The House of Shadows
By - Prabir Rai Chaudhuri:-
The Cursed Mansion-
Jatindra, Ram Monohar, Brijesh, and Hariharan were four friends who loved to explore haunted places. They had heard about an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of their city that was rumored to be cursed. The mansion had been built in the early 1900s by a wealthy businessman who had suddenly disappeared, along with his family. Since then, the mansion had been left untouched, and many people had reported hearing strange noises and seeing ghostly apparitions around it.
The four friends decided to visit the mansion one Sunday night. They arrived at the mansion just as the sun was setting, and the sky was turning orange and purple. The mansion looked even more ominous in the fading light, with its dark, looming structure and overgrown garden. As they walked towards the mansion, they could hear the creaking of old doors and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Jatindra pushed open the rusty gate, and they walked towards the front door. The door creaked open on its own, as if inviting them in. The inside of the mansion was dark and musty, with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and old furniture covered in dust. As they walked through the hallways, they could feel a chill in the air, and the hair on their arms stood on end.
Suddenly, they heard a loud bang from upstairs, as if something heavy had fallen. They froze in fear, but then Brijesh spoke up, "Let's split up and explore the mansion. Maybe we'll find something interesting." The others agreed, and they split up into pairs: Jatindra and Ram Monohar, and Brijesh and Hariharan.
Jatindra and Ram Monohar walked towards the staircase, which led up to the second floor. As they climbed the stairs, they heard the sound of footsteps behind them, but when they turned around, no one was there. They continued up the stairs and entered a room that looked like it had been a study. The room was filled with old books and papers, and a thick layer of dust covered everything.
Suddenly, they heard a whispering sound, as if someone was speaking in their ear. They turned around but saw no one. The whispering grew louder and more urgent, and they realized that it was coming from a bookshelf. They approached the bookshelf and saw that one of the books was glowing with a strange light. They pulled out the book, and as they did, the room started to spin, and they felt as if they were being pulled into another world.
The Curse Unleashed
When Jatindra and Ram Monohar woke up, they found themselves in a dark, eerie world that looked nothing like the mansion they had just left. The air was thick with fog, and the ground was covered in slimy moss. They called out for Brijesh and Hariharan, but there was no response.
As they walked through the mist, they heard a strange chanting sound in the distance. They followed the sound and came across a group of hooded figures standing around a fire. The figures were chanting in a language they didn't understand, and as they approached, the figures turned towards them.
Jatindra and Ram Monohar tried to run, but they were surrounded by the hooded figures. The figures revealed their faces, and Jatindra and Ram Monohar saw that they were not human. They had pale, ghostly skin, and their eyes
As the group made their way through the mansion, they began to hear strange noises. Creaks, moans, and footsteps that seemed to come from nowhere. They brushed it off as just old house sounds and continued exploring.
As they entered a large room, they noticed a strange mist hovering above the floor. The mist seemed to have a life of its own, moving and shifting in unnatural ways. Suddenly, they heard a faint whisper that seemed to come from the mist. They couldn't make out what it was saying, but it sent chills down their spines.
Jatindra stepped forward, trying to get a better look at the mist. Suddenly, it enveloped him, and he disappeared from sight. The others panicked, calling out his name and searching frantically for him. After a few moments, the mist dissipated, and Jatindra reappeared, pale and shaken.
"I saw...something," he stammered. "Something terrible."
The others tried to get him to explain, but he was too frightened to speak. They decided to leave the room and explore elsewhere in the mansion.
As they walked down a dark hallway, they heard the sound of a woman singing. It was a haunting melody, one that seemed to come from another time. They followed the sound to a door at the end of the hallway. The door was locked, but they could hear the singing coming from the other side.
Ram Monohar tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and they heard a faint whisper.
"Go away," the voice said. "Leave this place and never return."
The group hesitated, unsure of what to do. But then, they heard a blood-curdling scream that seemed to come from inside the room. Without thinking, they all rushed forward, pushing the door open.
What they saw inside made them freeze in terror. The room was filled with ghostly apparitions, all of them staring at the group with malevolent intent. The singing woman was there, her face twisted into a grotesque grin. And in the center of the room was a figure that seemed to be made of shadows and mist.
The figure spoke in a voice that sounded like a thousand voices all speaking at once.
"You should not have come here," it said. "This house belongs to us now."
The group tried to run, but the ghosts were too fast. They pursued the group through the mansion, chasing them down hallways and into rooms. The group was trapped, with no way out.
Just when it seemed like all was lost, Brijesh remembered something he had read in a book about ghosts. He pulled out a small silver amulet from his pocket, which he had brought as a good luck charm.
"Silver...it repels ghosts," he muttered to himself.
He held up the amulet, and the ghosts recoiled as if struck by a physical force. The group used this opportunity to flee the mansion, running as fast as they could until they were far away from the haunted house.
They never spoke of their experience again, but the memory of that terrifying night would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
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