The cursed house.

Whats real? Whats virtual? (The game of cat and mouse begins!)

John's parents sensed that things were not going normally. "John's behaviour is changing. He used to be a very active person, he used to participate in debates, sports and music competitions; but nowadays he lives in isolation. He has started spending time alone, both at the school and at home."

"We should talk to John!" said the worried father. "I have tried it but he is not ready to discuss anything."

John sat in his room just recalling all his dreams. "Is there anything I can do? Anything! Damn!" John was pondering deeply, he wanted to escape these nightmares terribly.

"All right, now I will recall all of the dreams one by one and I will try to focus on every event that occurred." He took himself in a quick flashback. He was rewinding everything, after event that occurred.

"As soon as I sleep I reach the Cursed House. I don't need to travel. What can I do?" He pondered and pondered.

"Yes, there is one thing common in all the dreams. When I reached the cursed house for the first time, I was wearing my wristwatch. The next time I dreamt of the cursed house I was having the crucifix in my hand. I slept holding the crucifix in my hand after finishing my prayer that night. The next time I had those dreams I carried my movie tickets, I slept during the movie holding my tickets. So, that means whatever I have in my right hand, accompanies me to the Cursed House."
He got a clue, but he had no idea what to do with that. Suddenly he got one. "Yes, from now onwards when I will sleep, I will carry a knife in my hand, so that I can fight the masked man and show him that I am not scared of him."

Many nights passed, John never had a dream of the Cursed House again. " Why am I not having those dreams again? Oh yes! The masked man said that I will meet him only when he wants us to meet. What does he want from me now, why is he testing my patience?"

One night, John was alone at home. He was watching some news on the television. Soon, the lights started flickering, a wild wind started blowing. The invading, dark and stormy wind broke the windows of his house. The wall hangings felt on the floor. The wind wanted to declare the arrival of something. "What is it, is he back? How is this possible, I didn't sleep, is he trying to contact me in the human world?"

Soon the lights went off, there was complete darkness. John was scared, although these instances have occurred before also, John had already seen much of these dreams, but this time it was real. "Hey John, I am back, this time I would like to introduce you with some of my new friends." John tried to focus in the dark, he wanted the rod cells of his eyes to become active. John remembered the last time when the clowns attacked him. It was terrifying for him. From the dark twinkled the silvery-red, unnatural and scary eyes. The eyes were shining brightly in the dark. Then there emerged a black hound from the dark. It was screaming, it was ferocious, it was hungry. It seemed as if the masked man had come to torture John. The hound ran towards John and jumped over him, John took a knife and defended himself with it. The hound got injured and ran away into the dark.
"Where are you?" Shouted a confident John. "This time it was me who caught you! The last time you said that you'll meet me only when you want us to meet. So, I did as you thought. You always sensed when I slept consciously, prepared for you and you also know when I sleep unprepared. So for such events I always tied a knife in my right hand whenever there was a possibility of me going to sleep. You thought I will feel that I am busy watching the television! Who watches television holding a knife? I got you, now come up you coward!"

"Well you outplayed me this time John", said the masked man as he appeared out of the dark. "Yes, I did." John was very aggressive, he was scared within but he just kept his fear within himself. " I have waited for you for so long. I will show you that I am not as weak as you think I am." Saying this, John attacked the masked man with his knife. He stabbed the masked man in his stomach. The masked man started disappearing like a smoke. Soon the lights came back and John's mother entered the house. She saw John standing amazed, looking towards the window, holding a knife.

"John, my son what are you doing? What's going wrong with you? I have been noticing you." This time John was amazed. "What the hell! This time was it real? Did he really come to my house?"

"John who came to our house? What's real?"John just broke down this time and told everything to his mother.

"John listen, we all have dreams and some of them are nightmares, you shouldn't be so terrified with those dreams. After all it was just a dream." Said his mother.

"No, these are not the normal nightmares, I saw the same creature in every dream. How is this possible?" Replied John.

His mother could sense that her son required some motivation. So she said, "Okay John those were something different, but now you've got rid of that masked man, you are my brave son, you fought him and you defeated him. So now he isn't going to come back."

John was happy to get a positive reply from his mother. "By the way John, I and your father are going to a friend's place tonight so look after your sister ." John's parents left the home leaving John and his sister alone at home. The siblings went to their respective rooms after watching their favourite tv show. For John things were becoming better, all his tensions were over. By killing the masked man he killed his own fear.

"Hey John, can you hear me?" John woke up in the Cursed House again. "Oh! Please not again. What wrong have I done to you?" John was not scared this time but he was tired of all this.

"You played a game with me. You tried to outplay me. You tried to hurt me and my pet. I warned you but still you shared our meetings with someone else. Now you must have sensed that we can enter the human world. Now I will play a game. You will love it."

Soon a window appeared in front of John. There was someone sleeping on the other side of the window. Soon he saw the wild hound along with those clowns moving slowly towards the person sleeping. Suddenly the person woke up and John was shocked to see that it was his younger sister, Diana. As soon as Diana looked at the hound and the clowns she started screaming. She turned back towards the window and saw his brother. She shouted, "John help me!" John was tied with a rope. He started pulling the rope. The young girl was terrified. The clowns started shouting "Blindfold her, hide and seek, hide and seek." Soon the window started disappearing.

John used all his strength to get rid of the rope. He could see the window vanishing and his sister's scream for help fainting. Somehow he got rid of the rope. He started running towards the window. It seemed as if the window too was moving away from him. Still John ran with all his strength. He and his sisters memories flashed before his eyes. The siblings love they shared provided John strength. As soon as John reached the fading window, it just vanished. He can just hear his sister crying somewhere. Suddenly John collapsed. After a while he opened his heavy eyes. He could still hear someone screaming.

Soon he realised that he is back in his room but his sister was still screaming. He went to her room. He woke his sister up and she hugged him tight. "Finally you are here brother! You saved me! You saved me!"

"What are you saying Diana? From whom did I save you?" Asked John. "I had a nightmare, I saw a hound and some clowns attacking me. You were also there running towards me to save me."

The spellbound John hugged his sister. "

"Hey John, I am here. Now I don't need your dreams to contact you." Whispered someone slowly in John's ear.