Never Try This!

A heavy wind started to blow hard, as though our hostel was struck by a cyclone. The windows started to hit harder. Though it was a glass window, the glasses aren't broken but the window keep shitting hard. Suddenly, the fan started to roll faster; it was rotating in a speed higher than the maximum regulator. The lights started to turn on and off automatically, in a fraction of second. I could hear a dog howling sound from a long distance. I ran away and hid behind the kitchen door. Suddenly, I heard a lady crying sound in front of me. My hands and legs started to shiver a bit. I stretched my face and peeped through my left eye. I couldn't see anything. I stepped forward and turned left, right, and behind searching for the source of the voice. I turned straight. Suddenly, I could see a lady wearing a white saree with long hair standing in front of me It was like a spirit. The spirit pounced on me!

Welcome to 'Never try this!'

Vaishali kept the nail polish at the dressing table. I glanced at the nail polish, it was gorgeous violet in color gently mixed with light pink, and it was extremely dazzling. I extended my hand from my bed to the dressing table to grab it.

'Hey Keerthu, don't touch my nail polish,' Vaishali screamed.

'Why so?' hands near the nail polish.

'No. I mean don't,'

'That's what, why. Even we have exchanged our dressed right?'

'We can exchange dress or anything. I don't mind. But don't touch this nail polish.' She said and stepped into the washroom

I stared at her. What happened to her? We have used and exchanged everything for almost everything right from plates to attires. What is there in exchanging the nail polish?

I thought.

Vaishali and I were college buddies, who share the same room. We were in the final year of our college days.

She stepped out of the washroom, with a white towel wrapped around the upper-middle part of her body.

'You dint touch the nail polish right?' she asked.

'Oh, God. Please leave me. Hereafter I won't touch your things,' I said folding my hands.

She giggled on seeing me. 'Hey Keerthu, goldfish,' she said and pinched my chubby cheeks, extending it like an elastic.

'Hey Vaishu, I want you to ask for so long. You are behaving weirdly for quite some days. You are fine dear?'

Suddenly, she took off her hand from my cheek smiling reaction changed into a serious note. Her voice tone was changed from soft-melody to rock-solid.No not at all, I'm well.' I guess something has happened to you. Please consult a doctor,' she said.

I was 100% sure something has happened to her, her body language, her facial expression, her behavior changes sometimes. She is not the old Vaishu, I firmly believed. Moreover, why did she tell me not to touch the nail polish?

'Leave it, when you are leaving to your hometown,' Vaisali asked.

'Tomorrow.' I said. 'You'.

'Today. Why not today?'

'Tickets were not available ma,' I said.

She nodded and started packing things for her travel. We are going to finish the 7th semester of college. Tomorrow was the last day of college. After that, we would be enjoying a 1-month break.

Later, at the end of the day, Vaishu packed her bag, got ready for her holidays.

I was lying on the bed, watching YouTube. Tomorrow, I will be leaving for my hometown, I told myself.

'Ok, Keerthu, I'm set for the day. Take care. I'm leaving,' she said.

'Ok Vaishu, take care. Call me once you reach your home,' I said and we held a tight hug. She stepped out of the room and I was all alone in our room. I felt bored. I can't watch YouTube all day. I wanted to do something different. While looking around the room, the lavish nail polish struck my eyes.

I rushed to the dressing table. I etched to touch the nail polish. I inhaled the nail polish's fragrance. Wow, what a fragrance. None in this world could hate the fragrance of the nail polish, even the gents. I wanted to Google the chemicals they apply in the nail polish. It was tempting to smell again and again. I applied it to my nail and tried to smell it again. Again, it was an excellent fragrance that gave me a refreshing as well as poised feel.

Suddenly, a heavy wind started to blow hard, as though our hostel was struck by a cyclone. The windows started to hit harder. Though it was a glass window, the glasses aren't broken but the window keeps hitting hard. Suddenly, the fan started to roll faster; it was rotating in a speed higher than the maximum regulator. The lights started to turn on and off automatically, in a fraction of seconds. I could hear a dog howling sound from a long distance. There weren't many rooms in our home. And the house was locked outside, as my parents went outside. Suddenly, I heard a lady crying sound in front of me. My hands and legs started to shiver a bit.

I dialed Vaishu. She didn't pick at the first attempt. In the second dial, after several rings, she attended the call.

'Hey Vaishu,' I said, an absolute scary in my voice.

'Hey Keerthu, what happened? Your voice seems to panic,' she asked. Being my bestie and a good observer, she sensed it with ease.

'Hey Vaishu, I have applied the nail polish. But after that, some terrifying things started to happen,'

'Stupid Keerthu. Why did you touch it? I told you not to do right?'

'So what? It's nail polish right. Also, it seems too dazzling,'

'No Keerthu. It's a blunder. You shouldn't have touched it. 'Have you smelled it?' she asked.

What?'

'Have you smelled the nail polish,' she asked again.

'Of course. But what is there?'

'First escape from the home, right now,' she screamed.

'Hey Vaishu, I'm not getting you. Please convey me clearly,' my voice broke. I was about to cry after hearing all this.

'First escape from here,' she shouted.

'I told you to tell clearly. Tell me what,' I screamed louder than her.

We have maintained silence for few seconds.

'It's a spirit, you damn it. The nail polish itself a spirit. Especially, if you smell the nail polish, the fragrance will cause the spirit to attack you. The spirit has taken the nail polish as a medium.

Once you smell fragrant nail polish, it will attack you. That's why I'm telling you to escape.

Please leave. Even I was caught up by the spirit. I shouldn't reveal all these…' as Vaishu was saying, there was a power failure in my house.

There were thunderstorms in and around the city. I could hear a dog crying sound from a long distance. I ran away and hid behind the kitchen door. I could sense some sweat in the face which was flowing down to my cheek. I rubbed the sweat and stretched my face and peeped the door through my left eye. I couldn't see anything. I stepped forward and turned left, right, and behind searching for the source of the voice. I turned straight. Suddenly, I could see a lady wearing a white saree with long hair standing in front of me. It was like a spirit. I ran away from there and went straight to the bedroom and locked the room. I sensed my heart was racing past higher and higher. I kept my hand at the heart. I heard my heartbeat, that typical Lub-Tub sound. It was racing faster as though I have completed the 100-M race. This is the first time in my life I had seen a spirit. I lied on the bed and covered my body with the bedsheet. Still, I was catching my breath. I have a death rate of 99%. 'If my life was saved. It's a miracle,' I told myself. I sensed something was near me in the bed. I uncovered the bed sheet and looked near me. There was something that was covered by a bedsheet next to me. Slowly my hands etched towards the bedsheet, with fear I uncovered the bedsheet. I rolled my eyes big, swallowing the lump in my throat. It was. It was a spirit!

The spirit pounced on me!

'Written by,

Author Sri Keerthana.'

I, Rathega, read out. The short story was written in the Authorpad, one of the most popular digital book publishing houses, which highly encourages short stories right from motivation to erotic. I looked into her profile on the Authorpad. She was to be a first-time author but the way she portrays the narration and the thriller was impeccable. She should reach heights in the publishing field, I told myself. I kept the phone aside.

'Mom, tea,' I screamed

'Mommm,' I screamed again.

I hit my head gently. I reminded, mom and dad were not available at home. So I was walking towards the kitchen for preparing tea. While walking, I stopped at the dressing table. Suddenly, a crazy rod hit my head. I was curious. I wanted to smell the nail polish as it was in the short story.

'Smell it, you idiot' crazy me screamed at me.

'What if it happens in real-life? Will something attack me?' cautious me asked.

'Not, it's absolutely fiction, smell it,' the crazy part of me said.

I rushed to the dressing table. I etched to touch the nail polish. 'Nothing will happen right after smelling,' cautious me asked again. I inhaled the smell of nail polish. Wow, what a fragrance. I wanted to Google the chemicals they apply in the nail polish. It was tempting to smell again and again. The nail polish was red in color mixed with black. It was not as dazzling as in the book. I applied it to my nail and tried to smell it again. It was an excellent fragrance that gave me a refreshing as well as poised feel.

Suddenly, the windows started to hit hard. I turned towards the window. The window was hitting hard and suddenly it was closed automatically. I rolled my eyes big and swallowing the lump in my throat. Slowly I etched towards the window to open it. Suddenly, the fan started to roll fast. I glanced at the ceiling. The fan started to rotate faster. It was rotating at a very high speed; one couldn't imagine the speed at which the fan rotates. The lights started to turn on and off automatically, in a fraction of seconds. I could hear a dog howling sound from a long distance. I ran outside the home and closed it. I was escaped. I was a bit relieved after escaping from the home. Suddenly, I heard a lady crying sound at the back of me. My hands and legs started to shiver a bit. Slowly I was turning towards the direction of the voice. From the corner of my eyes,

I could see a lady wearing a white saree with long hair standing behind me. It was like a spirit.

The spirit pounced on me!

'Hey Rathega, it's me,' the voice said. I rubbed my eyes and looked at her. It's Spiriti, my neighbor, not a spirit!

I looked Spiriti from top to bottom and from bottom to top. I observed her nails were elegantly

painted with nail polish. I glanced at her lavish nail polish, it was gorgeous violet in color gently mixed with light pink, it was extremely dazzling. The nail color looked similar to the book

'Never try this' written by Keerthana.

When I was about to ask her about the nail polish, she gifted me the exact nail polish mentioned in the short story!

'Try this Rathega!, but never smell,' Spiriti said, staring at her.