It was two o'clock in the morning. Dr. Hamid was still at his desk in the office, struggling to begin a report he had to make. in the adjoining mortuary lay the dismembered body of an Indian woman, killed the day before by her husband. Dr. Hamid had spent four hours doing the autopsy. And now, he sat with his fingers drumming the desk, eyebrows knitted and the typewriter sitting silently in front of him. The body was brought in at about ten last night, with both feet severed clean at the ankle. The story, as far as the police could gather up to now, was that the woman had been in the habit of leaving home every morning, as soon as her husband had gone to tap rubber trees, to while away the hours with a pal and a neighbour, totally neglecting her household responsibilities. Yesterday, the long suffering husband finally decided he could not take it any more. He killed her, and chopped off her feet for good measure. They were recovered at the scene, and came to the mortuary still wearing the woman's brass bell anklets. Dr. Hamid removed the anklets when he completed his examination, and left them on the table not far from him, as he sat staring at the typewriter.
In the meantime, police kept up the hunt for her killer who had long made his escape by the time the murder was discovered. Neighbours believed he had gone into hiding in the jungle. Dr. Hamid had still not begun his report when the clock in his office chimed three. He nodded away sleepily and finally dozed off. He had no idea how long he had been asleep, but the first thing he heard when he awoke was the faint tinkling of little bells. Instantly, he remembered the anklets he had removed from the severed feet of the dead Indian woman still lying in the adjoining room. He wondered if someone was taking them away, as his eyes went over to the spot where he had left them. To his shock, the anklets were gone! He jumped up and made a check, but they were certainly not on the table. The bells tinkled again, and this time the sound clearly came from the floor. Next thing he knew, a pair of feet like those severed from the dead Indian woman's body, jumped out from under the desk. They wore a pair of anklets just like hers, just like the ones now missing from the table. And they were alive! They sped to the open front door, sprang out, and disappeared into the darkness.
The sight of a pair of feet bounding away on their own was simply shocking to Dr. Hamid. He could feel a chill running through his body. Hoping it was just his imagination, he rushed into the mortuary, only to see what he had feared he would see. The pair of severed feet that belonged to the dead Indian woman had disappeared. Confused, he ran out and started screaming for Musa, his attendant, who came rushing in, torchlight in hand. 'What's wrong? What happened, Doctor?' 'The Indian woman's feet have escaped,' Dr. Hamid replied quickly, without much thought as to what he was saying to the puzzled young man. He snatched the torchlight from Musa's hand, leaving the young attendant completely in the dark. He ran right out of the building in search of the fugitive feet. At the edge of the front lawn, the light from his torchlight fell on them, springing furiously away. Dr. Hamid froze in his tracks as he stood watching the feet charging towards the forest at the fringe of the hospital grounds. Within moments, they disappeared from view and the tinkling of little bells faded away into the distance.
Confounded and upset, Dr. Hamid returned to his room and took his seat. He was shivering all over and drenched by perspiration. It now looked like he was going to have an even harder time preparing his report. Who is to believe that a pair of severed feet, from a dead woman's body had escaped from the mortuary, bell anklets and all? Dr. Hamid shook his head. Musa came in. 'I feel feverish, Doctor. I'm not sure I can go on working tonight. May I go home?' Dr. Hamid had hardly opened his mouth to reply when Musa made his exit. Within moments, his motorcycle was heard leaving the hospital. He seemed in such a hurry to leave that Dr. Hamid wondered if the young man had been spooked too. Now all alone in his room, Dr. Hamid could not help feeling quite uneasy. He did not believe in the supernatural, but that did not make what he had just seen any less real and frightening. He thought about the anklets again. He left his seat and started looking for them, just in case he had misplaced them somewhere or other in the room. He made a thorough search but to no avail. he even went into the mortuary, but still there was no sign of them.
The anklets were gone, no doubt about it. Tired and frustrated, Dr. Hamid left the mortuary, locked the place and went back to his office. Then he stood by the window to seek comfort in the cool morning air, and tried to recollect his thoughts. The clock chimed four as rain started to fall, lightly at first, but gradually growing into a downpour. Dr. Hamid returned to his seat. he still had not made any progress with his autopsy report. He leaned back wearily, blinked his eyes, and stared at the ceiling. His typewriter stayed silent. His thoughts were wondering when he suddenly heard a strange noise outside the room. He strained his ears to listen and, with the downpour in the background, caught the sound of something crawling on the floor. Moments later, there were a scratching sound at the door. Then the door swung open. Now entering the room was the Indian woman's body, the one that was suppose to be lying, feetless and dead, on the table in the locked mortuary. It crawled slowly towards the desk, on its face was an expression of extreme agony. Dr. Hamid could not move a finger. His whole body had turned limp. Terrified, he felt like screaming, but found no voice.
The creature, for despite its appearance was certainly not human. It had now reached the center of the room, just yards away from his desk. Its eyes were fixed on him. On its mouth was a grin that revealed a set of white teeth. It stretched out its left hand, as though offering him something it had been holding. They were the missing bell anklets. All the time, it kept crawling towards him. Soon it was under the desk, temporarily out of Dr. Hamid's view. And yet Dr. Hamid still could not find the strength to move. His whole body froze as if under a spell. Then one of the creature's hands reappeared from under the desk, and reached out to grab its side. The other hand then followed suit. And the creature heaved itself up and out from under the desk. Now standing up, it slowly reached out for Dr. Hamid's face with the hand holding the anklets. Closer and closer the hand came. Suddenly, there was a terrific blast, like a bolt of lightning had struck shaking the room. Dr. Hamid was flung onto the floor. Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the horrible creature vanishing.
when he came to, a tinge of red was on the eastern horizon, heralding the rising of the sun. The telephone on his desk was ringing impatiently. Dr. Hamid got up and grabbed the handset. 'Yes?' 'This is Corporal 1435 speaking. Is this Dr. Hamid? My men are sending another dead body to the mortuary for your examination. It's the husband of the murdered Indian woman we sent you yesterday,' a voice at the other end said. 'What? He's dead too? How did it happen? ... Well, alright.' Dr. Hamid was trembling all over, still shaken by the frightening occurrences he had just gone through. he caught a glint at the edge of the table from where the pair of anklets had been missing. He reached out to see what it was. There was no mistake about it. The anklets were back, exactly where he had left them, as if they had never been missing from the table. Dr. Hamid went into the mortuary. It did not take him long to see the Indian woman's back exactly where he had last seen it, in exactly the same position as if it too had never left the place. The pair of severed feet were by its side. but there was a difference. taking a closer look, he found their soles caked with clay and fresh blood. Dr. Hamid dashed out of the room and locked the door.
Half an hour later, the body of the woman's husband arrived, covered in a sheet of white cloth. Dr. Hamid lifted the sheet to inspect, and was overcome by revulsion and shock. From head to toe, the body was a mass of mangled flesh, as if it had been pulverized by a pair of monster feet.
In the meantime, police kept up the hunt for her killer who had long made his escape by the time the murder was discovered. Neighbours believed he had gone into hiding in the jungle. Dr. Hamid had still not begun his report when the clock in his office chimed three. He nodded away sleepily and finally dozed off. He had no idea how long he had been asleep, but the first thing he heard when he awoke was the faint tinkling of little bells. Instantly, he remembered the anklets he had removed from the severed feet of the dead Indian woman still lying in the adjoining room. He wondered if someone was taking them away, as his eyes went over to the spot where he had left them. To his shock, the anklets were gone! He jumped up and made a check, but they were certainly not on the table. The bells tinkled again, and this time the sound clearly came from the floor. Next thing he knew, a pair of feet like those severed from the dead Indian woman's body, jumped out from under the desk. They wore a pair of anklets just like hers, just like the ones now missing from the table. And they were alive! They sped to the open front door, sprang out, and disappeared into the darkness.
The sight of a pair of feet bounding away on their own was simply shocking to Dr. Hamid. He could feel a chill running through his body. Hoping it was just his imagination, he rushed into the mortuary, only to see what he had feared he would see. The pair of severed feet that belonged to the dead Indian woman had disappeared. Confused, he ran out and started screaming for Musa, his attendant, who came rushing in, torchlight in hand. 'What's wrong? What happened, Doctor?' 'The Indian woman's feet have escaped,' Dr. Hamid replied quickly, without much thought as to what he was saying to the puzzled young man. He snatched the torchlight from Musa's hand, leaving the young attendant completely in the dark. He ran right out of the building in search of the fugitive feet. At the edge of the front lawn, the light from his torchlight fell on them, springing furiously away. Dr. Hamid froze in his tracks as he stood watching the feet charging towards the forest at the fringe of the hospital grounds. Within moments, they disappeared from view and the tinkling of little bells faded away into the distance.
Confounded and upset, Dr. Hamid returned to his room and took his seat. He was shivering all over and drenched by perspiration. It now looked like he was going to have an even harder time preparing his report. Who is to believe that a pair of severed feet, from a dead woman's body had escaped from the mortuary, bell anklets and all? Dr. Hamid shook his head. Musa came in. 'I feel feverish, Doctor. I'm not sure I can go on working tonight. May I go home?' Dr. Hamid had hardly opened his mouth to reply when Musa made his exit. Within moments, his motorcycle was heard leaving the hospital. He seemed in such a hurry to leave that Dr. Hamid wondered if the young man had been spooked too. Now all alone in his room, Dr. Hamid could not help feeling quite uneasy. He did not believe in the supernatural, but that did not make what he had just seen any less real and frightening. He thought about the anklets again. He left his seat and started looking for them, just in case he had misplaced them somewhere or other in the room. He made a thorough search but to no avail. he even went into the mortuary, but still there was no sign of them.
The anklets were gone, no doubt about it. Tired and frustrated, Dr. Hamid left the mortuary, locked the place and went back to his office. Then he stood by the window to seek comfort in the cool morning air, and tried to recollect his thoughts. The clock chimed four as rain started to fall, lightly at first, but gradually growing into a downpour. Dr. Hamid returned to his seat. he still had not made any progress with his autopsy report. He leaned back wearily, blinked his eyes, and stared at the ceiling. His typewriter stayed silent. His thoughts were wondering when he suddenly heard a strange noise outside the room. He strained his ears to listen and, with the downpour in the background, caught the sound of something crawling on the floor. Moments later, there were a scratching sound at the door. Then the door swung open. Now entering the room was the Indian woman's body, the one that was suppose to be lying, feetless and dead, on the table in the locked mortuary. It crawled slowly towards the desk, on its face was an expression of extreme agony. Dr. Hamid could not move a finger. His whole body had turned limp. Terrified, he felt like screaming, but found no voice.
The creature, for despite its appearance was certainly not human. It had now reached the center of the room, just yards away from his desk. Its eyes were fixed on him. On its mouth was a grin that revealed a set of white teeth. It stretched out its left hand, as though offering him something it had been holding. They were the missing bell anklets. All the time, it kept crawling towards him. Soon it was under the desk, temporarily out of Dr. Hamid's view. And yet Dr. Hamid still could not find the strength to move. His whole body froze as if under a spell. Then one of the creature's hands reappeared from under the desk, and reached out to grab its side. The other hand then followed suit. And the creature heaved itself up and out from under the desk. Now standing up, it slowly reached out for Dr. Hamid's face with the hand holding the anklets. Closer and closer the hand came. Suddenly, there was a terrific blast, like a bolt of lightning had struck shaking the room. Dr. Hamid was flung onto the floor. Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the horrible creature vanishing.
when he came to, a tinge of red was on the eastern horizon, heralding the rising of the sun. The telephone on his desk was ringing impatiently. Dr. Hamid got up and grabbed the handset. 'Yes?' 'This is Corporal 1435 speaking. Is this Dr. Hamid? My men are sending another dead body to the mortuary for your examination. It's the husband of the murdered Indian woman we sent you yesterday,' a voice at the other end said. 'What? He's dead too? How did it happen? ... Well, alright.' Dr. Hamid was trembling all over, still shaken by the frightening occurrences he had just gone through. he caught a glint at the edge of the table from where the pair of anklets had been missing. He reached out to see what it was. There was no mistake about it. The anklets were back, exactly where he had left them, as if they had never been missing from the table. Dr. Hamid went into the mortuary. It did not take him long to see the Indian woman's back exactly where he had last seen it, in exactly the same position as if it too had never left the place. The pair of severed feet were by its side. but there was a difference. taking a closer look, he found their soles caked with clay and fresh blood. Dr. Hamid dashed out of the room and locked the door.
Half an hour later, the body of the woman's husband arrived, covered in a sheet of white cloth. Dr. Hamid lifted the sheet to inspect, and was overcome by revulsion and shock. From head to toe, the body was a mass of mangled flesh, as if it had been pulverized by a pair of monster feet.
No comments:
Post a Comment