The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

27. His woes

A cup of steaming hot coffee sat atop the desk while Rudra was busy reading through a non-fiction book on ancient Indian history. He was supposed to finish reading through it and successively solve a workbook his father had assigned to him for the week, but he was slightly behind the schedule he formulated for himself. So, he was skimming through the contents on the pages at an accelerated pace. His entire concentration was on the printed sheets, and apart from occasionally sipping from the mug of coffee, he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings.

He effectively missed the shadow flitting across the staircase and the mass of smoke hurtling inside his room via the narrow gap between the floor and the shut door. His back was turned to the door, and he didn't catch the grey smoke floating a good five feet above the ground. He also didn't discern the manner in which the blob weaved and lapped over itself to dart patterns in midair until it coagulated to give way to a ghastly apparition of a lady adorned in a red bridal outfit. The veil was frayed and tattered, covering her chipped nose. An evil smirk was plastered on her dry lips, and her scabby fingers were steadily advancing towards Rudra's back, hovering very close to his ears.

He could hear a strange hum, remotely akin to a bumblebee, and his first instinct was to swat his hand near his ears without taking his gaze off the book.

Everything remained silent for a moment until he heard a deathly whisper, and he was alerted instantly.

"You will be mine."

A chill seeped into his bones, and he swerved at his spot, his eyes raking the length and breadth of the room. But he couldn't find anything anywhere. Yet again. He gulped as the sensations from earlier in the evening returned to the pit of his stomach, and the warning signals of his brain advised him not to take the matter lightly. "Nidhi," he raised his voice, "if it's you trying any funny business with me, it's not funny anymore. Let me study."

Nothing but stark silence in response.

He glimpsed at the wall clock above the doorframe. It was already 3 am. Rubbing his hands on his face, concluding that the murmur was just a part of his imagination, he sat down on the chair and went back to concentrating on the work at hand.

Everything was again normal for another stretch of fifteen minutes, and he completely misremembered the weird events. Until he heard it again. Louder and clearer than before.

"You will surely be mine. The night inches closer."

The screeching of the chair getting dragged across the floor resounded in the silent air as he stood up as expeditiously as he could. His breathing turned ragged, and he again glimpsed around, his head craning this way and that. "I don't think it's Nidhi," he muttered under his breath while sweat beads appeared on his forehead, his unsure gaze darting back and forth between every nook and each corner of the room.

The feminine voice giggled. "Oh, how long I have waited for our union."

Unnerved he was because he could hear and sense someone's presence, but he couldn't see anyone, and the subsequent shrill cry echoing off the room's walls was an added element of surprise as he jumped a couple of steps back. If that weren't enough, the manner in which all his books automatically fell on the floor and the pages ruffled at a celerity that startled him. The piercing and sharp screaming refused to halt. Neither did the rustling of the pages stop. In fact, a gust of strong air blew hard, and he found it difficult to remain standing firmly.

He was extremely confused, and he didn't get the chance to react as one after the other all the events kept transpiring, and he collapsed to his knees. Perspiration cascaded down his cheeks as a mass of air swirled above his head, much to his bafflement.