The Elitist

Once upon a time there lived a boy called Shinko in a village called Aanto in China. Shinko, an orphan from birth used to live in an orphan house run by the village school authorities. Unlike other orphans, even though ill-fed most of the times, he was a boy with dreams that told its stories on his bright face.

Every morning Shinko used to run to Silto, the river outside their village where no other villager went because they said there lived a ghost called Darko on the branches of a big banyan tree called Barko. Shinko every night dreamt of Darko. In dreams he saw Darko sitting on the branches of Barko and calling him with gifts to offer. And as soon as his eyes opened in the morning, he used to run to Silto thinking he might get lucky.

Surprisingly rather naturally, where other kids of his age were very afraid of just the name of Darko, Shinko didn't feel any fear. Instead, he questioned himself, why are they afraid of Darko when they haven't seen him yet? Sometimes he even used to ask the old men of the village about Darko. But most of them shoved him away, scolding him not to talk about Darko. And some of them told all fearful stories about how once Darko came to their village and scared away all the kids till Kimoto, the wise sage, came to their rescue and finally bound Darko onto the branches of Barko forever. 

Days went by and Shinko’s desire of meeting Darko kept strengthening. He thought and planned for his tenth year when he will be allowed to sleep in the outside, in the open gallery from where he can easily slip out in the darkness of night to meet Darko. By the time it is dawn, Darko can no longer be seen. It is only in the night when it’s possible. He told none of his friends about his secret plan and kept waiting for his tenth year on earth.

Finally the day arrived when Shinko turned ten and was allowed to sleep outside. His first night outside, under the starlit sky, he remained awake and waited till all the other kids were snoring deep. In the midnight, when the village clock rung for the 12th time, he decided to move. He slowly got out of his blanket, slipped into his long jackets that hung till his ankle and hided his face under a dark cloth. Slowly with trembling steps with the fear of getting caught, he started approaching Silto.

Silto was flowing silently in the night unlike morning when it can be heard from quite a distance. Shinko neared Silto and he could clearly see Barko’s dark structure standing like a giant in the middle of the night. Occasional wind made the leaves rub against each other and make sounds that Shinko had not heard before. In daytime many a sounds are not heard which one can hear in the night when everything around is sleeping.

Shinko reached under the dark shades of Barko and looked up. The moonlight that had been so far guiding him was no longer with him. The dense leaves of Barko created its own world beneath. For a moment Shinko thought of running back, not because he was afraid but if someone sees him there at that hour he will be thrown outside the school and then he won’t get food to survive himself. He gazed around. The dim moonlight can hardly figure out someone only if it is not moving. And at that hour no one in the village would dare to come near Barko. So he decided to stay and look for Darko.

Some moments passed and Shinko stood there waiting. And then suddenly along with the wind and the rubbing of leaves he heard a faint coughing sound, of an old man, from the other side of the bark. Shinko got frightened thinking someone from the village had come. He will go back and tell others about this. He quickly ducked himself and then slowly peeped towards the other side.  In the almost dark, which by now Shinko’s eyes had got used to and the moonlight outside the shades of Barko looked like daylight, he saw an old man sitting. But his face was not visible. Shinko tilted some more to see his face and then suddenly a cold rumbled palm grasped his hand. Shinko almost shrieked when a similar one clamped his mouth and forcefully pulled him towards the other side.

Shinko closed his eyes in fear and started shivering. He could feel the old man’s breath upon him, his rustic smell like the ones who travel countries and halts in his school, when they pass by his village. He again coughed and this time harder. Clearing his throat, the old man said, “Open your eyes”. His voice had a strange familiarity, like the one Shinko had heard before many a times. It made Shinko a bit curious and he slowly opened his eyes.

“Who are you?” the old man said, his voice huskier this time. Shinko stood speechless and stared on his face. All bearded with most of them grey and it didn’t seem that those words he only spoke. Unlike his pale face the voice was stronger. Shinko could not see his eyes. They were just two dark cavities. The light was not enough but he could see the dark circles beneath his eyes, wrinkles all covering his temple and long beards that told that he had been out of civilization for quite some time. Clothes were all rags and mostly natural tree skins and leaves.

“Who are you?” he repeated, this time with authority.

“I am Shinko” in a trembling voice Shinko replied.

“What are you doing here?”

“N…Nothing”

The old man neared his eyes to Shinko’s. Shinko looked harder this time into his eyes but those dark cavities only looked darker. “Don’t lie to me. I know why you are here”, the old man almost whispered to Shinko’s ears.

Shinko moved his face backwards and tried to make some room for him but couldn’t move. Those tights wrists were still holding him and of which he was unaware till now.

“Leave me!” Shinko squirmed and muttered.

“Why? You don’t want to meet me?” the old man said in a cockier tone.

Shinko kept struggling to get loose from those clamps. “Please let me go”, he pleaded.

“How can I?” the old man said and busted in laughter.

“Why? Why can’t you?” Shinko quivered.

“Because I have been calling you for so many days and so many years! And today you have come”

“I…..I don’t know you. You n……never called me” Shinko stammered.

“Yes I have. And you said you will come once you become ten years old”

Shinko ceased to move. Those words resounded in his ears. He became still. How he knew about it, I never told anyone, Shinko thought.

“I don’t know you. I came to meet Darko, the ghost”, Shinko replied.

“So meet me, I am your Darko, the ghost” the old man said.

“You? Darko? No No”, Shinko reverted back.

“Why? Why not?”

“Ummm….Because I have seen Darko in my dreams and he is different. He is not like you. You are old and dirty and ruthless and baa….ad”, Shinko said in a breath.

“Yes I am. So that is what ghosts ought to be. We cannot be good”, he smirked.

“Why? Why ghosts cannot be good? I know Darko is good. But why I am telling you this. You are not Darko, I know”, Shinko said.

“I am very much the so called Darko. And if not how could I know that I have been calling you and that you would come once you are ten years old. Tell me”, the old man asked.

Shinko stood silent and speechless. He felt a strange sense of uneasiness. It was getting too much for him for the night. He wanted to go back to his school and fall asleep. He thought it was better in his dreams only. He turned back and started to go.

“What? Where are you going?”

Shinko didn’t reply and kept walking away.

“Would you come tomorrow, huh?” the old man paused a bit and then again said, “Gifts?”

Shinko stopped, he confirmed himself on the last word he heard and then turned back. A swoosh of cold wind blew past his face. The branches of Barko danced and the old man was nowhere. Shinko hovered around Barko, here and there but the old man was nowhere.

“Hello….old man. Where are you? Come back now. Hello sir…. Mister…..Old man….” Shinko’s voice echoed around the banks of Silto but no reply came.

Shinko waited for some more time near Barko and then slowly started to retrace back. After walking for a minute he turned back. The dark demonic Barko stood the way it was. Was the old man really Darko, Shinko thought. How could he tell all those which only I and Darko know? No doubt, he was Darko only. But now what, he is gone.

With a disheartened tone Shinko said “Where are you Darko? I don’t want gifts. I just want to meet you”

“So meet me, I am here Shinko” the husky voice echoed along with the wind from the branches of Barko.

Shinko’s face shone. “Darko!” he exclaimed and ran towards Barko.

Upon reaching Barko, he found Darko waiting for him. He looked better this time but his eyes were still not visible.

Darko said, “Come Shinko, I was waiting for you”. Shinko was eager and went forward and sat on the lap of Darko.

Darko began, “You know Shinko why you have always wanted to meet me?”

Shinko nodded.

“It’s because there is a secret I want to share with you. It is actually me who always wanted to meet you. I only gave you those dreams so that you should come and meet me”, Darko paused and looked on Shinko’s face. He was puzzled but silent.

Darko continued, “Won’t you ask me anything?”

“Yes…. Maybe”, Shinko replied.

Darko remained silent and allowed Shinko to catch up. After a moment Shinko said with a confused tone, “Maybe this is a bit foolish to ask but may I know why your eyes are not visible. Even when now we are sitting in the moonlight, still I cannot see them. Let me see your eyes.”

Darko remained silent for a while and then said, “You really want to see?”

“Yes for sure”

“Think properly because later you cannot change your decision”

“Ohh..Yes. What the most will happen if I see your eyes?”

“Fine. Then see”, saying this Darko lifted his head towards the moon and then slowly lowered them towards Shinko until their eyes met.

“No!” Shinko screamed and stood up. A stoned chilled air ran within him. He was standing dumbstruck with his eyes wide open.

After a few moments regaining his breath Shinko gasped “No… No…. It can’t be true. It just can’t be true”

“After that what happened grandpa”, I asked. My grandpa was silent with a slight smirk on his face.

“Guess what”, he asked.

“Okay...” I said, “You are Shinko right?”

“Yes, that’s obvious. But what did I see in Darko’s eyes?”

“Hmmm….maybe no eyes at all because he was a ghost” I replied.

“Then I would have been scared and ran away, would not have stood there dumbstruck looking into those eyes”.

“So…maybe the eyes were very dangerous, not like human eyes, maybe or some…..I don’t know”

Grandpa smiled and waited for my eagerness to rise until I again said, “Tell me please, what you saw?”

“My dear grandson, what I saw was my own eyes! I saw nothing but myself. Darko was no-one else but me” Grandpa replied with a louder tone and after a while he continued, "I am the elitist who saw my own ghost".