Oh! My God!!

Oh! My God!!

“It was dark all over. Even the sound of the tiny insects was not be heard. The car was speeding along the lonely highway between a hill station and the nearest metro city. Ravi was the only passenger and driver in that car. He dropped his mother in the hill station and was returning to the city. His mother and other people at the resort asked him to stay for the night and proceed in the morning. But he had some other plans.

Now on the lonely highway while stopped for peeing, Ravi thought the way, the resort staff looked at each other when he told he will be leaving soon.

“Why they looked at each other? Is there anything wrong?” he thought to himself.

A very soft sound of someone approaching came to his ears. He panicked. Because, the place where he stopped was a kind of goofy place. Who might be approaching? He turned his head.

Nothing.

He started whistling a song. Due to fear the whistling was not possible.

Now the sound was even more audible. Some animal might be approaching. Were there tigers in these areas? Was he going to be its dinner? Now fear gripped his heart. He wanted to cry out loud and very much wanted to be safe and warm near his mother.

The sound came nearer and nearer. Rustling of clothes. He could tell that. For a second he relaxed and again the fear of unknown rushed to him like a waterfall.

He could hear a soft humming of a female voice. Before he picked up himself and got into the car, a very sweet voice came to his ears.

“Hi Ravi! Will you take me with you?”

Ravi saw a very beautiful looking girl in front of him. All his instincts warned him not to talk to her. But the mere appearance mesmerized him and he started walking towards her. Suddenly ..flame came out of her mouth.”

At this point Rakesh shut the book and kept it aside.

“Foo! Not a good time to read horror stories! That too when one is all alone.” He said to himself.

It was 11’0 clock in the night. Rakesh was an IT guy with a hefty salary and a beautiful house in the suburban of a big city. He had everything. A house, a lover and a car. The only problem was that he was all alone for the weekend. His girl friend had gone to visit her parents.

Rakesh felt thirsty. Cool water was in the fridge. And the fridge was in the dining. Somehow, he did not feel like going out to a dark dining and then switch on the light. He was now even scared to turn off the lights of his bedroom. He cursed himself for reading that book. He cursed the writer who wrote it. He even cursed the publisher.

“Why would people want to scare others? Can’t they just write angel stories? I was alright before I read that trash.”

He fervently wished for a company. How nice it will be if one of my friends come? He would welcome even boring uncle Gupta even. It would be nice to hear all his 40s stories and his bragging about the girls he had managed to talk to.

Calling bell whirred.

Rakesh was terrified. He was in a dilemma whether to open the door or not. He was even debating whether to cross the dark hall to open the door. The calling bell sounded again. Rakesh decided that he will not become an easy prey as did Ravi from the book. So, he decided not to open the door.

He felt like puking. But did not dare to move when the calling bell was going strong. Now he knew how that man from the book felt.

His phone started ringing now. Thank God it was only Gupta Uncle. He answered the phone.

“Arre! Rakesh! I know you are awake. I saw light in your bedroom. Why are you not opening the door?” he asked.

All his fears melted in a second, he felt relieved. With easy steps, he crossed hall even without turning on the lights. Gupta uncle came in.

“Uncle! It's 11.30. Do you have any problem?”

“No beta! Since I drank tea after dinner I could not sleep. Saw your light. For a chit chat I came. Why? You have any problem?” Gupta uncle asked and winked at him.

“No! No! Uncle. Nothing of that sort”.

They both sat down on the couch cozily. Uncle stared his stories of the past. For once, Rakesh listened to them with so much happiness and attention that even uncle was taken aback.

Now it was midnight. Again, the calling bell whirred. This time Rakesh was not that much terrified. He had company to die along with if it was a ghost.

“Beta! Don’t open. I don’t think it’s likely that any human being might ring the bell.” Gupta Uncle said in whisper. That was even more terrorizing.

Rakesh gathered his wits and said,” Why? I never knew animals could operate a calling bell.” And laughed an eerie laugh. Now It was Uncle’s turn to turn white.

“Rakesh! Are you still here? What happened to you? Joking at this time?”

Rakesh wanted to slap that man on his face. But controlled it with supreme efforts. How can he explain to this old man that all his jokes were coming out of his fear?

“Rakesh! It’s me Sneha!” Voice came from outside.

“Oh! Uncle its only my cousin Sneha” said Rakesh and stared towards the door.

Uncle Gupta grabbed his hands. It was as cold as an ice cube.

“Are you sure? Why would a girl come at this hour?” asked Uncle in a shaky voice.

“Oh! Come on uncle! You know her! She is a daredevil”

“Exactly my point Beta! Devil!” said Uncle in again a terrifying whisper. Rakesh swallowed.

“Do not open the door and fall into trap! She will call you if she is really what she claims” Gupta Uncle whispered again.

All his fears had come back to him. He felt like puking and peeing at the same time. They turned off all lights and did not a make a sound. After ten minutes the calling bell stopped.

Even after that, Rakesh was very shaky. Uncle Gupta cheered him up a little. He told stories how he tackled ghosts in his youth. Rakesh did not want to hear anything. Only thing he wanted was the night to be over. He could still hear some noises outside. Liked dragging a heavy thing on the floor and a thud. After that no noise was heard. Rakesh himself did not know how long he was listening to Uncle’s stories and how long he was awake.

When he opened his eyes, he was asleep on the couch. Uncle was sleeping in the bedroom. The Sun was gloriously shing over the eastern sky. Without waking Uncle Gupta, He opened the front door. There was a great hustle bustle going on in the neighborhood. He stepped outside.

Sneha came from the house next with a slight limp.

“You! Idiot! Why didn’t you open the door?” asked in a very angry tone.

“It was you then?” asked Rakesh stupidly.

“Who else you genius?” snapped the girl.

“You could have called me! What were you doing at the midnight?”

“Oh! Great! My phone was out of charge. I did not have charger with me. I came to attend a symposium at the city, then later went for dancing with my friends. Enough explanation?” spitted Sneha.

“Oh! I am so sorry Sneha! I thought….”

“Uff…Are you not still telling your imaginary ghost stories that you see ghosts? And you are terrified of them?” Sneha said with a whimsical smile.

“But…Where were you all night?”

“First, let’s go inside.”

Both of them came inside. Rakesh made hot tea for her. He offered a toast with a lot of butter on it. That softened her a bit.

“Where is Sakshi?”

“She is away visiting her parents.”

“Oh! Rakesh! I really had a tough night. My leg got bruised.”

“Yeah! I noticed that you were limping. What happened?”

“Hmm! All because of you! You refused to open the door, So I tried to make you see me. I dragged a chair from the lawn and stand over it. But I got slipped and fell down. Even then you didn’t open. What a kind person you are?”

Rakesh felt like laughing and crying. How stupid he was? All because if that Uncle Gupta. Now this tale is going to go around like wild fire. Sakshi is going to tease him for the rest of his life.

“You know! Your next-door neighbors are really nice. They offered me a blanket and a chair. Even after the tragedy in their house.”

“Yes! I know! Gupta Uncle’s son and daughter in law are nice.”

“Ok! Get ready soon! It’s getting late”

“Where are we going Sneha? I am not in mood for anything.”

“You are friend of that Gupta uncle right?”

“Yeah! So?”

“My God! I cannot believe this man! Rakesh! Don’t you want to go and pay homage to his mortal remaining?”

Rakesh felt like he had a heavy blow on the head.

“What..What are you talking about?”

“Oh! Rakesh! You don’t know the news? I am so sorry. Uncle Gupta passed away yesterday night.”

Rakesh could not make his eyes see. His head was all in a whirl.

“Sneha….”

“It seems he had tea after dinner. Around 11’o clock due to a massive attack he passed away. They are arranging for the funeral this morning. No one slept yesternight. “

Rakesh gathered his strength to peep into the bedroom. The bed was empty. Only the specs Uncle Gupta used to wear was there on the side table. Everything around Rakesh went dark and he fainted for the 100th time in his life.