to make a new dish for her nephew every day.

She started by making him Chole bhature the next evening along with some flavoured tea.

In this village, life stood still. In the morning, Harish and Sonu had nothing to do. So, they moved around the fields aimlessly telling each other about their lives. In the evening, Mala and Monu would make snacks for Harish and Sonu. Before dark, Harish would go out for long walks.

Harish’s parents were settled in Lucknow and were well off. They owned a two-storeyed house there. But Harish was the adventurous type. He liked going places. 

In the village, Harish walked around with Sonu for a few days and then decided to move around alone.

Often, he would wander around for miles without realising after which he would come at a leisurely pace back home.

During one of his evening walks, he had seen an abandoned, dilapidated bungalow and hesitantly moved towards it. After all, it did give him the creeps. Without venturing in, he walked back since it already became dark. But he promised to himself that he would come back the next day and attempt to go inside.

When he came back the next day, it was almost getting dark. Near the bungalow, he saw a girl standing and gathering some courage, he moved towards her. He smiled at the girl and she smiled back. This girl was slim and very beautiful. 

“I am Harish and am trying to go inside the bungalow and see what there,” he said.

The girl introduced herself, saying she was Gita. She had a charming voice and advised him not to go inside after dark as there may be some wild animal or even an evil force that could cause harm. 

Harish asked her if she could come and meet him the next day and she readily agreed. They met the next day and then the next. This way, they kept on meeting almost every day. One fine evening, they suddenly realised that they started liking each other, and hesitantly, Harish proposed to Gita. To his surprise, Gita also answered in the affirmative.

Sonu and Monu often followed Harish sometimes to an extent but wasn’t sure why he was taking the same route everyday.

Meanwhile, Harish returned home to his aunt and was very excited. Everyone asked him, “What is this excitement all about? He said he will reveal everything the next day. Next morning, he told his aunt and cousins about Gita and said he wanted to marry her. Well, his aunt seemed very pleased but it was met with a frown from Monu and Sonu, who huddled to say something to each other. 

The duo came near Harish and demanded that they see his wife-to-be immediately. That evening, Harish was going to meet Gita as usual. He decided to take Monu and Sonu along.

The three walked for a while and unlike other days, it was getting late today. So at the same abandoned bungalow, Harish saw Gita and apologised for being late. She fumed. He touched her and they started to talk.

But Sonu and Monu looked astonished. “Who are you talking to Bhaiya (brother)? they asked.

An angry Harish said, “I am talking to Gita. Now, stop playing a prank.” “But there’s nobody there,” they answered.    

Suddenly, looking at Gita seemed to be giving an eerie feeling to Harish, whose imagination ran wild. He said, “Who…who are you then, if not Gita,” trembling and in shock. All of a sudden, he  collapsed after suffering a heart attack. “I am not a ghost, but a normal human being,” Gita cried and cried, while trying to revive Harish, saying “Please get up.”

Sonu and Monu rushed towards Harish and found that he was dead. They said, “Brother, please get up. We were just playing a prank.”

Gita sobbed, telling Sonu and Monu, “This prank of yours has proved to be too costly. My Harish is dead and what will I do without him.”

Sonu and Monu looked at each other as if not knowing what had happened as Harish lay on the ground in the dark.