The Demon in The Dark
While roaming about Govind and his dog reached a hilly region. At the foot of the range of hills was a big village. The villagers were a lot of well to do people, they had hardly any connection with the world beyond the hills. Govind quenched his thirst with the cool water from a spring and relaxed on a rock. Soon his eyes fell on a narrow path that entered a cave. As he sat wondering who might be living inside that cave if at all, he saw a villager leading a donkey towards it. The donkey bore a load and the villager dragged a goat along with him. At the mouth of the cave, the villager stopped the donkey and fastened the goat to it. Surprised, Govind came down from his rock and asked the man, "Who is there inside the cave? What are you carrying?" The man looked at him with contempt and said, "Why don't you go in and see for yourself?" Then he burst into hearty laughter. "Well, why are you laughing instead of removing my ignorance?" asked Govind. The villager realized that Govind was a man of another province and he knew nothing about the situation here. "Know, my friend, that inside the cave lives a ferocious demon. The load on the donkey contains various items of food. We the people of this village have to provide him with his daily ration so that he leaves us in peace" informed the villager. "I and my dog have already come across a number of demons, ghosts, and what not! I know how to scare them away too. If you tell all about this particular demon, maybe, I shall be able to devise some way to drive him out of this area."
The villager laughed again, It is obvious that he did not give much value to Govind's claim. However, he was good enough to give him a brief report about the demon: It all began years ago. The villagers regularly lost their goats and fowls to some mysterious thief. They tried to remain alert. But that was of no avail. They began losing even their cattle. Between the village and the hills lived an exorcist. At last, the villagers resorted to his help. One dark night the exorcist circled the village thrice never ceasing to recite hymns and then entered the hills. The villagers saw him going with a disciple. But when he came out, he was alone. He narrated the story of his encounter with a demon. It was the demon that whisked away the animals of the villagers. As soon as the demon saw the exorcist and his assistant, he took hold of the assistant and gulped him. However, the exorcist proved too powerful for the demon. After a long argument, it was decided that the villagers would supply the demon with a goat or a pair of fowls every day, along with several other items, and the demon would refrain from harming them in any way. The villagers have faithfully followed the condition. Otherwise, the demon would have finished them all in the meanwhile. After acquainting Govind with these facts, the villager pushed the donkey into the cave. It came out after a few minutes. Its load had been taken off. The goat too remained in the cave.
"The donkey belongs to the exorcist. That is why the demon cannot harm it. We use this donkey to send the demon his ration," concluded the villager. Govind kept on brooding over the matter. Could there really be a demon inside the cave? He did not feel that to be true. After all the only person to have seen the demon is the exorcist. But the question was, where did the exorcist's assistant go? Secondly, what happened to all the stuff that was dispatched into the cave? Govind decided to unravel the mystery. He waited there hiding behind a hillock but keeping a vigilant eye on the passage that led into the cave. At midnight, when the village half a mile away lay quiet he saw a few people advancing towards the cave. They looked like one family. A tall man who led the way was followed by two women and two kids. Govind crawled into the cave stealthily and looked from a safe distance. Someone sat before a fire cooking food. Around the fire sat the others. Soon they began enjoying their food. There was no trace of any demon although the appetite of the leader of the group seemed quite demonian! Govind retreated as quietly as he had entered. Early in the morning Govind went into the village and called out a number of youths to gather at a lonely place. He told them, "Last night I took shelter in the cave without knowing that the place was the dwelling of a demon. When I saw the demon I understood that he was neither ferocious nor strong. It should not be difficult for us to kill him or drive him away. All that is needed is a united effort." The discussed the plan of their action for long and decided to keep it a secret.
When it was midnight again the youths marched towards the cave, armed with sticks. They collected as many dry leaves as they could and made a heap of them at the entrance into the cave and set fire to them. The wind was blowing towards the hills. Columns of smoke entered the cave. Soon, suffocated with the smoke, and coughing, those who were inside the cave came rushing out. They were the members of the exorcist's family and his assistant who was supposed to have been gulped down by the demon years ago. "Here, catch your demons!" shouted Govind. The villagers took hold of the exorcist and his assistant. The mystery of the demon was resolved. The exorcist's assistant lived inside the cave permanently. It was he who unloaded the donkey every day. Once in a while, hiding from all, he carried the goats and all the fowls to a distant market where he sold them. Otherwise, they ate the stuff sent them by the villagers, merrily, night after night, when the exorcist, with his family, joined his assistant. His mischief exposed, the exorcist was obliged to leave the village. His poor assistant apologized and was allowed to lead a normal life, at Govind's instance. The villagers threw a gala feast in Govind's honor. They pleaded with him to stay on in their village. But Govind was a wanderer. He took to the road again, followed by his faithful dog.
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