Phantom Vision A Mountain Mystery

My aunt, who once worked as a nurse at a mountain hospital, shared the following story.

- By Saurav Ranjan Datta

The day the medical board posted me to this alpine sanatorium, I had no inkling of the deviant occurrence that would follow shortly. One could even call it outré to gauge the phenomenon. Mind you, I was not a neophyte. My expertise by then had seen many years of caregiving and serving the sick.

The journey to that place saw me boarding a train to Kathgodam, from where a car took me to that mountain abode through some of the country's greenest boroughs. Once there, I found the infirmary's isolated location amid thick foliage invigorating. I felt delighted to join and soon got introduced to my supervisor and other staff.

Once I got acquainted with its order, the hours found me dispensing my skills diligently. After some time, the management assigned me a shift that started at 10 pm. Senior caregivers were always allotted the toughest shifts. However, it suited me well, as night shifts gave me the peace that daytime barely afforded. I took it in my stride and became engrossed. The hospital was tidy, and with the unsullied mountain breeze fluttering amongst its verdant herbage, it was an ideal place for succour and recuperation. I also found my colleagues hardworking and gregarious.

My days passed while executing various duties of caregiving. There were moments of agony and despair as well as of hope and recovery. But even that was to change soon. A new patient was admitted, and her mien would change my reasoning of this world forever. She was a pregnant woman in the last leg of her pregnancy. I could still remember that day. During her ingress, the doctor had informed us of her situation. The woman had to be operated on for the parturition due to some complications. Her delivery wouldn't be a normal one. Therefore, she was rushed to the operating theatre soon.