There are beings created by fire, that look human but aren't. Whispers speak of the powers and wealth they possess. The many forms they can change into. Rumours of the riches they bestow upon men whilst luring them into selling the things they hold most dear— children, love and souls— in return.
How they live amongst us. With us.
Kashi Shinde loved hearing stories about them and there were numerous such tales to go around. There are people who claim to have heard of them, many who believe they actually exist, some even go as far as to say they've actually seen a Djinn.
Their existence accepted as fact.
Kashi's fascination with these creatures led her to a unique bit of information— a place where a Djinn supposedly lived.
She wanted to see the house for herself. The thought of encountering an actual Djinn tempted her terribly. Exited her even though she knew these creatures were dangerous.
The pull, the urge, was just too irresistible.
For several days though she debated with herself, for the stories hardly ever ended well for the humans who encountered a Djinn. She knew enough ill fated stories about that.
Curiosity warred with caution but in the end curiosity won.
Curiosity might have killed the cat but you know what they say? Satisfaction brought it back.
The twilight hour she decided, would be the best time to visit the house. It was generally accepted that it was the time when supernatural forces moved and stirred.
Twilight and the darkest part of the night.
So, she went dressed in her best, heart brimming with excitement and nerves stretched to near breaking.
The vacant house waiting for a tenant for the past year or so was easy enough to get into. All she had to do was call the broker, book an appointment and make sure that she was left alone for a few minutes.
The simple plan worked perfectly.
Inside the house, the air smelled of mildew and mold, the kitchen faucet dripped and the doors creaked. Some of the glass windows were cracked and stained. There was an inch of dirt covering everything. The paint was peeling in plenty of places and the florescent bulb kept flickering on and off.
She strolled through the house, her nonchalance starkly contrasted the furious beating of her heart.
Unbeknownst to her, her perfume drew the attention of something sinister— Djinn.
The Djinn did not show himself that evening. But he would.
Soon.
That much was evident from the evil split of his grin and the way he licked his blackened lips
And he plotted her fall. Plotted to make her his.
Oblivious to the danger she was in Kashi left the house disappointed.
Fool. If only she had felt the green eyes that had watched her every move, things would have turned out differently.
That night she had the most vivid dream— she was back inside the house again and the dream was haunted by a green eyed stranger.
His soothing voice coaxed her into a false sense of safety, urging her to do strange things and read strange words. Soft smiles and sweet words masked the murkiness of it all. It was as though she could feel his breath against her ear as he whispered to her. She could feel warm fingers caress her cheek and sensations both pleasant and forbidden coursed through her.
Made her long for this unknown man.
The dream ended with her uttering a single decisive word.
"Yes." She'd said.
Morning came all too quickly for she wanted to wallow in that dream a while longer. But a more exiting idea sprang to life.
She'd go back to that house.
I've often wondered if she'd felt any stirrings of unease or a sense of impending doom when she left the safety of her house that day. And if she had, would she have avoided going to that accursed place? I don't know.
But she did go back there, maybe it was fate or just plain stupidity, for that one act sealed her fate.
She'd worn a deep blue dress that day. One that flattered her well. Again she chose the twilight hour and managed to go in alone. The house seemed the same—but for one single thing —there's something written on the walls of the living room. Written in a language she did not recognize.
But strangely enough she recognizes the words.
They were from her dream.
It's déjà vu and her heart skitters to a halt when she realizes she knows how to read them.
Panic bubbles in her chest.
Just as suddenly as she'd felt the panic an utter calm steals over her— thrown into a trance.
She reads those words.
Once, twice, eleven times.
Binding herself to something she doesn't comprehend and by the time she stops, night has fallen. Plunging the room into darkness.
That's when fear breaks through.
Frantic she whirls around and comes face to face with a stranger. A stranger she had seen before. His cat green eyes rake over her body and she gasps in a breath. The man is huge, easily several feet taller than an average human, his shoulders wide, limbs built like a tree trunk and a face that is unnaturally charismatic.
Paralyzed she can only watch as he moves around her. Sniffing at her, taking in her scent in sharp deep breaths. Her heart beats frantically as she notices the malice in his eyes and the smile on his black lips.
"You'll do perfectly...mmm...yes..." He speaks in a soft deceiving voice as he tilts her face up.
Tears run down her face and she realizes she can't move.
Can't run. Can't escape.
He snaps his fingers and she drops to her knees like a puppet whose strings have been cut. The force of which make her knees bleed.
"come."
She screams, scrambling to get away from him. A struggle ensues but she is a cornered creature trying in vain to flee.
In the trance she had unwittingly bound herself to his service, for him to do whatever he pleased.
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The screams that echoed inside the empty house that day were heart wrenching and full of fear. They continued for a while before coming to an abrupt end.
At some point she must have realized that some things are better left undisturbed and wish granting djinns existed only in movies.
Her parents put out her missing posters for years before they finally gave up.
Kashi was never seen again.
It was as though she'd disappeared into thin air.
My theory is that she exists, that she sees us as we move on with our lives. Maybe she saw the day her parents found her gone, the day they realized she wouldn't be back and the day her parents, locked inside different rooms broke down and cried like lost children.
Maybe she screams for our help. Maybe she's become a presence we only feel in dark loneliness. That unseen someone that forever lurks in the periphery of our vision.
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