Bombay Shaman: Nightmares at Dadar

PART II - More trouble

Edha was right about one thing, about how weird Kumaran's first day in Bombay was. He was meant to first get his rental apartment's keys from the owner, but got into a fight with a bunch of delinquents instead whose scoundrel-like behaviour to passer by girls annoyed him. His visit to the hospital, where he had an interview for the receptionist's job the very next day, also became his visit to his old friend, Edha, and a very odd one at that, as he shocked her with his sudden appearance, especially with his bloody and wounded right forearm. To top it off, he came across a dark aura there because of which he had to make the most peculiar of requests to her, and when he tried to fix the horrible mess that was there, he got denied due to her disbelief in the supernatural.

When he thought his day couldn't have more troubles in store for him, the meeting he had with his to-be-master the great shaman Vashi, the main reason he had come to Bombay, got cancelled as he said he got busy with some urgent matter.

At least he still got his apartment's keys despite his delay, and on the bright side, he was free for the day; he wasn't exactly free as he still had to clean his apartment and set it. He was horrified by the dusty, dirty mess it was when he first entered – the irony was, his old room was an artistic work of chaos that managed to ruin the mood of every spectator but himself. So, his cleaning didn't mean making the whole place squeaky clean, that just meant he made it suitable enough for him to live in. He even had to go get some groceries and basic household.

After he was done by five in the evening, he sat on the floor of the balcony with some Vada pav he bought for his late lunch.

One bite and he knew that it was the silver lining of his miserable, tiring day.

The noise of the blaring traffic was bothersome, even though it was four floors below, but the view of the dull orange skies was peaceful. A huge flock of pigeons were flying their way back home, towards the sun as it lowered into the horizon.

He focused on the song of the birds and eased into it, leaning against the wall behind him. His aching muscles relaxed. The grumbling monsters in his stomach silenced with each morsel. He closed his eyes, it was ideal to relax till he slept there, but...

The image of the patient suddenly came up in his mind; that poor soul was dying. Back at the hospital, it almost felt like, his soul was crying, praying for some force to save it from the desolation it was slipping into, an abyss from which there was no return.

Once a soul had been possessed, heaven was denied, it could never transcend to the afterlife, and even though same went for hell, it was still a damnation to a place worse than hell. In some cases, when the evil entity was stronger, the soul remained nothing more but a nutritious meal. And if the possession was crude and overwhelming, there were even some chances of the soul getting reduced to spirit dust, which was in other words, extinction, being erased out of plane of all existence.

He couldn't have just let him lay there in his death bed, getting eaten away by some horrid demon. He had grown up with knowledge of the paranormal, he knew how the supernatural worked, he knew there was something he could've done to save him, he was trained in that domain to some extent. But then, he couldn't have just barged in some hospital and do an unauthorized exorcism. However, he could've sought to be granted permission.

At once, Kumaran picked up his phone and dialed Edha's number. The call kept ringing. He scratched his nose, restless.

"Pick up, pick up..."

Finally, she picked up the call.

"Kumaran, hello." She said, a bit of guilt in her tired voice.

"Evening, Edha." He greeted back, breathing out his accumulated impatience.

"How is your day going?" She sounded in hurry, as if she wanted to ask something else.

"Yea it couldn't get any better," He was more of in a hurry himself, rather blunt. "I'd really ask how's your day, but listen uhh, how is that patient?"

"I was coming at that myself." She clicked her tongue, and then there was a pause.

"What ya wanted to say?"

"Some time after you left, another patient from the same area got admitted, twenty one year old girl. Same symptoms, like exact, but more aggressive. She slipped into coma fast."

"And?"

"Doctors still can't do anything. And you asked how that patient is? He is getting worse. Medications not working."

"So what are ya gonna do??"

"I'm not sure, okay? But maybe, like you said, this isn't medical, and if there is any chance to save those patients, I would like to give it a try."

"Thanks for givin me permission. I'm comin right away."

"Wait–" she interrupted. "Permission for what?"

"Exorcism."

"I didn't – we can't put candles here and–"

"Ya watch a lot of movies I think. But that ain't in my mind."

"That's a relief." She sighed.

"Anyways, wait for me."

"Okay."

He cut the call, got up on his feet, and tossed in the last, big morsel of Vada pav. It was time.

Under his bed, he had kept his shamanic duffel bag. He opened it and quickly gave the content a checking, making sure everything that would've been required was there. Everything was in place. He shouldered it and grabbed his apartment keys.

AUTHOR NOTES

Kumaran finally got the unofficial permission to save the patients. But is it too late for exorcism? Read the next part to find out dear readers!

I hope you're enjoying the story, if you are, please do vote and comment. Open to genuine feedback; that would help me rectify my errors.