Bobfire man

It’s been years since my friend Tanmay told me this chilling tale, but even now, recalling it sends shivers down my spine.

It happened ten years ago, on a foggy winter night. Around 10 PM, Tanmay's mother entered his room, asking him to pick up his cousin from the railway station. His cousin, who was returning from Patna for the winter holidays, was Tanmay’s favorite, so despite the biting cold and eerie silence of the season, he agreed without hesitation.

Bundling himself up as best he could, Tanmay hopped on his scooter and started the 10-kilometer journey to the station. The streets were deserted, shrouded in thick fog that muted every sound. The bone-chilling cold made his teeth chatter, but he pressed on.

When he reached the station, the desolation was unnerving. Not a soul in sight, just the quiet hum of the misty air. Settling on a bench, he took out his phone and began watching PUBG streams to pass the time. An hour crept by, then another. Midnight seemed near when he finally called his cousin.

The phone rang once before his cousin picked up. “Hello? When are you coming? Is your train delayed?” Tanmay asked.

After a moment of eerie silence, a distorted voice answered, “Yes… the train is late. Sorry… I forgot to tell you. I’ll come in the morning. Bye.”

Tanmay sighed, disappointed but relieved to have an answer. Without wasting another moment, he hopped on his scooter and began the ride back home.

The fog had thickened, reducing visibility to almost nothing. Driving cautiously, he inadvertently missed a turn, unknowingly taking the wrong route. For several kilometers, he rode through an unfamiliar stretch of road, realizing too late that he was completely lost.

Stopping his scooter, he pulled out his phone to check the map, but the screen was damp with condensation, refusing to cooperate. Frustrated and cold, he decided to push forward, hoping for a sign of civilization.

Then, in the distance, he saw it—a flickering light. A bonfire. Relief washed over him as he approached. Next to the fire sat a man, hunched and silent.

“Maybe he can help,” Tanmay thought, parking his scooter and walking closer. Strangely, the nearer he got to the fire, the colder he felt. The warmth one would expect from the flames was absent, replaced by an inexplicable chill.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the man said without looking up. His voice was calm, yet unsettling.

“Excuse me,” Tanmay began, trying to mask his unease. “I’m lost. Can you help me find my way back to Ashoka Garden?”

The man raised his head, his face shadowed yet oddly expressionless. “Turn around. Drive straight until you reach a four-way junction. Take the first right. That will lead you back.”

“Thank you,” Tanmay said, turning to leave.

Before he could take more than a few steps, the man called out, “Kid!”

Tanmay turned, his breath visible in the icy air.

“If anyone calls your name on the way back… don’t look back,” the man warned, his tone chillingly serious.

Tanmay hesitated but nodded, hurrying back to his scooter. Oddly, as he moved away from the bonfire, he felt warmer, though he dismissed the thought as paranoia.

Riding down the misty road, his mind replayed the man’s cryptic words. Then, he heard it.

“Tan…may.”

A voice, faint but unmistakable, calling his name.

He gripped the handlebars tightly, ignoring it.

“Tan…MAY!”

This time it was louder, more urgent.

“Over here, Tanmay,” the voice beckoned, clear as day.

His heart pounded. He stopped the scooter, torn between fear and curiosity. Against his better judgment, he began to turn his head when—

Ring!

His phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping him out of his trance. It was his mother.

“Where are you? Your cousin said he’d told you he was coming in the morning! Why aren’t you home yet?” she scolded.

“I… I’m on my way,” he stammered, hastily ending the call and resuming his journey.

When he finally reached home, he collapsed into bed, exhausted and shaken.

The next morning, Tanmay woke up feeling feverish and weak. His cousin, who had returned by then, took him to the doctor. Meanwhile, his mother seemed deeply unsettled by his account of the night. Without explaining much, she called the family priest, who arrived later that day.

During a small ritual, the priest placed something on Tanmay’s head, chanting prayers. The last thing Tanmay remembered was a wave of dizziness before everything went black.

When he woke up the following morning, he felt completely renewed, though his family avoided discussing the events of that night.

To this day, Tanmay wonders: What would have happened if he hadn’t met the bonfire man? And what if he had looked back when the voice called his name?

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