Death In Paradise....

 I had longed for a vacation to a promised land where I would make memories and have fun. So I decided to go to Goa. It was my seventh time there. This time I was going alone. Finally! Dream come true!! So, I decided that this trip would be a relaxation trip and I would only chill, avoiding all other tourist spots. I was thrilled and I couldn’t wait.

 
On the day of my flight, something didn’t feel right. I had a feeling of uneasiness and somehow, something did not feel right. When I boarded my flight my pulse was crossing 150 and I was sweating. I was breathing heavily and I was scared. I couldn’t understand why all this was happening. I was confused and terrified. During that two-and-a-half-hour flight, all the voices around me were echoing and roaring. I couldn’t keep myself together. I tried to make myself calm by listening to some music and I even tried to sleep. Nothing helped, nothing made me sane. The moment my captain announced, “Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen, we have safely landed in Goa. You may take out your baggage from the respective overhead cabins. Thank you for choosing us as your travel partner. ” I got up hastily, took my bag and ran like I was running for my life. The cabin crew were concerned as I was banging the exit furiously and insanely. They said, “Ma’am please calm down! It's not safe to get down right now. Ma’am, please stop!!” I was out of my senses. Fear, anxiety and insanity had taken over me. They finally opened the door and I ran out of the suffocative, toxic, hell-like environment.

 I was finally serene after breathing the fresh and warm air of Goa. I stood there for a few minutes with my eyes closed like I had been teleported to a world of silence. I could finally enjoy my presence. My hotel was one hour away from the airport, so I took a cab from the airport. On the way, when I glanced at the rare view mirror, I saw a dark shadow sitting right beside me and gawking at me. I was shivering but I didn’t dare to look to my side. I kept sitting straight, without any movement. Suddenly, that entity stood up, held my hand and forced me to look at it. I froze, I felt like I was sitting in a freezer. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was me!! I was pale and blue. My skin was covered with sand. There was sand in my mouth, my eye sockets were hollow and worms and maggots were protruding out of my skin. I was sitting like a statue, without giving any reaction and I finally woke up. I was dreaming. My driver woke me up and I had finally been relieved from the chilling terror. I reached the resort and my luggage was taken to my room. Room Number 13…

After seeing the room number, I was agitated. I raised my voice, “Why is there a hotel room number 13!? Don’t you know it's unlucky!! I need you to give me a new room!” The staff replied nervously, “ Um, Ma’am, we don’t believe in any such thing and this was the only room available….” I felt very sceptical because of the myths and superstitions about the number 13. I couldn’t sleep the entire night. Whenever my eyes shut the whole cab incident played in front of me. I just couldn’t understand what was the reason for this disturbance, terror, wakefulness and anxiety. The whole night all I thought about was why all these events were happening. Was this a sign from the other side? Why was I unwelcomed by Goa???

The next day I slept till the afternoon. I just couldn’t keep track of time. Immediately after waking up, I took a bath and ordered something to eat from the hotel restaurant. The food came after 15-20 minutes. The waiter rang the bell, so, I told him to keep the plates and the cloche inside my room but he refused to come in. I also didn’t ask because I never thought of it to be a big deal. I was famished.  I sat down to eat and lifted the cloche. BAM! I immediately closed it. I saw a HEAD!!!! The head of that same shadow which I saw in the car. Damn! Was it really what I thought it was? A goddamn head! Or am I still dreaming? I was not scared anymore so I lifted it again and there was nothing but I felt a boney, chilling and flappy hand on my neck. I was choking! I was restless and all I saw was a black, dark room with no one to help. Then I heard the bell and the agony had ended…

After this incident, I thought that something is not right, everything is atypical and unusual, rather it is paranormal. I had never seen such creepy and disturbing things before. So, I booked a return ticket. My flight was at night and there was a layoff in Mumbai. I was finally happy that I am going back and leaving what was once called ‘fun’ Goa. This time my flight seemed to be normal it was not like before, loud and unsettling. It was like now I was going to my destination. 

I was sitting in the aircraft and waiting for takeoff when I heard The captain, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready for takeoff. Please put your seatbelts on. Thank you!” This call gave me satisfaction and relief. The aircraft had taken off and I was asleep. When we were going to land in Mumbai, I heard worried screams and immediately woke up. I saw that the engine of our aircraft had malfunctioned. We were right above the ocean and I was panicking. The aircraft was going down at full speed and BOOM! We had hit the surface and our plane was sinking and we were drowning. I didn’t have the time to put a life jacket on. I had accepted my fate, my death. After the crash, most of the people drowned but many survived. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. My body was not found.

Mysteriously, a week later, on an abandoned beach, a gruesome body was found.  A young lady’s body with blue and pale skin. Its mouth was full of sand, its eye sockets were hollow, and maggots and worms were protruding from its skin. The body was not identified as it was rotting, creepy, lifeless and nameless…

‘Even if we have ourselves so fully convinced that we are on the right track because we desperately want to believe that the specific direction we have chosen is the correct one if the universe disagrees with our choices, it will not be shy in telling us so.’- Miya Yamanouchi