Book Review

'Pishachini': A terrifying treat by Md. Zafar Iqbal

“…Those who worship Satan work against everything that is good in this world. They excel in power by sacrificing living animals. When they achieve a higher level in worship, they start sacrificing humans. Is Bonnya really a Satanist? Has she really killed a son and a daughter with her own hands? And will she kill Tipu too in the next 'Omaboshshya'?...”

Devil-worshippers, corpses that come to life without warning, haunted cars and sinister Jinns- Md. Zafar Iqbal's 'Pishachini' is a collection of brilliant short stories that rightfully define the word 'fear' and proceed to explore various faces of it.

For example, the title story 'Pishachini' is a chilling page-turner about a woman obsessed with satanic rituals who sacrifices her step-children to darkness one by one. The gory details of the method are painted with such terrifying penmanship on the author's part that one cannot help but wonder at its heart-stopping powers of captivating the reader. The same can be said about the fourth story 'Bondho Ghor'. There is a part where the protagonist is locked inside the haunted room with a supernatural presence, seconds away from being assaulted and completely at its mercy. The tension of that particular scene is simply terrific. Another unique story is 'Gaari'. It tells the tale of a haunted car, its deceased previous owner possessing anyone vulnerable enough. 'Mugabali' is the story of a wicked Jinn and 'Nekre' is that of a werewolf, while 'Sutorontu' portrays a man who, previously incredulous of all things supernatural, is suddenly face to face with a phenomenon so out of this world that it leaves him completely chilled to the bone.

The real scary part is that these stories are told so casually that it makes the reader think they can happen to anybody anytime and thus, add up to be a very enjoyable, albeit frightening, treat. 'Pishachini' is better than the lame Hollywood horror movies that solely specialise in blood and gore. Horror story-telling is a refined form of art- this book makes one realise this truth and therefore claims the 'must-read' tag especially for this Halloween.

By Raisa M Rafique

Nano tales

Intuition
He was a vision in dark skin, and that irresistable cocky smile. Alarm bells went off in her head as he called out her name.
“You don't have to be intimidated by me” he assured her.
Two years, and hours of paranoia later, she sat waiting for him to say the dreaded words, wishing she'd listened to her inner voice.

Crank caller
11am. The phone rings. It's him again. That number. Why won't he stop calling? She stabs the 'Dismiss' button, cursing inaudibly.
4am. That's the nineteenth time today! Don't the men in Dhaka have better things to do?
He checked his watch. She had probably thought he was done for the night. Smiling in anticipation, he began to dial again. 01819….

By Sabrina F Ahmad