The Final Echo: A Sundarbans Nightmare

1. The Silence is Broken
A year had passed since their second harrowing return from the Sundarbans. Life had finally settled into a comfortable rhythm for the three friends: Amber, Dipu, and the one they called the Observer. Those cursed nights felt like a distant nightmare, a chapter they believed was firmly closed after returning the curse to its source with Damodar Ojha’s guidance. Dipu was engrossed in his final year exhibition at the College of Fine Arts. The Observer was immersed in his corporate world. And Amber, the photographer, had found a new passion; he now captured the faces of people, turning his lens away from the haunting landscapes of the mangroves.
They thought the story was over. But they were wrong. The final echo of their nightmare was yet to sound, and it would be the loudest of all.
It began with a frantic phone call from Robin Khatua, their trusted guide. His voice, usually calm and steady, was laced with an unnatural excitement and raw fear.
“Amber-da, something terrible has happened,” Robin stammered, his words tumbling out. “Damodar Ojha… he’s gone.”
Robin explained that the old shaman had been missing for three days. Villagers had last seen him on the night of the new moon, sitting alone in his boat on the river. There had been no trace of him since. His small hut was untouched, except for one crucial detail. The ancient manuscript, the one containing the incantations against the Nadhupani curse, was missing from his satchel.
A cold dread gripped Amber’s heart. He quickly shared the news with Dipu and the Observer. They all agreed—this was not normal. An experienced man like Damodar Ojha, who knew every creek and corner of the forest like the back of his hand, couldn’t simply vanish.
Then, Robin delivered another piece of chilling news. Fishermen in that part of the Sundarbans reported strange occurrences. A mysterious light was seen glowing from beneath the water in the creeks at night, accompanied by the sound of weeping. But this time, it wasn’t the cry of a sailor. It was the anguished cry of an old man.
A shiver ran down their spines. Was their curse truly not over? Had Damodar Ojha fallen into danger while trying to protect them?
2. The Warning
They decided they had to go back to the Sundarbans. Without Damodar Ojha, Robin was their only hope. But strangely, it was Robin who warned them not to come. He insisted the situation was too dangerous and that even the local Forest Department had forbidden entry into the area.
A few days later, a mysterious parcel arrived at Amber’s address. There was no sender’s name, only a strange, scrawled symbol that looked eerily familiar. Inside, Amber found a brittle, yellowed page.
It was a leaf from Damodar Ojha’s missing manuscript. Tucked alongside it was a small splinter of wood, unmistakably from the broken door of the cursed Thakadhani temple.
A message was scrawled on the page:
“Power never dies; it only changes form. It has found a new vessel. Its hunger is not sated. It seeks to awaken the primeval force that sleeps at the root of the temple. It needs the sacrifice of three souls it has touched before. Beware… it is no longer a shadow. It has taken a body.”
Dipu and the Observer rushed to Amber’s flat. This was a warning, but who had sent it? And who was the new “vessel”?
Suddenly, Dipu’s eyes fixed on the splinter of wood. “This mark… it’s just like the one Robin uses!”
The moment he said it, everything clicked into place for Amber. The symbol on the parcel was a stylized ‘R’—the very same signature Robin used on all his photographs. Could it be… Robin?
Amber’s mind raced back to their second visit to the Thakadhani temple. Robin hadn’t entered the inner sanctum with them; he had stood guard outside. While they were battling the entity within, Robin was alone. Had the malevolent force abandoned its pursuit of them and found a new host in Robin? Had he become its vessel, perhaps without even knowing it? And had Damodar Ojha realized this and gone to stop him, only to be captured?
The thought was devastating. Their friend, their guide, was now their greatest enemy.
3. The Climax: A Test of Friendship
They knew there was no running this time. This wasn’t just a fight for their own survival; it was a battle to save their friend, and possibly Damodar Ojha as well.
Contacting an acquaintance in the Forest Department, they managed to get a permit to enter the restricted zone under the pretext of filming a documentary on Sundarbans tigers. Their true mission was to find Robin and free him from the grip of the evil entity.
This journey felt different. The supernatural fear was still there, but it was overshadowed by the pain of a friend’s betrayal and a fierce determination to bring him back.
They set up camp on an island near the dreaded creek and, under the cover of darkness, set out by boat towards the Thakadhani temple. As they approached, a chilling sight met their eyes.
A soft, green light emanated from the temple ruins. Inside, Robin sat before a ritual fire. It was his body, but the man was gone. His eyes glowed with the same eerie green light, his face a blank, emotionless mask. Lying bound beside him was Damodar Ojha, weak and silenced.
Robin was preparing for a terrible ritual.
“You’ve arrived,” Robin’s voice echoed, but it wasn’t his. It was a mechanical, ancient sound, as if another being was speaking through his mouth. “I have been waiting. Tonight, my Lord’s hunger will be fulfilled with the sacrifice of three souls.”
“Robin, what are you saying? It’s us, your friends!” Amber cried out in desperation.
The entity laughed, a dry, rasping sound. “Robin is gone. I am the Hunger of the Tides. The primeval power of this forest. Robin’s will was weak, an easy vessel to claim.”
Dipu and the Observer were frozen with fear, but Amber knew that fear was a weapon against them. He looked straight into those glowing green eyes. “No,” he said, his voice firm. “Robin isn’t gone. He’s our friend. He loves the Sundarbans more than anyone. He would risk his own life to save us, not kill us.”
Slowly, Amber began to walk towards Robin. “Remember, Robin? The first time we came here, you told us that to love the Sundarbans is to be without fear. We aren’t afraid today. We came to take our friend back.”
The entity seemed momentarily confused by Amber’s words. A muscle twitched in Robin’s jaw. A battle was raging within him—his own consciousness against the dark force that possessed him.
In that fleeting moment, Damodar Ojha managed to loosen his bonds. With a surge of effort, he ripped the Rudraksha mala from his neck and flung it towards Robin. The sacred beads landed perfectly around Robin’s neck.
Instantly, Robin screamed in agony. Green smoke billowed from his body as the evil entity recoiled from the sanctity of the Rudraksha.
“Now is the time!” Ojha croaked weakly. “Awaken his love! Bring back his memories!”
Dipu and the Observer rushed forward, joining Amber. The three of them held onto their friend, their voices a torrent of shared memories—their first meeting in a Facebook group, their arguments over identifying birds, taking photos together, and the desperate struggle to save each other on that first cursed night.
“Robin, come back to us!” they shouted in unison.
The combined force of their friendship, amplified by the spiritual power of the Rudraksha, created an overwhelming resistance. Robin’s body convulsed. The green light in his eyes flickered, and for the first time, tears streamed down his face. He looked at his friends, and in his eyes, there was recognition.
“Amber… da?” he whispered.
Just then, the green smoke erupted from his body with a final, violent shriek and shot into the deepest chamber of the temple. The ancient structure trembled one last time and then fell silent, forever.
Robin lost consciousness and collapsed into their waiting arms. The nightmare was finally over. They had their friend back.