All about the Story : The Story ‘A Face in the Dark’ is set in a pine forest outside Simla (now Shimla). It revolves around ‘Mr Oliver, an Anglo-indian teacher. The writer makes the supernatural look natural by his artistic skill, Mr Oliver has a strange experience while passing through a pine forest at night 1. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli (H.P.) on th May, 1934. He was born in a military hospital as his father worked in the Royal Air ® from 1939 to 1944. When Bond was eight Yeats old, his mother separated from his father ‘nd married a Punjabi Hindu, Hari. Bond spent his early childhood in Jamnagar Gujarat) and Shimla, At the age of ten, Ruskin nt to live at his grandmother's house in ,Madun after his father’s death that year from Mice. Ruskin was raised by his mother am Cather. He did his schooling from Bishop “Sion School in Shimla, from where he graduated in 1950 after winning several writing competitions in the school including the Irwin Divinity Prize and the Hailey Literature Prize. He wrote one of his first short stories, “Untouchable”, at the age of sixteen in 1951. Most of his works are influenced by life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. His first novel, The Room on the Roof, was written when he was 17 and published when he was 21, It was partly based on his experiences at Dehradun, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends, His earlier works were written without being meant for any particular readership. His firs achildren’s book, The Angry River in the 1970s (second being The Blue Umbrella), had its writing toned down on a publisher's request for a children’s story. On writing for children, he said, “I had a pretty lonely childhood and it helps me to understand a child better.” Bond’s work reflects his Anglo-Indian experiences and the changing political, social and cultural aspects of India. 2. ABOUT THE STORY The story ‘A Face in the Dark’ revolves around an Anglo-Indian teacher named Mr Oliver. It is set in a pine forest outside Simla (now Shimla), a famous hill resort of Himachal Pradesh. Mr Oliver was returning to his school, late one night, on the outskirts of the hill-station of Simla. The Simla Bazaar was about three miles from his school. He took a shortcut and was returning through the pine forest. He carried a torch with him. There he saw the figure of a boy in the light of the torch. He found him sitting alone on a rock. He stopped there. He went closer to the boy in order to recognize him and said, “What are you doing out here, boy ?” The boy appeared to be crying. His head hung down and he held his face in his hands and his body shook convulsively. It was a strange soundless weeping. Mr Oliver felt uneasy. He asked the boy to tell him his trouble and look up. The boy looked up and took his hands from his face and looked up at his teacher. The light from Mr Oliver's torch fell on the boy's face. It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head - with a school cap on top of it ! He got frightened and the torch fell from his trembling hand. He turned and ran towards the school building and called for help. He stumbled up to the watchman gasping for breath. He told the watchman that he had seen something horrible — a boy weeping in the forest, and he had no face. He had no eyes, nose, mouth ~ nothing. The watchman raised the lamp to his ‘own face. The watchman had no eyes, no ears, me. — no features at all - not even an eyebrow, 4, that’s when the wind blew the lamp out It is a supernatural story and Ruskin jy, makes the supernatural look natural. Mr Oliver may have fancied that the j, has no eyes, ears, Nose oF mouth. He ga, frightened and runs towards the scho, building. His mind is gripped with fear whe he sees the watchman. The watchmen has », eyes, no ears, no features at all ~ not even x eyebrow. All this makes the story mysterioy supernatural and strange. 3. SUMMARY _ Mr Oliver, a teacher in a school The story ‘A Face in the Dark’, that revoli around an Anglo-Indian teacher named M Oliver, contains elements of mystery, strangenes and supernaturalism. Mr Oliver was return to his school late one night, on the outskirts 0 the hill-station of Simla. He had been teaching i a school in Simla that had been run on Engli Public School lines. The Simla Bazaar, with cinemas and restaurants, was about three mil from his school. Mr Oliver, a bachelor, usual strolled into the town in the evening. He wou! return after dark and take a shortcut throug the pine forest. A boy sitting on the rock When there was a strong wind, the Pi trees made sad, eerie sounds that kept ™° People to the main road. But Mr Oliver was ™ @ nervous or imaginative man. He was mov! down the narrow forest path. He carried 2 to" and its gleam ~ the batteries were running 4 {moved fitfully down the path. There he * the figure of a boy in the light of the torch! found him sitting alone on a rock. He stoP? there. He thought s ‘ght that by e not supp 10 be out after day at DOYS were not SUPP cd ; figure in o" to recognize the ™iscreant and a “whatqs doing out here, boy 7” He sensed that “oahing was wrong. The boy appeared to be ‘Sig: His head hung down and he held his fein his hands and his body shook Meaasively. It was a strange, soundless weeping, ti Mr Oliver felt uneasy. “Well, what's the woner 2” he asked, his anger giving way to ‘aacern, ‘What are you crying for 2” The boy saber answered nor looked up, but continued ‘pbing. He told the boy that he should not be cut there at that time. He said, yeuble. Look up.” The boy looked up. He took ts hands from his face and looked up at the ‘cher. The light from Mr Oliver's torch fell on te boy's face - if you could call it a face. It had roeyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round, snooth head - with’a school cap on top of it ! Aboy without face The torch fell from his trembling hand. He umed and scrambled down the path, running tindly through the trees and calling for help. Hewas still running towards the school building when he saw a lantern swinging in the middle sf the path. Mr Oliver stumbled up to the Watchman gasping for breath. “What is it, Sahib ?” shed the watchman. ‘Has there been an Xcident ? Why are you running ?” 1 saw something - something horrible - toy weeping in the forest — and he had no face ! “"No face, Sahib ?”” “No eyes, nose, mouth - nothing "" “Do you mean it was like this, Sahib ?” asked ‘Se watchman, and raised the lamp to his own = The watchman had no eyes, RO ears, NO ures at all - not even an eyebrow ! And that’s the wind blew the lamp out mtn parts of the town away Shot from the centre + walked in a Telaxed manner : strange, mysterious, frightening W hector ee anxious about something, nervous miscreant : a person who has done something Wrong distinctly clearly scrambled moved quickly stumbled : tripped gasping + breathing in a fast way horrible terrible The story ‘A Face in the Dark’ contains elements of mystery, strangeness and supernaturalism. But the writer makes the supernatural look natural by his artistic skill. It is set in the pine forest outside Simla, a hill resort of Himachal Pradesh. It revolves around an Anglo-Indian teacher named Mr Oliver Mr Oliver has a strange experience while he is passing through a pine forest at night. He sees the figure of a boy in the light of a torch. He stops because he thinks that boys are not supposed to be out after dark. He moves closer to the figure in order to recognize him. The boy appears to be crying. It is a strange soundless weeping. Mr Oliver feels uneasy. He becomes tense and gets upset. He asks him why he is crying. The boy neither answers nor looks up. Mr Oliver again asks him to look up. When he looks up, Mr Oliver sees that the boy has no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It is just a round, smooth head — with a school cap on top of it. He gets frightened and runs towards the school building, His mind is gripped with fear. Everything there appears to be strange, mysterious and supernatural. Mr Oliver stumbles up to the watchman gasping for breath He is frightened when he finds that the watchman has also no eyes, no eats, no features at all - not even an eyebrow. All this makes ae story mysterious, strange and supernatural, Bot Ruskin Bond’s supernatural is neither frightens nor horrifying, ightening ee