Not a single writer in horror genre brings romance and nostalgia to spooky stories so skillfully as Ruskin Bond does. He brings naturalism to the story. The ghosts in Ruskin Bond’s stories are not scary as we see in Bollywood horror movies. They too have emotions. Either they are melancholic or seeking for salvation. In one of his ghost stories – Listen to the wind, Ruskin Bond gives a romantic feel to the storyline. It is the story of fated star crossed lovers from the mountains. The story of the ill-fated lovers is narrated by an old woman named Mrs. Mackenzie to Ruskin Bond.
The backdrop of the short story is the fierce wind and the rains which has kept Bond and the old lady confined indoors. There is no way to go outside. Rains are lashing against the window panes. The weather triggers a conversation about the burnt hills which is left abandoned. Mrs Mackenzie narrates the story of Robert, a young British boy who falls in love with a young Indian girl from mountains. Despite hailing from an aristocratic family, Robert’s proposal for marriage is turned down by the girl’s father. They love becomes forbidden for people from mountain side. Disappointed by the rejection, Robert and the girl elope and seek refuge in the burnt hill which is also known as Pari Tibba. According to the legends, Pari Tibba or the hill of the fairies is haunted and surrounded by fairies. When the couple sought refuge in the hills, the heavy lightning struck on them, leaving them dead. Even nature didn’t approve of their love. The heavy rains and the lightning claimed the lives of the star-crossed lovers. Next day, their charred bodies were found. When Ruskin visits the burnt hills, he is keen to experience a human presence within the hills, but finds none. The readers are left to wonder whether the souls of the star-crossed lovers still haunt the hills or is it the fairies who still roam around Pari Tibba.
This story is not really spooky in terms of a ghost story. It has a sense of tragedy to it. The couple reminded me of Romeo & Juliet, the ill-fated lovers from Shakespeare’s tragic play. I haven’t been to Pari Tibba or any mountain based destination. After reading this short story, I want to visit the burnt hill or the Pari Tibba where the souls of the star crossed lovers still exist.
This story was featured in many of Ruskin Bond’s books – A face in the dark and other hauntings and other anthologies of spooky stories. Even the ghost story – The wind on haunted hill is set against the backdrop of hill and winds.
Stories that evoke nostalgia 