– Satyakam Ray
Ghosts are real or hoaxes or figments of our imagination- this debate will go on among supernatural enthusiasts, psychiatrists, and rationalists for eternity with no definitive solution. But who faces or experiences them unexpectedly is forced to believe in any supernatural being lurking in the dark in the forests, neglected alleyways, or even in a hotel!
On a short vacation last yearend, the author faced a similar situation in Darjeeling. To escape from my mundane corporate life, I packed my bags to head into Darjeeling’s snowy, sleepy town to experience its full glory. I reached Darjeeling on time and straight away went to the booked hotel.
I will not make the hotel name public as it will bring notoriety to the establishment as being haunted. It isn’t suitable for the hotel and tourism industries so it will be discreet from the readers throughout the narration.
As soon as I checked into the hotel room, I found something strange. Although the room and all other things were sorted, an eerie vibe was prominent in the atmosphere. It’s a natural feeling to go to some place and feel its energy – positive or negative by just being there. Intuition comes into play more often, and the sixth sense starts working spontaneously.
The rational person in me at first tried to ignore every sign as it was foolish to think of a new place inappropriately without any solid evidence. I went ahead with my pre-destined travel route and met with new co-travelers. Darjeeling sightseeing was excellent. As the night approached, we wrapped up the day’s travel and returned to our respective rooms.
The first night it was passed with no incident of any kind.
The second-day journey started with a trip to a Buddhist monastery, which I immensely enjoyed. When I returned to my room, the monks’ chanting and drum beating was still in my head. My room was on the 2nd floor, fitting side corner room. So, when I was finally walking down the hallway, I distinctly heard faint footsteps behind me. At first, I thought someone from a nearby room was coming. I glanced back to see the person, but there was nobody! One must walk a little longer in the hallway to reach my room.
I hurriedly came back to the room and locked it. I thought that was my mind playing games with me! I was unconvinced and tried to wrap my brain around the hallway incident. As I was alone, it was natural to feel slightly frightened.
The time was 10.30 pm. After dinner, I tried to sleep when I felt the same eerie vibe. I could feel a kind of negative energy engulfed inside the room. My rationality was not in the mood to yield, and I dismissed the signs. I quickly glanced at the hallway and the windows to see if anyone played pranks on me. There was no sign of any person.
As a bad habit of sleeping late at night, I decided to pass my time by watching a movie on Netflix. It was around 1 am. I again sensed a mysterious presence and negative vibe in the room. To those who don’t know the negative vibe, it’s an uneasy feeling that words can’t explain. Only it can be felt! This time, it unnerved me, and I quickly approached my close confidant/sister Aparna for any help over chat! I described how I was feeling, and luckily she gave me a mantra to chant to cast away the negativity. I chanted that mantra without any rational questioning as I was spooked to a great extent.
The chanting worked a bit, and I felt good. I resumed watching the movie on the laptop and simultaneously chatted with Aparna on the phone. Suddenly I thought I was being watched from proximity. It’s a common human experience or cognitive response when you are being watched from a distance; you can feel it. I could feel the same feeling. That lasted for five minutes. I didn’t dare to look up and see what was stalking me.
After gathering my courage, I looked up from my mobile and glanced towards the corner where my stalker was. Through the corner of my eyes, I saw a dark figure without any face, an average human-sized person disappearing just before my eyes. The person was standing close to the bathroom in the corner. This was a 100% real encounter, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. To double-check, I went to the spot once and found nobody.
Within a few minutes, I packed my belongings and fled from my room. I went to the hotel’s reception area and informed the staff about my incident. As it was the holiday season, almost all the rooms were occupied, and I decided to spend the night in the reception area lounge. I was in touch with Aparna all the time over chat as a live commentary of what was happening. I checked out from the hotel in the early hours of the following day and didn’t have the guts to return to that hotel.
The Darjeeling ghost real encounter may sound confusing or far-fetched to non-believers. But those who face the real thing by accident can verify that something is lurking in the dark- a supernatural being! So readers, be careful with your solo trips and always try to heed the signs.