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Spine-tingling tales of the paranormal. By turns chilling, tragic and darkly comic, the stories draw the mind to that unknown space that lies beyond the confines of reason and the material world. This collection gathers together oral histories, folklore and urban legends from every part of the country, and explores the many forms of the supernatural-spirits and bramhadaityas, dakinis and djinns, reincarnations and possessions, tutelary forest spirits and shape-changing animals. A young village boy realizes to his horror that a friendly neighbor becomes a tiger at will. A young bride is tormented by her husband’s dead first wife. A mother watches helplessly as her son is possessed by a vicious spirit. The arrival of a wooden egg changes life forever for a young girl. These and other diverse tales of animal and nature spirits, haunted houses and ancient witch-doctors are retold with humor and sensitivity to the macabre.  Some of the stories are drawn from centuries of local or family history, some record specific moments in time-nawabi Lucknow, the Indigo Revolt and the 1857 War of Independence-while others are contemporary tales of city life.