Agabari Mess

Toufiq Islam

My name is Toufiq. I am a resident of Parbatipur town, Dinajpur district, Rangpur division. Since childhood, I had a dream of studying computers. To fulfill that dream, I had to leave the love of my family and go far away to Magura. I got admitted to the Computer Technology department of Magura Polytechnic Institute in the 2022-2023 session.
Magura Polytechnic Institute is a government educational institution established in 2008. After getting admitted to the college, my biggest concern was a place to stay. Finally, I moved to an old hostel, called Agabari Mess.
The mess was quite old. The paint on the walls had peeled off in many places, the corridors were deserted, and a strange silence descended on the entire building at night. However, the most beautiful aspect of the mess was the people here. Our relationship with the senior brothers was like friends. Although they were almost three years older than us, they never considered us younger. They were by our side with everything - studies, personal problems, or home.
There were a total of eight semesters in our college. Seven semesters were regular classes and the last semester was for internship.
Everything was going on normally at first. One night we were all sitting together and chatting. Suddenly a senior brother said with a smile,

— "Tawfiq, do you know? There is a ghost in this mess!"

I laughed and said,

— "Hey brother, is this something to believe again?"

Then another brother said with a serious face,

— "Believe it or not, but don't stay alone on the roof at night."

I didn't pay much attention to what they said at that time. I thought that maybe they were saying this to scare the new students.

My roommate and I used to sit on the roof almost every day from 12 am to 2 am. We were both far away from home. So, we used to sit under the open sky of the roof and share stories about our family, future dreams and life in the late night. Those times were our most favorite times.

But one day, an incident happened that has become one of the most terrifying memories of my life

That night, I was sitting at my desk reading. Suddenly, I heard a loud running and screaming from the upper floor.

I quickly opened the door and went outside.

I saw a skinny boy trying to free himself from the hands of two senior brothers. He was shouting repeatedly,

— "Let me go! Let me go!"

Suddenly, he freed himself and tried to jump from the balcony of the second floor. In an instant, he fell down.

We all ran downstairs. The boy was completely unconscious. Everyone was in panic. Someone was bringing water, someone was calling him, someone was discussing whether to call an ambulance or not.

After a while, the boy regained consciousness.

But the strange thing was, he couldn't remember anything. He was just looking around in surprise.

What had happened, why had it happened—he couldn't tell himself.

The senior brothers took him to his room.

From that day on, fear also started to creep into my mind.

When I went to sleep at night, I felt like someone was watching me. I would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. Many times, I felt like I was not alone in the room.

A few days later, the college vacation began.

Even though I returned home, I didn't tell anyone. But my mother could tell that I was not the same as before.

One day, she asked,

— "What happened? Why are you feeling so quiet?"

Although I didn't say anything, I later told my grandfather the whole story.

My grandfather gave me courage, recited some prayers and said,

— "Never give fear a place in your heart. Trust in Allah."

I felt some relief after hearing his words.

When the vacation was over, I returned to Magura.

By that time, our dear senior brothers had finished their studies. They were all preparing to leave the mess.

We all organized a small function together to mark their farewell.

Despite the laughter and joy, everyone's eyes were filled with sadness at the departure.

After the brothers left, the entire mess seemed to change.

The previous vitality was gone. The corridors seemed more deserted, and the nights seemed to become even more silent.

A few days later, I changed rooms and went up to a room with a balcony next door.

It had become my habit to sit on the balcony and study all night.

One night, I was listening to music with headphones in my ears.

Suddenly, my eyes moved to a large tree next to the mess.

I saw a figure sitting on the tree's head, like a white cloth.

I stared at it for a while.

Then, in an instant, it seemed to disappear.

My whole body started shaking.

Without looking anywhere, I ran into the room and closed the door.

I couldn't sleep the whole night.

To this day, I don't know what I actually saw that day.

Maybe it was a mistake of the eye, maybe the play of light and shadow, or something that I still don't know the explanation for.

A few days later, I transferred from Magura Polytechnic and enrolled in Dinajpur Polytechnic Institute.

Even though I started a new life in a new place, I could never forget the memories of that Agabari Mess in Magura.

Even today, whenever I hear the name "Agabari Mess", those lonely nights, the chats on the roof, the laughter of the senior brothers, and those mysterious events come to mind.

BP/TD