My mother's uncle, Mr. Shanbougue, lived with my mother's family when my grandmother got married. As he grew up, he took care of the two ancestral temples that belonged to the family.

Our ancestral temples, one for Lord Vishnu and one for Lord Shiva located in Kerala, India, was famous for its annual fair. This fair usually ran for the whole night till the break of dawn and all the villagers gathered for the event.

On one such fair for Lord Vishnu, Mr.Shanbougue worked hard to make the event successful. Once he had made sure that everything was alright, he thought of resting for a while. Since all the villagers we at the Vishnu temple, he keenly walked towards the Shiva temple for some privacy.

It was dark and looked deserted with dim light of the moon and a cold breeze. Growing up with temples around him, Mr.Shanbougue was never once scared of the dark nights, let alone in a temple! But that night, it was different which made him freeze and hold his breath.

It was the abode of the Lord of Destroyer and Mr.Shanbougue couldn't resist the urge to gulp out loud. Ignoring the tiny voice inside his head to return back home, he stayed trusting his instincts. He took a comfortable seat at the eight foot chapel outside the temple and rested his head.

Soon, he fell asleep.

"Dudh! Dudh!"

Suddenly, he heard the drums beating, animals hooting, loud clapping and illegible chanting coming from inside the temple!

Mr. Shanbougue woke up with a jolt.

His blood had run cold as a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead while his fingers shook with light tremor. He gently pulled his pocket watch and saw that it was near midnight.

As the minutes ticked by, the rackets seemed to get closer. For one, he knew that it was not the fair from the Vishnu temple at all.

The stories he had heard as a kid, seemed to surface like the waves on a full moon night. He wondered if all of them were true that the Lord Shiva's attendants were the ones to cause the noise.

In fear, he pulled his bag to his chest and put his shaking legs together. When he looked at the other side to get down, his heart was sure to leap out of his rib-cage.

He was not alone. Someone was sleeping next to him with their body completely covered in a rugged blanket. The sight that scarred his life was that the man was as long as the chapel!

His eyes glistened in pure terror as he had never seen anyone that big. Without a second glance, he ran.

He ran as fast as he could, to reach someone, anyone. As he neared the fair, all the sounds that he seemed to hear, became dull and he wondered if he was dreaming it all.

He reported it back to his family and friends, but who were going to believe him? No one had seen a man that big to cover whole of the chapel in the whole village.

But that night, the villagers knew one thing for sure. Lord Shiva was surely residing in that stone temple, taking care of the village.

Till today, it is believed that it was the Lord himself, that night, and he still resides to guard his devotees.

And no one dares to go to the temple after an odd hour of nine near the temple.

---

A/N: Hi, this is my first attempt in doing a book for short stories. How do you think it has come out? Do you like stories when it's only a few hundred words? Should I continue with this?

Let me know what you think about it.

If you like it, please vote, comment and share :)