Mystifying Scars

By Manasvi Srivastava

Last night was hot & humid.. I kept my windows open.. At 2 am, I heard a sudden crackling noise from the nearby house, the same house in which that lady used to live. Such a generous person she was.. She was our neighbour & had died just a month ago.. & I was sent to my grandmother's house the day her final rituals were done, to avoid any kind of trauma, and just had returned back the day before. I got up from my bed & tried to have a glimpse towards her window...The windows were all boarded up as if what was inside was too terrible to see..

I put on my slippers & started walking towards her house. It looked abandoned and lifeless. As soon as I stepped at the doorstep.. With a creaky noise, the door opened in front of me.. It gave chills all over my body.. I kept on walking ahead, For the first time, I was not comfortable being there at her place. I cringed at each creak on the old warped stairs, but it didn’t sway my determination to make it to the bedroom on the second floor.

It was all dark... And then...

Suddenly, I could see two old hands with bangles coming towards me & I felt the sensation of being grabbed on my throat

While I was struggling to remove those hands... I could barely speak..

But then finally i uttered a sound.. "Maa..!!!"

And then, I was back.. At my bed.. beneath my cozy blanket...

"It was a dream" I said, relaxed but I was still shivering

I went to the kitchen, And encountered my mother..

She turned around & as soon as she looked at me.. She was horrified & looked bizzarre... She shouted "What are those bruises & rashes around your neck my child..?"

By Manasvi Srivastava