The Haunted Grave

This incident has three parts, different incidents that make up one whole story. The narrator collected this story primarily from his cousin, Alamin. The first part of the story Alamin heard from his grandmother, and it happened to someone from a house next to his grandmother's father's house. And the person it happened to was a Kobiraj (traditional healer/exorcist). It wasn't just him, but also his family, who were affected. Although the grandmother didn't see it with her own eyes, she was essentially a witness.

The place where the incident occurred is in a village next to Doib Hatibazar in Morrelganj Thana (police station area). The village's name is Joka. It's hard to say the exact time the incident happened. Back then, people didn't keep track of dates with calendars, but it was probably sometime in the 1960s. As for the Kobiraj who faced this incident, it's hard to say his name for sure because the narrator couldn't get the name. The grandmother has also forgotten, it's been so long. He wasn't a really famous Kobiraj with a reputation across ten villages; he was a small-time Kobiraj, doing minor rituals and exorcisms, warding off evil spirits, protecting houses, doing *hat chalan* (a type of divination), these kinds of small things. Back in the day, these *ojha* (shaman) and Kobiraj had a good reputation in the villages. People would run to them instead of going to the doctor. Even for problems that required a doctor, they would go to the *ojha* Kobiraj instead. So, many people come to him regularly. One day, someone came with the news that paranormal events were happening in his house and the house needed to be ritually protected.

So, upon receiving the news, he set off for the address in his own way, and after walking for a while, he arrived. He had to go through village roads, and the house he was going to lock up was in the village next to his, not very far, just the next village. So, he reached there and started working on locking up the house in his own way. He completed all the work properly, but there was a problem. The problem was that, for some reason, he forgot to protect himself spiritually before locking the house. Such a mistake usually never happens, but he didn't even remember that he had forgotten to protect himself. So, he locked the house and started heading back home. He reached home safely, and no problems occurred on the way. The thing is actually quite surprising because he locked the house without protecting himself, yet nothing terrible happened to him. Then, when he started towards home, it was already night, almost past Isha time. Isha time meaning the Isha prayers had been performed in the mosque. Nothing happened to him on the way either, and he still didn't remember that he hadn't protected himself. He reached home, couldn't pray Isha in congregation, so he prayed Isha alone at home, had dinner, and went to sleep. It's worth mentioning that when the incident happened, it was summertime, the hot season. And village houses don't have balconies like ours; what they have are very open balconies. Small balconies, quite open. Opening the door of the house leads directly to the balcony, which is open on all sides. In villages, during the hot season, people are often seen sleeping on those balconies at night.

So, that night, he slept on the veranda, and his wife slept next to him on the veranda. And this was in a remote village, a setting of the 1960s, so electricity was unimaginable. They were sleeping as usual, deep in slumber, when suddenly, the *Kabiraj's* (traditional healer/village doctor) sleep was broken by a tremendous noise. This sound was the sound of horses' hooves. The kind of sound you get from a horse running, the sound of its hooves hitting the ground. He woke up startled and sat up. The sound was coming from somewhere. His wife was still sleeping; she didn't even register it.

But the sound kept getting louder and louder, seeming to get closer and closer. Suddenly, he saw hundreds of horses, and not a single one had a head. These headless horses were running towards his house. And as they ran, they crossed him, went right through his body, then through his wife's body, and disappeared. Each one crossed and vanished. He didn't have the strength to move from there. It all happened in an instant. He just watched as the horses passed through his body, through his wife's body. He didn't feel the impact of the horses' hooves; it felt like a breeze passing through. But he could see it happening. As soon as all the horses had passed, they all disappeared. Immediately, his wife started thrashing in her sleep, and with a scream, she died right there. As soon as he saw this scene, he shielded himself with a protective spell/mantra. The event happened so suddenly, seeing his wife's death, he didn't even know whether to protect himself or what to do. Then he started yelling and screaming.

Then the other people in the house came outside and saw the situation. Seeing his wife's horrific death right before his eyes, he was completely speechless.In the morning, relatives and in-laws arrived. In the presence of everyone, the burial rites were completed. The folk healer developed a fever, and within a week, he too answered God's call, abandoning the world's illusions and passing away. Before his death, he described the horrific events of that night to everyone while he was still feverish. He also said that he later understood why it had happened. He believed it was because he hadn't shielded his body at the time, but he also mentioned several other things. He had exorcised many jinn and ghosts in his healing practice, so he might have had many jinn enemies. Perhaps they attacked when they saw an opportunity, or maybe the evil jinn residing in the house where he had gone to place a protective barrier attacked them and ended their lives. However, he couldn't say for sure what had actually happened. He mostly believed that it was because he hadn't shielded his body when he went there to perform Ruqyah. Many people there heard this story from his own mouth. This is how the jinn killed the two of them; his wife died immediately, and he died within seven days. Those who practice folk healing really need to be very careful. You can't do just any work, and even small mistakes can lead to terrible danger. May Allah protect us. Now, let's move on to the second part of the story sent by our Tahmid bhai. He collected this story from Alamin, who is Tahmid bhai's cousin, and the incident happened to Alamin's grandfather, and with him. Alamin heard the detailed story from his father. Alamin's grandfather's name was Abdul Khalek Sheikh. The time of the incident was 1971, the year of the Liberation War. The war was still going on at that time. One day, Abdul Khalek Dada received news that a freedom fighter from his own village had been martyred. The martyr was Abdul Khalek Dada's brother, or rather, not his real brother, but a cousin or something like that. His dead body was brought home with great difficulty, so his burial rites would be performed.

So, this Abdul Khalidh, he used to live in Bagerhat Sadar. So he was supposed to come from there. Anyway, this Abdul Khalek Dada - sorry, I made a mistake - the one who passed away, he used to live in that area of Bagerhat Sadar. But Abdul Khalek Dada, he used to live in the village. So, after receiving the news, Abdul Khalek Dada set off for the town in the afternoon. His daughter also lived in the town; she was married there. Back then, there wasn't such a modern system. Plus, there was a war going on, the environment was very bad, dangerous. There could be terrible dangers, and the roads were very narrow, not easy to travel. You had to go around. So, Abdul Khalidh started his journey from the village. With great difficulty, he reached the deceased's house. After arriving, he participated in the burial and funeral. After finishing the funeral prayers, he set off again for a place called Signboard, which is somewhere in Bagerhat Sadar. His eldest daughter's house was in Signboard. Although the people at the deceased's house told him to stay that night because it was wartime and no one knew when danger might strike, he thought his daughter's house wasn't too far from there. Also, several relatives had come to the deceased's house, and the house was small. There was a bit of a hassle about where everyone would stay, what they would do. Everyone felt a bit awkward. That's why he was mainly leaving, since he had the option to go. So he thought he would stay at his daughter's house for the night and head home in the morning. And besides the fear of the Pakistani army on the roads, he didn't really care about ghosts or spirits. People from the old days, especially villagers, were very brave and used to travel at night. So, he set off that night for his destination, a place called Signboard, where his daughter's house was. It's worth mentioning that it was a full moon night. Everything was clearly visible in the moonlight, and he continued on his way in that light.

So, after coming some distance, a pair of crematoriums appeared on either side of the road. And that crematorium was huge. The road went between the two large crematoriums. It is said that at that time, many people saw things there and got scared. It was a very large crematorium, spread over several kilometers – meaning, not in a specific place, but people were cremated in different spots. That's why it covered such a vast area, I guess. And throughout the entire area of those two crematoriums, there were bamboo groves in various places. It felt like a ghost's paradise. That's what the environment and situation were like back then. People were supposedly afraid to walk past the crematorium even during the day. Abdul Khalek Dada was traveling at night, and he was returning from a house of the deceased. So, in the darkness of night, in the faint light of the moon, he reached the road between the pair of crematoriums while walking. Initially, he didn't see anything, of course. He didn't dare to look directly into the crematorium. However, he was looking sideways. Like how we sometimes keep our heads straight but look to the side with our eyes, trying not to see – something like that. He walked for quite a while, and he still didn't feel anything unusual. Suddenly, he heard a "khach" sound. But he didn't turn his head to the right, left, or behind. He wondered where the sound came from. Then it seemed to him that it was coming from the bushes on his left side, or a place that looked like a side. So, he tried to look with the corner of his eye. When he tried to look with the corner of his eye, he saw a figure, estimated to be 30-40 hands in length, walking through the bushes inside the crematorium, directly alongside him.

So, he didn't actually look properly, he just glanced sideways. If he turned his head, he might have to face them, so he was acting like he hadn't seen anything at all. Suddenly, on the right side of him, he heard the same kind of scratching sound again – *khach khach khach*. This time, he kept his head straight and tried to peek with the corner of his eye. He saw the same scene. Through the bushes on that side, a figure of the same height was walking. He wondered if the figure from the left side had come over to the right. So, he glanced to the left and then to the right. Now he was sure, it wasn't just one figure, but two. The road had graveyards on both sides, and on his right and left, these two identical figures were walking alongside him. He was terribly frightened. He turned his head slightly, just a little bit, and it's hard to see clearly with a quick glance. What he saw then made his blood run cold. He saw that neither of these two figures seemed to have a head. And on their chests, two eyes were gleaming, two red eyes, and it seemed like fire was coming out of those eyes, a kind of light radiating from inside their eyes. It seemed like they were walking by that light. So, when he saw such a thing on both sides, twice, with quick glances and a slight turn of his head, he thought, "If I run now, these two things will realize that I have seen them. They might snap my neck right here. Or, if I let on that I’ve seen them, it's possible they might not notice me and just keep walking as they are. And because I saw them, they might get angry with me. Anything could happen, really." So, this Abdul Khalek Dada, in his mind, was reciting whatever prayers and verses he knew, blowing on his body, and he was walking slowly at his own pace. But he felt like any moment now, the two figures from the right and left would come and snap his neck. It was a situation of utter fear.

It's actually very difficult to make people understand. Only the person who has been in this situation knows the fear of death every single second. With every step he took, moving forward, he felt like he wouldn't be able to take the next step, the next step, before those two terrifying demons would snap him in half. Despite that, taking Allah's name, he was cautiously moving forward. The cremation ground was very long, several kilometers long at that time. Anyway, he was praying to Allah, "Allah, save me this time, Allah." He was saying things like that. He also knew some prayers and recitations; he would recite them and then pray to Allah again, "Allah, save me this time." In this way, as soon as he finished the road through the cremation ground, he saw that those two shadows that were coming, they were gone. After walking such a long distance with those two terrifying, soulless shadows, he actually had no strength left in his body. Despite that, taking Allah's name, he ran as fast as he could. And he said "Alhamdulillah," meaning "Thank God," that he had survived this far. From there, he ran and ended up in front of his daughter's house because his daughter's house wasn't very far from there. He started calling out. Everyone in the house came out and saw him arriving, panting. Seeing his condition, his daughter's family members, Abdul Khalek, held him and took him inside the house, which was his daughter's in-laws' house, where she was married. There were some customs back then, like heating iron and giving the person water to drink, circling the cowshed several times, things like that. Exactly how many times he was circled around the cowshed is not known. When he was asked what had happened, he told them everything. Alhamdulillah, after this incident, nothing else happened to Abdul Khalek's grandfather. After this incident, he lived for almost another 30 years.

So, Abdul Khalek Dada is no longer with us; he has passed away. And the crematorium that falls on the way from Bagerhat to Signboard, what's the current situation there? Our listeners in that area can tell us what the current situation is like. Our listeners can also let us know what the current situation is like, they can send us pictures, they can post in our group. So, the environment will change, that's the reality, isn't it? So, let's move on to the third part of the incident sent by Tahmid Bhai. This incident is also quite old, about 70 to 80 years old. This incident, the one involving Abdul Khalek Dada, the one we've been talking about, happened to Abdul Khalek Dada's father. Abdul Khalek Dada's father's name was Ali. Since it happened a long time ago, we can only say it was 70 to 80 years ago; the exact year can't be said. And it's quite difficult to find out the names and addresses of other people related to this incident. Tahmid Bhai tried a lot and only managed to find out two names. So, let's start the story. Back in the day, one of the main means of transportation was boats, especially for waterways. At that time, the wheeled vehicles we know, the engine-powered vehicles, weren't common. People traveled on foot, and they felt comfortable traveling by boat. That's why boats were one of the most popular means of transportation. So, now I will tell the story of Ashraf Ali, Abdul Khalek's father. This Ashraf Ali, he

set off for Bagerhat Sadar by boat one afternoon.

So, back then, you could travel from the village by canal to the river, and then directly to Bagerhat town via the river. There weren't many roads or infrastructure like we have now. Traveling by boat was the easiest way at that time. So, this Ashraf Ali, as usual, set off for Bagerhat by boat. He reached there safely, finished his work, and started back to his village by boat. By then, it was evening. It would take at least two hours to reach home from Bagerhat Sadar, and it would be 10:00 or 11:00 PM – which, in that era, was very late. It had become that late. Everything in the village was silent and still; a complete quietness pervaded everything. So, this Ashraf Ali set off and almost reached his home. Until this point, there were no problems. But near his home, something else happened. There were some Muslim houses and then some Hindu houses side-by-side. Everyone had, and still has, a very good relationship. At that time, a gentleman from a Hindu family passed away. His name was Ghenu. And Ghenu's son's son – not the son, but the son's son – his name was Gobinda. Gobinda is still alive; he has children too. So, Ghenu was Gobinda's grandfather. This Ghenu passed away during the day, naturally. According to Hindu customs, he was cremated. When he was being cremated, our Ashraf Ali, the grandfather, hadn't left Bagerhat yet. He had heard that Ghenu had died. So, he left for Bagerhat after Ghenu was cremated. He didn't see it; he just heard that he had died and was being cremated, that's all. So, when Ashraf Ali reached near his home...

So, he was coming in a boat along the canal, near that house. But there was a small cremation ground there, where Ghenu had been cremated. And this Ashraf Ali, the elder brother, he was quite brave, and perhaps he had some old animosity towards Ghenu or maybe he was very angry with Ghenu, something like that. So what did he do? Instead of going straight home, he went towards the cremation ground. People usually avoid cremation grounds at night, but he went towards it. After going there, he did something very objectionable. After a body is cremated, some parts of the body don't burn easily, they remain. It takes a lot of time and firewood to burn them. A particular part of the human body, the navel area and the veins around it, they don't burn easily. So, what they do is either bury them in the ground or keep them in a specific place. So, this Ashraf Ali, the elder brother, went near the cremation ground and saw a pot, an earthen pot. He understood that after cremating Ghenu, Ghenu's navel and some other things were kept inside this earthen pot. So, what did he do? He kicked the pot hard and said, "Ghenu, hey Ghenu, Ghenu," and he was laughing like that. And then what did he do? He kicked the earthen pot even harder. The earthen pot rolled and fell into the canal beside it. After that, he came home, had dinner, and went to sleep. Then, around two or three in the morning, suddenly a deep voice started roaring in front of this Asha elder brother's house, saying, "Ashraf Ali, you survived only because I wasn't there. You were able to do this because I wasn't there. If I had been there, I would have broken your neck and buried you in the cremation ground's soil." This terrifying sound was repeated three to four times, and then everything became silent.

Ashraf Ali wasn't the only one who heard the sound while lying down; the terrifying noise woke up everyone in the family. The next morning, Ashraf Ali was taken to a religious leader for an exorcism (or spiritual healing). He recovered afterward, but the religious leader scolded him severely, asking, "Ashraf, how could you do such a thing? You might have disagreements with Ghenu, but you can't take it out on a dead body or any part of their body. According to the customs of a religion, if a ritual is performed, going there and insulting it means you are belittling your own religion. How could you do this? Is this something a human being would do?" He scolded him a lot. Well, it wasn't exactly scolding; it was more of an advisory anger. It can't be called scolding or cursing; it was more like the kind of angry advice we sometimes give. After that, Ashraf Ali realized his mistake and felt very remorseful for the incident. He never engaged in such activities again. After this incident, no other frightening events happened to him. He passed away peacefully, leaving the world, about 50 years ago. So, that was the story. Tahmin Bhai collected all three incidents from his cousin, Alamin.