Acheri

A female ghost or spirit of a little girl in Indian folklore. She is a skeletal squaw-like creature attired in tattered deerskin robes, who sleeps during the day and appears at nightfall to sing her death chant, beat upon her little tom-tom, and shuffle through the ritual steps of her dance.

Her voice, as eerie as the wailing of wolves in the depths of winter, floats down from the mountains to the plains and valleys and penetrates even the thickest blanket wrapped around a sleeper's head, foretelling death for the hearer or his family, particularly the elderly or other people with low immune system defences. She brings sickness to humans, especially children.

During daytime she can take the form of a human child with a greyish hue. Her other form is that of a demonlike creature with red glowing eyes, clawing fingers and a skeletal frame. She gets stronger and stronger with every victims prolonged suffering and finally death.

The only protection against Acheri is to wear garments ornamented with red cloth or beads. The colour protects one against the effects of her death song and anyone dressed wholly in red may listen to it unperturbed. Salt is also a way to ward her off.