The Other Side

Who Was That?

"Who are you talking about?" Asked Riddhima. It was extremely chilly in that place. It was as if this whole town was disconnected from the rest of the country. Gusts of cold wind blew all around them and it felt like needles pricking her skin. She wrapped her hands around herself as she felt a chill run over her clearly regreting her choice of outfit which was not fit for a cold weather. The mansion appeared much more menacing with the darkness that covered the sky with mean dark clouds. The day was sunny while they started their journey so they thought it would be fine even if they reach late and it is dark, but clearly it was the calm before the storm.

"What are you talking about Sejal?" questioned Kabir clearly worried although he tried his best to plaster a nonchalant face.

Sejal said "I saw a man. Is he the caretaker? He was standing behind the weeds and bushes."

"There is no man there Sejal." Added Riddhima now annoyed as tiny droplets of rain was hitting her face, she was famished, cold and wanted nothing to do with this god forsaken mansion. For the first time since the journey started Riddhima contemplated. Did she make a mistake by coming here? She felt like the mansion itself was an entity. Looking at her with it's watchful, cold gaze. Challenging her to try and uncover it's secrets if that was even within the reach of a mere mortal like her. The mansion was mocking their existence.

"You must be from Haunted Destinations" came a voice

Instantaneously a horrific shriek escaped Riddhima and Sejal.

"Motherf**ker" jumped Kabir shouting.

There infront of them was an old woman probably in her seventies. She was wearing a cloak, a long dark velvety skirt and a buttoned down cardigan. The mysterious old woman was draped in layers of ebony velvet, the fabric seemingly swallowing the light around her. Her cloak, lined with intricate gold embroidery depicting arcane symbols, billowed behind her with an ethereal grace. A silver amulet with a shinning red gem hung from her neck, its ancient sigils pulsing with a faint, otherworldly glow. Her hands, adorned with delicate lace gloves, moved with a fluidity that hinted at untold power. And as she glided through the shadows, her presence invoked a sense of unease, as if she were a specter from a bygone era, weaving through the fabric of time itself. Her stare was calm yet commanding. Her face looked wretched as if the wheel of time had been extremely cruel towards her. Droopy black eyes, pale complexion adorned with freckles, wrinkles around her eyes and forehead and her mouth was transfixed in a cold expression.

"Mrs Dsouza?" Asked Kabir in a shaky voice.

The old woman answered "Yes, I am Mrs Dsouza the caretaker of this mansion. I was made aware of your contract with the young lord. I will be giving you a a short tour of the mansion as well as setting down the rules you would need to follow to stay in this mansion. I am not your friend, neither your guide nor I will be answering anything about the mystery ahrouding the house. I am here to provide you with the keys and telling you where you are allowed to explore and which places are off limits. I come everyday in the morning at 6 am and leave at 5 pm sharp. Any queries or problems you have after my allotted time will not be heard or answered. There will be no one to hear you or your woes. I will set down breakfast at 8 am, lunch at 12 and supper at 5 and leave right after that. You are to keep the dirty dishes in the sink for cleaning the next day. There is no wifi in the mansion and half of the time you won't even have proper reception in the mansion, so be mindful of that. My loyalty is with the owner of this mansion and I will not be tending to any of your personal works."

There was an absolute finality in her tone. It was as if the principle of an extremely strict boarding school giving us the instructions to survive in there thought Riddhima.

"We have our luggage right here with us and rest assured we won't bother you for any personal queries but we came here after a long journey today so can you prepare dinner for us today or atleast tell us about any good diner or cafe in town where we can grab some food?"

Mrs. Dsouza said "It's 4:30 and I leave at 5. I won't be making any dinner. You can go to the town and get food there but don't expect any warm and fancy place. Food deliveries don't happen here so don't bother trying. I will come tomorrow at 6 sharp."

Riddhima whispered in Kabir's ear "What is this the 1960s? Also why is she so rude. I understand we are not in her very busy schedule but we are paying her owner for this. What's with the obnoxious tone?"

Kabir wispered back "It is how it is in small towns like these. They are basically cut off from the rest of the country mostly. We'll see what we can do. It is in our best interests to not cross her."

Sejal had a look of panic all over her face. She grabbed Riddhima's hand and said "But who was the man?"

Riddhima sweetly assured her by rubbing her hands to calm her down that she must have mistaken their own shadow for a man in the dark and to not worry about it much. There was no one there except them.

Mrs. Dsouza calmly opened the locks of the mansion and before finally stepping in she said "You might go out in town but make sure to come back before 7pm. This place gets covered with thick fogs and almost is hit by storms everyday. It is unsafe to drive in such conditions. During the night remember no matter what you hear or see in the mansion there will be no one to hear you."

Kabir was now clearly wearing a worried expression and Sejal was more frightened than ever. Riddhima scowled at Mrs. Dsouza for scaring the poor Sejal more than she already was. To her this was nothing more than some urban legend these small town illiterate bunch make up to scare children to beds and maintain order.

They think we city folks are idiots thought Riddhima.

With that the gates opened and they all stepped inside the Raisinghania mansion.

Thank you for reading everyone. Do vote, comment and tell me how you are liking this story so far. The next chapter comes on Sunday. Stay tuned😘