Something Other-Worldly

Do you believe in something other-worldly? Do you feel there are people who are watching you but you can only feel them but not see them? Do you feel someone might be trying to reach out to you but you can't really understand them? 

Well, from my personal experience, I can strongly say that I DO believe in something other-worldly. Let me take you through my very short journey of sharing a haunted flat with my colleague and those couple of 'other-worldly' events that took place when I lived there for just a month.

This was back in 2016 when I moved to Chennai to receive a three month training for this new role in a multi-national company (MNC). My tenure in Chennai was almost about to be over when the management decided us to move to a different office at a new location. So, for those last few weeks, Sneha had asked me to move in with her in this new flat that she had just rented. This opportunity came at a perfect time as in the next few weeks, I was being transferred to Bengaluru. She literally saved me from giving a substantial amount of deposit to any of the other owners whose flats I was looking to rent. 

So, it was a Sunday when I moved in to this big new house, a 2BHK with an attached balcony in a fancy location, and the rent being just 13k? Well, something felt 'off' but Sneha considered herself lucky (that's what she said)! The first few days in the flat were all kinds of nice ~ us drinking chai and chatting in the balcony with a view of the city, cooking our meals in the cozy kitchen, watching TV etc. 

But I felt something weird whenever I went in to take a shower. As if, someone was breathing right next to me. Someone was watching me. I could feel their breath very close to my ears but my mind chose to ignore it because, well, SCIENCE, duh!! Who believes in ghosts these days? I didn't want to be labeled as one of those. So, I finished my showers and trained my mind not to think about such 'uncanny' distractions.

It was all hunky-dory till Sneha went on a two-week long leave to her hometown for her 'Roka' (engagement) and I was left all alone in that extravagantly sized house. Things started happening since the first night I was left alone. Things like ~ 

~ I was watching TV sitting on the sofa when I heard the sound of a female (I guess) rushing to the next room wearing a 'payal' (anklet). I immediately stood up and went to that room to check but, obviously, there was no one. I shut all the windows of that room and got back to watching TV. Nothing happened after that.

~ The sound of someone breathing in the washroom grew louder and louder with each passing day which led my showers to get shorter and shorter.

~ Every night at approximately around 3AM, I would magically wake up from sleep without any reason. I think I had watched too many horror movies for my own good. For those who do not understand this, 3AM is often associated with ghostly activities and paranormal phenomena in popular culture and folklore. Many horror movies use this time to heighten the suspense. 

Then came the night which I will never forget till the day I breathe. It was the day Cyclone Vardah decided to make its landfall with crazy rainfall and strong winds to the region. All shops were shut, several buildings, trees and infrastructures were damaged, and the worst of all (for me) were the power outages that occurred as electricity poles were downed and transformers were damaged.

Luckily, I had charged my phone before the power went off and was able to use the flashlight of the phone for emergency purposes. But, I couldn't make any calls as there was no network. I was sure my mom would be worried sick and so was I, but sometimes we can only wait for nature and time to fix things. 

I was lying on the sofa. I was bored but not sleepy. I was able to hear the ticking of the clock as the entire house was so quiet as I had shut all the windows and door. For a change, I was also able to hear myself breathe. 

I covered myself with a thin blanket and started scrolling through the old pictures in my phone WHEN I HEARD A MAN YELL 'HUUUHHHHHH' RIGHT NEXT TO MY EARS. I REMOVED THE BLANKET IMMEDIATELY AND STOOD UP, TURNED THE FLASHLIGHT ON AND STARTED LOOKING FOR THE MAN IN THE HOUSE. THE MOMENT I WENT TO THE MASTER BEDROOM I COULD SEE FROM THE CORNER OF MY EYE SOMEONE RUNNING TO THE HALL. 

I got out of the flat and ran downstairs. I stood near the main gate of the apartment feeling the strong winds gushing through my body, trying to make sense of whatever I had just witnessed but....all I did was stand there and shiver for a few minutes. I knocked my neighbor's door and asked this very sweet aunty if I could stay with them that night as I was getting scared by myself. Aunty agreed. But I was awake the whole night thinking to myself if I should go back to the flat? should i try talking to whoever the hell that entity was? what if they were harmless? what if they were just trying to reach out to send a message? Like I said, I had seen too many horror movies for my own good.

The next day the rains stopped and I went to work earlier than expected. I stayed at another colleague's house for the next two days where I slept like a baby. On a completely different note, I have to say that the people of Chennai have my HEART. They are the nicest and warmest people I have ever come across in my life. Chennai is SUPER!

Anyway, in the meantime I had managed to get an early transfer to Bengaluru which meant that I would be leaving sooner than expected, in the next three days to be precise. This time I asked two of my other colleagues who were also living independently to join me over the weekend at my flat and help me with packing etc. They graciously agreed as this meant PARTY TIMEEEE!!! LOL. 

I tried forgetting all about that incident and was having a nice time with my girls. We ate biriyani, kebabs, a little bit of wine as well and we were all playing 'UNO'. 

We had just gotten the electricity back after the cyclone and for a splash of a second the light went and I looked up at the ceiling and saw a visual of a man hanging from the fan which we were sitting under. The electricity immediately came back but I FROZE. I decided not to tell anything to the girls as I didn't want them to get all freaked out. We all slept on the same bed that night. It felt safe.

The next morning felt safer than usual and we finished packing all my stuff. It was all normal. 

The day after, my friends left saying goodbye and I stayed for a couple of hours more in the flat before leaving for the airport. I didn't hear anyone breathe while showering. I ate, watched TV, got ready and it was time for me to lock up and leave. 

I put on my shoes, took the luggage out, and went in to take the keys to lock the door.

As I turned to pull the door to lock, I saw shadows of two people - a man and a woman in the living room. 

I locked the door, handed over the keys to our neighbor and left. 

Sneha returned the next morning and was all alone in the apartment. She told me she felt something eerie while showering in the washroom. As if someone was breathing very close to her ears. I asked her to leave the flat for a while and step out and then told her about whatever happened while I was there alone. Luckily she had returned with her father accompanying her so she wasn't all alone there. 

They left the flat in a few weeks and later her father found out there was a couple living there who had committed suicide a few years back. 

It was my very first experience with something paranormal, something other-worldly, and hopefully my last.