” I ate a little less today,” Gargare was saying.

  “I can’t eat as much as I used to. My health hasn’t been very good lately. My stomach troubles have increased.”

The host smiled to himself.

‘He ate a meal for four people at once, and he says he ate less ! His gut is so huge, if you cut it open, you’d get a hundred kilos of fat. Of course, his stomach is going to complain after eating that much.’

Gargare broke the chain of the host’s thoughts.

” The basundi (sweet dish) was absolutely fantastic, though. I felt like drinking two or three more bowls, but I said no, eight or ten bowls were enough; the host must have something left too.”

Saying this, he rubbed his belly again and burped. Only Gargare knew if the burp was one of satisfaction or gas ! 

 As he rubbed his stomach, all the dishes seemed to dance before his eyes:

 ‘Puran Poli, Basundi, Pulao, Bhajiya, Palak Puri, Badam Kheer.’ Innumerable items !

 What’s more, even after eating so much, his appetite for food had not been quenched.

 Then the host offered him a wonderfully fragrant paan (betel quid).

 Host ‘ badbade ‘ placed his head on the Gargare’s feet and put five hundred and one rupees into his hands. for dakshina ! 

 What more could he ask for?

  Gargare’s carriage set off, his mind content and satisfied, under the harsh midday sun! The sun was directly overhead. Gargare was wearing a dhoti and had a shawl (uparna) over his shoulders, meaning he was bare-chested. Would he use the shawl to cover his head or his body?

And his body was no ordinary one! It must have been nearly two hundred kilos. Each step fell with a heavy thud. But that two-hundred-kilo body was not built from muscle! The inevitable consequence followed. Gargare started feeling dizzy! His mouth began to feel dry. He started sweating profusely.

The people around were familiar, but hardly anyone was outside in the afternoon. One or two people rushed over, but by then it was too late. Gargare collapsed and never rose again!

 Someone informed his family. His two sons and wife rushed over. The host, whose house he had gone to for lunch, was also informed. He arrived, too.

  ‘Badbade’ was his last name. He arrived muttering and talking. He was consumed by guilt, but his own monologue was going on… ‘I invited him for lunch, but how much can one eat? There should be a limit! But this man wouldn’t stop! This is the result of that!…’

  And Gargare’s family kept blaming him, saying, ‘It’s because you kept feeding him!’ Before long, a crowd gathered. Sensible people intervened and calmed the situation.

  Both sides quieted down. What had to happen had happened; there was no point in worrying about it now. And Gargare’s family also knew that this could be the result of overeating.

  The problem remained of lifting Gargare’s body! The already colossal two-hundred-kilo body felt even heavier after death. How would they lift it?

 A flat cart was ordered, and ten or twelve sturdy men somehow managed to hoist it. They placed it on the cart and took it to Gargare’s house.

  The final rites were performed in the evening. But Badbade felt uneasy. He felt that he was responsible for what happened. He paced restlessly. Dinner was over. He had no real desire to eat, but as a bodily function, pushing a couple of morsels down was necessary.

 Gargare’s body would not leave his sight. His enormous form lying on the street wouldn’t go away. In the pitch blackness of the night, those memories gave him goosebumps. The rest of the Badbade family slept peacefully, but Badbade continued his pacing.

 As the night progressed, his calves started cramping from all the walking. He then rested on the porch swing… The swing began to sway back and forth.

  His gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead, searching for something. Even he didn’t know what it was or why this was happening. But his inner voice confirmed it, waiting for something to happen.

 And the moment arrived… As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he sensed some movement in the distance. Badbade narrowed his eyes and stared intently. A cold shiver ran down Badbade’s spine! A massive hulk was approaching him, swaying as it walked.

 Is that Gargare?…

 All the hairs on his body stood on end… Yes… it’s Gargare !

The darkness ahead was absolute, but the gaze fixed on him was piercing his heart. Badbade’s head started tingling. Was what he was seeing an illusion?

 Maybe it was because he had been thinking about it all afternoon, just a delusion…!

 While he was lost in thought, the figure swayed and reached Badbade’s compound !

 There was a mischievous expression on its face. Badbade was terrified, but no sound would come out of his mouth. Gh…ost! Gh…o…st!

  That was the only sound that escaped Badbade’s lips. And by then… whatever the ghost or thing Gargare was, it stood right in front of him.

“Badbade, what do I say? Do you have that basundi ? It was absolutely fantastic. I thought I would have two or three bowls!”

 Badbade’s body was numb. But his mind ?

 That was still working ! Thoughts came instantly !

‘ He ate and ate and died this afternoon, and yet he came back to drink basundi ! Is he a man or what ? ‘

‘ No ! How can you call him a man ? He’s a…’

“Oh, Badbade!…” Saying this, he started coming closer. His muttering continued.

 “A host like you is a great fortune, one who takes such good care of his guests. I couldn’t help myself !

 I thought I had one last unfulfilled wish, and I should complete it with you ! Will you do it ? “

“Oh… Badbade…?”

 But Badbade had collapsed where he stood. Perhaps he had fainted. Moments later, his wife came to check on him. She shouted and ran to fetch a pot of water. She splashed water on Badbade’s face. Badbade regained consciousness. Gh…ost, gh…o…st! he trembled.

“What are you muttering? Come, let’s go to sleep.”

  But Badbade wouldn’t move. It took him a long time to recover. He asked his wife,

 “Dear, is there any basundi left ? ”

 His wife, Anagha, didn’t understand why he was asking this.

 “What are you talking about? Are you alright? It’s past one in the morning, and you’re asking for basundi instead of sleeping?”

 “Dear, I don’t want it, that Gargare has come back for the basundi ! He said he liked it, and he was going to drink more this afternoon. But then this happened, and his last wish remained unfulfilled…”

“How can he come back?”

“I don’t know how, but he was here !”

 Badbade looked around and said. But he couldn’t see anyone, and… his gaze went outside. He thought he saw that same bulky figure standing outside the fence, waiting for his last wish to be fulfilled!

Badbade pointed in that direction,

“Look, he’s standing there !”

Anagha looked that way.

“Come on, go to sleep now! You’re hallucinating! There’s no one there.”

 And… Badbade walked into the house, looking at the illusory figure, and closed the door.

And… Gargare waited there, for his last wish to be fulfilled……

                                                   THE END