I know

Vaikom, Kerala

 2004

In the tranquil village of Vaikom, nestled amidst the lush landscapes of Kerala, the year was 2004, a time when legends of yore still echoed in the silent whispers of the palms. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cobbled streets, an eerie hush enveloped the village, broken only by the suspenseful footsteps of a lone figure making his way to the chamber of Father Max Luther.

Father Max Luther, a man of unwavering faith and unyielding spirit, had been the spiritual guide of Vaikom for as long as anyone could remember. His piercing gaze seemed to penetrate the deepest recesses of a person's soul, seeking truth and absolution.

The chamber's heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing the pale, anxious face of the man who had come seeking solace. Father Max Luther's eyes met the visitor's, and in that gaze, an unspoken understanding passed between them.

In a hushed voice, the man confessed, "Father, we've caught him. We've caught the person who's been stealing the dead bodies from the cemetery. But it's not just that... He was... he was eating the flesh of the deceased."

Father Max Luther's brows furrowed, his expression one of profound concern. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon him. "Are you certain?" he inquired, his voice low and measured.

The man nodded, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "Father, our people have him tied up, and they are... they are beating him badly. They think he's been possessed by some malevolent spirit, and they don't know what to do. We brought him here because we believe only the church can help him now."

With a resolute nod, Father Max Luther rose from his seat and said, "Fetch me some holy water, and gather the staff. We must go to this place immediately."

Father Max Luther, his heart heavy with trepidation, began to chant ancient incantations, invoking the divine, as was tradition in times when malevolent spirits were believed to be present. The eerie melodies flowed from his lips, each word resonating with the collective fear of the villagers.

As Father Max Luther and the man reached the site, they were met with a haunting scene. A mother and a child stood nearby, the mother desperately trying to shield the young girl's eyes from the horrors unfolding before them.

Father Max Luther, his brow furrowed with concern, approached the mother and asked, "Why have you brought your child to this disturbing site, my dear?"

Tears welled up in the mother's eyes as she explained, "Father, my elder son lost his life in an accident just yesterday. We held his last rites, but my daughter couldn't come to terms with her brother's death. She left in the middle of the night, seeking solace at his graveside. And she ended up here, witnessing the unimaginable. This man... his face... it's almost like my son's. She's in shock, believing he's desecrating her brother's grave."

Around the man who was tied up, a group of villagers had gathered, their faces etched with fear and disgust. One person shouted, "He's an evil spirit!" Another cried, "He's Satan himself!"

Amid the chaos, a wise person in the crowd yelled out, "He might be an alien! We should notify G.O.A.T."

The man, tied up and beaten so brutally, his face smeared with blood, suddenly let out a chilling, maniacal laugh. The village people gasped and took a step back, their fear intensifying.

Undeterred, Father Max Luther leaned closer to the man and asked, "Are you truly a spirit?" He signaled his staff to bring the holy water, preparing to perform a sanctifying ritual. He sprinkled the holy water onto the laughing man.

To the astonishment of the crowd, the man's laughter ceased, and he began to speak. In a calm and deliberate voice, he said, "Ningalkku enne ariyillengil mindathirikkuka," which in Malayalam meant, "If you don't know me, just shut up."

Father Max Luther, taken aback by the unexpected response, raised an eyebrow and said in a sarcastic tone, "So, this person can talk." The villagers exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to make of this enigmatic figure tied before them.

Father Max Luther, deeply intrigued by Otto's revelation and the mysterious circumstances that had unfolded, continued the conversation. "Interesting story, Otto," he said with a contemplative expression. "Do you have any name?"

Otto, who had been silent for a while, his condition deteriorating, responded weakly, "Up until now, I didn't have a name or the opportunity to tell my name to others. But today, I got one. I like the name on the grave of the person whose flesh I consumed – Otto Johndurai. Nah, just Otto is enough. From now on, I want to take his identity and live like him in this village, happily. Ma, you've got your son back. I will be your son and the brother of this little girl. I'll look after your family, and I hope the village can accept me."

The mother, tears streaming down her face, slowly approached Otto and said, "You can never be him. My son left me. You are his evil clone who has his face." She cried on the ground, her grief overwhelming.

Otto's face contorted in a strange mix of emotions, and he suddenly shouted, "Fine... ok... Do you know something? I know something that you don't want others to know. The person who died is not your son; he's your husband. You both had an affair, and the result is this small girl. You cleverly hid this fact, used your age gap to portray your affair as a mother-son relationship, and fooled the people around you. That guy had a greed for your money, so you killed him with another person, someone you had another affair with, and portrayed it as an accident. Wow! And you call me evil? The one who performs evil things is accusing me of being evil. Shame on you."

The woman shouted, "You are saying mad things and trying to frame a mom and son as having an affair."

Otto calmly smirked and said, "Then try a DNA test. If your DNA doesn't match with the Guy, you're not his mother, and if the DNA matches between the small girl and that guy, then my words are true. Will you?"

The woman, with tears in her eyes and a desperate look, turned to the villagers and said, "Do the DNA test."

The villagers, mad and confused, fell into a stunned silence. The village head ordered one of his men to collect blood samples and conduct a DNA test discreetly, without involving the government.

Days later, the DNA results were out, and Otto emerged as the clear winner. "See, I was telling the truth," Otto remarked. "Give me a chance to live here without hurting anyone, to prove myself.Or i just haunt you"

The village head approached Father Max Luther and expressed his concerns. "It's not safe to keep Otto here. He seems notorious with his powers and is manipulating others. We can't believe him or just let him go; he might haunt us. He's like some alien. We should inform the G.O.A.T officials."

Father Max Luther hesitated. "Already, G.O.A.T has problems with the government. It's not the right time to involve them in this situation. Besides, Otto seems more like a superhuman than an alien. Although G.O.A.T deals with superhumans, it's still not the right time. I know someone from Andhra who is part of a parapsychologist organization called the Sunray Paranormal Society. They hunt 'MAR'...".