The monster snapped, ‘This isn’t a rumour!’ He then started justifying what he had predicted. He told the tree that once an angel grieving the death of a Sufi at Haji Ali stopped by the Mumba Devi temple. Mumba Devi addressed the angel as Mikhail Singh Mikhail. According to the monster, Mikhail had also told Mumba Devi about the mystery around Dawood’s death. But this information was cautiously whispered and hence he couldn’t make much sense of it. He also shared more details and told the tree that Mikhail complained a lot about Azrael Singh and considered him a prick who had started enjoying his own vanity. He had started bullying the other angels over the past hundred years or so. Mumba then asked why Azrael was being such a terror? Mikhail said this was so because since the time of the two world wars his department was involved in the duty of shifting souls from here to there. This work had made him very close to God. The increase in the number of deaths had given him a reputation in heaven. Shia, Sunni, Wahabi, Barelvi and other smaller beings who worship God were thrown by him mercilessly in some corner of hell. No one interrogated him any more. His work had increased so much that it was impossible for anyone to keep records and establish accountability.

The tree listened with the utmost attention. Two white pigeons sat on that branch of the tree which bent over the sabeel. They became alert to the conversation. One of them suddenly flew and went towards the imambara. The monster reported that Mikhail said that most of those who died met an unnatural death. They died because of hatred. Their deaths were not in keeping with the record register and hence Azrael was not bothered about record-keeping any more. Mumba Devi then asked how Azrael captured their souls when many people died at the same time.

Mikhail laughed.

‘What makes you laugh?’ Mumba Devi asked.

‘It is a matter of grief, but I couldn’t control my laughter. Those souls that escape the clutches of Azrael are captured by djinns and devils. They use these spirits to fool humans or make fun of them.’

The monster said, ‘Let me tell you a story.’

The tree was all ears.

‘Once a Tibetan djinn captured the soul of a known jihadi from Afghanistan. The jihadi had concluded a suicidal attack on an American convoy in Nooristan. Dozens of American soldiers were killed in the attack. Unfortunately, his spirit entered the shell of a hand grenade and fell far into a drain. Azrael’s team gathered the spirits of all Americans and left. The soul of the jihadi remained in the drain. The fierce sound of the blast had gathered the attention of the djinn who was crossing Nooristan to reach Bamiyan. He immediately utilized the opportunity of enslaving the jihadi’s spirit.