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Curse of the star crossed Lovers

Back in 2010, just as social media was beginning to take a firm hold on society, a deeply disturbing image went viral. The photo depicted a tragic scene of a star-crossed lovers who had taken their own life. Shared widely through WeChat, it spread like wildfire, reaching users across the globe in just a matter of days. Those from Bumthang would likely remember the incident vividly, and most Bhutanese either saw the image or heard about it. In the wake of the photo’s circulation, a major police investigation followed. But after a few months, the public buzz started to fade. However, something far darker began to take root at the site of the tragedy; a new urban legend. Soon after the incident, whispers of a haunting began to emerge. Locals spoke of two ghostly figures, murmuring, crying, and wailing in the dead of night. Though religious ceremonies were held at the site by Lamas and other spiritual leaders, the rituals failed to fully cleanse the place. A sinister presence seemed to lin...
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THE TREE CLIMBING OLD LADY

Our village once knew Aui Sangmo as its last Pamo, a female shaman. In Bhutan, for centuries before modern medicine, ritualistic treatments were paramount, and shamans were our community's healers. Though this tradition now hangs by a thread, I was fortunate enough to witness a shaman's "power" passed to her successor, and even luckier to experience many of their rituals firsthand. Aui Sangmo hailed from a long line of shamans, her family having performed all the shamanistic rites in our village for generations. I was about eleven when her mother, a powerful and revered Pamo, passed away. Crucially, she died without choosing an heir to her "powers" and responsibilities. For generations, this shamanic mantle had been passed down. However, the younger generations began to lose interest, believing that embracing the Pamo's "power" meant closing the door to their own liberation. To accept the Pamo's responsibility is to enter a pact with a deit...
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TOKTOZAMPA

The year was 2009. Mr. Phub just joined Kharsa Primary School as the new principal. Kharsa is a small rural village of about 20 household (in 2009). It is located about about 15 kilometres from Jakar. It is connected by the newly constructed dirt road that goes all the way to Chokhortoe and the only way in and out of the village. The settlement is scanty and houses are spread around the gentle slope of the valley.  At the end of the village or the beginning, depending on whether you are going out or coming into village; as one makes steep descend into a gorge towards the river, is the bridge of Toktozampa. An old cantilever bridge, infamous for it's hauntings and sinister stories. Mr. Phub was greeted with smile and a heart welcome from the villagers. He had no trouble moving in to his new place, with all the people that volunteered to help him. By midday everything was moved into his house and arranged to his liking. People even swept his surroundings and mopped his floors before ...
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THE PHANTOM FOXES

"To defile a deity's abode means certain death, slow and excruciating death; after weeks of unimaginable pain and suffering. Keep them happy and you shall be blessed with prosperous and healthy life" These are the words my my late grandfather told me when I was a kid. Little did I know that I would experience it and my tale will be told to many more generations to affirm the existence of local deities. For every village and valley, there will be a protective deity. They are believed to be the protector of the village and people conduct annual rites to appease them for a bountiful harvest. They are believed to be very beneficial if appeased but if they are provoked they can wreak havoc by means of famine, drought and other diseases.  These local deities are believed to be very sensitive to pollutants like the smells of burning garbage, cigarettes and even burning meats. In fear of untimely rain and uneventful death of domestic animals, villagers take utmost care not to up...
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30 WHITE HORSES

I was a pothead during my school days. What started as a show off back in 7th grade quickly became a habit by the 9th grade. I smoked very heavily during those days. So much so that the line between reality and illusion began to blur under the influence of marijuana. I was in my 12th grade. The exams are nearing and everyone is busy preparing for the upcoming board examination. For me, I was busy collecting the remaining marijuana plants to stock myself up for the long and dry winter months.  By November, the examination for classes 9 and 11 began. This means the teachers are occupied with the ongoing examination and we have a lot of window to flunk classes and go light up some blunts.  Over the summer days, I managed to stash a good amount of hash. So, one day a friend of mine came to school with a packet of cigarettes. I gave him some of my hash and he gave me half of his cigarettes. Cigarettes are a rare commodity. Excited, I hurried home. I have a quiet spot overlooking th...
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ESCAPED BUT PUNISHED (PART 3)

It still hurts me to see Ratu in such a hapless condition. He was once a brave guy and fun guy to be around. Now, he can barely remember his own name. Ratu was cool and brave but a little negligent too. He would be up for any sort of heist without any regard for his own safety or financial profits. Tiger on the other hand would ask a lot of questions before agreeing to a certain job. In our line of work, bravery and courage is a must. A little bit of carelessness and negligence helps too. After all, we are but thieves and robbers.  One other thing about Tiger was, he was a little edgy all the time. He was always ready to start a fight and appeared to me that he loved the thrill of it. Whenever we went out, he would get easily riled up and before long we would be fighting some random people for no apparent reason. That's why we called him Tiger.  Anyway, Ratu lost his sanity and Tiger was nowhere to be found. I never saw him nor heard from him for a long time. It never occurre...
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ESCAPED BUT PUNISHED (PART 2)

We hiked up the steep trail under the moon light. I felt like I reached the temple much sooner that night. We could see the bright city scape of Thimphu. The town was full of people and was busy with activities but here, up on top of the hill; overlooking the whole valley, anybody could see us but I was sure nobody would care to look. Its way too far and people are way to oblivious.  As we neared the temple, we pulled down our ski mask as if we are breaking into an apartment in the middle of the town.  We slowly walked inside the gate. The temple felt eerily quiet. I walked around the temple to make sure that nobody was there. After few more rounds, I rallied my two buddies and we broke into the temple. We took all the antiques and the golden statue, about 20 inches long. The antiques included an old cymbal, an old handheld drum, two golden butter lamps and few more other household items. We hauled them into three different loads. I carried the golden statue and they carried ...
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ESCAPED BUT PUNISHED (PART 1)

I wasn't planning on stealing the statue, but I did. I never meant to smuggle the antiques but I did. I knew I might get caught, but I never did. I wasn't planning on stealing the statue, but I did. I never meant to smuggle the antiques but I did. I knew I might get jailed but I never did. People make mistakes, some live to learn from them, some don't. Some people, like myself, make mistakes and lives, but just to question our whole existence. An ordeal worse than death. If you die, your pain and suffering ends, period. If you were to live, live it, no questions asked. But to live and to question your own existence and doubt all your experiences? That's what I believe is living hell. I never believed in deities, spirits and all those "superstitions".  I dropped out of high school and have been doing odd jobs since then. I moved to Thimphu in 2011 to work as a construction helper. Since then, I got stuck in Thimphu. Living in Thimphu is not easy, especially wit...
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