One night when I was asleep in my hut in Varkala I had a strange dream. In my dream it was night and I saw a young foreign lad standing on the edge of the cliff looking out at the sea. I recognized that particular location on the cliff; it was at the far end of the north-cliff, a rather deserted area with no public lights. I saw the boy tilting his head backwards in an awkward manner and suddenly he collapsed and fell forward and down the 30-metre (100 feet) cliff. The name Steven popped up in my dream. Steven from Sydney.
The next day I was reading A brief History of Time, written by Stephen Hawking, the man in the wheelchair who communicates by means of a voice-computer. I was swinging in my hammock, my adopted stray dog Snow-white and her 7 cubs were lying in the shadow of my hut next to me. I looked at my watch and noticed it was 4.30 pm. I suddenly remembered I had an appointment with a beautician on the South-cliff, a few hundred metres beyond the helicopter platform. Indian beauticians know how to model eyebrows as no other beauticians in the world (by means of threading) and it was time to have my eyebrows done. It was about a half-hour walk and as I had agreed to show up at 5, it was time for me to leave. I got ready, locked the door of my hut with my Sanyo digital door lock (I love that thing. I bought it for 100 baht in a shop in Bangkok and I could press the right combination with my eyes closed. I never had to walk around with a door key. Looooove it.) Anyway, I was ready to start moving, but something held me back. Did I forget something? I had my bag with me, my wallet with a few hundred rupees, my little necklace with prayer drum that was blessed by the Dalai Lama, my mala with 108 crystal prayer beads around my right wrist. And yet I had a feeling that I had forgotten something. I opened my door again and had a look inside my hut. A few moments later I realized that I didn’t forget anything. I had my money and prayer drum, my mala; what else would I need? I locked the door and started walking on the red gravel footpath along the cliff. I greeted Tenzin and Dolker.
The next day I was reading A brief History of Time, written by Stephen Hawking, the man in the wheelchair who communicates by means of a voice-computer. I was swinging in my hammock, my adopted stray dog Snow-white and her 7 cubs were lying in the shadow of my hut next to me. I looked at my watch and noticed it was 4.30 pm. I suddenly remembered I had an appointment with a beautician on the South-cliff, a few hundred metres beyond the helicopter platform. Indian beauticians know how to model eyebrows as no other beauticians in the world (by means of threading) and it was time to have my eyebrows done. It was about a half-hour walk and as I had agreed to show up at 5, it was time for me to leave. I got ready, locked the door of my hut with my Sanyo digital door lock (I love that thing. I bought it for 100 baht in a shop in Bangkok and I could press the right combination with my eyes closed. I never had to walk around with a door key. Looooove it.) Anyway, I was ready to start moving, but something held me back. Did I forget something? I had my bag with me, my wallet with a few hundred rupees, my little necklace with prayer drum that was blessed by the Dalai Lama, my mala with 108 crystal prayer beads around my right wrist. And yet I had a feeling that I had forgotten something. I opened my door again and had a look inside my hut. A few moments later I realized that I didn’t forget anything. I had my money and prayer drum, my mala; what else would I need? I locked the door and started walking on the red gravel footpath along the cliff. I greeted Tenzin and Dolker.
“I am going to have my eyebrows done.”
“Okay. You want to have dinner with us later tonight? We’re making momos.”
“Tukdeche, that is very nice, Tenzin-la. I love your momos. See you later. Can you please make a little extra food for Snow-white?”
I walked on. I greeted, Rajeev, Anil, and Kumar. “Where are you going Madam-ji?”
“I am going to have my eyebrows threaded.”
“O.”
While I was walking a strange feeling came over me and it had to do with time. I slowed down. I looked to my right, observing the sea. There were palm trees along the footpath. I looked at a stray dog laying in the shadow of a palm tree. And then, out of the blue, I saw something with my left eye that appeared to me as a film. My right eye was seeing reality, my left eye saw something that wasn’t there. With my left eye I saw how the sleeping dog woke up, walked towards me and started licking my right hand. At the same time, a coconut fell out of the tree and hit the spot where the dog had just been sleeping. And all this I saw as a movie with my left eye. My right eye still saw reality happening and the dog was still sleeping in the shade of the coconut tree. I looked up to the coconuts in the tree top and back to the dog. While I slowly approached the tree, the dog woke up (for real this time), walked towards me and started licking my right hand. I thought: This is very weird! What is going on? A second later, a coconut fell out of the tree and landed on the spot where the dog had been sleeping, preventing the dog from being hit on the head by a heavy coconut. Believe me, in Kerala 600 people a year die of falling coconuts; and many more dogs, including my 2001 adopted stray dog Big Ears and her two puppies!
I stood still for a moment, contemplating, my heart racing like junky on crack-cocaine. “Goddamnit Jesus, for Christ sake, son of a bitch! This is weird,” I thought. (Okay, you may think this holy Pantau keeps using the Lord’s name in vain all the time, but I was baptised a Catholic and Dutch Catholics are permitted to use the Lord’s name in vain as much as they want, especially those who converted to Buddhism).
I continued moving on slowly, walking on the footpath towards the helicopter platform. Now let me explain a little bit about the helipad. In the early 2000s, the helipad of Varkala was a clearing in the palm tree forest along the cliff. It was as large as a football field, but only half of it was covered with asphalt that had a large white circle painted on it with a big white H in the centre. On one side of the helipad was a red-coloured gravel-like area the size of two tennis courts, as the cliff was made out of a red volcanic substance. While I was walking across that red gravel area something truly weird unfolded in front of my eyes (and until now I have been hesitant to share this experience with living human beings). A number of circles appeared in the gravel as I was looking at it. It appeared as if an invisible person was drawing circles in the gravel with an invisible stick. Nobody was around and the circles didn’t make any sense to me. I slowly continued to walk towards the helipad and turned round to have one more look at the strange circles in the gravel. I had a sensation that these circles meant something and I made a quick drawing in my notebook. I pondered on what happened here. I looked at my watch. It was ten to 5 and I didn’t want to show up late at the beauty parlour. I moved on, crossed the helipad, continued on the footpath that descended towards an area with a number of huts, one of them occupied by the girl’s beauty parlour. While I walked on the gravel footpath, a young man on crutches and covered in plaster stumbled towards me. He looked as if he had been in a bad traffic accident. While he was about to pass me, I stopped him.
“O dear, what happened to you?” I asked.
“I fell off the cliff last night. I was on the north-cliff enjoying the view of the sea and the starlight. And while I was standing on the edge of the cliff, I think some Indian knocked me on the head from behind. I fell down the cliff and landed on the rocks. I was unconscious. A few fishermen came to my rescue and took me to the hospital. I broke my arm and my leg and as you can see, I am full of wounds and bruises and cuts. I hate this country. It’s not safe for foreigners. They just knock you on the head to rob you. They don’t mind killing someone for a few hundred rupees.”
“So you got robbed?” I asked.
“Well, that is the strange thing. I still had my wallet in my pocket with all my money and credit cards, my passport and my digital camera. Nothing was missing. I still had my expensive watch on my wrist. So I don’t understand why someone would knock me on the head and push me off the cliff. I am a tourist. I didn’t have any argument with any Indian while I was here. I don’t understand why someone would try to kill me for no reason.”
I stared at him. “Okay. Just give me a moment. Can I just hold your hand for a moment? I feel the answer coming. But I need to hold your hand to make contact.” I took in a deep breath. I don’t know where the following information came from, but this is what flashed through my mind.
“You weren’t knocked on your head by someone.”
“I wasn’t?” the young man replied.
“No. There is something wrong with your brain. While you were standing on the cliff last night, you suffered an aneurysm. There is a problem with an artery in your brain. You have a blood clot in your brain. That is why you suddenly collapsed and fell off the cliff. I think it is better for you to see a neurologist right away. There’s a good hospital in Thiruvananthapuram that has an MRI scanner. Don’t waist any time. Get in a taxi right now and get yourself to the hospital.”
The young man stared at me. “Who are you? Are you a doctor or a psychic?”
“I am Pantau. I am just a very simple person with extraordinairy experiences. You can ignore my advice or take it seriously, but if I were you I would get myself to a hospital right now. Tell them what I told you. The problem is at the base of your brain.”
“Thank you. I will.”
“Good luck. Here’s my card. Call me if you know more. I am curious whether I was right about this. What’s your name?”
“Steven. I am from Sydney, Australia”
“Yes, I know. Good luck and call me.”
I helped getting Steven into an Ambassador taxi and told the driver to rush him to the Kerala Institute for Medical Science.”
It was 5 past 5 pm when I was able to move on to the beautician. I was five minutes late.
“O Madam-ji, what happened to you? You look as if you’ve been crying.”
“Yes, Saji. I just had a very strange and emotional experience.”
“Saji? Madam, how do you know my name? Saji. I never told you my name is Saji?”
I pointed at the large sign above her hut. SAJI’S BEAUTY PARLOUR.
“Okay. You want to have dinner with us later tonight? We’re making momos.”
“Tukdeche, that is very nice, Tenzin-la. I love your momos. See you later. Can you please make a little extra food for Snow-white?”
I walked on. I greeted, Rajeev, Anil, and Kumar. “Where are you going Madam-ji?”
“I am going to have my eyebrows threaded.”
“O.”
While I was walking a strange feeling came over me and it had to do with time. I slowed down. I looked to my right, observing the sea. There were palm trees along the footpath. I looked at a stray dog laying in the shadow of a palm tree. And then, out of the blue, I saw something with my left eye that appeared to me as a film. My right eye was seeing reality, my left eye saw something that wasn’t there. With my left eye I saw how the sleeping dog woke up, walked towards me and started licking my right hand. At the same time, a coconut fell out of the tree and hit the spot where the dog had just been sleeping. And all this I saw as a movie with my left eye. My right eye still saw reality happening and the dog was still sleeping in the shade of the coconut tree. I looked up to the coconuts in the tree top and back to the dog. While I slowly approached the tree, the dog woke up (for real this time), walked towards me and started licking my right hand. I thought: This is very weird! What is going on? A second later, a coconut fell out of the tree and landed on the spot where the dog had been sleeping, preventing the dog from being hit on the head by a heavy coconut. Believe me, in Kerala 600 people a year die of falling coconuts; and many more dogs, including my 2001 adopted stray dog Big Ears and her two puppies!
I stood still for a moment, contemplating, my heart racing like junky on crack-cocaine. “Goddamnit Jesus, for Christ sake, son of a bitch! This is weird,” I thought. (Okay, you may think this holy Pantau keeps using the Lord’s name in vain all the time, but I was baptised a Catholic and Dutch Catholics are permitted to use the Lord’s name in vain as much as they want, especially those who converted to Buddhism).
I continued moving on slowly, walking on the footpath towards the helicopter platform. Now let me explain a little bit about the helipad. In the early 2000s, the helipad of Varkala was a clearing in the palm tree forest along the cliff. It was as large as a football field, but only half of it was covered with asphalt that had a large white circle painted on it with a big white H in the centre. On one side of the helipad was a red-coloured gravel-like area the size of two tennis courts, as the cliff was made out of a red volcanic substance. While I was walking across that red gravel area something truly weird unfolded in front of my eyes (and until now I have been hesitant to share this experience with living human beings). A number of circles appeared in the gravel as I was looking at it. It appeared as if an invisible person was drawing circles in the gravel with an invisible stick. Nobody was around and the circles didn’t make any sense to me. I slowly continued to walk towards the helipad and turned round to have one more look at the strange circles in the gravel. I had a sensation that these circles meant something and I made a quick drawing in my notebook. I pondered on what happened here. I looked at my watch. It was ten to 5 and I didn’t want to show up late at the beauty parlour. I moved on, crossed the helipad, continued on the footpath that descended towards an area with a number of huts, one of them occupied by the girl’s beauty parlour. While I walked on the gravel footpath, a young man on crutches and covered in plaster stumbled towards me. He looked as if he had been in a bad traffic accident. While he was about to pass me, I stopped him.
“O dear, what happened to you?” I asked.
“I fell off the cliff last night. I was on the north-cliff enjoying the view of the sea and the starlight. And while I was standing on the edge of the cliff, I think some Indian knocked me on the head from behind. I fell down the cliff and landed on the rocks. I was unconscious. A few fishermen came to my rescue and took me to the hospital. I broke my arm and my leg and as you can see, I am full of wounds and bruises and cuts. I hate this country. It’s not safe for foreigners. They just knock you on the head to rob you. They don’t mind killing someone for a few hundred rupees.”
“So you got robbed?” I asked.
“Well, that is the strange thing. I still had my wallet in my pocket with all my money and credit cards, my passport and my digital camera. Nothing was missing. I still had my expensive watch on my wrist. So I don’t understand why someone would knock me on the head and push me off the cliff. I am a tourist. I didn’t have any argument with any Indian while I was here. I don’t understand why someone would try to kill me for no reason.”
I stared at him. “Okay. Just give me a moment. Can I just hold your hand for a moment? I feel the answer coming. But I need to hold your hand to make contact.” I took in a deep breath. I don’t know where the following information came from, but this is what flashed through my mind.
“You weren’t knocked on your head by someone.”
“I wasn’t?” the young man replied.
“No. There is something wrong with your brain. While you were standing on the cliff last night, you suffered an aneurysm. There is a problem with an artery in your brain. You have a blood clot in your brain. That is why you suddenly collapsed and fell off the cliff. I think it is better for you to see a neurologist right away. There’s a good hospital in Thiruvananthapuram that has an MRI scanner. Don’t waist any time. Get in a taxi right now and get yourself to the hospital.”
The young man stared at me. “Who are you? Are you a doctor or a psychic?”
“I am Pantau. I am just a very simple person with extraordinairy experiences. You can ignore my advice or take it seriously, but if I were you I would get myself to a hospital right now. Tell them what I told you. The problem is at the base of your brain.”
“Thank you. I will.”
“Good luck. Here’s my card. Call me if you know more. I am curious whether I was right about this. What’s your name?”
“Steven. I am from Sydney, Australia”
“Yes, I know. Good luck and call me.”
I helped getting Steven into an Ambassador taxi and told the driver to rush him to the Kerala Institute for Medical Science.”
It was 5 past 5 pm when I was able to move on to the beautician. I was five minutes late.
“O Madam-ji, what happened to you? You look as if you’ve been crying.”
“Yes, Saji. I just had a very strange and emotional experience.”
“Saji? Madam, how do you know my name? Saji. I never told you my name is Saji?”
I pointed at the large sign above her hut. SAJI’S BEAUTY PARLOUR.
Saji smiled. So you want me to thread your eyebrows yes?”
“Yes, but can you give me a glass of water please? I forgot my bottle of water. Left it in my hut. I just had this very strange experience and I have to calm down a little.” I looked at the girl and suddenly started reading her mind.
“O dear. Saji, I think we need to have a good talk before you start caring about my eyebrows. There’s a lot on your mind that's troubling you.”
End of Part 1 of 4
“Yes, but can you give me a glass of water please? I forgot my bottle of water. Left it in my hut. I just had this very strange experience and I have to calm down a little.” I looked at the girl and suddenly started reading her mind.
“O dear. Saji, I think we need to have a good talk before you start caring about my eyebrows. There’s a lot on your mind that's troubling you.”
End of Part 1 of 4
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You've really piqued my curiosity! Can't wait for the next installment!
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