The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales (Published in 1888) - Written by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel laureate was born in India to a vivacious Alice Kipling and sculptor Painter, John Kipling. His works range from poems, to children's books. Rudyard was a English language writer whose prose is peppered with colloquial usage and languages mainly from India which opens a window to the prevailing culture and customs of the time. His children's stories are the most endured classics of the time and his short stories are the most sought after. Many of his works are deemed to be controversial as the time progressed. Rudyard Kipling was the product of an imperial India where imperialism under Queen Victoria was at its heights. His poems like White Mans burden are often sited as a clarion call for the imperialist and has been criticized by subsequent humanist. But a s an youngest Nobel Prize recipient for English Language, the place for Kipling in human history cannot be discounted and his prose and poems enthuse millions even today. Kipling died in 1936 in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
This book brings together the four widely appreciated short stories of Rudyard Kipling. These deal with the supernatural beings who haunt the real world because of their unrequited passion. The exotic, powerful and extravagant descriptions of the places, passions and people brings goose-pimples to the reader. These stories may not scare you like many other horror tales, but the eerie feeling it brings cannot be taken away.



The first story is about a Phantom Rickshaw. Jack repudiates the love of Mrs Wessington after a brief affair and gets engaged to the young Kitty Mannerling. Mrs Wessington continue to plead with him to come back to her and he spurns her. Eventually to his relief she dies with a broken heart. Soon Jack sees phantoms bearing her on her old rickshaw towards him and these visions drive him mad. His engagement is broken and he is wanders as a lunatic still pursued by the ghost.
The second story is “My Own True Ghost Story” in which the narrator comes across the ghost of a billiard playing ghost of an engineer in a dak bunglow in Katmal.
The third story is “The Strange Ride of Morowbie Jukes” which tells the story of Englishman Morowbie Jukes who gets trapped in a lepers colony while pursuing the dogs. He cannot escape from the colony as it is surrounded by quick sand with a lone snipper picking out escapees across the river. He is taken care of Gunga Dass who is a ruthless Brahmin trapped like him. He gets a note from an Englishman's corpse giving the means to escape the quicksand. Jukes an Gunga Dass plan to escape under the cover of the dark. But Gunga Dass who has murdered the Englishman strikes Jukes and escapes alone. But Jukes wakes up to find himself safe with a boy who rescued him making the experience very surreal.
The last story is "The Man Who could be King” and is one of most famous story of the lot. The narrator helps two fortune seekers Dravot and Carnahan to find the map to Kafiristan, where they plan to be king. Later he meets Carnahan who tells him about their violent adventure of ambition, riches, power and horror where Dravot is killed. Carnahan is carrying his head with the crown and ultimately dies a lunatic.
Scary, fascinating narrative which keeps you looking behind your back.