The barber and a ghost story

Introduction

This is a story of a barber and a ghost. The barber had an imperious wife. Certain turn of events made the barber encounter a ghost. How did the barber face the ghost? Was the barber foolish and finally lost his life? Don’t worry, it’s a funny story. Read the story and enjoy the turn of events

A barber and his wife

Once there lived a barber in a village. He was poor & lived with his wife in a small hut.

He was honest but did not have much income. Every day when he returned home, his wife used to ask –

“Darling! How much have you earned today?”

The husband with a lot of caution used to say – ” Today was a weekday and hence not many customers had come to my shop for a haircut. So, I could not earn much….”

His wife used to scold him, beat him with sticks & used to threaten him and say –

“Listen, tomorrow is Sunday. I do not want to hear any excuses. I want you to come back home with a lot of money”

The barber used to nod his head though he knew with all certainty that nothing is going to change. Still, he feared his wife so much that he did not have the courage to speak out the truth.

He prayed to 33 crores Gods so that he can have a better than normal business on Sunday.

A dreadful Sunday Evening

Though he prayed to the Gods for help, rarely does Gods help people in danger.

He was no exception. Very few customers visited his shop for a haircut.

So, his earning was nowhere near his wife’s expectations.

When the sun had set, he did not want to go back home. He thought of his wife, her scolding, her beating and felt scared to get back home. He sat on a riverside, threw some pebbles on the river water, saw the reflection of the moon on the river water, and thought of his fate when he gets back home.

After spending a couple of hours on the riverside, he thought to himself – ” What’s the use of spending more time on the riverside? Let me get back home and see if I could convince my wife…”

He went back home and knocked on the door of his hut.

His wife opened the door and said – ” Here you are…why are you so late? You must have earned a lot today! Oh….I am so excited! “

Just as the barber tried to enter his hut, his wife stopped him and said – ” First give me the money and then enter the hut…”

The barber told his wife that he could not earn much. But before he could complete his explanation, his wife brought a big, thick stick for beating him.

The barber understood that he was risking his life and immediately left the place running at the highest possible speed.

The barber in a forest

The barber ran with all his heart out…

Every time he stopped, he felt that his wife is chasing him with that big, thick stick … he again started running fast for his life

It was a dark night…he was a tired man…he did not have any energy left to run further.

So, he sat under a big neem tree. He understood that while running, he actually entered a deep forest that was full of huge trees, wildlife, and whatnot. He did not have a single penny in his pocket. The only possession that he had with him was a small bag that contained a scissor, a knife, a shaving cream, and a mirror.

He saw a lot of fireflies flying all around him and while watching those fireflies, slowly he went to sleep

What’s that noise ?

Just then a peculiar noise made him wake up from sleep

He opened his eyes…

He saw no one and inquired ….

“Who is this? Did I hear the voice correctly? Did someone speak to me ?”

“Yes! you heard it right! I am a ghost sitting on the neem tree just above your head” a nasal toned voice uttered those words

The barber felt like crying…he ran away for his life and now he is in the hands of… a ghost? He could not believe his ill-luck…

Still, he did not express his fear. He gathered a lot of courage a said –

“What ghost! There’s nothing called a ghost. Come in front of me or I will kill you.

The ghost started laughing in a nasal tone – ” Haaahaaaaa! Haaahaaaaa! Haaahaaaaa!

The barber was so scared that he almost peed his pants.

But he did not want to express his feelings. He gained some courage and also started laughing Haaa Haaa Haaa and said –

“Come in front of me, you coward !”

The ghost appears

The ghost appeared in front of the barber and said in a nasal tone –

“Here I am !”

The barber almost fainted seeing his face….

The ghost had a big oval face, big red eyes, large ears like an elephant. The ghost had long hands like bamboo sticks but did not have a lower body.

The ghost started laughing seeing the condition of the barber.

The barber saw that the teeth of the ghost were yellow and very dirty.

He felt drowsy and nauseated …

The intelligent barber

The barber was very intelligent. An idea struck his mind.

He gained some strength and said –

“Hey, ghost! Get lost or I will put you inside my bag. There are many ghosts like you inside my bag.”

The ghost was chicken-livered. He said – “What! many ghosts are inside your bag? Are you telling me the truth?”

The barber said – “Why should I lie? Wait I will show you…”

The idea…

He opened his bag and took out his mirror which he used for shaving & hair cut

Now he held the mirror in front of the ghost and said – “See, here’s one ghost just like you. He did not follow my orders and see what’s his condition now. He is always inside my bag just like many other ghosts.”

Now the ghost started shivering and stammering….

The ghost said – ” I am sorry sir…I did not understand that you are so powerful. I should not have challenged you. I am leaving this place immediately”

The barber said – “Ok but since you have disturbed me while I was sleeping, I will give you a punishment.”

Please Sir, Please…don’t put me inside your bag. I will give you anything you want!

The barber felt very happy with this deal. He said –

“Ok, if you can bring me 2 bags full of gold coins immediately, I will leave you”

The ghost said – “Oh…Ok Sir, give me some time. I am arranging the gold coins for you, but please leave me…”

Within a few minutes, the ghost brought 2 bags full of gold coins and put them in front of the barber.

Now please leave me Sir.

The barber was very happy that everything worked according to his plans. He said –

“Ok, I see that you are an intelligent ghost, unlike the other ghosts who are in my bag. Good! I am happy…you may go now”

Within a fraction of a second, the ghost vanished in the thin air.

The barber returns home

The man, with two bags full of gold coins, returned back home.

When his wife saw that her husband had brought so many treasures, she was very happy and excited.

The barber was under a very stressful and difficult situation in life. But he did not try to escape from the situation.

Instead, he remained cool & indifferent to the dangers in his life. He used his intelligence to encounter the danger in a skillful manner. Additionally, he channelized his intelligence to convert the danger into a positive situation. His intelligence helped him move out of extreme poverty and he & his wife lived happily ever after.

Photo by Luis del Río from Pexels