It was a moonless night. Gusts of wind whistled over the wasteland. The only other sound was the chirping of crickets. Stars shone in the moonless sky. Ketan led the way by flashing the torch which he held in one hand. In his other, he had a stout stick; and from his shoulder hung a cotton bag containing some snacks and odd things. Faster Fenay and Pravin made their way briskly behind him across the open fields, each with a bundle of bedding under his arm.

Soon they reached the high tower which was at one end of the castle wall. The wall itself was ruined with yawning gaps through which they easily clambered into the overgrown courtyard.

?Take care,? said Ketan adjusting his torch, ?There may be thorns, and even scorpions and snakes.?

They safely made their way through the eerie light to the spot where the staircase should be. Ketan took out a bunch of keys and opened the creaking door. A couple of bats rushed out screeching, one striking Pravin?s head.

?Damn!? he cried, after recovering from the shock. ?For a moment I thought it was the ghost!?

The three began mounting the stairs through dust and darkness. At intervals there were slits in the wall through which starlight faintly shone.

?They are meant for rifles,? whispered Pravin, and Faster Fenay nodded knowingly.

?How many steps are there?? asked Faster Fenay after a while.

?We?ve already climbed about a hundred!?

?It?s not so high,? said Ketan ? ?It?s just that it?s a spiral.?

Then suddenly, Ttock! ?We?ve come to the end!?

Ketan unbolted the door which now faced them. It opened easily. The room which they entered was a circular one with a low ceiling and four narrow windows through which twinkled an occasional star.

?There?s so much dust here, we won?t be able to sleep unless we sweep the floor first,? said Ketan and added smilingly, ?Not that we can all go to sleep. One of us has to keep a watch.?

Pravin picked up a broom which was lying against the wall and swept the floor clean. Then they spread the durries they had brought with them and sat down. It was gloomy and still.

?What shall we do now? Shall we play chess?? asked Ketan. ?I?ve brought the things.?

?No,? said Pravin. ?We?ll need the torch for that and we should save our light for an emergency.?

?You?re right,? said Ketan. ?Then we?ll just lie down and count sheep.?

He had brought a plastic bottle full of water which he placed near his bed. As he was switching off the torch, the light fell on his wrist.

?Is that a sliver bracelet, Ketanbhai?? asked Faster Fenay.

?Yes. It?s a present which Bapu brought for me from Dwaraka when he was on a pilgrimage. I wear it always because it?s supposed to be lucky. But it?s a bit irritating, so I take it off before going to sleep.? He unclasped the trinket and put it on the window sill.

They lay down on their makeshift beds, but try as they might, they could not get a wink of sleep. So they chatted and told ghost stories just to keep up the atmosphere.

?It?s fun listening to a ghost story, so long as you don?t actually see a ghost, isn?t it Pravin?? said Banesh. But Pravin didn?t reply. He had just gone off to sleep.

?Soon you?ll sleep too,? said Ketan. ?But don?t worry. I?m here to keep guard.?

B.R. Bhagwat?s short story, Faster Fenay Lays a Ghost, translated from Marathi by the author, first appeared in the children?s magazine Target, edited by Rosalind Wilson. It was later published in the short story collection, The Carpenter?s Apprentice, by Katha, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation and publishing house.