MOUNTAIN-FACE PART 1

Dear readers and listeners,

I invite you to explore the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. You've entered the captivating realm of OBSCURUS, my podcast dedicated to paranormal fiction. Every Wednesday, I'll be your guide on a journey that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, presenting ghostly apparitions, ancient legends, and unexplainable phenomena. While you'll experience spine-tingling ghost stories, be prepared for a diverse array of paranormal themes that will pique your curiosity.

For a comprehensive podcast experience, visit obscurus.buzzsprout.com, where you'll find episodes, transcripts, and chapter markers.

Stay tuned, for soon, you'll have the chance to support OBSCURUS on Patreon and help bring these captivating stories to life. As you embark on this journey, keep your curiosity alive and open your mind to the mysteries lurking just beyond the known.

In OBSCURUS, the most haunting tales are often hidden in the shadows of the ordinary. Stay safe, stay intrigued, and let's uncover the untold stories together.

Listen to the Audio Trailer of this episode:

Watch the Video Trailer of this episode:

Listen to OBSCURUS EPISODE 58 - MOUNTAIN FACE PART 1

INTRO 00:00:00

Welcome to OBSCURUS, your weekly dose of paranormal fiction. Every Wednesday OBSCURUS features new short stories and serialized novels written by novelist, screenwriter, and voice-over artist Biswajit Banerjee. The realm of the paranormal stretches far beyond the usual horror story. So, while you will get to listen to lots of ghost stories on this podcast, there will also be many tales of lesser-known paranormal themes. To get us started, here's your host Biswajit Banerjee.

HOST TALK 00:00:47

Hello and welcome to OBSCURUS, your portal to the mysterious and unexplained. I am Biswajit Banerjee, your guide through these enigmatic tales. In this episode, we dive into the first part of a two-part story titled "Mountain-Face," a tale woven with mystery and intrigue set in the heart of Rajasthan's mystical landscapes.

As we unravel this story, I invite you to explore more about my work on biswajitbanerjee.com. It's a space where my creative journey comes alive, and you can be a part of it. Besides, for a comprehensive experience of my podcast, visit obscurus.buzzsprout.com. Here, you'll find all episodes of OBSCURUS, complete with transcripts and chapter markers, for an enhanced listening experience.

We value your support immensely. I'm thrilled to share that soon, you will have the opportunity to support OBSCURUS on Patreon and other platforms. Your contributions are crucial in helping us continue to produce captivating stories that transport you to other worlds.

And now, let's delve into "Mountain-Face." Our story begins in the luxurious corridors of the Veer Royale, a hotel in Jaipur that hides more than just elegance within its walls. What secrets does the enigmatic Mountain-Face hold? Join us to uncover the mysteries lurking in room 509, where history and the supernatural collide unexpectedly.

So, stay tuned and immerse yourself in the world of OBSCURUS.

MOUNTAIN-FACE PART 1 00:03:35

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY BISWAJIT BANERJEE

Does the legend of Mountain-Face have any substance?

00:04:01

A tall man in traditional Rajasthani attire opened the large entrance door of the hotel. I was in Jaipur to attend a meeting with entrepreneurs, investors, and renowned finance experts. The meeting was scheduled for the next day. A couple of young ladies welcomed me into the seven-star hotel called the 'Veer Royale,' and one of them walked me to the reception desk. The receptionist, a young lady with blue eyes, smiled and looked through a list of invitees for the meeting. 'Ms. Ankita Pradhan – Senior Reception Officer – her name badge read.

"Sir, are you Mr. Prasun Mishra?"

"That's right."

"Okay, welcome to 'Veer Royale.' I hope you have a great time over here, Sir. Your room is on the fifth floor."

Ankita looked at the attendant to her left and said, "Mr. Mishra's room number is 509. Please shift his luggage to his room."

The old attendant, dressed in a traditional red dress, picked up my luggage and smiled. He, too, wore a name badge. His name was Prabhu Singh.

"Thank you," I said to Ankita and smiled.

"You are welcome, Sir. Have a pleasant stay."

***

00:05:51

The room was spacious and decorated in what I can best describe as the orthodox Rajasthani royal style. It had a large veranda that offered a view of the green hills. Two old forts on the hills spoke of untold tales of the kings, queens, ministers, the nobles and the countless wars they witnessed several centuries ago. They also triggered images of royal lifestyles in my mind. The forts were similar in shape and size and located close to the edges of a large hill. A massive depression on the center of the hill resembled a nose. If you were imaginative enough, you could imagine the forts to be eyes, the depression as a nose, and the yellow spread of dried vegetation at the bottom of the hill to be a mouth. It looked like a large face. I took a few snaps with my mobile phone. Although I have never been too fond of taking selfies, I did, at that moment, take a few selfies against the background of the face.

What if it comes alive at night? After all, the State of Rajasthan is known for its fair share of paranormal activities. The thoughts made me smile. The loud and sharp calling bell broke my streak of thoughts on how it would feel to witness the mountain-face giving me an angry look with red eyes and a trembling mouth.

Prabhu had come with the 'welcome drink.'

"Enjoy the sweet lemon water, Sir." Prabhu placed the drink on a small study table.

"Thank you, Prabhu. This room is beautiful, and the veranda offers a lovely view."

"Is this your first visit to Rajasthan, Sir?"

"No, I have been to the city four or five times before."

"Have you been to this hotel too?"

"No, as for the hotel, it is my first visit."

"I hope you have a pleasant stay here."

"Thanks, Prabhu."

Prabhu turned around to leave, but something made him face me again.

"Sir …"

"Yes, Prabhu."

00:08:53

"Please avoid going to the veranda after midnight."

"Why?"

"And it is also advisable to keep the door that leads to the veranda locked after 11 p.m."

A wave of chill moved up my spine. The thoughts of the paranormal that appeared amusing a while back now felt laden with fears, known and unknown.

"Okay, I will leave now, Sir."

"Wait, Prabhu. You didn't tell me what is wrong with the veranda."

"Sir, the veranda is not the problem, the Mountain-Face is."

00:09:46

Did I hear him correctly – I wasn't sure. 'Mountain-Face' – is that what he just said? That was the expression I had coined minutes back. I never expected the term 'Mountain-Face' to exist beforehand. By 'Mountain-Face,' what did the old attendant mean? Could he have meant the same face I imagined on the mountain – the old forts as eyes, the depression as the nose, and the yellow patch at the bottom as the mouth?

"Who's the Mountain-Face?"

"Well, Sir, it's a face on the hill that faces the veranda of this room."

After a brief pause, I said, "What do you mean by a face on the hill?'"

"If you go out to the veranda, you can see an arrangement of things on a hill that looks like a face."

"Can you explain what you are saying?"

"Well, Sir, there's a large hill visible from the veranda. Close to its two edges are two dilapidated forts almost at the same height. Roughly from the level where the forts are, a depression drops down, which looks like a nose. A thick curve of yellowish tinge is a little distance under the nose. All these things put together give the impression of a face."

So, I wasn't the only one to have spotted a face on that hill. The concept of a 'Mountain-Face' existed before. But why did the old attendant call it a problem? Did the face have a life of its own? Was it harmful? Could my wild imagination have been true? Even if what I thought carried a trickle of truth, I would be surprised to the hilt.

"Can I leave now, Sir?"

"First tell me the entire thing about the Mountain-Face."

"I just told you."

"No, you haven't. What is wrong if the arrangement of things on a hill gives it an impression of a face?"

"Sir, that's not just an impression of a face."

"Then what is it? A real face?"

00:12:49

"Yes, Sir. That thing that you call an impression of a face is a breathing entity."

"It is a bad joke, Prabhu. I will file a complaint against you."

"No, Sir, please don't file any complaints. I beg of you."

"Why did you tell me such a stupid lie?"

"I didn't tell you any lies, Sir. The face does have a life of its own. But no one is allowed to tell the truth. I made a mistake; I shouldn't have told you anything about it."

"Who stops you from telling the truth?"

"Please allow me to leave, Sir."

"First, tell me, who prevents you from telling the truth?"

"Sir, the ones running the hotel business do not want the visitors to know the truth. The presence of a ghost-hill close to the hotel could kill all the business."

"Why did you call it a ghost-hill?"

"I have already explained, Sir. An arrangement of things on the hill makes it look like a face. And many believe that face to be alive."

"That explanation is not enough. Tell me more about the hill. Is it harmful?"

00:14:24

"It could be harmful, Sir. The locals say that the face always tries to become more alive. Many call it a 'soul-sucker.' From this name, you could make out that the hill could suck the soul of a person who's looking at it. The more the number of souls it sucks, the more alive it becomes."

The old man stopped speaking, probably expecting me to let him go now.

"I am sure you can tell me more about the 'Mountain-Face.'

"Sir, I have told you almost everything I know about it."

"Well, Prabhu, you just said 'almost everything.' So, you know some more about it, don't you?"

"Will you file a complaint against me, Sir?"

"If you tell me the whole thing, I won't file any complaint."

00:15:29

"Okay then, here's the rest of the story – eight people have died in this room since the hotel's inauguration about two years ago. The locals believe that this hotel room, that is, room number 509, is ideally located for the face to grow in life. Its height is just right for the face to suck the consciousness of the person living here. A couple of the hotel's administrative board members wanted this room locked. But the remaining members were unwilling to let go of the little bits of revenue that this room generates."

"So, the hotel authorities know that the person living in this room runs the risk of getting killed by the hill."

"Yes, Sir."

"But why did you put your job at risk by telling me? A single complaint from my side can make you jobless."

"I know that, Sir. But there are things much more valuable than a job."

"Like what?"

"Like love for one's fellow beings."

"Did you try to save the lives of the other occupants of this room as well?"

"Sir, till the second man died, even I wasn't sure what was happening. After all, I was also new in the city. However, after the second death, I talked to some locals. They told me that the 'Mountain-Face' was the murderer. The first souls the evil consciousness of the hill sucked were those of the inhabitants of these forts about five hundred years ago. Its life grew due to the absorption of so many consciousnesses. After that, it started sucking the souls of the business people and their servants who used the hill's roads.

"As the legend of the hill being evil became known to the inhabitants of the nearby villages and the travelers alike, no one would go close to the hill. For about three hundred and fifty years, it was hungry for new souls. Now that the hotel has been built and this room offers the perfect setting for the hill to consume more souls, it has started sucking souls again.

"At first, I didn't believe them, but when the occupants of this room kept on dying one after the other, I saw weight in the story of the locals. Then, one day, when I was serving tea in a meeting of the administrative board members, I found several of them lending credence to the story of the 'Mountain-Face.' I have already told you that despite the tragedies, the board refused to lock this room. Some believed locking this room could make the idea that a ghostly hill-face was killing its occupants gain more ground. And such thoughts could seriously impact the hotel's business. So, I risked my job every time the hotel authorities gave a person this room by telling that person all about the Mountain-Face. No one believed me and ended up ..."

"Ended up where?"

"Ended up getting sucked by the mountain face."

And with that gripping revelation from Prabhu, we draw the curtain on today's episode of OBSCURUS. As we leave Mr. Prasun Mishra in the luxurious yet unnerving confines of room 509, a shroud of mystery envelops the Veer Royale. What truths lie behind the enigmatic Mountain-Face? Is there more to the hill's sinister reputation than mere folklore? And crucially, what fate awaits our protagonist as he spends the night facing the ominous entity?

Join me, Biswajit Banerjee, in the next episode as we navigate the eerie and perplexing saga of the Mountain-Face. Will Mr. Mishra unravel the mysteries of this spectral hill, or will the night deepen the enigma? In the world of OBSCURUS, the most haunting tales are often hidden in the shadows of the ordinary. Until we meet again, keep your curiosity alive and your mind open to the mysteries that lurk just beyond the realm of the known.

Stay safe, stay intrigued, and remember, every obscured corner of our world has a story waiting to be discovered.

OUTRO 00:22:32

Thanks for listening to OBSCURUS. If you like what you heard, please subscribe and visit biswajitbanerjee.com for more information about Biswajit's books, movies, documentaries, and other creative pursuits. We shall see you next Wednesday with another episode of OBSCURUS. Till then, take care!