The nights are filled with strange occurrences. Only two nights ago I awoke to the sound of drums beating and crowds cheering, but upon waking Robin the sound ceased. Looking out my window cast no light on the source of the sound which stopped so suddenly. I can only attribute the sound to the spirits in this place. Far more spirits roam the streets of Kathmandu at night than in San Francisco. Or at least, they act more openly. Last night, on our walk back to our lodging we were confronted by an angry dog standing on the balcony of the third floor of a house. At first it appeared to be just a dog, but upon taking a second look, I was frightened. The dog had the face of a man! What demon or creature can possess an animal in this way? I must make a note to do some research.
Last night also saw another strange occurrence, for Robin and I both woke up at almost exactly the same moment from nightmares. I couldn’t be sure in my groggy state, but I thought I saw some shadow escape through the window.
Other strange things have been happening, too. While I recognize why high humidity might stop my sweaty shirts from drying over night (it’s been very warm), can it make them get wetter? Or can it make dry shirts I haven’t worn wet? I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it seems to be happening. Perhaps this is just a normal thing that I’ve never experienced since I’ve been living in dry climates my whole life… Or, it could be the creature a student we met told us about. According to her, she watched a bug climb up the outside of her window, then leap into her room and begin flying. It then landed on the ground, but in the place where the bug should have been only a puddle remained! How can one account for that? Perhaps these odd creatures have been dampening my shirts at night?
I have been reading a book about Kathmandu, and it seems the locals also tell of spirits in this place, though many much more sinister sounding. For example, the Kitchkandi are spirits in the form of beautiful women that try to lure men to their doom, whose only tell is that their feet point backwards. However, the locals have noted that since more electric streetlights have been put in, it seems fewer spirits roam the streets. This might explain the disparity between Kathmandu and San Francisco. I will need to research this further and see if I can shed some light on why electric lights might do this.
In any case, I will be on the lookout, as any of these spirits could be the key to lifting my curse.