The Vintage Painting

Quiet people always know more than they seem. Although very normal, their inner world is by default fronted mysterious and therefore assumed wired. The teacher ended the class as the bell rang. John, William, Ronald were the best friends in college. The notorious. They stayed in the college hostel. It was Tuesday and they bunked their classes and went for a movie. The teacher somehow smelled this and asked the watchman to keep an eye on it. It was around 10 pm they returned after celebrating an entire day. William somehow made the assumption and got into the college by jumping on the wall from the backside of the college. When they reached the college gate, the saw their tutor walking across and hence they rushed to the library. The library was locked and they broke the library window and got inside it and hid. All of a sudden, it started drizzling and soon it became heavy rain. The rain poured out like rats and cats, and the windows started to bang. The Thunders frightened everyone. These three stayed inside the dark library. I think we can't get out. We have to stay here until the morning. Ronald said as he looked out through the window. Suddenly, a girl of 18, with the white frock, with a ponytail came and stood on the corridor of the library to save herself from the rain. The sound of the heels 'tick-tock' shook William. 

Sshhh!! Don't you hear that sound? William asked his friends with his eyes widening. 

Now all of them held their breath as they heard it. With a frozen heart, William stood slightly and peeped through the window. There he saw the girl standing. Hey, pretty girl there. William gave a restful breath. The girl seemed to be like a village girl. Her accent and her earring made them understand, that she was from a village. William called her from the window. 

Hey there! What's up? 

What are you doing here? William spoke to her. 

Ah! Hey! No, it's raining and I have to stop hereby. She replied. 

Don't mind, coming in? Coming inside. It is like, the rain will pour for another one hour. 

The girl refused to get into the library and thus they came out. They introduced themselves to her. 

She was not that talkative and so she gave a little introduction to her. I'm Margret. She smiled and ended her sentence. 

Yet, William had a doubt and asked her. Are you being a lady, walking at late at night, all alone? 

Margret hushed and said, 'I came to get medicine for my grandma. She said. 

How did you come inside this campus? He asked furiously 

I live here. I don't come out often. I hate cities and crowds. She said 

The rain started to slow down gradually... 

William now had so many questions to ask but remained silent for she was a little mean. And gave one-sentence answers. And at the end of the series of questions put up by William, she gave an evil look and walked into the drizzling rain. William now got panicked and started to follow her. Ronald and John never had the courage to follow her. As William left following her. Ronald ran and stopped William and asked him to come back. John who stood in the corridor now gave a look at the corridor and saw, there was a book left as he turned and looked on the wall. For his shock, he was driven back to the first day of his college, where the principal gave an introduction about the past happenings of this place and this echoed his ears now. '' There, was the painting of the girl, who was brutally killed by a group of men years ago in this place. And to honor her, the art of hers was drawn on the walls of the library to honor her". Standing there frozen with the book

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she left in his hand, Ronald came back and shook him to bring him back to senses. John threw the book as he came back to his senses. Ronald didn't know what was happening. John then explained everything. John wept as he ended explaining everything. I'm going to be haunted hereafter as I touched that book. He said. Ronald and John rushed to William but nowhere to be seen. Ronald and John now entered the library and put the book into the last rack of the book hidden inside the library. 

Ronald and John now ran to the path where they saw William for the last time. There at the last, there was a fence with thorns and dried leaves, making a boundary not to enter thereafter. The board titled 'Slope here Danger' was thrown out. 

There they saw a cottage, like that of a house on a haunted hill. On heading near the boundary, they saw William's watch on the ground. So he crossed it and entered the house. The house was rusted and the door was open. They opened the door slightly and entered the house. There they saw William standing having a drink on his hand.

Where were you? What are you doing here? Come out. Let's go home. John said as he grabbed William's hand. 

Hey, John and Ronald! Welcome home. Would you like to have a drink? Margret spoke from the other side. To their shock, she was a beautiful young lady in red clothes having a glass of wine in their hand. 

You can't make us your slave. I knew who you are! John grew wild and barked at her. 

Ronald pulled William out of the house. 

The door was now locked. Ronald couldn't open the door. 

How did it get locked? Before he could think,

The clock struck 12 am. Margret now started to change. She turned to have a horror face. Margret was now a scary ghost floating in the air without legs. She killed William and Ronald and patched them on the walls with nails. John somehow was left alive. She threw him out of the house with force. He hit the branch of a tree and fell down. Many were there with the same fate. The dried blood on the walls told the stories. Margret now took her quill and touched their blood and wrote something on her book. William and Ronald died in between that. 

Days went, and her book finally reached the library of their college. It was a gift to our Institution from another country. One of the librarians, Jacob said as he placed it on the table. 'THE VINTAGE PAINTING' it read. Christopher, aged 24, looks like a nerd with glasses. He was an introvert and people never had much to say about him. Remember the guys who bunked the class last night? Two of them are dead. One of them was lucky enough to survive. Jacob said to be arranged the books for the first rack. Christopher didn't reply back to Jacob. He was writing a note '' window glasses broken due to heavy blow of the wind'' to the institution. John came to the library. And searching for a book that he kept on the rack. But it was not there. Seeing John search, Christopher approached John and said. The book is in your Cupboard in your hostel room. Go and read the things she had ordered to you. You can't escape from her. She's a curse. I'm her soul brother. I stay here all the time. I only made her come here with the taunts of the rain. Rain is our sign. John stood frozen. 

Why did she leave me alive? John asked. 

Because the one Margret loved was John and so was your name. Your name saved your life. But, you will be stabbed every time you breathe. She will follow you wherever you go. 

Never underestimate the social awareness and sense of reality in a quiet person. They are some of the most observant, observant people of all. 

Christopher said as he left.