The Haunted Orchid Villa

Every year during my vacations, I used to visit our ancestral house in the suburbs of Sayalpur. My father's elder brother and his family used to live near our house. Sandra, my uncle's daughter was 5 years older than me and we were close friends. She was my sole companion during the vacations that I spent in our hometown. She used to give me a tour of the place during the day and tell me stories when we chatted around the fireplace during the night. I still clearly remember one of the incidents that took place during one of my visits. The incident was so mysterious and bizarre that I still have goosebumps when I think of it.

I was 10 years old at the time of the incident and had arrived at Sayalpur only a few days ago. One night, I was sitting with my cousin Sandra by the fireplace. She was sharing her experiences of a trekking expedition with me. Suddenly, I heard some weird sounds from outside and peeped out of the window. The whole surrounding was enveloped in a veil of fog. The moon came out from the shield of clouds for a brief moment and I saw an old but beautiful bungalow by the northern side of our house. The sight of the bungalow bathed in silvery moonlight was so mesmerizing that my eyes remained glued to it. I wondered why I haven't noticed it ever before.

"Who lives in that house over there?" I ran to Sandra and asked her.

"Nobody," Sandra shrugged.

"Why?" I was taken aback at the thought of such a beautiful house being abandoned by its owner.

"That bungalow which is called 'Orchid Villa' belongs to some relative of my friend Cathy. And she had once told me that the house is a haunted one."

"Really?" I gulped down heavily as a chill ran down my spine.

At this Sandra burst out laughing and I realized that she was trying to befool me and I had fallen into her trap.

"Do you want to see that house?" Sandra asked when she recovered from her fit of laughter, "Cathy has the keys with her."

I nodded enthusiastically flashing a wide smile.

"Fine," Sandra said, "Then be there tomorrow evening by sharp at 6 o'clock. I will ask Cathy to come too."

The whole night and the following day I remained restless, eager to have a tour of the house. As soon as, the clock sounded six rings, I ran towards the bungalow. Both Cathy and Sandra hadn't reached yet and I decided to wait for them by the gate. It was already dark outside and a cold wind was blowing furiously. The fog was spreading its arms slowly to engulf the whole surroundings within it. Suddenly it started drizzling and I ran towards the bungalow to prevent myself from getting wet. I stood on the porch of the bungalow and waited for the girls to arrive. At the very moment, the door of the bungalow opened from inside. The creaky noise of the old, rusty doors caught my attention and I turned to look at it. A young girl about the age of Sandra appeared at the door and smiled at me.

"Please come in," she said, "Otherwise you will catch a cold."

Her smile was so warm and her words were drenched in love. I assumed that she was Cathy. I was shivering and my clothes were wet. I realized that she was right. If I stayed outside for a little longer I would definitely catch a cold. I smiled at her and followed her in.

"Please have a seat," she said as she waved a hand towards the sofa, "I will lit the fireplace."

I made myself comfortable on the sofa as a thousand thoughts came to my mind. 'My eyes were constantly on the road then from where had she entered the house?'

I looked suspiciously at her for a while but she didn't notice as she was busy piling up the logs in the fireplace.

'Maybe there is a way at the back of the house.' I shrugged, 'after all, she knows the house better than I do.'

She lit the fire and came to sit opposite to me. I noticed that water was dribbling down her hair.

'Maybe, she just had a shower.'

I thought of an explanation but found that her clothes were wet too. The water from her hair and clothes had formed a small puddle around the sofa where she was sitting.

'Oh yes!' I thought, 'There had been a drizzle a few moments ago. Maybe she was rushing towards the house at that time and hence became drenched.'

"Sandra was telling that this house is haunted." I asked her, "Is it true?"

"Of course it is." Her gaze was fixed on the fireplace. "Years ago, a girl by the name Lily used to live here. She was in love with a handsome young man who lived in the village over there. Lily's wicked brothers didn't want her to get married to a poor guy. One night they killed him and buried his body in the fields. When Lily came to know about it, she drowned herself in the river. Now her ghost lives here."

My face turned ghastly pale and I looked around the house with my horror-filled eyes.

"Do you want to see the house?" Her stony eyes and pale face turned to me.

"Let Sandra come," just as I uttered those words, I heard some footsteps by the gate. "I think she is here."

I got up from the sofa and ran out to meet Sandra. She was accompanied by some other girl.

"You are late," I complained as she approached, "Cathy is waiting for you in there."

"What nonsense, Philip!" Sandra rolled her eyes, "This is my friend Cathy." She said pointing towards the girl standing by her side.

"Then who is she?" I said turning towards the bungalow but gasped as I found a huge lock hanging on the door.

Cathy rushed forward and turned the key into the lock. She pushed the doors open and ran towards the fireplace.

"Did the girl whom you saw look like this?" Cathy said pointing towards a picture hung over the fireplace.

"Yes," my voice was barely audible.

"Oh my God!" Blood drained down Cathy's face.

"Who is she?" A petrified Sandra asked.

"The girl in the picture is Lily," Cathy murmured.