True Story from Meemu Mulaku: The Dhevi

In the late 1990s, in Meemu Mulaku, a boy was known in his family for being mischievous. One night, while trying to steal fish from a well surrounded by betel-leaf trees, he saw a dark figure standing nearby.

After that, the figure began coming to the family home at around two in the morning. Locals called it a Dhevi. It would stand outside and call for him.

"Come. Let's go."

And he would go.

They stole together. The Dhevi showed him where people kept their house keys and where valuables were hidden. He also said it could make him disappear.

One night, an older woman went outside to relieve herself. There were no toilets there then. She saw the boy standing on the road. She blinked, and he was gone.

The next morning, she told his grandmother.

His grandmother warned him that if he went out again that night, she would break his legs. She kept a muguru close by.

At 1:57 a.m., the Dhevi returned.

"Come. It's time."

"I can't. My grandmother's awake. She said she'll break my legs."

"She won't wake up."

He stayed inside.

The Dhevi told him it would come for three nights. If he refused to come, it warned him, hell would happen.

On the third night, he went with it.

His grandmother was awake, but she could not move. The Dhevi had entered the house. When it left, she ran to check on him. He was burning with fever.

The next morning, she took him to an edhuru for protection. He was given a taweez to wear. After that, the visits stopped for years.

His grandmother had seen the Dhevi once. It was black, with a large head, a thin neck and long arms, and very tall.

He told the family that the Dhevi had been friendly to him until that night. It had helped him steal, shown him where valuables were hidden, and made him disappear.

Then he lost the taweez. He went back to stealing, and he is in jail now. His family thinks the Dhevi has come back.