Nishigandha

"We have lost all our happiness since he had landed here," Avinash complained.

A group of three friends was brooding over the issue that had been tormenting then for the last couple of months in the small room of the boy's hostel of RRM College of Engineering.

"Let alone happiness," Tarun growled, "we have even lost our independence. We are living here like caged birds since the retired Army Major has taken charge as our hostel's warden."

"He's so strict and vigilant," Avinash winced, "we can't even think of escaping from this jail and go out for a night show."

"We must think of a way to get rid of him, Dev." Tarun looked at his friend who was lying on his bed and absentmindedly staring the ceiling.

"No mortal from this world is going to help him," Dev said thoughtfully, "as everyone around is afraid of the gruff Major. Only someone from the other world can."

"Are you friends with some alien whom you can call for help?" Avinash smiled sarcastically.

"Do you mind if I say yes."

"Who is that?" Tarun turned enthusiastically towards Dev while Avinash shook his head in disbelief.

"Nishigandha," Dev closed his eyes.

"Who is she?" Avinash's eyes darted towards Dev.

"Is she beautiful?" Tarun smiled flirtatiously.

"There is a bungalow over there," Dev pointed a finger towards the west end of the boundary wall of the hostel. "Years ago, a beautiful girl called Nishigandha used to live there. She was in love with a man who was much older than her. They decided to get married. Her family was against the match and tortured her a lot to step back from the alliance. The dejected girl committed suicide. A few days after the incident, all of her family members died mysteriously. Since then, people claim that her restless soul is wandering around seeking revenge from all those cruel souls whose only motto in life is to torment others just like our warden."

"Are you sure that she will help us?" Tarun saw a new ray of hope.

"And how we are going to contact her?" Avinash smirked, "I don't think spirits have a mobile phone."

"Not a mobile phone, buddy," Dev opened his cupboard, "but an ouija board."

"It's not going to work," Avinash shrugged.

"Can you think of a better solution?" Dev looked at him with challenging eyes.

"Let's try it," Tarun said in an attempt to make a compromise between his friends who were exchanging angry stares.

They lit up the candles and took their places around the ouija board. They closed their eyes and placed their finger on the coin. Dev beckoned the spirit of Nishigandha but contrary to their expectation, the coin refused to budge from its place.

"See, I told you," Avinash impatiently threw his hands in the air, "it won't work."

"Well!" Dev got up, "Nishigandha will help us for sure but in a different way."

"How?" The other two asked in unison.

"Follow me," Dev gestured with a wave of a hand and ran out of the room.

In a hurry to follow Dev, neither of them noticed the coin move slowly over the ouija board.

* * *

The warden R. K. Sharma was sleeping quietly in his room. Suddenly, he was woken up by some noise in the corridor outside his room. He opened his eyes and listened intently. It was the tinkling sound of anklets.

"A girl?' Sharma frowned, "what is a girl doing in a boy's hostel?"

He picked up his walking stick and stomped out of his bed. He quickly opened the door of his room to see a corridor full of smoke. A piece of eerie music filled the air in the corridor. All of a sudden, a silhouette of a girl with waist-length hair, appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Who the hell are you?" Sharma growled at her, "what do you want?"

"I'm the restless spirit Nishigandha," a melodious voice echoed in the corridor. "I'm here to punish you for torturing the inmates of the hostel."

The sound of the anklets became louder as the dark figure of the apparition approached Sharma. Instead of running away, Sharma stood boldly by the corridor. When the spirit was at a hand's distance from Sharma, it halted its pace. At the very moment, Sharma hurled his walking stick at the visitant.

"Dear God!" Tarun fell on the ground and wailed out of pain as the stick hit his knees almost fracturing them, "save me!"

"So it was you!" Sharma pulled out his wig and threw it away, "where are the other two?"

Dev and Avinash stepped out from their hiding with a sheepish look on their faces.

"I knew it." Sharma roared, "never try to scare me with such petty tricks. I'm not a moron to fall for such nonsense. Spirits don't exist!"

Sharma glared ferociously at each one of them while the boys shivered with downcast eyes.

"You all are going to sweep the entire hostel tomorrow," Sharma ordered. "And no food for the three of you for the whole day. Now get back to your rooms."

The boys ran to their rooms with a blink of an eye. Sharma returned to his room and bolted the door.

"You are a brave man, Major." A female voice said and made Sharma turn towards it.

Sharma saw a girl who seemed to be in her late teens, standing by the side of his bed. Her frame was svelte and she had waist-length hair. As the lights of the room were switched off, Sharma couldn't see her face.

"But you were wrong about one thing," the girl took a few steps towards him. "Spirits do exist, Major."

"So the game is not over yet, huh?" Major said and hit her with his stick.

But the next moment, Major gasped for breath as the stick passed through the body of the girl and she burst out laughing before vanishing.

"Do you still prefer to believe that spirits don't exist?" The girl asked from behind and Sharma turned back to face her.

"Who are you?" Sharma was visibly trembling now.

"Nishigandha," the girl said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Blood drained down Sharma's face and he turned pale as a sheet. His heartbeats rose erratically high before finally coming to a standstill. He collapsed on the ground and Nishigandha slowly walked back to the world where she belonged.