The Horror of Edition 8! Results!

Another edition comes to an end. We had a different theme this time: horror. Out of 8 entries 6 were eligible winners. Overall it was a successful edition! But the horror it gave us the judges to try and find three winning entries was unimaginable; for every entry fared so well in some elements or the other that it was a Herculean task to pick just three. But anyway, thanks to Leo and Jaishree, finally it’s done. And the three winners for this edition, and the judges for the next are

• Seema Gopalan
• Pankti Mehta
• Medha Kapoor

Individual feedback is given for each post so we would not repeat them here.

As for the general tips of writing horror, I feel I am not experienced enough to impart that. However from my reading experiences what I understood is: it is very important to differentiate between horror and terror.

            As far as I am concerned, I attach the word horror to the fear of reality. It’s the reaction that rises when faced with a logical crisis. There may not be an immediate solution available but at least you can decipher the context.

            Whereas terror, I feel, is the fear of the unknown. The kind of fear your mind can attach no logic to. It is the fear of something that is unnatural. It is stronger than horror.

            As an example, I take two famous movies. In the movie Se7en, the deaths are horrifying and gruesome, because whether severed heads or not, a psychopath is always capable of that. Whereas in the movie The Ring, the deaths are purely terrifying because you cannot imagine an earthy creature to be capable of distorting its victim’s face in such a way!

            To make it even easier, take two different situations in Harry Potter:

1. When Harry witnesses Voldemort’s return in the graveyard he is horrified: it is awful, shocking, dreadful, disturbing, disgusting.
2. When Harry is out there in the cave to find Slytherin’s locket with Dumbledore, he is terrified. Because of the anticipation of the unknown. It is his dread, his panic that is frightening.

Terror makes you think of what lies around the corner? Horror comes when you actually go round the corner and experience the wrong thing physically.

Once I understood this, I realized that when I try to write something of horror genre, my foremost objective should be to terrify. It’s the most difficult thing to achieve: to create the absolute sense of panic, to make one feel a fear so frightening that he feels numb. I feel a lot of subtle suggestions and implications in the prose are necessary to achieve this. While describing the setting is important along with vivid imagery of scenes and sounds, I think it’s best to leave it to the imagination of the reader than to give a vivid description of the scary thing itself. Describing a ghost or beast maybe horrifying but creating a mysterious sinister force that is beyond mind’s comprehension is terrifying. The trick lies in deciding where you will tell your reader in exhaustive details and where you will just give a hint and let him form his own opinion.

Writing horror is probably easier. Anything from paedophiles to brutal murderers can be passed off as horror genre of fiction. Horror mostly deals with the shock values of an unpleasant scene that you describe in a detailed manner. It’s fear but has a bit of revulsion in it too. For example in TF’s story the macabre he describes is a fine example that evokes a mixture of fear and revulsion.

As I told in my FB post in IFW I am not quite a fan of such horrors. Gruesome crime scenes, violence and blood gross me out so I cannot really opine on how to write it. But I’ll like to touch upon again on the book of M.R James that I mentioned. I have read just the first story so far. It’s called Canon Alberic’s Scrap Book.

In that story, James is obsessively detailed in his description. He establishes an immaculate setting in two or three first paragraphs: a French village and the haunted sacristan. He leads me to believe that the church is where the horror lies and does so with such intensity that it makes me very uncomfortable. But soon I am proved wrong by the presence of a seemingly innocent book and a particularly scary picture which he describes with his usual valour but then turns the dread, the horror, and the fear into an absolute terror with a singular sentence: ‘One remark is universally made by those to whom I have shown the picture: ‘It was drawn from life.”’

When the story ends a lot many things are still not clear. But James told just enough to keep me guessing. Though I can never be sure, I have a fair idea of the sacristan’s motives and have a reasonable doubt about whether or not the protagonist committed suicide in order to avoid a much worse fate.

If you can find it, I suggest you read it. It’s not very scary, I say eerie at its best, but it will definitely give you a basic idea of the mood setting. And that’s most important in a horror fiction.

Having said that, I feel I have horrified you enough with my gibberish. So I will take my leave now with a final note of congratulations to the winners and those who didn’t make it. It was not an easy edition to judge and from all the preceding mind boggling rants I think you can judge what a toll it has taken on my nerves. So for now this is it and all the best for the next edition, judges and participants.

(on behalf of Jaish and Leo)

Rajrupa.

The Doomed Night

Name - Diwakar Narayan

Author Introduction - A former teacher of English Grammar (though I have started forgetting the basics now) and a great admirer of English Language, I took on blogging to show my skills to the virtual world and nick-named myself as Infected Mind. However, having stepped in, I found that I deserved less than the place of a fish in the ocean. Since then, I have been trying to polish my skills to attain the position of a fish. I have no great job and high education to boast of. Philosophically, a God hater who wants to see how life could be, not believing in Him at all.

Story - The Doomed Night

The sharp and distant sounds of night creatures echoed continuously. The cold breeze made it worse when it passed through my wounded body. Escaping from the prison through the thorny bushes had exhausted us. We were gasping and could run no longer, badly needing some shelter to hide and spend the night. We saw a building then, a giant one. Though, in the darkness, it looked more like a shadow. The cloudy sky and dim moonlight made it more unclear, but darkness was our true companion. We decided to move inside the building. Our legs were could hold us no longer and wanted to rest now.

We stepped up the porch and found that the main gate was locked and there was a rusty old lock hanging there. On the ground, there was an earthen pot. I lifted it and saw that the pot was covered with a red cloth. It was torn and ragged, though. It seemed as no one came here, but we had no option but to move inside. Breaking the lock seemed easy but our tools were not with us. I looked around and saw stones scattered on the ground. I picked up a big one and hit the lock. The spank was alarming. It could make people from the nearby village doubtful and come towards the building, I thought. I took off my shirt and rolled it over the lock and hit it again. It made less sound now. In some time, the lock broke open. I picked up the broken piece and put my shirt on.

It was a heavy iron gate, and had to be opened. We looked at each other and pushed the massive structure with all the might we had. It opened and we moved inside. It was an abandoned fort and a good place to hide. The hall was huge. I went back and latched the door from inside. Then I realized that someone, in the morning, might see the lock missing and suspect that anyone was inside, I took the broken lock, stretched my right hand outside and managed to put the lock back. I tore a part of my shirt and rolled over the lock and tied it. Now, it would look like it was never opened. I had made the place safer now.

I looked around the hall and could see nothing except some dim moonlight, which came from the small holes on those huge walls. We walked towards a corner and sat on the floor. My whole body was paining. I wanted to sleep and hence closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt something moving up my body. I stood up and hurried away from the corner. I could see nothing but him. What was it? The very thought of something hostile made me nervous. A chill ran through my spine. There was something not right about this place. I shook my friend, who seemed to have gone into deep slumber by now, and he got up bewildered and said –

‘What happened?’

‘Let’s go out from here. I don’t think we should stay here.’

‘Are you crazy? We have no other place to go hide’ He asked disbelievingly, his eyes wide open.

‘I don’t know. I just don’t want to stay here.’

‘Wait’, he said and looked around. There were stairs going up, as if to the first floor. ‘Can we go up and sleep in the terrace under the sky?’ I asked.

I then saw something above the stairs, on the wall. There was a big mirror there. Something long, like a rope, hung there, on the middle of the mirror. There was a picture in the mirror too. I fixed my eyes on it for some time and figured out that it was a picture of some king. How can a picture be inside a mirror? I thought. I looked at the opposite direction. The picture, I had seen in the mirror, hung above the main door, on the wall. I sensed that the picture in the mirror could also be seen from outside, for the main gate was made of giant iron rods and could allow dispersed view to outsiders. Suddenly, I saw the rope-like thing moving on the mirror. There were two of them now. No, there were many. What were they? I looked at my companion expectantly. He, too, was looking at the same thing.

‘No, we won’t go up the stairs’; he said and pointed to another direction, ‘Look, there is a small door. Come, we’ll go there.’

I looked in that direction. It was a small door made of iron rods and wooden frame, similar to the one in the jail. We moved there and saw that there was a bigger lock. There were insects creeping all over the door, some small ones and some big ones. It seemed like something precious was kept inside and the door was meant never to be opened. Inside, there was a long passage that disappeared in the darkness after some distance. It wasn't a safer place to be at but a secret one. It made us curious to go inside.

I scanned the door and found that the frame was weakened by wood worms. It must not have been touched for long, I thought. I could see many tiny holes in the wooden frame. I asked him, ‘can you break this door?’

I didn’t want to dirty my hands touching those insects and killing them.

He stood up. Breaking such doors was easy for him, for he was a built man. After a few heavy pushes, the door fell towards inside. We stepped in; and he said to me, ‘I’ll lift the door and place it as it was before so no one can notice it being broken. I don’t want to be caught again and sent back to jail’.

It was a tunnel-like passage, round and long. Till now, our eyes had adjusted to see more things in the dark. We kept walking till we reached another door. It was closed with a latch but with no lock. I opened it and moved in. He accompanied me. This was a small room. Suddenly, I felt a strong smell entering my nose. The room smelt like rotten dead bodies. I stepped back, but he grabbed my hand and whispered to me, ‘there is something there, I’ll go see’.

There were some trunks kept, covered with heavy cloths. They were royal but too dirty. It seemed like a secret place. He went near one of the trunks, removed the sheet and opened it, then spoke in a low voice,

‘Hey, come here, look what is inside.’

I went there and looked inside the trunk. It was full of boxes. There were some small and some big ones.

The design on them glittered and enabled us to see them clearly. I lifted one of them and opened it. Alas! There were gold ornaments in it.

He grabbed the box from my hand and held it close to his eyes. He kept looking at it for some time. I took another box and opened it. There were many gold rings in it. I could not believe it. We had found a hidden treasure!

Suddenly, he screamed as if in pain and succumbed to the ground. I rushed to him and held him. He was trembling. I asked, ‘hey, what happened?’ He raised his hand and pointed in a direction and when I saw there, I found a big snake slinking away from us.

‘Please take me out of here’, he pleaded, holding his left thigh where the snake had bitten.

‘No. I cannot move till I take all this jewelry with me’. I said instantly.

‘Why don’t you see that we’ll die here?’

‘And, why can’t you see that we've got so much of wealth? It will make us rich! We would steal no more’.

‘Rich? My foot! I am going out.’

He got up and limped away towards the door of the passage. I rushed ahead of him and blocked his way, and said, ‘Listen, my friend, we’ll take some of these boxes out and come back later. Why don’t you help me do this?’

Suddenly, I heard loud rattling noise coming out of the open trunk. I rushed back to it and when I saw inside, there were many snakes coming out. They were thick and long. They flicked their tongues out, as if hungry; but I did not want to let go of those boxes. I put my hands inside and grabbed a big box. I hadn't even taken my hand out completely, when I felt something moving up my leg. Freak! It was a snake, wanting to attack me. I jerked it away. Then, I saw another one moving towards me. No, there were many moving towards me. I turned back and what I saw in front of me was stunning.

The snakes, by now, had spread. They were everywhere, slithering in all directions. I felt dryness in my throat. I tried to run back into the chamber and hit hard against the wall. The box fell off my hand and bounced away. I turned back. It was gold, I could not leave it. I went back to the trunk and picked another big box. Then, I felt two strokes against my palm. The snakes had bitten me, too? I quivered and turned back. I did not want to die. I turned and slipped, but got up and ran into the tunnel. Suddenly, I stepped on something round and fleshy. I looked down, and found that it was the hand of my friend. Why was he lying there? I shouted,‘hey, run!’

He did not get up. I started dragging him and realized that he had fainted. I had to lift him up and run again. He was heavy. I had taken only a few steps when he fell off my hands. His head hit the ground and he gained consciousness. ‘Get up, run!’ I yelled at him again.

He managed to get up and started lumbering with me, holding my hand. We staggered as fast as we could, but the tunnel was long. His fingers slipped my palm and he fell again. I left him and ran towards the door and bumped into it. My head hit those rusty rods and I felt a severe pain. I collapsed on the ground; then got up in haste and ran back towards the small room again. I wanted to seize another box but when I reached the entrance of the room, I saw those snakes slithering in the chamber. I ran back fast, to the wooden gate and crashed against the rods again. He was lying there, too. I stepped backwards and dragged him away from the door. I tried to pull open the door myself, and knew immediately that those insects were moving up my hands towards my body. I looked back and saw that those hungry creatures were moving towards me. I tried again and the door fell on him; I did not care, I moved out and ran towards the main gate.

It was locked from outside and tied up. I held my hand out and tried to reach the lock, but felt weak and dizzy. I felt my head whirling in all directions; and then I realized that blood was all over my face. They were dripping from my head and had reached till my neck. I was losing my consciousness now, but had to get out of the building. I gathered my strength and tried to get up again to reach the lock. Till now, those snakes had neared me. I had little time to get out. I tried again but failed. Suddenly, I remembered about the stairs going up to the first floor. A new wave of energy ran through me. I got up and sprinted towards the stairs. I only wanted to get out of this place, no matter what. When I reached there and looked up, there was a door there, too. I sprinted up the stairs, and confronted the vast mirror, which reflected the King’s portrait. I stopped dead. The eyes were directly looking at me in a strange and vengeful manner. I decided not to look at it and bolted towards the door which, to my surprise, was not locked. I slammed against it with all I had left in me. The door forced open and I plunged into complete darkness once more. It took my eyes a couple of minutes to adjust. A deep passage was waiting for me. I could see faint footprints on the wooden floor. It looked like someone had walked the tunnel not too long ago. A cold draft of air hit me from nowhere within the passage. If there was air, there had to be a way out. I had to find it, anyhow. I started tracing the footsteps, on my all four, hoping it would help me get out of the place. I traced the footsteps for two or three minutes; when another cold draft of air hit me from somewhere ahead. The blood on my face had started to clot all over and it made my eyelids heavy. With whatever vision, I crawled ahead. After a few more steps, I felt as if I was being watched. But I crawled forward. Soon, I found myself staring at a two way; each going in opposite directions. I took the left turn. The sound of footsteps ahead of me startled me. Was I going to end up confronting the person whose footsteps I was tracing so far? I did not want to meet anyone right now; I shivered with the fear of the cold jail bars. The trail looked as if it was gradually going downwards. 

Suddenly, I tripped and fell face first on to the floor. A box lay on the floor, similar to the ones I saw in the room. I grabbed the box and scrambled towards the direction of the footsteps which I had heard, but I was stopped midway by a short iron door, which seemed to be solid. After trying for a minute or so, I managed to pry it open and to my surprise I found myself back on the ground floor with those venomous serpents. I had to get out of the place so I hurried towards the main door.

I reached the door and tried to get to the lock. I managed do so this time. I tore apart the piece of cloth that I had tied the lock with. It fell open. I tried to open the door, so heavy it was, I struggled with it. I had no strength left in me, but I had to open it. The snakes were already converging from all sides now. I tried again and managed to move the door a bit. The narrow space was enough for me to slip through. I slumped on the ground and crawled away with much effort. I intuited that something was moving up my leg from behind. I crawled fast and reached the front porch. Now, many of them seemed to be moving up my body. I crawled faster and fell off the stairs on to the grass below. I felt something cold beneath me. They were grasses. It was soothing. Suddenly, I felt multiple needles being punched in my body at once. Something started to burn inside. By and by, I was losing my consciousness. The heat inside challenged the chilliness outside. The poison was taking control of my body. It seemed to be the end of me, lonely and hungry; then suddenly, I heard a familiar voice call out my name. I opened my eyes and saw my friend leaning over me. Am I seeing the dead? I thought until he held out his hand to drag me on to my feet. I was feeling better than before and seeing him renewed my energy to some extent. All of what happened seemed a distant dream until I saw the wooden box that I carried with me outside.

What was this place? I need not know. Whose was it? The answer seemed to be known only to the person whose portrait I saw inside. Whose were those footprints? I need not bother. All I know that we were lucky to be under the blue sky; the clouds seemed to have vanished, as if a bad nightmare. The poison seemed to have worn off its worst. The years of hardship and tolerance of the jail had made us immune to even snake bites. We were glad to be alive and more so with the wooden box, full of gold coins, that seemed to be asking us not to delve in the past, as to how or what happened; but look forward to a life of a normal human being.

Just a matter of time

Title of the story-- Just a matter of time

Author--- Dr Sharmila Kulkarni

Author info---- A Mumbai based Prosthodontist who loves to play with words.

.I am kind of wary of this man who has walked with me for over ten kilometers through this dense forest.He keeps talking to himself or may be to no one in sight l. Why does he have to look up to trace the heads of the tall trees every now and then?I wish I was alone in this big escape plan from the heavily guarded central jail of Bandipur. If it was not for his strong sense of direction and extra sharp sensory perception,I would have never let him in my plans.Something about him is not normal.I have seen many ugly faces but this one is not normal.Thank God he agreed to leave his constant companion, that scary black cat behind, before we escaped from the prison..

"Now what Teja ?Why are you going so close to that tree ?My dadi always said that there are witches on the trees in the dark and they cling on to innocent people and capture their bodies and minds.Walk faster so that we clear this stretch of jungle before dawn."-I said in irritated tone trying to scare him at the same time.

Teja appeared from behind that tree and began walking on a mud track away from our chosen path.I began following him closely when I heard someone jump behind me from a height .I stopped in my tracks and so did Teja. He was talking to himself again .Suddenly ,a black shadow emerged from nowhere and leapt on Teja ,brushing my shoulders on the way.A pair of sharp red eyes glinted in the dark and focussed on me .Teja's small frame stumbled at the impact briefly before he steadied himself and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Its Shera the prison cat Dara ,nothing to be scared of !"

But we did decide to leave him behind ,did we not ?-I questioned him,annoyed to see the cat I disliked, again.

"Well he decided to follow us Dara. Cats are special and believe me he will be of help to us in our journey."

It was pitch dark all around.The air was humid and carried a peculiar smell with it.Soon we reached a clearance and we could see an old fort at a distance. There was a chill in the wind that night and as if on cue,it began raining .The soft drizzle soon became a downpour as we ran towards the fort to take shelter .Wind was ferocious now slapping across my face and trying its best to stop me in my tracks.I could see Teja move swiftly in front of me.It became difficult for me to close in on him in the dark.I could hear his voice though ,talking to no one in particular.I decided to follow as closely as I could.Slashing the shrubs on my way,I was trying to sprint in the direction of the fort when I felt someone pulling me ahead. I shrieked and fell on my face . I called out to Teja. His small frame appeared in the dark and pulled me out of the tangle of creepers.Leave the creepers alone Dara ,you need not hurt them as you walk ..they do not like it .

Something in his tone was strange and I did not like it. I decided to be open about my suspicions so that it was easy to decide whether he really was with me till the end of our journey. "Why is it so important for you to slow down without an explanation every now and then and why do you care so much about cats any way ?" I asked ,irritation writ large on my face and in my tone.He could not read my face and he did not care obviously about my irritation. " Plants and animals and all living creatures convey messages to each other in various forms .They have a language ,one needs to be very observant ,that is all ."-said Teja. I was in no mood to listen to his philosophical side .he continued ,uncaring about what I thought.

"Plants talk to me.They always have.I understand what they say and it is not always very pleasant." Teja was crossing over to be termed insane by any normal person and I was no exception. "Do you think you can scare me by talking utter crap ?" I said indignantly. "You may choose to dis believe but not everything in this world has an explanation.I can read what goes on in Shera's mind too.I was not surprised to see him here,in fact I was deliberately slow in walking along for I knew he would catch up."

"What nonsense is this ! Have you completely lost it ?" I did not know whether to laugh or cry at this cruel turn of fate. Such a dangerous journey with a lunatic and his cat ! The thought became scary all of a sudden and I wanted to break free.But how ? At this point in time I needed every ounce of support I could gather.Jungle was never a friendly place to be .I definitely was not going to tread alone on this path.

The woods ,I always thought ,were a strange place, they intimidate and as a solace ,offer you small patches of clearings in the middle before engulfing you again in their darkness.To me the clearance seemed like hope and the thicket beyond was like despair.

The fort had a huge iron gate, rusted with time but strong and unyielding nevertheless.It took all our might to make enough gap for us to enter .The giant main door was ajar and we entered the spacious main hall which must have seen a lot of activity in the bygone era. Teja had a candle in his hand he and Shera entered after me. Shera walked on tip toes to a corner and sat crouched under a table. Teja walked up to him to comfort him when he tripped on something .I picked it up to see that it was a long piece of rusted iron much in the shape of a key. I turned it over and wiped the dust off .It revealed a map of some place.It has to belong to some lock inside the fort ,I thought aloud. There was another room adjacent to the hall and out of curiosity and excited at our new find,we decided to explore.I opened the door to enter a dark room with long wooden blocks strewn across the floor.It looked like a chess room with the floor as the checker board and the wooden blocks were the chess pieces.

I looked at the key in my hand to figure out whether there was some lock made for the key.The map on the key did depict a lock but where was it in this sprawling complex of rooms.There was some rustling of feathers which the cat could sense way before we did."Bats or may be pigeons !"-said Teja." Do not touch the blocks Dara", he said, almost in the same breath. By then we had almost crossed the room to stand near the movable partition at the other end .We tried shifting the wooden lattice work doubling as partition but it would not budge. i pushed with all my might ,going unsteady on my feet in the process.I held on to one of the chess pieces close by to gain balance .Wha,,,who moved this from the centre of the board ? Teja..! There was a shrill whistling sound in the background which I ignored ,attributing it to the strong wind trying to enter in through tiny spaces around.From the corner of my eyes I spotted a giant insect crawling towards me. Suddenly ,in the flickering light of Teja's candle,I saw the king of the chess pieces move. The key slipped from my hand and i realized that the block I was leaning against was also not where it was ! Startled beyond wits ,I gathered the key and suddenly realized that the block near me had a slot quite similar in pattern to the key.Mustering up all my courage at the turn of events ,I tried fitting the key into the slot. There was a loud creaking noise that startled all of us in the room including the giant spider. The partition had moved !! The spider scampered and disappeared behind the partition.

This was like in those horror movies I thought to myself !What if there is a treasure somewhere in the fort? The thought excited me enough to make a dash and we crossed the partition to reach the other side where there lay a magnificent trunk kept against the wall. After a brief hesitation,we opened the trunk expecting a treasure within. Instead,we were greeted by a pair of royal slippers and a walking stick. I did not pay much attention to the spider who had found a new home inside the trunk . Loud shuffling of feet or was it furniture being shifted somewhere close by ? It was eerie,how the chess pieces had moved places before. I could not contain my curiosity and peeped through the lattice ."Whoa!! Teja ,did you do that ?"

"What did I do now?" whispered Teja behind me. The chess pieces had been arranged neatly as if ready for a new game on the board. It was spooky !

It was as if there was someone else in the fort. Someone was here! We had company! I could not decide whether this made me happy or apprehensive. We moved ahead exploring the fort further and entered a courtyard. A tall tree right in the centre of the courtyard stood guarding the old fort.The structure looked ominous with the presence of the tree. "Teja ! look here !" I called out to Teja .Teja was trying to slip his feet into the new slippers.I showed him what I had discovered.There was a ditch behind the tree and the dug out mud did not look ancient. Teja peered down ,Shera was at his feet when suddenly a loud thunder and the cat yelped and jumped in the air. Teja disappeared the next instant !

The door behind me rattled noisily ,wind and rain lashing against the lone window as I stood there sweating profusely.I called out to Teja but my call was met with a deafening silence. ..I tried looking down into the ditch when I felt the soft mud melt beneath my feet and I too plunged into the dark hole.It seemed like a bottomless pit !The hole became narrower as I slid down trying to find something to latch on to..I felt suffocated and began gasping for air desperately.My chest felt constricted as if I was in a vice like grip of something .I was on the verge of fainting when after what seemed like an eternity,I landed on something or was it someone! The stench was unbearable,its source untraceable ,I waited after the initial shock to get accustomed to the dark . A hoarse voice,barely audible called out to me, in that space. I smelt blood and rotting organic matter.Rats! Corpses! What was it ,around me,below me...? "Teja,is that you ?" I called out .I was scared now. I groped in the dark and tried to stand on my feet but hit my head on the walls.I crawled a bit reaching out to search for Teja and the wretched cat .I soon touched an opening in the wall and crawled ahead in spite of my extreme claustrophobia. I had no way to know what the slush beneath my body was made of.Whatever it was,it was good I did not know then. Suddenly,ahead of me I felt some movement,a small body and sensing my presence,it turned .I closed my eyes and began screaming .It moved closer and then I saw the familiar red eyes. Shera! I clung on to that ball of fur dearly .

The tunnel came to an end after what seemed like an eternity and together we emerged out in the open.I ran for my life for a considerable distance before I came to a halt to catch my breath. The fort was far behind me and I realized that I was standing on mud track with tyre marks.I felt hopeful suddenly.

The night was cold and wet and hitch hiking was not a very good idea but did I have a choice? I waited for a while in the night and then decided to walk fast in a direction that seemed logical to me at that moment. I prayed hard and kept on walking at a brisk pace .The sounds familiar and unfamiliar scared me but the biggest fear in life is that of an approaching end of that very life.I realized that day that I was not ready to leave this earth yet. I loved life too much to let go easily so I tumbled along where the path and the night took me.

The silence was broken by a faint sound of something approaching from behind .I was tempted to turn back and investigate but resisted . The rattling noise was very close now and soon I saw that a small car was trudging along the path at an excruciatingly slow speed.I could not believe my luck and jumped inside the car without asking or waiting for the driver's approval. Relief,fear,sadness,I was a mixed bag of emotions ,I hunched ,put my head down and let my tears flow .After a while I looked up to see where we were heading.I remembered Teja and wondered whether he was dead or alive.

Oh my God! There was no one at the wheel ! The car was ambling along the road on its own! A sharp turn and my heart leapt into my mouth as a deathly white hand steered the wheel to negotiate the turn.Unable to take it any longer and paralysed with fear,I took my chance at the next turn and kicked the door open to jump out. I ran with whatever strength had remained in my body to reach the next village.The dhaba owner was kind ,he gave me some food to eat and a charpai to sleep .Shera and I were inseparable now.

I had barely closed my eyes when I heard a voice behind -"isn't he that thankless guy who took a lift from us and ran away without paying ?"

I felt a sudden chill down my spine.I shut my eyes real tight and felt a slight tap on my forehead and strangely I felt light,very light .I was beyond felling anything any more. Suddenly ,all became very clear in my mind. The fear had been replaced by calm . Peace at last ! I felt Teja was near by somewhere.I could hear him call out to me.
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At a distance,I stood observing my friend Dara intently.. I had questions .The old tree was talking to me again and he told me that the transition was going to be peaceful.It was quick for me and I hoped for the same for my friend too. It was just a matter of time .
It would be nice to meet Dara again.

Tears of Blood

Author Introduction: I would not call myself a writer. Or a poet. What I am is, creatively inclined. My education has nothing to do with it. It's just programmed in my genetic code. I love to read. Mostly classics and poetry. I love music. Art. Cinema. Nature. I blog about my world at http://www.medhakapoor.blogspot.in

‘Hurry up, Raju! Run or those dogs will be upon us in minutes!’

I watched as Raju struggled to move with his pot belly impending him, wheezing and coughing on the way. I was a hundred meters ahead of him and before me stood the mighty trees of the Chiranjeevi forest. We were being chased by a group of policemen for escaping from prison and had just been able to lose them through some really quick thinking on my part. I knew they would never follow us into the forest, at least not at night. They were a bunch of superstitious fools who believed it to be haunted. Well, haunted or not, it was the only place for us to escape from the jaws of prison life.

The forest was cold, dark and damp. The flashlights we were holding were of little use, scarcely illuminating the space around us, thick with foliage as it was. The sound of leaves crumpling below our feet hung in the night air like a lone beacon of light on a stranded shore. And I was afraid that it would attract the wrath of wild animals.

‘Raju, I believe we’ve made a grave mistake, we can’t spend the night in this place…it may be full of wild animals!’

He looked at me with a grim expression, before turning away and regarding the darkness, ‘There is a way, Shyam…I’ve been in this forest before and I know of an old fort, I’ve seen it as a child, I think I can lead us to it…we’ll be safe from the animals there…’

‘Alright, is it far?’, I asked him.

‘It is in a clearing at the heart of the forest. But it is our best chance’.

‘Hmm. Let’s go then’.

Raju nodded and studied our surroundings for five minutes before starting down a path…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It has been years since I’ve seen the fort of Rudrapratapa. It used to be our favorite spot for playing hide-and-seek as children, with its plethora of rooms of all shapes and sizes and the passages set out like a maze. One could easily get lost there. Our elders would often warn us against going to the fort. Apparently, it had been cursed by a witch. They would try and scare us with various stories but it never deterred our free, adventurous spirits.

‘Where is your god-damned fort Raju? I’m exhausted from all this trekking in the forest…’

‘Here, here; just beyond these trees…Can you make out the outline from here? Look there…’

And there it was, looking melancholy and desolate against the silver moonlight. All its past glory turned into just bricks and stones. How time ruins things! Not a sound to be heard except the chirping of the crickets. I could see an own perched atop a tree near its boundary wall. Its yellow eyes shone at us menacingly. I flinched.

‘How do we get in?’

‘Look for an opening in the wall…there should be a crevice wide enough to let us get in…’

‘Bats! Yikes!’, Shyam shouted, ducking and waving his arms around. Ah, the perils of spending a night in the wilderness. I thought we had had enough of crazy nights in the prison.

Fifteen minutes later, we are inside the fort. It’s much cooler than outside and we are shivering slightly. I feel uneasy, I have a feeling we’re not alone in this place. But then, the fort is huge enough to grant refuge to an army of hundreds.

‘Shyam, let us just find a nice spot and hide till the morning. I’m very tired.’

But Shyam would not pay any attention to me; he was like a man possessed! He ran from room to room, admiring the splendor of the place while the thief inside him looked for items to pick up.

‘A couple of rare antique items from this place, Raju, and we’ll be millionaires! Just think about it!’

‘Don’t be stupid! If there was anything of value here, it wouldn’t be laying open for scavengers like us!’

‘Hey! Look! Look here!’

Shyam turned my attention to a heavily ornamented door. It was studded with gems arranged in an intricate design. I couldn’t recall having seen anything like this here before.

‘I’m sure there’s something of value inside! But this big, fat lock! Do something about it, Raju, my mastermind!’

Wordlessly, I got down on my knees and examined the lock. It looked simple enough; just some careful ministrations with my master key and it would give away. Yet, my hands trembled as I inserted the key in the hole. It felt as if there was someone on the other side of the door, waiting to be set free…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

‘Holy Cow! Look at the size of this room! And it’s loaded with stuff! We’ve hit the jackpot, my friend!’

The room was impressive! It was full of caskets and cupboards and drawers. 

The walls were adorned with paintings. There were desks, chairs and a huge bed. All made of expensive mahogany, I presumed. We were going to be rich! No more petty thievery for the rest of our lives! The only problem was, Raju wasn’t willing to share any of my enthusiasm. He was silent and subdued, transfixed to a spot near the door. Maybe, he’s scared, foraging in the dark like this. Hah! What a child!

‘Oi, come over here, you go and check out the other side of the room, I’ll look here…’

‘Okay…alright…’

I looked on as Raju gingerly walked to an almirah, stumbling over a couple of caskets on his way.

I sigh and turn my attention towards a painting on the wall. The frame seems to be made of gold. It is a huge piece of art, a life-sized portrait of a reclining woman. I trace her figure with the light of my torch. She’s draped in a blood red saree, snugly fitted to her voluptuous figure, curly black tresses, full lips, pierced nose, eyes…eyes? I froze in shock as I realized that her eyes were missing! Their place was marked by two blotches of red, as if the eyes had been slashed off. What a weird painting! Those kings must have been crazy!

‘Shyam…’ somebody whispers.

‘What, Raju?’ I turned to speak, but he wasn’t there. ‘Raju?’I swung around to the other side but there was no one. I turned back to the painting and was immersed in complete darkness. The batteries had died. Shit. Okay, calm down, just walk towards the entrance. There was a still a glimmer of moonlight coming through. I could just focus on it and it would guide me to the door. I start walking, carefully. I realized that I was sweating. The darkness that surrounded me was oppressive. It felt like it was suffocating me. Somehow, I could not get the image of that blood stained face out of my mind.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

People say that when you are deprived of the use of one or more senses, the other remaining ones become sharper. Standing in this room with only a dim source of illumination, I became aware of my surroundings in a most unique manner. I observed the smells and the variations of temperature. My mind was just not burglary today. I felt myself being drawn to a cold corner that smelled, quite unmistakably, of blood. The metallic, nauseating smell of congealed human blood. Could somebody have dumped a dead body here? I wonder as I walk towards the source of the odor. I'm very close to the spot, the smell is so strong that it makes me want to throw up. The air surrounding me is perfectly still and chilly. I can feel goosebumps on my flesh. Footsteps! I hear footsteps. Thud thud thud thud thud. A dull, rhythmic motion. We are not alone here. Someone is coming to get me. Maybe its the murderer! What should I do? I take a confused step forward and feel my foot strike against something coarse and ice-cold. I freeze. Oh my god, its flesh! It’s human flesh! 'Shyaaam! SHYAAM! Where are you? Get the fuck here immediately!' 

Trembling, I move my flashlight to get a look at the body but there is nothing there. I glance around, move back and forth but there's no sign of a body. Cold fear grips my spine and I turn away, ready to run just as a hand shoots out of nowhere and grabs my foot. 'SHYAAM!!Help me! SHYAAMMM!'. I can feel its rugged claws biting into my skin. I can't free myself from its grip. I scream as another hand grabs the other foot, completely immobilizing me. It’s dragging me towards itself.

Suddenly, I receive a slap to my face and the hands that gripped my feet disappear.

'What on earth is wrong with you Raju? You're screaming like a madman!'

'Oh Shyam! Thank god you are here! Lets get out of here. I beg you. Please, let’s just go.'

'Why? Why should we go?'

'Because this place is haunted Shyam! There is a ghost here! I felt it! It was gripping me! I couldn't move! It was gripping my feet! Both my feet!'

'What nonsense, Raju! There is no such thing as ghosts! You must have been dreaming! Now give me your flashlight and let us see what is there to take!'

I had never felt so angry with Shyam before. How could he disregard my opinions this way? Does he take me to be a fool? I fumed.

'Shyam, I want to go. You have no right to talk to me in this manner. What do you think of yourself? '

'Raju, please just calm down. There are no ghosts here, its just your mind playing tricks.'

........................................................................................................................................................................

I could not understand why Raju was being so irrational. Sure, the place is scary, but then, any place would be so in the darkness. And ghosts? He couldn't be this foolish. And then it struck me! Raju is playing a game with me. He wants me out of here so that all the goods can be his! That old fox! I knew I could never trust a man like him!

'Shyam, will you listen to me?!' Raju shouted, grabbing my arm.

'No, you listen to me, Raju! You leave if you want to! I'm not moving!'. I pushed him away.

'I will not leave you alone to die and you will listen to me!', he was grabbing me again.

'Is that what it is, huh? I can see right through your stupid plans, Raju. You want all the riches to yourself and so you're inventing all this nonsense! You can easily trace this place in the morning and can come conveniently to claim the stuff for yourself!' It was my turn to grab him by the collar.

'How dare you! You insolent, greedy man! How dare you!' His knee meets my stomach and I double up in pain. My hands immediately fly to his neck. I wanted to squeeze the air out of the slimy bastard but he had his hands on my arms, restraining me. Damn, he was strong. I fly into a rage and attack his face with my hands. I dig my nails in his eyeballs and scratch; I scratch and claw at them till I can feel his blood dripping down my fingers. He had started howling. Haha! No one messes with me! I step back to let him moan in agony. 

Before I knew it, he came charging at me like a bull, head first, right into my gut. I stumble backwards with the force of the blow and fall, from the feel of it, in an open casket. I grab the sides and try to get up but this monster placed the lid over me. I could barely move my arms but used all my strength to beat against the top. It would not budge. It was too heavy. I'm going to die here. God please. I don't want to die. I was beating on the lid with everything I had. My breath came in gasps and shudders. I was using whatever air there was in my lungs to shout to Raju to open this thing. But it just wouldn't move. Darkness, the darkness is coming to get me. It has won. I could hear the mad laughter of a woman and I knew it is her.

........................................................................................................................................................................

The pain in my eyes is unbearable. I am bleeding tears of blood. I could barely move so I settled myself on the casket. Beneath me I could still hear the mad screams and knocks of Shyam, asking me to let him out. I ignored them. He could die there and be eaten up by rats and rot in hell forever as far as I was concerned. How could he do this to me? He is a sick man! My eyes! Oh my eyes! I sit there nursing my precious eyes, blood all over my face. I try opening them as the pain subsides but can hardly see anything. Everything is red. I weep more tears.

And then I see her. An apparition, a ghost, a ghoul, a witch or a goddess. I do not know what she is. Skin a sickly green color; she is standing in front of me, wearing a red saree over an emaciated frame. She smells of rotting flesh and blood. Her hair hangs down loose over her bosom and her face is as bloodshot as mine. But the most horrific part, she had had her eyes gouged out! And in spite of it all, she bared her bloody teeth at me and laughed. I had never seen or heard anything this horrible and vindictive. Her laughter shredded my soul in pieces and suddenly I wish I hadn't ever hurt Shyam. She kneels forward and grabs both my feet with her claw like hands, pulling me down slowly from the casket. Despite her skeletal frame, she is stronger than me. I fall on my back and my head hits against the edge of the casket. I feel dizzy and light-headed. I didn't have the power to scream or struggle, fear had stupefied me. I just stare at her terrible form, waiting for the torture that I knew was coming but she just laughed and laughed. Her voice echoed and the walls laughed with her. I could not take it any more and let myself drift away into oblivion...

The Spirit of the Haunted Chest

Author Name: Seema Gopalan

Author Intro: Well about me, my traits can be described in 3 words - possessive, steady and focused. Like a true Taurean I simply want things to be get done which may be sometimes viewed as stubbornness. The good life in all it's guises appeals to me. Down to earth with a no-nonsense approach, saying what I mean with a very strong sense of values.I blog at My Endeavors

Word Count: 2525

Story

The night was dark gloomy dusky and silent. All around the tall trees looked like they were dressed in their own shadows. Moss dripped from the sickly dark trees like decayed flesh. Every branch held the promise of something dark, gray and slavering for blood. Even the wildlife held its breath, seemingly sharing my fear. Every tree in this thickly forested, misty and light less glade seemed to hide some ghastly secret or ghoul. Even the wind in the boughs sounded thin, sickly and fearful. I couldn’t hear anything apart from my footsteps and the one behind me.

It was by sheer luck a year ago that Jamal occupied the prison cell with me. He was very soft spoken and kept to himself most of the time. He was in for assault but his demeanor told otherwise. He was alone most of the times, keeping a distance from everyone, only his shifty eyes could be seen noticing and grasping everything. Being a blacksmith’s son and knowing much about the trade he got to work in the prison’s sheet metal shop. The only other time I saw him apart from my cell was during the gym session. I , myself was quite a veteran around the prison cell , on first name basis with almost all the guards and also sort of a mini leader among the inmates. One day in the gym as Jamal was doing his exercises I saw something shining brightly in his waistcoat and knew immediately it was a pocket knife. Nearby one of the guards was suspicious and came towards him, I immediately distracted the guard with small talk.

Later in our cell,

“Hey, Jamal! You idiot, you would have been caught today if it were not for me! What are you trying to do with the pocket knife?”

“None of your business Baban”

“To hell with you, tell me immediately or else I will inform the guard”

That statement did the trick, he was spitting everything out. He first and foremost sworn me to secrecy and then told of his plan to escape. He was creating a duplicate key to the back door of the gym. Beyond that there was a perimeter fence that would have to be cut through (hence the pocket-knife) and then we would have to scale the prison wall. If we got a good headstart it was very unlikely we would get caught. I was stunned beyond words when I heard of this stupendous escape. I already started visualizing myself walking freely in my village.

“How will you get the impression of the key to make a duplicate” I asked

“Not to worry, I am making a set of keys. One of them will definitely work” replied Jamal coolly

From then on me and Jamal were inseparable. I severed my ties with the others and stuck to him like glue. After the keep-fit session in the gym, there was one hour where the prisoners would chat and laze around. For quite a few weeks now me and Jamal had formed a routine to sit near the back exit door and chat. Initial few weeks one or two guards looked at us suspiciously but later on they never even bothered to come so back in the gym. We were left on our own for most part of the time. One fine day we decided to put our plan into action and after trying out a few keys we walked out through the back door. Our adrenaline pumping high we managed to scale the wall and were out in the dark forest. Now that I was away from my confined security I was shivering with fear of the consequences, of being caught, of being dragged back into prison and out in the dark hole. Jamal, on the other hand was quite composed in his stature. Not far away I could see a fort, the whole ordeal had tired me and the eerie forest was not adding to my already wildly beating heart.

“Hey Jamal, there is a fort out there, let’s take some rest”

“No, we should keep going, we can still be apprehended”

“Come on, let’s rest for the night, get some sleep, recharge ourselves and we will head out first thing tomorrow morning.”

*****

I was fed up with Baban’s non-stop chattering and also his tagging along with me. I curse the day when he saved me from the guard and in a split second of indecision I spilled my guts out to him. Then on, he stuck like a leech, talking about his village, his child-hood friends, the temples, the devas, asuras. I wish I had a solo escape from the prison. His talking gives me a splitting headache that rips through my mind like gale- driven thunder and lightning. The place that he had pointed out just now stood alone on a hill, a gaunt and crackly relic of an old Victorian architecture (built by the British perhaps). It was dingy grey, paint –flaked and neglected and its brickwork crumbling away. The path to the door was overgrown with bushes and it looked an ideal place to spend the night.

On Baban’s insistence we slowly and steadily climbed the hill and crept inside the door. Once inside I glanced around nervously at the portraits staring at me from behind layers of dust, seemingly penetrating my very being. Cold hesitant moon light streamed in through cracked windows casting eerie shadows on walls. The ceilings were covered with cobwebs hanging upside down. There were stairs running in two directions. The floorboard creaked as we went up the stairs.

At the top of the landing there was a locked room. Maybe there was some treasure inside the room, why else would it remain locked I wondered intent on picking the lock. On realizing my intent

“No Jamal, don’t mess with all that! Let’s just take some rest in this room here, waha pe Bhoot-Preth will be there”

“Keep quiet Baban, there is no such thing as bhoot-preth”, How I wished one of the booth came out and eat him alive. Good riddance!

Finally one of the keys clicked and I could open the lock. A cold gush swept through my body as I placed my hand on the knob. The huge iron black door creaked and slammed against the wall as I pushed it. The room was quite dark but a tiny ray of moonlight trickled in and circled lazily on the candle stand. If it were to somehow spring back to life it would illuminate a scene of utter emptiness and desolation. The threadbare carpet played host to nothing but an old stuffed chair, a table and a heavy wooden chest on it. The chair had last supported the weight of a living person half a century ago. Now it held only the dry and leafy skin and bones of a corpse - its rotting face frozen in a silent scream, and its thin and bony fingers buried in the holes it tore into the fabric of the chair in the final agonizing moments of life. Nothing else. Even the flies had deserted this corpse.

****

Jamal’s behavior always frightened me a little. He hardly spoke about his childhood or friends or of anything else. I pleaded with him not to open the room as I had heard all sort of stories from my grandfather. In olden days kings would perform puja and trap evil spirits in chambers which were never to be opened. But he had gone ahead and now we were in this darkened room. I swear as soon as the room was opened I could hear a ghastly laugh like rattling chains rising from the shattered floorboards to the ancient cobweb strewn ceiling, and echoing around the stained and crumbling walls. There was also a skeleton in the chair, it looks like he was the guardian of the chest. I should have not asked to stop for rest, I will not be able to sleep a wink in here. Suddenly something brushed on the backside of my neck, when I turned there was no one.

“Ja…Jamal, was that you”

“ME what?”

“Did you just brush your hands against my neck?”

“Ha..ha, why would I do that”, Come here and help me open this chest. Let’s hope there is some treasure in here”

“No Jamal, as it is you have opened the door, let the chest be as-is. You don’t understand the work of spirits. I can smell death in the air.”

****

I ignored Baban and walked over to the beautifully designed wooden chest kept on the table. I was going to find what was in there. If I was lucky to break from prison I might be lucky to find some piece of jewel which I can sell and live comfortably. I was very impressed with the neat trick that I did with the back of my hands. Baban was petrified. The look on his face indicated he had seen some spirit. What fun it would be to mess with him.

“Baban, come here! Help me in opening this”

“No Jamal, I want nothing to do with it” said Baban and sat in one corner of the wall hugging both his legs, neck shifting from end to end as if he wanted to be the first to know of any unknown presence. The chest was unlocked, it only had 2 latches on either side that were clasped tightly shut. Unlocking the clasps I had to use both my hands to push the heavy chest open. As I slowly opened the box a cool wind enveloped me starting from my feet and a stale odor filled the surrounding air. In the chest I found tatters of some royal clothes, a man’s armor and vest, a sword and a brightly shining jeweled crown lying in the corner. Ah! Had I struck gold here, I thought picking up the crown. It would definitely be worth a fortune with the rubies and the diamond still embedded in it. I put it back in the chest before it caught Baban’s eye and shut it with a bang.

The loud bang got Baban’s attention.

“Let’s sleep here for the night”, “Morning we can resume travel”.

I was already scheming to somehow leave Baban here and make my escape with the precious crown.

“Nah, you go to bed. I am not getting good vibes here. I’ll keep watch as it is I am getting too spooked here”

“It was you who wanted to rest in the first place” I informed him. But then contemplated that this way I could take rest now, decide to keep watch in the 2^nd phase and make my escape alone. This notion pleased me a lot and dusting one side of the room I laid down.

I had hardly slept a wink when I was shaken awake by a pair of strong shivering hands.

“Do..Do you hear that Jamal?” asked Baban glancing nervously all around the room.

I rubbed my sleep induced eye-lids wearily as my eyes got accustomed to the darkness.

“Hear what Baban, What is it now?”

“The sound of anklets, someone is walking around in this room”

“Now Baban, you have really lost it. Get some sleep , your body is tired and needs rest, your mind is playing games with you”

Suddenly out of nowhere my ears picked up the sound of tinkling anklets. My first thought was of Baban now playing tricks on me. But that was not possible as he had been sitting right next to me until a minute ago. I quickly flashed my torchlight around but he was nowhere to be seen. Did he just outsmart me and run away with the crown. Angered I walked over to the chest to check it’s contents. Something caught my leg and I tripped and fell my flashlight thrown in one corner casting eerie shadows all over the place. I bent to pick my flashlight and that is when I saw Baban lying down on the floor dead as a doornail. His eye was wide open in shock or was it surprise as if he had seen a ghost.

As these thoughts wandered in my head I quickly ran to the chest, picked up the crown and decided to flee from this place. As I neared the door I again felt the presence of something cold enveloping me starting right at my feet and getting higher. An eerie high pitched scream filled the room and then a lady’s voice echoed “ Kaha tha maine…Kaha tha maine raja se…sandook khula toh mar dalungi” ending with a soul shattering laugh. I knew I was doomed as soon as the echo stopped. Baban was right, I should not have opened the chest or this chamber. There were evil spirits around who were guarding the chest. The opening of the chest caused them to come out and haunt and kill whoever did that. Suddenly I was grabbed by the neck and struck once in my neck.

****

Jamal lay in a pool of his own blood. I slowly bend and picked the jeweled crown from his hands. It was good that I had picked the sword from the chest while he was asleep. My intention was never to kill him. I blame it on the atmosphere in this place and especially the corpse sitting in the chair that gave me a tinkling in my hands that had not murdered for long. Finding the precious crown in the chest was the icing on the cake. I knew I had to have it even if it meant murder. I had to act my part of a nonchalant fool to perfection. I had to even control my urges to not stare blatantly at the precious crown when Jamal took it out from the chest for the first time. Truth be told it was Jamal with his hand brushing against my neck that gave me the idea of trying out the spirits in the room idea on him. The stones that I had innocently picked up on or way here when clattered on the floor gave the sound of tinkling anklets which sounded genuine even to my ears. All I had to do was to play my cards to perfection. I first awoke him with a scared story of hearing something, then actually make the sound effect and moved away to act my own part of being dead. I knew his interest would only be in securing the crown and he would not care to see if I was still breathing. The darkness in the room also helped as I knew I was visible only when the flash-light was directly positioned on me. Jamal, the total non-believer in spirits was so spooked by my facial expression that he totally fell for my game and did not even put up a resistance when I grabbed him from behind and plunged the sword in his neck. Baba would have been proud of my perfect voice rendition to that of a revenge seeking aatma.

I scooped my belongings, laid one last look at Jamal’s lifeless body and left the place forever.

A Kiss of Death

Title of story: A Kiss of Death

Author Name: Pankti Mehta

Author Intro: Although I am a number cruncher at heart, I simply love books. Be it fantasy, horror, thriller, romance or chick lit, I simply can't resist them. However, I avoid classic literature and philosophies like anathema. Most of my blogs revolve around day to day incidents and how we react to it. They may be serious, sarcastic, or simply funny. That absolutely depends on my moods and how strongly I feel about it. I hope they make a good read for you.

Story:

Thud!

Phew, Munna did manage to break the lock at last. I never thought he was going to do it. He had said that he will break the lock in 5 minutes flat and given his track record of past few years, I, like a fool, believed him. Silly me. Just because he had managed to break locks of numerous homes and lockers in seconds didn’t make him a master, no matter how much he liked to think so.

“Raja, my work is done. Now you open this door. I am not going to open it.”

Oh God, how much of a wimp this Munna is! He actually believes those stupid rumors about this room being haunted by ghosts. Ha! Who would want to live on this God-forsaken earth even after their death? Only a moron like Munna would think of such people.

As I pushed the door with all my might, I heard the sound that I was expected: loud creak of the doors that were being opened after a long, long time. I just hope my guts are right and I manage to find enough treasure to live the rest of my life in luxury: cars, swimming pools, and clubs. Alas, who wants to keep on planning petty heists throughout his lifetime? As soon as I entered the room, I felt cool. Great, at least this room was not an inferno as the sweltering atmosphere out there was.

“Raja? Where are you? I am not able to see you. It’s so dark here.”

“Of course it’s dark. It’s not your bloody home where your wife is waiting for you with hot dinner. Lit your candle. You will be able to see well. My eyes have already adjusted to this darkness.”

As I stepped forward, I could make out a rectangular shape of a huge chest. Yes, this was it. I am 100% sure that alas we have struck gold. Literally. As I started pulling at the lock of the chest, Munna started screaming behind me. “Who’s there? Come forward in the light? Who’s there?”

I knew Munna was not going to give up. So I ignored him and started breaking the lock on my own. I didn’t want to entrust this task to Munna or he would take an entire night to do it. How hard can it be? I can just hammer away the lock, can’t I? “Munna, throw some light over here. I need to break this lock with the hammer.”

“R-Raja, I think we should leave. Something weird is going around here. I don’t feel safe here.”

“Why? What happened? Did you see anything that you shouldn’t?”

“No, nothing like that but it’s just that it’s spooky over here. Especially, that painting a king over there. It seems like he’s grinning at us. His eyes don’t look right to me.”

I turned around to see the painting. Oh yes, quite a majestic painting. Although I have no idea which king he was as I never paid attention to the particularities of the rumor, I was mesmerized. What jewels! Just look at his fine clothes! Is that emerald in his turban and rubies and pearls in his necklace? Oh, how I wish to find that treasure in this chest!

“Okay. Enough of this silliness; just throw some light over here. I need to break this lock. And be fast. I don’t want to spend an entire night opening this chest. We will need time to carry the treasure we find back to home before the night is out, and it’s already midnight.”

With just two blows, the lock opened. Ah, this lock is weaker than the one at the door. Shaking my head at the stupidity of the so-called king to use such weak locks, I pulled open the chest. I simply couldn’t believe my eyes for what I saw. My wish just got fulfilled. There is that turban with big emerald smack in the middle. And ah, there’s that august ruby and pearl necklace above the crown. Yes, we are rich. Finally I was going to shake off the dust of this filthy village and live in style at some big city, where everybody minded their own business.

“Yes Raja, you were right! We are rich now! Yay!” Saying this, Munna threw himself over the open chest and started digging all the jewels and wearing them.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I simply couldn’t understand what was Munna doing hugging all those coins and necklaces instead of starting to pack them. Couldn’t he understand the importance of time?

“Well, I am just enjoying little bit of our good fortune before I start packing away. See this beautiful cup. I think these are real sapphires in gold setting. What do you think?”

“Just shut up and get those bags you left over there. We need to start packing if we want to reach home before sunrise.”

“Oh, okay. I will get those bags.”

Just as I caressing a particular bracelet, I heard Munna scream. “Raja, get away! Get away from there. There’s this lady in red sari floating over you.”

I looked up but couldn’t see anything but darkness. The fear in Munna’s voice made my blood run cold. Even though I didn’t believe in ghosts and all those rumors, I could hear something different in Munna’s voice. I immediately took out the lighter from my pocket and threw the light toward the ceiling. Still I couldn’t see anything.

“Raja, stop scaring me. Get your ass over here. We need to start.”

“Munna, I am not kidding. She’s just standing over you in red sari with loose hair. Please, please come over here. Blood is dripping from her mouth and she has a small sword on her hand. Please, please listen to me. Please. I promise I am not going crazy. I too want that treasure but only if I manage to live.” Saying this, Munna started crying loudly like a baby. Oh my god, this is so creepy!

Suddenly my eyes fell on a sword lying on the top of the turban. Where did this sword come from? It wasn’t there five minutes back, or was it? Out of curiosity, I lifted it. Hmm. Even though it’s light in weight, it’s feels sharp and strong enough to pass through a thick tree trunk without any problem.

“Raja, throw that sword away. It’s dripping with blood. Your hands have started getting bloody too. Please throw that away and come here. We need to leave.”

Now, where’s the blood? Why can’t I see it? Why is only Munna able to see it? It’s not as if I don’t believe Munna but this is beyond madness. When we are finally having riches beyond imagination within our grasp, Munna is losing his sanity. I took the sword and started walking toward Munna. I wanted to show him how clean and beautiful the sword was.

“Munna, please calm down. See this sword is clean. There’s nothing wrong with it. Let’s get those bags and get to work.”

“No, no, don’t come near me. How can you not see the blood dripping from the sword unto your hands? See that female is still standing over there and laughing maniacally over you.” Again I looked back with the hope to see something. I was getting tired of Munna’s hysterics. Either I wanted to see the ghosts that Munna somehow managed to see without being high or drunk, or I wanted to get down to business. But again I was disappointed. There was nothing but darkness.

“Enough is enough. Munna, pull yourself together or we are done. I don’t want to spend my time with a lunatic.”

“That’s it! You don’t want to believe me because now you want to have everything for yourself. How can you be so callous to me? Me!!! Your childhood friend who supported through thick and think! I should have listened to my wife. I shouldn’t have come here. Well, I don’t want your bloody money. I am going back. I don’t want to become rich. I am happy being a petty thief.”

Saying this, Munna started running away but before he could go out, the doors crashed closed with a bang. Both Munna and I were stunned. How did the doors get closed? There’s not even wind strong enough to do that. Suddenly I started feeling cold. Something odd was going on; I couldn’t decipher what was wrong but I knew one thing: I was getting goose bumps. Before I could react, Munna again started yelling and sobbing.

“I told you! I told you! I told you so many times not to come here. But no, you didn’t have to listen to me. Oh God! Oh God, what are we going to do now! See that woman is coming near you again. Raja, for God’s sake, come here! Don’t stand over there. She will kill you; she’s already eyeing you if you are a piece of chicken. Please, please listen to me. Come here.”

I too started believing that there’s something creepy going on here and we should have left this place alone. Clutching sword in my right hand, I started moving toward Munna. Maybe we can use this sword to pry open the doors and get out. Maybe we could come back during daytime and try to steal these jewels then.

“No, no, don’t come near me with that bloody sword. It’s not safe in your hands. It seems like that sword has a life of its own. Throw it. Throw it away before it kills you. Just throw that away.”

I again looked at the sword intently. I still couldn’t see any trace of blood on it. “Munna, we need this sword to pry open the doors. Do you want to spend your entire night over here? I am ready to let go of this treasure and go home with you.”

“Yes! Yes, I want to get out but keep that sword away. This sword is controlled by that witch. It will kill you and me. If you continue to keep this sword in your hands, we might never escape alive. Throw it, throw it away.”

As I couldn’t find anything wrong with the sword, I decided to ignore Munna. Alas, what was more important? Reassuring Munna or getting out? As I moved forward, Munna started backing away from me, screaming “No! No! Please Raja, don’t do this! Don’t kill me! Please, please, for God’s sake, please throw away the sword.”

Exasperated by Munna’s illogical pleadings, I just sped up to reach the doors. Sooner the doors are open, sooner we can get out. Just as I reached the doors, Munna suddenly threw himself over me to knock away the sword from my hand. But I didn’t want to throw it. It was our lifeline. It was going to help us open those stupid doors. Why can’t he simply get it? Why does he always have to get his own way? Why can’t he just trust me for once? Was that too much to ask from your childhood friend? Determined to get the doors open with this sword, I firmed my hold over the sword. Munna gripped my wrist and started squeezing it to loosen my grip. “Munna, leave it. I need the sword. I…I sa-said leave it.” Now this hustle was on the verge of turning into a full-on fight, which I didn’t want to get into.

Suddenly I lost my footing and we both fell. I on the bottom with Munna on the top, screaming and writhing. I saw Munna’s eyes getting rolled at the same time felt something wet on my hands. I was horrified when I realized what it was. Blood. Munna’s blood. When we fell on the floor, Munna fell on the sword that somehow got wedged between our bodies. How could this happen? My hand was on the side. How did it come between our bodies? Oh God! I just killed my friend. I actually killed my childhood friend, with whom I used to play, with whom I planned heists. Oh God! This was just so wrong. I started feeling sick. I wanted to puke. Everything was roiling in my stomach. I couldn’t breathe. I need space. I need to get out. I need to get cleaned. Now my hands, shirt and pants were wet. Wet with blood. Warm blood. Munna’s blood. Oh God, my best friend’s blood was on me. I have to get out. Right now before I lose my mind. I need to think. And think fast. Pushing Munna’s body on side, I scrambled up. I still had that sword in my hand. I wanted to throw it away but I simply couldn’t make my hand let go of it.

“Hahahahaha……Hahahahaha…….”

Who’s laughing? Who could laugh at this time? I got to the burning candle that was lying on the floor couple of feet away. Just as I straightened up with the candle, I saw a female clad in red sari with loose hair. Oh God, she is what Munna was talking about. Oh God! Munna was right. Blood is really dripping out of her grinning mouth.

“Hahahahaha…..Hahahaha……” She was laughing like a lunatic and flying in the air. Oh God, I need to get out. I need to get out right now.

I quickly turned toward the doors and tried to pull it open. But they didn’t budge. Taking a deep breath, I again pulled the doors with all my might. They didn’t even shake. Exhausted, I gave up. Turning around, I leaned back on the doors with the sword raised over me, ready to strike that witch if she comes up to me. But she didn’t come near me. She kept on laughing like a lunatic and flying in the air. Her sari and hair was billowing like a small girl swinging in the garden. It was a bloodcurdling sight that I never imagined to witness. For the first time in my life, I started praying. I started to beg forgiveness for the robberies that I had done in this lifetime. I started promising God that I will reform if I manage to get out alive. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see that witch playing in the air. I closed my eyes tight and started praying with ghoulish laughter ringing in my ears. Suddenly the laughter stopped. I got hopeful. Maybe the witch got tired and she went away. Still, I didn’t want to open my eyes but I knew I had to.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes and nearly missed a heartbeat. That witch was standing just couple of inches from me with an evil gleam in her eyes. The red pupils of her eyes were as large as the size of her eyes. Looking at me, she was licking her bloody lips. It seemed that blood constant emitted out of her mouth and she kept on licking it over and over. I wanted to move away from her but I couldn’t with the doors at my back and her in the front. She again started laughing, sending chills through my spine. It seemed like she was playing a cat and mouse game with me. She was toying with me, and I, being a helpless mouse, couldn’t do anything. Suddenly I realized I still had a sword in my hand. Sharp and lightweight sword that was easy to manage. Easy to run through her, wasn’t it?

As if she realized my thoughts, she got blissful expressions on her face. She still moved closer to me. I felt her touch – cold touch, a touch that felt like thousands of worms crawling all over my body. Just as I lifted my sword and swung it, she hugged me tightly. She started kissing me. She opened her mouth on mine and started sucking. Blood started coming out of my mouth. I could feel her long tongue gliding around my mouth, dueling with my tongue. She was sucking my mouth as a newborn babe does from a mother’s breast. My shirt was getting wetter. I started feeling weak. Pain started setting in. I was losing blood through the ribs where the sword was lodged, and through the mouth where the witch was sucking.

I wanted to hit her. I wanted to kill her. I wanted her to suffer the way I was suffering. But she kept on kissing me, kept on sucking me until I couldn’t feel anything. Then there was darkness. Pitch black darkness that was beckoning me like a mother. And with a smile, I surrendered. Surrendered to that kiss of death.