Haunting Memories

Chapter 13

Is it Aarav? she couldn’t help thinking for the thousandth time. Everything seemed to be related to them - their room, their pictures, Aarav’s perfume. But it didn’t make sense - Aarav loved her, why would he bother her? Was he trying to send her a message? It wasn’t working. All the events were just giving her a nervous breakdown - she felt sure she was close to one.

She looked down at the silent, dark house and then went to look out the large windows. The night was silent and the trees were swaying gently. One branch scraped gently against the window. She stepped away from window and sighed, fully aware that she was being paranoid. In the morning, she found this very tree the most beautiful, the most majestic. It was more than a hundred years old, and when the building had been built, it had been designed to make sure the tree was unharmed. And now, the dark branches seemed creepy. Simple things seemed so sinister during the night. Was it just here, in her home? Or was this the case everywhere? Should she leave?

She covered her mouth with her hand, taking a deep breath. She was switching between decisions within hours, swaying like a pendulum. This would not do. 

She heard a loud bang downstairs and her heart skipped a beat. She looked back at her sister’s room, but it was silent and it looked like Anjali hadn’t heard. She slowly walked back to the balustrade and leaned down, straining her eyes to see what had happened. She looked around the furniture and as far under the tables and chairs as her line of vision permitted. She was looking, praying, for a cat, a mouse, some pesky animal. But all seemed silent.

Then she heard it again, a loud bang, consisting of two notes. In the silence, it rang in the house like a gong. She recognised it this time. The piano. Aarav’s piano in the living room downstairs. 

Could a rat be walking along the keys?

Her breath came faster, fear clutching her insides. She couldn’t turn, afraid something would happen behind her back. Facing the balustrade, she backed towards her room, deciding to stay in bed and ride through the night. 

Then it played again. It actually played. It was just a few notes, but they were linked, making a small tune that ended as abruptly as it began. The last note echoed in her ears.

She willed herself to be brave, tried to slow her rapidly beating heart. Who on earth was playing her piano in the middle of the night? And could nobody else hear? She knew for a fact that nobody in the household knew how to play it - except perhaps Mr. Arora - she didn’t know about him. The curiosity burned inside her. She had to go check.

A slow continous melody now played. Ritika stared at the living room downstairs. The door was slightly ajar, but it was too dark inside for her to see properly. Curiousity fought with fear within her, and she gripped the wood till her hands turned white. Who was it? Who? Was it... nobody? Like in her room?

She walked to the top of the staircase, and stared down below. She looked back at her sister’s room, incredulous that she hadn’t walked out yet.

We’re all waiting here for you to do what you want. You have all the control. What more could you want? What’s upsetting you?

The words rang in her ears, and she turned her attention back to the stairs. She balled her fists tightly, letting her fingernails dig into her palm to cause some distracting pain, trying to feel something other than fear. 

Then she stepped down slowly, her heart beat rapidly rising with each step. The volume of the melody rose steadily as she reached the ground floor and softly tip toed to the living room door. The haunting tune caused chills to run down her spine, and she absently rubbed the goosebumps rising on her arms. The fact that her hands were ice cold didn’t help at all.