CHAPTER 2: HORRIBLY HORRORSTRUCK!

We look back at Madhav who had horror written all over his face as if he had seen something scary.
Very scary.

He pointed towards the window,where the candle was placed.

We looked towards it.
We stood still.Agape at what we saw.Stunned!

An unsual creature,tinted green with two large black bulgy eyes ,stood at the opposite side of the window.

Was it an alien?

It held its hands in such a way that it made it obvious-
it was trying to break open the window from outside!





We were at loss for words,trembling with fear at what we were seeing.

And at that very instant the candle blew off.

Was it a coincidence?

Maybe the strong wind currents that entered the house due to the open door blew it off.And that only resulted in the situation getting more spooky!
The head of the creature started glowing,emitting a weak yet horrifying fluorescent green light.And added to it were the grunts that it made,increasing our heartbeats.

"Thud!"
It banged its hand-with just four fingers-on the window pane.

We knew standing there for a few more moments meant danger.
"Backout guys!",Madhav started running towards his scooty.
Viz followed him.

I had one another look at the mysterious creature and then ran towards Viz and Madhav,banging the door in disgust.

The guys had climbed over the broken down wall to the ground.As I was about to climb the wall,an idea struck me.

I went back near the "haunted house" and drew myself close to the wall.Slowly I direct myself to the left side of the house,the place where the creature stood some moments ago,near the window.

Cautiously, I peeped in that direction only to find no one.

Has the devil went inside?

But the window pane was intact.It hadn't been broken.

I was trying to configure out what actually happened.
That's when I listen the constant honking of a scooty's horn.
They were calling out to me.

The hysterical and evilish laughter that welcomed us in to the house started again, this time much louder.

"I'll get you one day for sure!",my mind roared.

I climbed down the wall and ran towards them.

“Where were you till now!?You don't know how we managed to start this dumb vehicle which suddenly stopped.... ”,
and suddenly Viz stopped.
Both of them looked behind me as if they have spotted a ghost.

I looked back to find the candle at the first floor window flickering,and suddenly it went off.The next moment it glowed again,but with a deep red colour!






Madhav signalled me to get on the scooty as he started it.
“Grocer's right?”,I asked.

“No!”,came a simple answer.

In no time,we reach Madhav's mansion. On our way,we decided that we'll be tightlipped about the entire thing.
We were still shivering a bit.After all,the disturbing and horrifying sight that we saw at the "haunted house" shook us in equal measure.

Madhav's Mom was waiting for us near the gate.
“Why did you boys get so late?
And where are the things that you bought?”

“Mausi,the grocer's had been shut down.So we went ahead looking for an alternative shop but in vain.We were about to go to Ali Uncle's shop but that meant it would take more time.So we returned back.”,Viz framed out a well-built lie,which Madhav's Mom easily believed in.

Once inside,we were again glued to the TV sets,since we had to do something to distract our restless mind.Madhav went upstairs to study,although he knew he can't do so presently.
The Mumbai Paltan needed some 150 odd runs and it was turning out to be a one-sided affair.Above that,the match was held at Mumbai's homeground-the Wankhede-their fortress.

Still,Viz sat there hoping against hope that RCB would win.Bored,I got up and headed outside.

“Where are you heading to?”,Viz asked puzzled.

“Just here..on the swings..I don't want to see RCB slaughtered by Rohit&Co.”,I teased him.

“No..We have good bowlers too..We'll create an upset..Wait and watch!”,Viz purely supported his team.

“Yeah..let's see..”

I headed towards the swings that were placed adjacent to the entry gate.There were three swings in all.One  was a large one on which 4-5 people can easily sit on.The other two were single-swings.I sat on one of them.

But it felt as if someone was near the gate.Watching me.Continuously.
I dismissed these as mere unwanted thoughts and plugged in my earphones.





The moon shone brightly,enchanting with its aura.
The cool breeze blew by.
The music added to the pleasant effect.
I closed my eyes,enjoying the moment,repeating the lyrics in mind..

..and that's when someone brought my swing to an abrupt halt from behind.