The Phantom Rickshaw – A supernatural short story by Rudyard Kipling

Fear and illusion go hand in hand. Fear conjures up imaginations, hallucinations of being watched, tracked and observed. Among many scary stories, ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ remains a classic ghost story. ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ is written by author Rudyard Kipling who is more popular for children classics like ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Kim’. Very few readers know that Kipling knew the craft of writing scary stories that would send a shiver down the spine of readers. What would you do if you past love resurfaces back from death to bond with you? The narrator in this ghost story is haunted by the phantom figure of a woman who he loved and later betrayed for a young girl. This scary story was been adapted for Hollywood movies – ‘What lies beneath’ starring Harrison Ford who is living under a guilt for seducing and killing a young woman who happens to be his student. Things get awry when the ghost of the woman possesses the body of Harrison Ford’s wife.

The Marathi play ‘Savita Damodar Paranjpe’ was based on a real horror story happened in 80’s Mumbai. A prominent writer’s wife is possessed by an unknown supernatural entity. It is later revealed that a writer was involved in an affair with a girl named Savita. He had ditched Savita for another young woman. How the spirit of Savita seeks her vengeance through writer’s wife is a must watch. The play was later adapted as a movie bearing the same title. It starred Marathi superstar Subodh Bhave as the writer who is haunted by the past of his ex-girlfriend ‘Savita Damodar Paranjpe’. Even the Marathi play ‘Savita Damodar Paranjpe’ was inspired by ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’.

‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ seemed to me more of a psychological thriller than a supernatural story because it deals with themes of guilt and betrayal. The backdrop of story is set in pre-independent Shimla. Shimla was a haven of bliss for several foreign tourists. Especially British officials settled in Shimla, enjoying a relaxed life.

Even the protagonist of this short story is well settled and enjoying an extramarital affair with a married woman. There is more physical intimacy than commitment in an extra marital affair. The protagonist is not committed to the woman and ditches her for a young, wealthy girl named Kitty. Though the protagonist and the married woman split up, the married woman can’t forget her love. Depressively she dies.

Things go smoothly for the protagonist until he starts seeing the apparition of his past love. Her phantom figure starts making her presence felt to the protagonist. The phantom figure is seen on a rickshaw. Her ghostly presence constantly reminds the protagonist of his betrayal. His dreams of marrying the wealthy girl is shattered by the phantom figure of the married woman. The protagonist starts behaving crazily and ultimately loses his mental balance. In the climax, the protagonist dies, with guilt of betraying a woman who loved him unconditionally. The way Kipling crafted this horror story, it holds up the attention of reader, creating a tense mood and conjuring up a scary ambience.

The Phantom Rickshaw is one of Kipling’s best-selling and widely read spooky short story

Published in 1888, ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ earned a cult status as a chilling horror story in world of literature. Was Phantom Rickshaw based on an urban legend? Rudyard Kipling himself had admitted to witnessing paranormal activities during his stay in Shimla. His short horror stories are fusion of fiction and real life paranormal incidents happened in Shimla. ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ is one of the favorite scary stories of author Ruskin Bond and it inspired him to write many scary stories for readers of horror genre. If you liked this article on Kipling’s ghost story – The Phantom Rickshaw, then I recommend you to read the actual story which has lots of scary jump moments. Overall, it is a perfect horror story to read on Halloween day.