The Rainy Night in the Jungle
Samrat was a kind and hardworking boy who lived in a small village surrounded by hills and forests. Everyone in the village respected him because he was always ready to help others. If someone was in trouble, Samrat was usually the first person to offer support. His closest friend was Hari, and the two of them had grown up together since childhood.
One day, a tragic incident happened in Hari’s family. Hari’s father suddenly passed away. The entire village was filled with sadness and grief. Samrat immediately went to Hari’s house to comfort him and help the family with the funeral preparations.
According to tradition, the final rites had to be performed near the sacred area of Pashupatinath Temple. Many villagers accompanied the body for the last journey. Samrat also joined them to support his friend during this difficult time.
The rituals continued until late at night. By the time everything was finished, it was already around 10 o’clock at night. Samrat and Hari needed to return to their village, which was almost two hours away by motorcycle.
Dark clouds had already covered the sky, and soon heavy rain started pouring. Unfortunately, neither Samrat nor Hari had a raincoat. But staying there overnight was not possible, so they decided to start their journey back home.
Samrat started the motorcycle, and the two friends began riding through the empty road. The rain was falling heavily, and strong winds made it even harder to see clearly. The road became wet and slippery, and the motorcycle tires occasionally slid on the muddy surface.
After some time, they reached the jungle road that connected the city to their village. The forest looked frightening at night. Tall trees surrounded the narrow road, and thick fog slowly covered the path ahead. Only the motorcycle’s headlight lit the dark road in front of them.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning brightened the entire forest for a moment.
As they continued riding carefully, Samrat suddenly noticed something strange on the side of the road. A man was sitting near a tree, quietly smoking a cigarette in the rain.
The light from the motorcycle fell on the man’s face.
Samrat felt a sudden chill run through his body.
The man’s face looked exactly like Hari’s father.
Samrat’s hands began to shake on the motorcycle handle. His mind could not understand what he was seeing. Just a few hours ago, they had attended Hari’s father’s final rites.
How could he possibly be sitting there on the roadside?
Samrat slowly whispered to Hari, “Hari… look at that man.”
Hari turned his head toward the side of the road. The moment he saw the figure, his eyes widened with fear.
The man looked straight at them with an emotionless expression, calmly smoking while the rain poured around him.
At that very moment, the motorcycle suddenly slipped because of the muddy road. Samrat lost balance, and the bike skidded dangerously.
Both of them almost fell to the ground.
The forest became eerily silent except for the sound of rain and thunder.
Samrat struggled to control the bike while Hari looked back in terror. For a brief moment, Hari felt as if the man had slowly stood up and taken a step toward the road.
Fear completely took over them.
Hari immediately closed his eyes and started chanting the name of their Kul Devata, the family deity whom their families had worshipped for generations.
Samrat also began chanting with him while trying to control the motorcycle.
“Please protect us… please protect us…”
The wind grew stronger, and thunder roared across the sky. The boys continued chanting with faith.
Suddenly, Samrat managed to regain control of the motorcycle.
Without stopping or looking back, he accelerated and drove forward as fast as he safely could.
After a few minutes, they gathered enough courage to look behind them.
The road was completely empty.
There was no man.
No cigarette smoke.
Nothing.
Only the dark jungle road and the heavy rain remained.
Neither Samrat nor Hari spoke a single word for the rest of the journey. Their hearts were still pounding with fear.
After nearly two hours, they finally reached their village safely.
When they told some elders about what had happened, the elders quietly said something that made them even more thoughtful.
Sometimes, they said, the souls of loved ones appear briefly to those who were close to them — not to harm them, but perhaps to say one last goodbye.
Samrat and Hari never forgot that terrifying rainy night in the jungle. From that day on, their faith in their Kul Devata became even stronger.
And whenever Samrat rode through that jungle road again, he always remembered the pale figure sitting silently in the rain… watching them from the darkness.
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