Whispers of the Djinn

I heard this story in 1999, when I was in class nine. Listening to stories from my grandfather while eating rice after returning from school was my favorite thing. He told many stories at that time, including this one. Now you too can listen to it.

The village of Patulia is like an island floating in the forest between a lake and a canal. During the monsoon, nothing moves except a rowboat. This village lacks many things, but there is no shortage of stories. And the “Peer Saheb of Patulia” is the most prominent figure in that story.

One evening, raindrops were making a sound on the raw tin roof, and people were gathering at Babu Mia’s tea shop, eager to listen to old ghost stories with hot tea. There was smoke like fog in front of the shop, and some were lighting bidis. On such a day, Mofiz Kaka once again opened that old saying—

“Do you know that Pir Saheb was not actually a human being?”

Everyone stopped.

“So what was it?” — Montu asked, a man who was initially scared.

“Jinn! Yes, brother, it was a jinn. Wearing a completely white robe, with antimony in his eyes, a tasbeeh in his hand and a continuous whisper in his mouth — he would recite verses from the Quran, but in reverse. No one could understand anything.” — A shadow fell in Mofiz Kaka’s eyes.

It was 1956. At that time, there was still no electricity in Patulia. As soon as evening fell, the Kupibati and the hurricane lit up. On one such evening, a Pir Sahib came. No one knew where he came from. No one had any answers to any of his questions. He just said — “Whoever comes at my call will be free from that trouble.”

Although people did not pay much attention at first, they gradually started believing. Because the people of the village did not have any right address to get rid of problems like diseases, being possessed by ghosts, stealing goats, running away from their wives, drinking alcohol by their grooms, etc. So gradually people started coming to this Pir Sahib's hut with their problems.

First of all, Adam Ali, carrying his son's feverish body, went up and reached his house. Pir Sahib closed the door and read something under his pillow and said, "Your son will smile tomorrow morning." With a little faith and a lot of disbelief, Adam Ali returned home with his feverish son. The next morning, he could not believe his eyes. His son was running around the yard. Far from fever, there was no weakness at all.

From then on, people believed Pir Sahib without hesitation. Chameli, the wife of the village headman, used to say that Pir Sahib had fixed her daughter's ghostly body overnight. Some would say that the lost cow had returned at his word.

Along with belief, people's curiosity also started to grow. What kind of magic did he know that solved everyone's problems at once? People would secretly keep an eye on Pir Saheb's cottage at night whenever they got the chance. But it seems that no one ever saw anything like that. Although some people claimed that Pir Saheb disappeared at night and prayed on the minaret of the mosque.

This went on for about a year. Before making any decision about getting up or sitting down, everyone would appear at Pir Saheb's cottage. People were overjoyed to find such a magician for free. And at that very time, Shamsu Majhi's wife disappeared.

On the day he disappeared, some village wives had seen him going towards Pir Saheb's cottage. It was evening by then, and the village roads became deserted as soon as evening fell. Some wives were returning from a function, when they saw Shimli as if she were walking towards Pir Saheb's cottage. Curious, they followed her. But when they reached the cottage, they saw Shimli standing behind Pir Saheb's cottage. With her hair loose, her necklace wrapped around her fingers, she wanders through the forest, and a strange, empty rain in her eyes. Everyone runs away in fear, but she cannot find the courage to say anything. Shimli has not been found since the next day.

Shamsu Majhi, with a frown on her face, arrives at the Pir Sahib's cottage the next day. Pir Sahib, muttering a little, hands her an amulet.

A few days later, the village youth, Faruk, disappears. One day, he says, "I am Pir Sahib's special disciple. I will spend a night alone with him - I will learn knowledge." After that, he is never seen again.

People gradually start to get scared. Everyone realizes that Pir Sahib is not an easy person. Gradually, people stop going to him. People start disappearing from time to time in the village. This time, people start saying, "Pir Sahib must be calling jinn. People sacrifice. That's why no one dies, they just disappear."

Thinking about what to do or not, one day two young men from Patulia village — Milan, Badal, and Deputy Sahib — decided that they would go and raid Pir Sahib's hut one night. No matter what he did, he would be caught.

Just as he had thought, the plan was as he had imagined. After keeping an eye on Pir Sahib's hut for 2 days, they all reached their destination together on the third night. Hurricane in hand, Kalima on chest. After reaching the hut, they tried to understand whether Pir Sahib was inside or not. Unable to understand anything from a distance, they slowly approached the courtyard. As they approached, the three heard someone muttering something inside. When Milan dared to put his ear to the door of the house, everything was silent again.

After standing like this for about 15 minutes, the three heard,

a crying voice from inside:

"Leave me alone… I can't take it anymore..."

Simultaneously, another voice — a verse from the Quran, but pronounced in the opposite way. Then—a roar! In an instant, everyone's hurricane lights went out. And then lightning struck and the rain began to pour. Without delay, Milan Badal and the Deputy Sahib turned their backs.