A beach resort haunting

A Story by Anish Gowda

It's a fiction. I have created these 3 characters along with me, who set off to a weekend getaway. It's a horror story. Hope you like it 😊.

Anand is my best friend since school and one of the few ones whom I have been in regular touch. Like me, Anand too is interested in the paranormal and we have experienced one such occurrence together as described in my story "The Ghostly Hitchhikers". Anand and I are both Engineers by profession and hence life is very hectic. We rarely get a chance to meet each other though we are in constant touch on phone or via e-mail.

This incident happened couple of years back when we were in Mumbai, India. Due to a couple of public holidays in India falling in line together, we had a long weekend of around five days ahead of us. Since we had not taken a holiday for quite sometime due to our busy schedules, my wife immediately suggested that we go to a beachside resort for a couple of days to unwind. I immediately called Anand to check his availability. Anand and his wife Jyo immediately agreed and the plan was finalized within minutes.

We decided to go to a beachside resort at Murud which is around 180kms away from Mumbai and takes around 3 hours to reach. Murud has a pristine beach and is a very popular destination among tourists. There is also a fort named Janjira in the middle of the sea. Janjira fort is also famous for being the only fort along India's western coast that remained undefeated. Since all of us are interested in history, it seemed like an interesting proposition for us. Another thing to be noted at this point of time is that Murud is just 7kms from Kashid and one has to pass through Kashid to reach Murud. The highway leading to Kashid is where we had met the Ghostly Hitchhikers a couple of years ago. Though this incident was at the back of our mind, we nevertheless decided to go ahead with our plan.

We started for Murud at 7.00 am in Anand's "4X4" SUV. It was a clear morning and we managed to reach the resort at around 10.00am. Anand and I were very careful not to mention our previous experience to our respective spouses since it would frighten them and dampen their spirits. We checked in at the resort which was really very beautiful. It was situated on a hill very close to Murud beach. It had a great sea facing view from the front and a dense forest cover at the back which made us feel one with nature. We immediately rushed to the beach where we had a great time swimming and splashing around in the water. We came back to the resort at around noon, had a quick lunch, rested for a while and then set off to see Janjira fort which we were all anxious to see. The visit to the fort was great and we were back in the hotel by around 8.00pm. After a lavish dinner consisting of several local delicacies we decided to retire to our rooms. I was tired but Anand insisted that we go to his room for a game of cards before hitting the sack. My wife and Jyo too didn't mind and so we went to Anand's room.

Immediately after entering his room I suddenly felt a chill in the room which made me feel uneasy. I told Anand about it but he shrugged it aside and suggested that it might be the cool sea side breeze which might have made me feel that way. We played cards for around 2 hours and really had fun. At around 12. 00 am we decided to call it a day. We had however not reckoned that this would be the start of our ordeal and chilling events to follow.

The long day had taken its toll on us and my wife and I immediately fell off to sleep. It must have been around 1.30am when I heard a knock on my door. I cautiously opened the door and was surprised to find Anand outside. He looked a little worried and told me that after we left Jyo suddenly started feeling very cold and started shivering. Anand had found it surprising since he felt no such chill. I asked my wife who is a doctor to accompany me to Anand's room with her medicine box. Upon entering his room, I felt uneasy and could immediately sense that something was amiss. Two woolen rugs had been wrapped around Jyo but she was still shivering and her teeth were literally chattering. When my wife examined Jyo, she was stunned to find that though Jyo was feeling feverish and her body had become icy cold. Shrugging aside her fear my wife gave her a couple of tablets which would put her to sleep and give her a much needed rest. We did not want to leave Anand alone in this condition and decided to be with him. This was perhaps the best decision which I took considering the events which happened subsequently.

Anand was sitting on the bed, caressing Jyo's hand gently to put her at ease. My wife and I made ourselves comfortable on a couple of chairs available in the room. It was around 3.00 am, my wife had dozed off and I was about to follow suit when something really creepy happened. Jyo suddenly sat up straight in her bed with a look in her eyes which we had never seen before. Anand, who was sitting beside her tried to put his arm around her to comfort her. She suddenly shrugged herself free from Anand, caught him by the neck and pushed him. The force with which Anand was pushed was so great that he was literally flung like a puppet, six feet away from the bed. To do that to a person like Anand who is close to 6"3 inches tall and weighs around 90 kgs really required extraordinary strength. Jyo suddenly said the following words "Mujhe Jaane Do... Jaana hai " (Let me go... I have to go!) This still is a mystery to all of us. The voice that said those words certainly wasn't Jyo's. Jyo stood up as if in trance and was trying to go to the balcony. I have to admire the courage shown by both my wife and Anand at this point of time.

Anand and I used all our might and pinned down Jyo to her bed while my wife ran out to get help. We got a couple of housekeeping staff from the hotel in the room within a couple of minutes. I immediately told them to help us shift Jyo to my room. It took five of us to lift Jyoti and shift her to my room. All this while Jyo was only uttering the words "Mujhe Jaane Do... Jaana hai ".As soon as she was laid on the bed in my room things started to return to normal. Jyo stopped resisting and soon fell asleep much to our relief. All of us were shaken by the turn of events. We thanked the bewildered Hotel staff for their help. I noticed that it was around 5.00am at that time and perhaps with the coming of daybreak the hold of the spirit on Jyo had weakened OR Shifting her out of that room had helped.

We decided to check out the next morning. Though a little tired, Jyo was perfectly fine the next morning with no recollection of the previous night's events. She was however surprised to find herself in our room. Anand however put her at ease and told her that he would explain everything once we left the hotel. While Anand was settling the hotel bills, I was called aside by one of the hotel staff who, under the condition of anonymity told me that the room had been the scene of a gory incident a couple of months back.

A couple had checked in, they had a big fight which lasted late into the night. The man walked out off the room leaving the lady behind. After sometime the lady flung herself from the balcony of the room killing her instantly. The police had made some enquiries but were unable to trace the man who had accompanied her that night. The case was subsequently closed. The housekeeping staff had themselves felt a creepy feeling sometimes in the room, though no incident was reported by any of the occupants who occupied it after that.

We decided to let the matter rest but before leaving, advised the manager of the resort to do some sort of purification or a cleansing ritual to free the tormented soul. Whether he performed the ritual or not is not known to us since we did not visit the place again. We were just happy at that moment to have escaped without any harm.

Anand subsequently told her the events which had occurred that night. She was shaken at first, but has now come to terms with it.

However what would have happened if Anand and I would not have been able to subdue Jyo that night is a thought which still gives me the shivers.

© 2019 Anish Gowda

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Featured Review

JayG

Well, you did ask. Keep telling yourself that...it may help 🙄

Also, bear in mind that what I have to say isn't about talent or writing skill. It's about the things we're not taught in school.

• Anand is my best friend since school and one of the few ones whom I have been in regular touch.

Here, instead of starting the story, you talk about what happened before it opened. Why? That's history, not story. And who is willing to study history in order to read a story? Does a reader care how long someone they know nothing about was friends with this unknown person before the events began? No. Would the story change if he was the "second best friend?" No again. How about if this protagonist kept in touch with lots of people? Would the story change then? No again. So this line serves only to delay the start of the actual story. In all, you spend 537 words and the reader is on the third page before this info-dump of backstory ends.

In it we learn what kind of car is driven, and how many miles were driven. That’s irrelevant. We learn the details of how the trip was arranged. Who cares? Would the story change in the slightest if the driving time was different, and the arrangements were made in a different way? No.

You’re thinking in terms of a chronicle of events, of the form, “This happened…then that happened…and here’s some background…and after that…”

Fiction is NOT a record of events. Fiction happens as-we-watch, and does so in real-time for the protagonist. And, it happens in the viewpoint of our avatar, the protagonist. Anything else is a report. And who buys a report to read for entertainment?

Were this a school assignment you would probably get a good grade, because it’s written in the form your teachers trained you in. But did they teach you to write fiction? Think of the numbers of reports and essays you were assigned as against stories. Think of how much time your teachers spent on the elements of a scene on the page, as against one in a film or stage production. Did they explain the role of the scene-goal? How about using tags, and the tricks of scene-and-sequel? You can’t either use the tools you lack, or recognize that they’re missing. And the teachers who graded your fiction assignments? Did even one of them have books appearing in the local bookstores?

Here’s the problem: All professions are learned after we master the skills called the three R’s: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic—basic skills for the productive, and employed adult. Professions are learned in addition to those basic skills, and writing fiction is a profession.

We all assume that by reading we’ll absorb the structure and tricks needed for fiction. But does eating teach us to cook? Did watching film and TV teach us to be a screenwriter? Of course not. So though we don’t realize it, we leave our school days exactly as well prepared to write fiction as to practice as a pharmacist.

So while this critique is, from your viewpoint, terrible news, it is something we all face on the road to publication, making it more a rite-of-passage than a disaster. So don’t let it upset you. I didn’t learn this till I’d written six novels that I thought were ready for publication. So for me it was much worse. But on the other hand, once I did learn of the problem, and took steps to fix it, I sold the next novel I submitted.

For an idea of what you’re missing, the writing articles in my blog are designed for the hopeful writer. They won’t teach you writing, but they give an overview of what kills you need to perfect.

So there you have the problem. The solution? Simplicity, itself. All you need do is add the skills of the fiction-writing profession to the writing skills you now possess.

Will that be easy? No easier than for any other profession, unfortunately. But if you are meant to be a writer the learning will be like going backstage at the theater, and fun. You’ll also find yourself saying, “How could I have not seen that, myself? It’s so obvious.” But then, many of the tricks of every profession are invisible till pointed out, then, obvious.

And if it turns out not to be fun? Well, you learned something important. So, win/win.

I know of no shortcut to acquiring the skills you need, other then to not waste time looking for one. I can suggest a good place to acquire that knowledge, though—two possibilities, in fact, depending on your needs and dedication. For a gentle, but less complete overview of the nuts-and-bolts issues of fiction, try Debra Dixon’s, GMC: Goal Motivation & Conflict. It’s a warm easy read, like sitting with Deb and taking about writing.

A more difficult book, but the best I’ve found to date, is Dwight Swain’s, Techniques of the Selling Writer. It’s dense, a bit disorganized, but still, the man was truly brilliant. And when he went on tour, his all day workshops used to attract crowds that filled auditoriums. In fact, Amazon has audio recordings on building characters and on writing fiction that are fascinating, sold together under the name, Dwight Swain, Master Writing Teacher.

You’ll be amazed at the difference in your writing, once you master the skills of fiction—as will your readers. So have at it. And definitely, hang in there, and keep on writing.

Jay Greenstein
https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/

Posted 5 Years Ago

Well, you did ask. Keep telling yourself that...it may help 🙄

Also, bear in mind that what I have to say isn't about talent or writing skill. It's about the things we're not taught in school.

• Anand is my best friend since school and one of the few ones whom I have been in regular touch.

Here, instead of starting the story, you talk about what happened before it opened.  Why? That's history, not story. And who is willing to study history in order to read a story? Does a reader care how long someone they know nothing about was friends with this unknown person before the events began? No. Would the story change if he was the "second best friend?" No again. How about if this protagonist kept in touch with lots of people? Would the story change then? No again. So this line serves only to delay the start of the actual story. In all, you spend 537 words and the reader is on the third page before this info-dump of backstory ends.

In it we learn what kind of car is driven, and how many miles were driven. That’s irrelevant. We learn the details of how the trip was arranged. Who cares? Would the story change in the slightest if the driving time was different, and the arrangements were made in a different way? No.

You’re thinking in terms of a chronicle of events, of the form, “This happened…then that happened…and here’s some background…and after that…”

Fiction is NOT a record of events. Fiction happens as-we-watch, and does so in real-time for the protagonist. And, it happens in the viewpoint of our avatar, the protagonist. Anything else is a report. And who buys a report to read for entertainment?

Were this a school assignment you would probably get a good grade, because it’s written in the form your teachers trained you in. But did they teach you to write fiction? Think of the numbers of reports and essays you were assigned as against stories. Think of how much time your teachers spent on the elements of a scene on the page, as against one in a film or stage production. Did they explain the role of the scene-goal? How about using tags, and the tricks of scene-and-sequel? You can’t either use the tools you lack, or recognize that they’re missing. And the teachers who graded your fiction assignments? Did even one of them have books appearing in the local bookstores?

Here’s the problem: All professions are learned after we master the skills called the three R’s: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic—basic skills for the productive, and employed adult. Professions are learned in addition to those basic skills, and writing fiction is a profession.

We all assume that by reading we’ll absorb the structure and tricks needed for fiction. But does eating teach us to cook? Did watching film and TV teach us to be a screenwriter? Of course not. So though we don’t realize it, we leave our school days exactly as well prepared to write fiction as to practice as a pharmacist.

So while this critique is, from your viewpoint, terrible news, it is something we all face on the road to publication, making it more a rite-of-passage than a disaster. So don’t let it upset you. I didn’t learn this till I’d written six novels that I thought were ready for publication. So for me it was much worse. But on the other hand, once I did learn of the problem, and took steps to fix it, I sold the next novel I submitted.

For an idea of what you’re missing, the writing articles in my blog are designed for the hopeful writer. They won’t teach you writing, but they give an overview of what kills you need to perfect.

So there you have the problem. The solution? Simplicity, itself. All you need do is add the skills of the fiction-writing profession to the writing skills you now possess.

Will that be easy? No easier than for any other profession, unfortunately. But if you are meant to be a writer the learning will be like going backstage at the theater, and fun. You’ll also find yourself saying, “How could I have not seen that, myself? It’s so obvious.” But then, many of the tricks of every profession are invisible till pointed out, then, obvious.

And if it turns out not to be fun? Well, you learned something important. So, win/win.

I know of no shortcut to acquiring the skills you need, other then to not waste time looking for one. I can suggest a good place to acquire that knowledge, though—two possibilities, in fact, depending on your needs and dedication. For a gentle, but less complete overview of the nuts-and-bolts issues of fiction, try Debra Dixon’s, GMC: Goal Motivation & Conflict. It’s a warm easy read, like sitting with Deb and taking about writing.

A more difficult book, but the best I’ve found to date, is Dwight Swain’s, Techniques of the Selling Writer. It’s dense, a bit disorganized, but still, the man was truly brilliant. And when he went on tour, his all day workshops used to attract crowds that filled auditoriums. In fact, Amazon has audio recordings on building characters and on writing fiction that are fascinating, sold together under the name, Dwight Swain, Master Writing Teacher.

You’ll be amazed at the difference in your writing, once you master the skills of fiction—as will your readers. So have at it. And definitely, hang in there, and keep on writing.

Jay Greenstein
https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/

Rating /100

1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

5 Years Ago

Thanks for spending so much of your time to write this and giving your feedback.
Well those .. read more

Reviews

Mrudula Rani

I have a feeling you like to write only horror stories. This one has an excellent plot! And Jay G has given you a lot of pointers to improve and write like a professional and for to get publishing. Wishing you all the best.

Posted 5 Years Ago

View 1 more reply

5 Years Ago

You are most welcome Anish, it is matter of time... the more you write the better you get ... as far.. read more

5 Years Ago

Wonderful motivation.. im ready with few plots, im just trying to get the proper climax.

5 Years Ago

Excellent. Wishing you all the best.