10 Days of Solemnity
10 Days of Solemnity


It was a chilly morning in December. The winds were messing around my pages. I was sitting in veranda reading a novel when I saw Deep, approaching from very distance, with his sister Neelima on his back seat. He was a good friend of mine whom I wasn’t expecting to see in this month.
My house was situated just beside the road. It was the first in the colony. Everyone,
who wants to enter in my colony, has to cross from my house first before entering into locality.
Deep was a very hardworking boy. He has been taking training for motor mechanic in Noida, New Delhi for 3 years. He was a very busy person. And usually he doesn’t shows much interests in household works and doing. And I was surprised to see him in this month because he usually use to come back only during holidays. To see him this much early in December instead of July got caught in my eyes.
He saw me while I was sitting in my spot at first floor. He nodded his head as he saw me coming close to my house. I also nodded my head indicating him to stop for a small chit-chat. I stood up and walked downstairs to meet him after a long time of no-see.
“How are you buddy?”, I asked.
“I am fine. You?”, he replied.
“Everything is fine here. You came very early this year. Everything is okay?”, I asked.
“Hmm”, he sigh and continued, “My sister isn't good these days.”
“What happened?”, I looked at her.
She was sitting at the back seat of the motorcycle, Splendor, with his brother; she seemed fine.
“Don’t know. She says that she sees things. Very disturbing things, dead rising from
pyre, someone hiding below her bed and whispering her name, hears voices
under the staircase. Her head starts paining all of a sudden and then she blackouts.
Yesterday, her fever was at 107°.”, he said.
“Hmm, So, which doctor are you seeing?”, I asked.
“None. Just came back from a temple. Saint has asked me to bring her back again next week for some ritual.”, he answered.
“Are you mad? You also believe in these myths of demons and black magic? Take my advice and see a good neurologist.”, I said.
“Of course buddy, I will. Now, I'm getting late for home. See you soon.”
He started his engine and rushed to his home which was situated in mid of the colony not much far from my house. I can see the stress and tension on his face while he was talking to me. He was tired. Although, it was his family matter. So I didn’t wanted to interfere or judge either his or their family decisions. I moved back to my floor with my work.
***
Three days later, around 9 pm, I was working on my new book. After long time of stress and tiredness I was now able to work. But my head was kind of aching for no reason. From last three days, I have been listening rumours about Neelima being possessed by any demon entity. I was a science stream student in my 12th class and we were use to told that spirit and ghosts only exists in our minds or Bollywood movies, with low ratings. But while I was talking to Deep three days ago, I noticed a calmness on Neelima's face. Like, she doesn’t cares what we were talking about or she wasn’t that girl which we know. Her look in the eyes were alien. My brain wasn’t functioning with those thoughts so I decided to clear my head by being busy in my work.
I was about to sit on my chair when I heard people shouting and running in the colony. From a calm silence into an uplifting roar. The voices from people were tremendous. I peeped out of the window to take a glimpse of the scene. Everyone were on high pace. And I was much terrified when I saw people running towards Deep's house.
From last 3 days I was worried about Deep and his family and I was wishing that Neelima might get well soon. But her health was becoming worse. Deep said that her fever rises automatically from normal to 107°. I thought she might have became very ill but something was wrong, very wrong and I had a feeling that something ominous was about to happen.
I started getting bad feeling, That it wasn't the same way I use to look scenarios. These vibes were different. Very different.One thing which made me think more was why everyone had a torch in their hands. It was around 9:30 pm and electricity was shining in every houses of the colony. But as I moved forward several steps,I discovered that every house in the colony had l
ight except one- Deep's house.
I Rushed inside for torch and my family members were in shock by my behaviour. Before my mom could ask anything I was out of my house with some people having torch in their hands. From a distance I can se so many people with flashing rays of torch in and out of the house. For my friend's family sake and safety, I also rushed towards his house without asking anyone that what the hell was wrong or what had happened. I was running with all my strengths and was trying to reach as soon as I can. As I was getting close, I heard a voice, a voice that creeped hell out of me. It was Deep's mother's voice in mourn. She was crying. I can hear the creepy mourn crying from distance. The whole locality was poured in the silence of winter with foggy weather. But the keen piercing mourn notes of Deep's mom was giving me chills more than the winter.
I reached in front of his house which was filled with darkness having torch flashes by the insiders. I heard someone saying that there house had a short circuit and soon after the fuse blast, people heard the crying voice of Deep's Mother and then everyone
rushed here to see what the matter was. The house was filled with darkness and I was getting ready to put my feet inside that house. As I moved forward I came across Deep's mother who has been crying since very beginning. Neelima must have suffered
some serious issues because her mother was continuously crying and was screaming her name-Neelima.
I moved into the house full of darkness with 2 people who were with me from the very beginning of my rush out from home. Everyone was moving upstairs. I had a bad feeling of the dead. From last three days I have been listening rumours about that
girl's health and now I was about to witness her dead body. People gathering and mother crying clearly indicates that someone has died. I moved upstairs to look Neelima's dead body. But the things Weren't that much straight forward as I thought.
People were stopping me and saying, “Do not go there.” But in India, people do that things which they are told not to do. I moves into the room filled with darkness and ominous vibes. As I entered, I began to search the body and I wasn’t able to locate
it. As I moved 2 steps forward, two feet flashed right in front of my nose.
In the chilly cold month of December. I was sweating with tremendous fear and terror. Because the dead which I was searching and trying to locate on the floor, wasn’t on the floor. It was in the air.
I moved my flashlight to upwards and saw the dead body hanging in the mid of the room about 4 feet from ground. I was shivering, not with the cold but with the terrific scene I was witnessing. As my flashlight moved to her face, I was drawn back 4 steps automatically with terror and creepiness.
The kohl which makes a girl beautiful, being dead it looks like demon’s eye. Her black pupil with red nerves in it looked very horrifying. Her face was yellowish and
her tough was twisted out of her mouth. I didn’t stand a chance in that room and immediately I came out of the house. Her creepy looking face was revolving inside my head on a loop. And her mother’s cry was making me more difficult to stop thinking about what I had just witnessed. When I saw my mother coming
from a distance I moved to her and stopped her,
“Not to go inside.”
“When she died?”, my mother asked me in low voice.
“Don’t know. Just saw her body hanging in her room. Please, do not go there.”, I said to her.
“Hanging?”, my mother asked in a surprise, “Why?
And how? She was ill and wasn’t able to stand, doctor said that it will take a whole week to recover.How is it possible? I was there yesterday when this scenario happen.”
“I don’t know, mother. I just, don’t know. What is going on.”, I said because really, I wasn’t knowing what was going on.
“Go home. I am coming in a minute.”, she asked me to go back home so I did.
If you want to know any deep secretes related to any subject, just ask to ladies. They has all the information related to any topic. And my mother was one of those ladies. Everyone was thinking that she might had died due to illness but no one had ever guessed that something thing will happen. I had a feeling that it wasn’t as simple as it looks. It was complicated and mysterious. Something ominous was about to hit our locality.
To be continued...