Play And Drown

Hey Folks! I'm Ajay from Mumbai. This last week I have read so many stories here on YGS and I thoroughly enjoyed most. Thank You for sharing.

I wanted to post an experience I had when I was just a kid in 1998 (14 Year Old) when I used to stay in Thane City (Adjacent to Mumbai) in India.

Almost everyone in India loves to play/watch cricket. In Thane City, there's this little ground adjacent to a very small lake called Hariyali Lake near The Railway Station. The lake borders the ground in such the way that it runs parallel on 2 sides of the ground (Like one L on another one) merely separated by a 10-15 feet alley between the 4-Feet Cricket-Ground Fence and the Lake's Edge. This narrow passage between the lake and the ground is mostly outgrown by small bushels may be 1-2 feet and will give you a very creepy feeling as soon as you jump the fence from the cricket ground. Some of you may be wondering, why go to this dinghy place! Well in cricket, when the batsman hits a six (home-run equivalent) ON THIS GROUND, the guy himself walks the entire length of the ground, jumps the fence and then looks for the ball in the bush (No Pun Intended!).

I hope I was able to describe it clearly and my dear friends are able to picture the lake now.

Alright, so here we go! The bowler bowls the ball, I knock it out of the park. All My darn friends catch a shade under a tree on the left and sit down. They know it will be a few minutes by the time, I go, search and retrieve the Ball. So, I go climb the 4 Feet Fence and leap down the other side. As soon as I jump, a cold chill runs down my spine. The hair on my neck stand up. I shrug myself, yell my friends' names so, at least they can peep over the fence's edge and look out for while I'm searching the ball. I search among the rotting vegetation underneath my feet, hoping there are no snakes under the weeds. I glance at the fence, but none of my friends is looking. I move closer to the edge of the lake, still searching for the ball. Suddenly I spot the ball floating on the surface of the water. I glance around, not a soul is within my sight. I pick up a few stones and start pelting them ahead of the ball in the water to cause the ripples push it towards me, so I could grab it. I suddenly spot a small shoal of fish along the edge of the lake. Curiosity gets the better of me as I bend on the edge of the lake admiring the fish.

As I'm completely lost, looking at the fish, two reflections suddenly emerge in the water, two kids, unkempt, wearing ragged clothes, white eyes, with an evil grin on their faces. Instinctively, I turn around and see nothing but can still feel them. I try to yell, but, Voice betrays me. In a Split-second, I feel a strong push against my chest, as I slam the surface of the water on my back around 3-4 feet from the lake's wall. Now, it's important to know here, that I CAN'T SWIM. As I'm submerged into the water, it's as if I've entered a different dimension. To this day, I can still clearly imagine it. There's dark everywhere (not completely black, but, like the weather, one would mostly see in a bad dream). Overly Overcast, Sad and Gloomy! I could hear sort of soft wailing sounds. I could see various shapes and things and as they curl in the water, I could imagine white apparitions moving with them. I'm completely submerged all this while, when the water enters my nasal cavity and my mouth and my life starts flashing through my eyes and I think, "This is it". As my hands and legs are constantly kicking in the water, a hard slimy thing touches my finger. I quickly hang on to it, check the direction where I see a ray of the light and pull against it instinctively, as I surface from under the water coughing water out of my nose and mouth. I grab the ledge and pull myself up and out of the lake.

I glance around. There's no one to be seen. I yell for my friend (This time the voice is loud and clear) and he peeps over the fence (This time, my friend responds as well) and discovers the state I'm in to his dismay. He jumps the fence, runs toward me, asks if I'm ok and we both move back to the fence and climb over it to jump back into the ground.

"Just walk me home," I say to him. Completely drenched and feeling grossed out and shiat-scared at the same time, I ask my friend if he saw 2 beggar like kids jump over the wall. He declines. Says he would know since there's was no-one other than us playing at that time in the afternoon and the tree where all my friends happened to be at a spot where anyone passing by would be visible to them. So, I said ok.

I went home, took a shower. Then told my Mom about this. This was when Mom told me that the lake has a reputation of killing people. Over the last 2 decades, many people have drowned over there. There was even a time when heart-broken lovers, depressed people among others, committed suicide in that lake. That's when I remembered just last week the municipal corporation had fished out two bloated bodies from the lake. I was at the same place playing cricket at that time as well. I had just glanced at the bodies as they were being fished out. I had immediately pulled my sight away from the scene, because it was so horrible. I wondered, if these 2 were the same people I saw.

It didn't matter. The worst was over. I was fine again. I still continued going to the same ground and enjoying cricket with my friends for the next 4 years, until I moved from there permanently.

I still don't know, what I saw. If that was real or was it just my subconscious playing games with me. It may have been merely a couple of minutes that it happened, but, at that moment, it seemed an eternity. Anyway, it could have cost me my life, but I was lucky, I guess.

So, here's me concluding this long experience, with a message to all the kids - Play Safe. Thank You.

Sincerely Yours - Ajay K.