The year was 1930. Five friends – Subodh, Deepak, Mihir, Kalyan and Mridul were on a happy and jovial mood, as they had just completed their final year examination of MBBS from the famous Calcutta Medical College. They came out of the examination hall and headed directly to ‘Outram Ghat’ on Strand road. They hired a boat and went midstream of Hooghly for a river cruise.

Mihir was slightly more flamboyant in nature than the rest. He came from an affluent family of North Kolkata. Mihir’s father was a supplier of grains to the British army located at Fort William. Those days hosting dinner or lunch for visitors from the British community was considered to be a privilege and also a status symbol. Mihir’s family hosted such get-togethers on a regular basis. Owning a Phaeton (Horse Drawn Carriage) was a privilege of the Aristocrats. The family had one, as well as a Ford T - Touring car. They also owned a bungalow at Allahabad. It was a routine for the family members to visit Allahabad at least twice in a year and spend a fortnight on each visit. Rest of the year there was Sukhen, the caretaker, to look after the bungalow as well as the guests of the family who visited Allahabad and stayed there.

They were enjoying the river cruise and the snacks they had purchased. Mihir suggested that since the results would take another month and a half to be published they visit Allahabad and spend some time there. All agreed as after the results are declared they would get busy with their internship. Moreover all of them were planning to specialise in some branch of Medical Science which would mean five of them may not get a chance to be together again. They started to plan their trip. Railway tickets were purchased and within ten days they were on their journey to Allahabad.

Early morning the train from Howrah chugged into Allahabad station. Sukhen, the caretaker, had come to receive them at the station. The five friends went to Mihir’s bungalow. The bungalow had five large rooms overlooking a huge lawn. At the end of the lawn there were steps made out in concrete descending to a floating deck on the Ganges. At the back of the building there was a mango grove besides a vegetable garden. The entire campus was sprawling. Cool breeze from the Ganges was refreshing. They all agreed to have taken the right decision of coming to Allahabad.

Sukhen got busy in the kitchen while five of them went down to the floating deck for a dip in the Ganges.  Excepting Deepak all were swimmers, so Deepak decided to sit on the deck and dip a bucket in the river and have a bath. After good one hour of splashing around they came back to the Bungalow’s dining room to find piping hot breakfast comprising of famous Poori and pumpkin vegetable of Uttar Pradesh awaiting them. Mihir informed that there was a famous shop in the town which serves this breakfast along with a potato preparation and pickles early from five in the morning. The early morning bathers in the Ganges visit this shop and the demand is so high that by seven in the morning the stock gets over. He also informed that as an ‘add on’, a person can savor the hot milk and jalebis which actually completes the full course of the breakfast. Immediate decision was reached amongst the five of them that they would visit this shop next morning.

Early next morning all five of them got dressed and headed for the shop for the famous breakfast. They insisted on Sukhen to come along with them who reluctantly agreed to accompany them. When they reached the shop it was full. There was no place to seat. The shopkeeper asked them to wait.

While they were waiting an old woman with a walking stick came and started begging. Sukhen told her to go away. The old woman gave a dirty look and ignoring him started to beg again. Subodh fetched his purse from the pocket when Sukhen stopped him from giving the money. This angered the old woman and she started shouting at Sukhen. This caught the attention of the shopkeeper who also told her very politely to go away and not disturb his customers. The old woman gave a glare to the shopkeeper and went away. Within fifteen minutes a table got vacant and the six of them settled down for the lavish spread of the ‘Uttar Pradesh’ breakfast. The breakfast was truly delicious. They decided to come back once again before they leave for Calcutta. After leaving the shop and walking up a little distance they saw the woman sitting on a culvert and watching them intensely. Walking past, they looked at her and immediately shifted their gaze. They could not look straight at her as her vision had fire. They were piercing through every movement of the six of them. They felt uncomfortable and unnerved as well. There was fire and hatred in her gaze. They walked past her, went a little distance ahead and looked back, the woman was not to be seen anywhere. It seemed that she had vanished into thin air.

They all came back to the bungalow and in a moment forgot about the incident.  Subodh however could not forget the happening and confronted Sukhen as to why he did not allow him to give some money to the old woman. Sukhen informed that these women are not to be entertained under any circumstances. Instead of blessing, these women cast black magic. Being a medical student Subodh just laughed it off. However the gaze of the woman lingered in his mind.

A week had passed since they had reached Allahabad. In another two days they were scheduled to go back to Calcutta. They decided once again to visit the shop for their breakfast.

Early morning they visited the shop and found a table just adjacent to the entrance. This time Sukhen did not accompany them. They settled down and ordered for breakfast. The old woman appeared again and looking at Subodh asked for money. The shopkeeper intervened and asked the woman to go away. She would not budge. Subodh went up to the counter took two sweets from there and gave them to the woman with some money. The woman looked and smiled at him. The smile was mysterious. The shopkeeper told them that Subodh should not have given the sweets and money, as these women cast black magic.

They all came back and had a bath in the Ganges. After lunch they were lying down on the bed and talking to each other when Subodh started to shiver a little. He was feeling feverish. By evening he had high fever. Kalyan and Mridul went to the market and got some medicine and a thermometer. Periodically they checked Subodh’s temperature. The medicine had started working. By dinner time Subodh’s temperature had come down to normal.

After dinner all of them went to bed. Subodh was lying down. The gaze and the mysterious smile of the woman kept lingering in his mind. By next morning he had high fever once again. Medicine was administered to him. However this time there was no effect at all. Subodh had gone into a delirium. Sukhen was not aware of the happening at the shop the previous morning. When he came to know, he said that black magic of the woman was the cause for fever and this can only be cured by a Muslim sage who stayed a distance away from the bungalow. He insisted that they visit him and seek assistance for a cure.

Deepak and Kalyan went along with Sukhen to the sage and explained everything to him. The sage listened to them carefully and handed over an oil lamp to them. The instruction was very clear. After going back the lamp should be lighted and placed by the side of Subodh’s pillow. If the lamp burns the entire night Subodh would be cured.

They came back and followed the instruction of the sage. They made Subodh sleep on the floor away from the window. All windows and doors were secured and gaps were filled up with clothes so that no breeze trickles in to the room. Subodh was in a delirium his temperature had shot up to 104°. All friends were on a vigil. They had put a piece of cloth dipped in water on his forehead. Within seconds the cloth was drying up. Anxiously they were looking at their wristwatch; they were impatiently waiting for the dawn. The flame in the lamp was burning bright. It was close to 4.30am the flame started to flicker. They immediately guarded the flame with their palms and it started to burn steadily and bright once again. Still they could not take any chances so Mihir and Deepak sat down to guard the flame with their palms. Mridul checked Subodh’s temperature and heaved a sigh of relief. The temperature had come down to 101°. They smiled at each other, when the flame started to flicker once again. The doors and windows in the room were as securely locked from inside as they were the previous night. Suddenly the flame snuffed out. There was a huge sound inside the room, a window towards the lawn opened up as if a storm had opened it. They could not believe what they saw. Clutching on to the iron rods, of the window, the old woman was standing with the same gaze and mysterious smile on her face. All of them rushed out but she was not to be seen anywhere near the bungalow. They came back to the room. Subodh was not breathing anymore.