He was attending on his ailing father-in-law when his mobile rang. He did not want to disturb the old man who was virtually on his death bed and came outside.

It was gloomy afternoon with daylight nearly snuffed out by dark threatening clouds and flashes of lightning and thunder in between.

He came under the shed in the outer courtyard of the old traditional house and answered his phone.

Suddenly a tremendous flash of lightning nearly blinded him and the accompanying thunder deafened him. His mobile blinked and went dead. As he looked at his phone in great astonishment a message hit him unawares making him dumbfounded.

He just knew that the lightning struck at least one person or more dead somewhere in the town or in the outskirts. He was instantly enveloped in an inexplicable wave of sorrow. He felt weak in the knees and sick.

As he went back inside his father-in-law gave him a sad and understanding smile making him more confused and forlorn. He began to recollect the experiences of the past days.

His nights had been quite disturbed of late. He felt as if spirits had come down in preparation to escort the ailing old man to the other world. He had been telling his wife about this, but now he was sure something was amiss.

The evening news confirmed the death of two persons in an outlying village due to the lightning strike.

The old man died a few days later despite being shifted to a good hospital and all the modern treatment facilities. Just from the beginning of the funeral period he began to have health problems. And, then the distinct pricks.

On different occasions in fully awake stages he felt being pricked in the small of his back by someone’s index finger. Turning back on all occasions obviously he could not find anyone in striking distance.

For more than a year afterwards he continued to be sick with problems for which the medical world had no solutions or medicines. Finally he was diagnosed with a medical problem that required an emergency surgery. In fact, that particular medical problem had been in dormant stage for many years and he always steered clear of going for any surgery.

The surgery was done properly and the pricks continued even on his hospital bed. He felt somebody hovering over him all the time.

One night in the dead hours he woke up suddenly with a jerk. He was lying face down. He felt a tremendous burden put on his back and he tried desperately to come out of the pressure. In the effort a prolonged distorted whine escaped him and the next moment the pressure eased. He perceived something rushing out of the open bedside window. He felt like a free man and moved in his bed. Seeing his wife sleeping peacefully in the other bed he decided not to mention anything about it.

Within a year from that event he was back in prime health and all the problems disappeared including the pricks.

He was sure the spirit that must have taken shelter in his body was not evil or harmful. But he was not sure if it was a benevolent one. Maybe, he thought, the spirit wanted him to take the long pending decision to get fully cured.

He never wanted the pricks to come back again, but he missed it too!