The Hungry Fisherman


 




I was unemployed for a few years after completing my studies. Even if no one said anything about the face, I could well understand by the hint of people's words that this topic has become the most talked about topic of recent times. Due to my good results since my childhood, I was known as a brilliant student by my relatives and friends. I am the only person in my family who has achieved the country's highest degree. I have studied in good schools, good colleges, and even good universities.

Even so, no one could have thought that someone like me could be sitting at home and would not get a job after having such a background. But how to explain to the family that good results and talent do not get jobs these days? Currently, the job market is very bad. Millions of degree holders like me are sitting at home despite being brilliant. So after many attempts, when I got a job as the headmaster of a village school, I started packing my bags without thinking about anything else. Govt job, salary is not big, but it has many benefits. So I agreed to become a schoolmaster in a remote village even though I was a boy who did not come out of the city limits.

After getting the job joining letter, I visited the place once. At that time joining was still a month away. I have visited to get an idea of ​​what kind of preparations to bring. The school compound is beautiful like the picture. The headmaster's huge quarter is adjacent to the school compound. A two-storied house, a pond, and a large vegetable garden are included in this quarter. And it is separated from the school compound with a grill partisan. Next to the school building, there is a playground, and a flower garden with many mangoes, jam, and jackfruit trees. I decided to go there the day before I was supposed to join. I called the school committee and asked them to prepare everything.

I left by train. It is only a five-hour journey by train. So I left at seven in the morning and reached at 12:30 even after the train was delayed. But when I reached the station I saw a heavy storm. I looked to see if anyone had come to pick me up but found no one. The entire station is empty, except for two hawkers. I went to the station master's room and introduced myself. He couldn't help me at all. I went out and saw that there was no van or auto rickshaw. What else to do, I decided to wait until the storm stopped. But after an hour passed, when the storm did not stop, on the contrary, the wind started blowing faster than before, then I decided that it was useless to wait like this. It is possible that the storm will last all day and night. Besides, many were hungry. I knew the way, so I left the station in the storm. As soon as I got out, I realized that the decision was wrong. As the rain was strong, so was the wind. The wind seemed to blow me away. There was frequent lightning in it. The sky was so overcast that it was quite dark, even during the day.

As I went, I reached a place where the swamp had to be crossed. But there is no boat at the wharf. So I started walking across. After some distance, I saw a boat in the thicket. After calling many times, one came out from inside the boat. I understood it is the boatman and requested him to cross the swamp. But he did not agree to sail in the storm. Finally agreed when I offered double the rent.

Now the man needs to be described. The man was wearing a half-cut T-shirt and a dirty dhoti. A towel covered most of the head and face. He started sailing. I asked him, 'What is your name? 'The man replied, 'Abdul, everyone calls me Abdul Majhi. Are you visiting here? ' I replied, 'No, the new Head Master of Gopipur Govt Secondary School. 'Abdul said, 'Ah!  You are a master. 'Then after a long time both of us remained silent, I spoke again, 'Abdul tells me something about this village, about the people of the village. 'Abdul said, 'What can I say?' I said, 'Tell me what you know. 'Abdul said, 'The people of this village are like the people of everywhere. But do you know that regardless of the village or the city where people are talking about there is one thing in common? ' I asked, 'What thing? 'Abdul said, 'Everyone has forgotten what kindness is. No one has any conscience left. ' I said, 'You are wrong. Now you can find kindness and conscience in many humans. Not everyone is the same. ' Abdul said, 'All are the same. ' I said, 'I don't accept that. 'Abdul said, 'Don't agree? Then listen to a real story. The incident happened in this village. You will understand when you hear this story. '

Abdul began to say, 'Many years ago in this village there used to be a fisherman like me. He was very poor. He lived in a broken cottage in a corner of the village. He had no family. He did not marry because he did not have the ability to run a family. He eats day after day. If he could not fill his stomach properly, how can he manage another stomach? Every day that sailor went fishing. But the fish was not always found. On the day when no fish were caught, he had to fast without eating. One day he had a lot of fever. The fever was so high that he could not stand properly. In this situation, how can anyone take a boat and go fishing? A whole week had passed, but the fever had not subsided. He spent the first 3-4 days eating some dry foods that he had in his house. But then there was nothing left to feed the stomach except water. At that time, the hunger pangs him made his eyes blurry even in the room fever. The body was very weak. Still, he decided to take a boat out to fish. How long can a weak person with a fever, who has not eaten for several days, sail a boat? Then he went out with the boat and did not return. Two days later, the villagers found his body on the edge of the cremation ghat. The body was washed in the water, and foxes and dogs ate parts of the body. No one wanted to touch that body. The police took the body to the morgue. No one went to pick up the dead body. No funeral, shroud, grave, nothing. ' 

Hearing the words said by Abdul, I was shocked. I couldn't say anything else, I sat quietly. Abdul spoke again, 'Do you believe in ghosts, sir? ' I replied, 'I do not believe what I have never seen. 'Abdul said, 'You will believe today. People say that the sailor has come back even after death. It is on this swamp he has seen many times with his boat. The poor man died of hunger. He wants to eat from people. You will believe it also when you see it. ' Saying this, Abdul showed me a place with his fingers. Then he said, 'This is where his body was found. Then Abdul removed the towel from his face. I saw that half of his face was missing. The flesh of that place is eaten away, bloody. Oh! What a horrible sight. After looking at me for a while, he jumped and brought his face in front of my face and said, 'Sir, do you have anything to eat? I am feeling hungry ' He jumped into the water of the swamp. Then I did not see him again.

The next morning, two sailors came fishing and found me unconscious in the boat in the middle of the swamp. As the storm stopped and there was no current in the swamp, I was not harmed. I had suffered only one week of cold and fever. Three months have passed since then. Now I am getting used to this rural environment. And I am doing my duty well. In the meantime, I inquired about Abdul. I found out that the story he told me that day was true. And that story's boatman's name is Abdul. Many questioned why I was asking about Abdul. Because this incident happened many years ago in this village, which I am not supposed to know. But I didn't tell anyone what happened to me that day and how I came to know about it. Otherwise, if anyone found out that I saw ghosts during the day, they would think I was crazy. No one believed this at all. Like I was not before. Abdul was right, 'You will believe today.'

It has been six months since I came to this village. The place is starting to look great. But for a few days, there is frequent load-shedding. In the evening I was sitting on the balcony reading the newspaper when suddenly there was a load shedding. I went to the kitchen to light the candle. After much searching in the dark, as the candles were lit, a face peered through the kitchen window. That face said with a smile, 'Sir, oh sir! Don't you feed me anything? I feel hungry, very hungry...'

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