Hostilla

By Amritha Chandrasekhar

In the year 1978, there was a large university in Madras Presidency called Subash Chandra Bose University. It’s one of the most prestigious government colleges in the country. Students from all over the country join in that college. 95% of the students were non locals and only 5% were locals. The University’s hostel didn’t have the facility to accommodate the students. So few of the students had to rent out in the city because of the inconvenience. One day all the students wrote a letter to the vice chancellor asking for bigger hostel which could accommodate the whole strength. 

As the University was a State Government University, the Vice chancellor sent the letter to the State government regarding the consent. But the government didn’t have enough funds to construct a new building and set up the hostel. There was a very large unoccupied deserted Villa just next to the University. As the owners of the villa went missing since almost 5 years ago and also because there was no one claiming the property. The property came under the government’s property, so the government remodeled the villa and converted it into a hostel. The villa was so large that it looked almost like a palace. The students were pretty excited about it, as they all fell in love with it the moment they first attended the college. Cause the villa was just so large and eye catching.

The Hostel set up was finished and the University asked the male students to shift. 90 percent of the strength were male and only 10 percent were female. They asked the female students to stay back in the University hostel itself. It took a day for the boys to settle in their new hostel. They were all mesmerized looking at the interiors of the villa. The walls were paneled with wood, the ceiling was too high, large windows, large dining area with v 4 very large wooden tables. Each table could easily accommodate 30 people at a time. The hostel also had a library which was large, almost the same size of the University’s main library, there was very large court yard with connecting corridors. The boys while having their first meal together at night named the place ‘Hostilla’, they partied with the wardens, cooks and care takers, the whole night singing and dancing. 

Later, everyone left for their respective rooms. Seniors were allotted single bedrooms, 3rd years- Double sharing, 2nd and 1st years - Triple sharing. But the triple sharing rooms had balconies and the rooms were very large when compared to the seniors rooms. A 3rd year boy named Rithik was a little worried about staying there, he was from a village and in his village there was a saying that “Spirits will enter, if the house is left unoccupied for years.” So he prayed a lot and pulled his bed near to his roommate’s and slept. When his friends got to know about his fear, they all decided to prank him as soon as the warden goes to sleep the next day.

The next day after having dinner, the boys were playing in the living area. The main warden shouted and asked everyone to go to their respective rooms and sleep. Rithik decided to study for his exam the next day, so he sat on his study table and searched for the book in his desk, he was pretty sure that he left it on the desk before leaving for dinner. He then looked inside his bag, it was not there to his dismay. So he enquired his roommate Rishi about the book, Rishi said “I have no idea, maybe you left it in the classroom.”

“Hmm maybe, can I borrow your book for today?” Rithik asked

“No, even I have to study, go get it from the library, I am pretty sure you will find one.” Rishi said. Rithik was hesitant to go because he was afraid to go alone, but just when he was about to ask Rishi to accompany him, Rishi smirked and asked “Are you afraid to go alone?”

Rithik’s ego got hurt and he left alone. He went down the stairs bravely while he was walking in the corridor to reach the library, the lights started to blink. He told himself, its because of some loose connection in this old mansion. He had to pass through the garden to reach the library, as the library was previously the outhouse of the Mansion. He felt like, he was being followed suddenly in the garden, he looked behind to his relief there was no one behind him. He reached the library, it was pitch dark. He turned on the light and started searching for the book in the shelves, suddenly the light got turned off. His soul left his body in fear. Suddenly there was white smoke around him, it was difficult for him to see in the dark and the smoke. He closed his eyes and sat in one corner, he heard some footsteps, he just closed it shut. When the footsteps were gone, he opened his eyes to find a devil, staring at him so close. He shouted with all his lungs and the devil laughed as hard as he could, with others. It was his friends after all. He screamed “What the heck?”

“Oh you have no idea how satisfying it is.”  he said with the other 3 laughing at the top of their lungs. 

The warden came in angrily, and asked “What the hell is happening here?” Looking at the smoke and asked “Are you all smoking?” He asked angrily. 

Rishi replied “No, no no sir. It’s dry ice in water. See.”, Rishi and his friends showed the 8 large basin with water and dry ice to prove.

“Whatever is happening here, is against the rules so all of you got yourself into a week detention.”

Rishi debated “But sir, I am the victim here.”

“I don’t care. Leave. Every one.” Warden ordered and all the four of them left, and Advait said on the way “Truth be told, it was worth it man.” Everyone except Rithik laughed.

Rithik murmured “That stupid warden, didn’t even hear my side of the story.”

Rithik, Rishi, Advait and Sayant were given detention. Their work was to clean and rearrange the library, as it was not yet properly shelved. They four started to clean the library. Rishi and Advait volunteered to throw the waste out. They had to walk through the garden, then the mansion and a long stretch of garden to throw the waste out. They walked through the garden, and felt like someone was following them, they looked back to find no one. They understood that his friends are trying to prank them. They coped themselves to be brave. When they got into the corridors, the lights flinched again, Rishi said “Oh, this is new.”

Advait shouted “Not working guys.” And they continued walking through blinking lights, then some other hostel boys passed by them and the blinking stopped immediately, they thought that it was none other than Rithik and Sayant pranking. So they were not afraid anymore and left the mansion. When they threw the garbage bags and looked at the mansion, they found someone standing and looking at them in the dark from their rooms, their came to their throats in fear. As their rooms windows are visible from the road. Only others who had keys to their rooms other than the warden are their roommates, who were Rithik and Advait. They thought, that Rithik and Advait are pranking. So they decided to act as if they didn’t notice it, to not give their friends the satisfaction. They thought to catch their friends red handedly. So they just walked silently into the mansion, they noticed that the person was still standing near the window until they reached the mansion. So they ran up the stairs as fast as they could hoping to catch them. To their surprise they couldn’t find them the way up, and also their rooms were locked. They unlocked the room and went in to find no one inside. They asked the others outside on the corridor, whether they have seen Rithik and Advait. No one actually saw them, they thought maybe they asked them all to lie. They returned back to the library. They decided not to ask them about the prank, cause they wanted to act as if they didn’t even notice it to not give them satisfaction.

Rithik and Sayant, acted oddly in the library and asked “Why did it take so long for you both to come back?”

“Nothing, we just had to use the loo.” Rishi lied.

“Oh really?” Sayant asked mockingly, looking at Rithik smiling.

“Why are you smiling?” Advait asked immediately.

“Nothing.” Rithik said and continued doing his work.

It was midnight. Rithik was still studying for his mid exams. He looked back and saw Rishi sleeping, he also started to feel dizzy so he closed the note book and suddenly he heard someone whisper “Finished?” Really very close to his ears. He got startled, and he toppled from his chair. Rishi woke up and asked “What happened?”

“You tell, did you just come here and whisper something in my ears?” Rithik asked a little terrified.

“No, are you insane? I was sleeping, I just woke up.” Rishi said wonderstruck.

“Stop the stupid pranks for god sake.” Rithik said a little frustrated.

Meanwhile in Sayant and Advait’s room. Advait woke up to use the washroom. He came out of the bathroom and while closing the door, he noticed something on the bed. He looked at the bed immediately and was thunderstruck looking at a black human form, sitting on his bed in the dark and looking at him. He screamed in fear and fell down on the floor. Sayant woke up, turned on the light and looked at him confused and asked “What happened?” Rubbing his eyes to adjust with the sudden light. 

Advait looked at his bed, there was no one there Advait asked immediately “Are you messing with me again?”

“What? I was sleeping.”

“Okay, please stop I have to wake up early and study for the exam tomorrow.”

“Bro, what are you even talking about?” Sayant asked still confused.

The next day after the exam during lunch, Rithik said “I want to discuss with you all about the pranks.”

“Yes, it’s getting out of hand.” Advait added.

“What are you talking about? I was the victim not once, not twice but three times. Enough.” Rithik said, frustrated.

Sayant added “Me too, once in the library.”

Advait asked confused “Thrice? When did the other two pranks happen? Sayant when did yours happen?”

Rithik and Sayant looked at each other and said “Yesterday in library, when you and Rishi told that you would be going to throw the garbage bags and instead pranked us.”

“What? We didn’t prank you.” Rishi said, having no idea on what they were talking about.

“Stop putting up with the act now, we just acted yesterday that we didn’t notice it, to not give you the satisfaction of succeeding in prank.”

Rishi and Advait looked at each other confused and Rishi asked “What happened in the library?”

“Oh. You don’t know?”

“No I am serious. Tell us.” Rishi asked again.

“Okay, when you left or just acted to leave. The lights and fans went off, so we tried switching it on, but they were already on. So we suspected the library’s main power supply got tripped, as there was power in the hostel rooms. So we went to the Power room and our suspect was right. We turned it on. When we were on the way back to the library we noticed someone standing near the library windows and looking at us. It was dark, so it kind of looked like a shadow or something like that. We were surprised that the lights didn’t turn on when we reconnected the main switch. When we were nearing the library the two figures went running into the library laughing evilly. We turned on the lights, as it was off. But we actually did leave it on. We looked around the library, there was no one. You guys somehow escaped. Truth be told, we really got terrified. And the echo laugh guys seriously, it was so good.”

“Okay, I swear. We didn’t do it. Now you guys stop acting and accept on what you did yesterday to us……..” Sayant said. They all argued, that which one of them was lying. And then Rithik and Advait also told about what happened to them in the other night. No one accepted  and the lunch break ended.  They didn’t talk with each other. In the night, after they had dinner, the warden called for hostel meeting in the court yard and asked everyone to join. The warden took the attendance first and then spoke “ I heard a lot of complaints about stupid pranks happening in the hostel especially from 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students. Someone actually pranked me too yesterday. Its not funny anymore. Whoever is doing it must stop, if you don’t stop, then I will enquire each and every one. I will surely find who all are participating in this stupid thing and have them rusticated from the Hostel.” Suddenly the power went off. And they all heard multiple footsteps, everyone looked around in shock and heard echoes of high pitch voices screaming “Will we be rusticated?” and laughing.

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By Amritha Chandrasekhar