Ghost of Shimla Hills !!

I had very decent memories of my childhood. Every summer vacations I used to visit my grandmother's home.

Shimla, Old British Indian capital  beautiful hill station known for its mesmerising beauty. My grandmother's home was in Phagli, a place near the railway station of the old  British Indian capital .

I remember it was Kaali Kothi , The Black Cottage near the dispensary was haunted. I as a child always had a fascination with ghosts and spirits.  

I was a brave kind of guy and a great fan of the Harry Potter series. I was not afraid of ghosts. That’s why I accepted the bet. A bet between me and my friend guggu.  I had to go all alone. Inside that haunted house Kaali Kothi The BlackCottage, this midnight. I had to stay there the entire night and come back alive in the morning. Then all the Harry Potter series would be mine. I had to accept the bet, Afterall Harry Potter series was at stake.


I was not scared.

So what, if the door closed with a loud bang as soon as I step inside? It was probably the wind. I decided to explore. Following the cone of torchlight ahead of me, I entered the room at the extreme right- the bedroom, I guess.

Why does it felt cold? Why was it so silent in here? Gosh, I could hear my heart thump! I hear my sharp breaths too. What is that scurrying sound? A mouse, is it? Yes, what else can it be? Nothing peculiar in this room.

I try the knob of the next door. It doesn’t turn. It’s jammed. Sighing, I move on to the next. I hear voices from the room; hushed and excited whispers. Hasn't this house been empty for twenty years? Curious, I push the door open. Darkness and eerie silence greet me. The air, heavy. And I have this prickly feeling of being watched. As if many eyes are perched on me, accusing me of having disturbed them.

I return to the large hall. How many rooms does this house have? I count- three already visited, two more on this side and five on the other. Great! After checking them all, I’ll decide which room to choose for this night.

Wow! This must be the dining room. I touch a few cutlery as I walk around the huge table. They shine in the dark; must be silver. And, who owns such expensive cutlery? Probably the left over of British Guy lived in the colonial time in this house.  I will take a thing or two with me, in the morning. Wait, what was that sound? Did something fall? I hope I haven't broken anything.

Is someone chuckling? Or is it just my mind?

Wait, what is it, that sounds like dripping water? I check the next door which I think, is an old-fashioned bath. The drops sound louder and clearer now. I check behind the curtains. There, just a leaking tap. My heart slows down a bit, making me realize that it had been thumping for a while.

I close the tap and turn around. But the sound resurfaces- drip-drip-drip. Louder now, like a hammer pounding against my head. DRIP-DRIP-DRIP. I lurch out of the bath, shivering, and sit in the hall for a while, trying to calm myself down. Why I accepted the bet, why listened to that my fatty friend, guggu.

"Hey listen "

I am not scared. There is no such thing as a ghost. This is an old house with loose fittings. See? Perfect explanation.

A sudden cold wind brushes against my neck. I pull my jacket closer, but my bones feel chilly.

I move on to the other rooms. But something holds me back, my hands. I feel a tight grasp around them. I want to go out. But before I can comprehend further, I am thrown forward with a mighty force. I fall on face, and when I look back to see who pushed me, I'm greeted by a cold gust of wind.

I run into the nearest room. It is an empty space, bereft of windows. Suffocated, I turn around and move on check the other rooms when I hear a cackle of a child- the most horrifying sound I have ever heard in my life. "If I escape alive tonight I'll kill you guggu, I tell myself.  .....

I stumble out and run to the next room. It is empty, except for a large mirror hung in the far corner of the wall. I walk over to the mirror and a brief shriek escapes my lips, as I see the reflection. It is me. But, my clothes are blood-soaked, my eyes crying tears of red, and my lips curved into a smile. A smile that I'd rather call evil.






Am I losing my mind? Is this all a dream? Or not?

Last room now. I push the door open, and feel relieved at what I see. Not the best of rooms, but there is a window, letting in a cone of moonlight. There’s a wooden bed too.I sigh and walk over to sit on it. It creaks beneath me.

Suddenly, I feel as if something crawling up my legs. I shine the flashlight, but cannot see a thing. Nevertheless, I shrug it off as an invisible insect that wanted to make my body its home.

"I am not scared," I repeat the mantra. I relax for a few minutes, but then the crawling begins again. This time, everywhere. Legs, hands, stomach, neck, face, and even my hair!

I also feel a warm breath on my neck. As if, someone was right here, behind me. I feel hands touching my back slightly. I scream, and scream even more, and I run.

I run blindly, towards the hall, and then, the main gate. I try to push it open, but it doesn’t budge. So I run towards the first set of rooms that I had explored.

Something tells me that the locked room would be a safe bet, so I push it open without any difficulty and run into the mist. Neither can I see a thing, nor can I feel myself.

My eyes sting with tears threatening to fall. Is that a shape forming in the air? Are those hands? I can’t tell.

I want to leave that place but something tells me that I can’t.
Suddenly, the mist clears, and I can see the walls of the room clearly. What I see, however, almost gives me a heart attack! A dead body… my… my body.

Then I remember why I have not been scared at all. I have been dead for almost a year now. That bet was the last bet of my life . And  every night I wonders inside this house..........