The Scary Shadow

Mintu had finished his dinner and was playing with his toys in the living room watching cartoons on TV. After some time, while I'm busy cleaning up the kitchen, he came to me rubbing his eyes sleepily with his little hands and said, "Amma!! I'm feeling sleepy! I want to go to bed".

Finishing up my work in the kitchen, I took my 3 yr old Mintu to the bedroom, changed his clothes, put on his diaper and he was then all set to go to sleep. I turned off the lights except in the living room as the bedlight wasn't working.

I sat on the bed and made Mintu sleep on my lap, started singing some lullaby for him. Mintu loves to hear stories and lullabies while putting him to sleep. Suddenly, I saw a shadow swaying left to right on the window glass. I stopped singing and looked at the window with a vacant look. I heard somebody talking outside, it was a male voice.

We live in a top floor apartment and I was just wondering how someone could come over here. Seeing my worried face Mintu asked me, "Amma, what's the matter? Why are you starring at the window".

I replied, "nothing", just to calm him down.

Tried to put him down to sleep again but, I couldn't. So I made him sit, got out of the bed, turned on the lights, and walked to the window to open it.

With a frightened tone of voice, Mintu said, "Amma, I'm scared !! what are you doing? Why are you so worried? Please come back, I'm feeling afraid".

I could see tears rolling down his face and his eyes fixed and open as he gazed towards the window. I felt a quiver of fright in him.

To calm him down, "nothing to worry", I said, "I'm just trying to find out what was that shadow".

But, he seemed to be not satisfied with my answer as I could still see his worried face.

I slowly opened half of the window, peeped through it, couldn't find anything, opened fully, checked to see who's there in the balcony. I didn't find anyone.

Soon, out of anxiety, I made a call to my husband (he was out of station for two days) and told me about the shadow.

"Don't panic", he said, "just go and open the balcony door, I will be on the phone".

I opened the balcony door, looked around, didn't find anyone.

So, I began to doubt myself deliberately, "then what was that shadow scared me??"

While I'm thinking about it, I saw a torn kite hanging to a power line, swaying in the breeze pass by.

Then I realized, "Uhh, it was the shadow of the torn kite falling on the window which seemed that as if there was a person standing outside the window and the voice?? Ahh..it maybe someone on the sidewalk talking on the phone.

I told my husband about the kite, we both had a good laugh about it and ended up laughing at how ridiculous I had been.

Finally, I heaved a sigh of relief.

Hanging up the phone call, I entered in. Mintu's face was still worried and confused. I told him not to worry, "it's just a shadow of a kite hanging to the power line".

He then totally calmed down!

I lay him down to put him back to sleep.

I just felt funny about myself, but seriously the shadow of the torn kite scared me!!

Thanks for reading...