The cremation ground presented an eerie spectacle on that dark night. The pitch darkness was relieved only by occasional flashes of lightning that lit up the sombre scene. Occasionally, a jackal's spine-chilling howl or the blood-curdling laughter of some invisible evil spirit cut into the silence that hung like a shroud over the area. But nothing could daunt King Vikram. Once again, he made his way to the gnarled tree from which the corpse (Vetal) was hanging.
Oblivious to everything but the mission at hand, he brought the hanging corpse down by cutting the rope with his sword. Slinging it astride his shoulder, he had just begun his return journey when the Vetal said, "O King! This is a very difficult task that you are performing. Perhaps you have taken it on yourself as a favour for someone else. But I hope that when the person offers to reciprocate by doing something that will benefit you, you won't rashly decline the offer in a fit of emotion, as Prince Vasant of Kirtipur did. Listen to his story."
