Please vote before, while or after reading this part 🙏🙏
______________________________________

At night...

Sidharth came from office and found his room dark.

"Ajeeb hai! Bahar sab jagah lights hai lekin humare ghar mein nahi. Upar se yeh genarator bhi aaj kaal kaam nahi kar raha. Paata nahi kya ho raha." Thought Sidharth while trying to switch on the lights.

Then his eyes fell on the sofa. Though it was dark, he could see that there was a lady sitting on the sofa facing her back. He thought that it was Shehnaaz.

"Shehnaaz tum office se kab aayi? Aur idhar aise andhere mein kyu baithi ho?" He asked but no response came.

Sidharth became confused.

"Main tum se baat kar raha hoon. Hello!" He paused for a while and then asked, "Tum naraz ho kya? Shehnaaz!"

"Kya hua Sidharth?"

Hearing the voice, Sidharth looked at the door and saw Shehnaaz coming inside. He became shocked.

Suddenly the lights came and Sidharth again looked at the sofa. There was no one was sitting there.

"T...tum kab aayi?" He asked Shehnaaz.

"Arrey! Abhi abhi aap ke saamne se hi toh aayi. Jab aap andhere mein mera naam pukar rahe the." She replied.

Sidharth was puzzled. If she had just come then who was the lady sitting on the sofa?

"Maine itna galat dekha kya?" He asked himself.

"Kya soch rahe ho Sidharth?" Asked Shehnaaz coming towards him.

"Kuch nahi bas.... Office mein tumhara first day kaisa raha?"

Shehnaaz smiled and said, "Accha hi tha. Main nayi hoon isliye kaam samajhne mein thodi si pareshani hui. Par mere colleagues ne bohut co-operate kiya. Sirf....."

Shehnaaz stopped suddenly remembering Advait's words. She didn't know why his words were bothering her this much. She knew there were many people who believed in superstitions. Even she met some people like him before as well. But then why only his words were not getting out of her mind? She realised that his words had something else which was making her believe that there exists something called bad spirit. Also she herself was experiencing strange things since the very day she came to Mumbai. This could be a reason as well because of which she was not being able to forget Advait's words.

"Sirf kya?" Asked Sidharth breaking Shehnaaz's thoughts.

"Sidharth aap se ek baat pucchu?" She asked very curiously.

"Haan puccho." Said Sidharth.

"Kya aap bure saaye pe believe karte hai?"

"What?"

He couldn't understand the question.

"Mera matlab tha, aaj kisi ne mujhe office mein kaha ki marne ke baad atmayon ka bura saaya kuch logo ke upar padhta hai. Kya iss baat mein sacchai hai? Kya aap ne kabhi aisa kuch mehsoos kiya hai? Kisi bure saaye ko dekha hai?"

"How stupid! I never expected ki tum jaisi educated girl aise sawal karegi. Mujhe toh iss sawal ka jawab bhi nahi dena." He said and started going towards his room.

"Ahhaaan! Sidharth boliye na!" Whined Shehnaaz while going after him.

"Mere khayal se zyada kaam kar ke tumhara dimaag kharab ho gaya hai. Isliye aisi behki behki baatein kar rahi ho. Thodi der rest kar lo, thik ho jayega." He said while taking out his clothes from the closet.

"Sidharth baata di jiye na. Itna simple sa toh jawab dena hai. Dekha hai yaa nahi?"

"Mere paas abhi time nahi hai tumhare saath bakwas karne ke liye. I'm tired. Filhaal tum bahar jaao, mujhe change karna hai."

"Nahi jaaungi." Said Shehnaaz and sat on the bed being stubborn. "Pehle mujhe mera jawab chahiye."

Sidharth sighed and decided to go to the washroom to change but then stopped thinking something.

"Toh tum jaan na chahti ho ki maine kabhi kisi atma ke bure saaye ko mehsoos kiya hai yaa nahi?" He asked.

Sana made a pout and nodded in yes.

"Tum sach sun paaogi?" He again asked.

"Baatao toh sahi." She said.

"Toh phir suno, maine sirf mehsoos hi nahi kiya balki ek atma ko dekha bhi hai."

"Haaye sacchii? Matlab atmayein sach mein hote hai. Mujhe toh darr lag raha hai. Dikhne mein kaisi hoti hai woh atmayein? Matlab movies mein toh dekha hai. Lekin real life mein kaisi hoti hai?"

"Bohut daravni." said Sidharth dramatically making a scared face. "Ruko main tumhe baata ta hoon. Apni aankhein band karo."

"Kyu?" Asked Shehnaaz making a confused face.

"Offo! Tumhe jaan na hai na woh atmayein dikhne mein kaisi hoti hai?"

"Haan."

"Toh apni aankhein band karo."

Shehnaaz sighed and closed her eyes. Sidharth immediately brought some make-up and started applying them on Shehnaaz's face.

"Yeh kya kar rahe hai?" Asked Shehnaaz frowning.

"Hilo mat. Agar jaan na hai woh atmayein kaisi dikhti hai toh thoda patience rakho. And let me focus." Said Sidharth sternly.

Shehnaaz didn't say anything. After sometime Sidharth finished doing make-up on her face and then looked at her face carefully. He was about to laugh loudly but then controlled himself.

"Ab apni aankhein khol ke mirror ki taraf dekho." Said Sidharth trying hard not to laugh.

"Finally!" Uttered Shehnaaz and opened her eyes. Then she looked at the mirror.

"Ammmaaaaa!" She screamed being scared after looking at herself while Sidharth burst into laughter.

Shehnaaz went near the mirror.

"Mera chehra!" She said touching her face. Then she looked at Sidharth angrily and asked, "Yeh kya kiya aap ne?"

"Maine kya kiya?" He asked acting innocent. "Tum hi toh zidd kar rahi thi ki atmayein real mein kaise dikhte hai tumhe jaan na hai. Maine dikha diya. So Shehnaaz, meet Shehnaaz the bhootni."

"Very funny!" Said Shehnaaz making faces. "Ab isse saaf kaun karega?"

Hearing that, Sidharth got another naughty idea. He took a bottle of water and threw the water on her face making her shocked.

"Ho gaya saaf." He said smiling. "Aage se mere saamne aisi bekaar ki zidd karne se pehle do baar sochna."

Now it was enough for Shehnaaz. She took another bottle of water and said, "Aaj toh aap gaye."

Sidharth started running to save himself from the water. Shehnaaz also ran behind him while trying to throw water on him.

"Ab kidhar bhag rahe hai? Aaiye. Logo ko bohut bhigane ka shaukh hai na? Dekhiye aaj main aap ko kaise paani paani karti hoon." She said while running.

"Shehnaaz no. I'm sorry." He said while trying to escape.

While running, Shehnaaz's one leg hit the bedpost and she cried, "Ahh lag gayi."

Sidharth stopped running hearing that and came to her.

"Kaha lagi?" He asked being worried.

Shehnaaz took the chance and threw water on his face.

"Ab aaya na maza." She said giggling.

Sidharth hold her both elbows and pulled her closer to which she gasped. He hold her waist with his one hand and snatched the bottle with his another hand. He started pouring the water on her head while she couldn't make any movement as she was lost in him. The closeness between them was making her heartbeat race.

"Inn sab mamle mein main tumse zyada tez hoon. Isliye aage se aisi hoshiyari mere saath mat karna." He said after making the bottle empty. He threw it on the floor and again started laughing.

Here Shehnaaz was totally speechless. She just smiled seeing him laughing. After Sana's death it was the first time when he was laughing like this.

"Aap haste hue kaafi pyaare lagte hai." She said looking at him.

Sidharth stopped laughing realising the closeness between them. He immediately left her waist and moved away.

"I'm sorry." He said looking down.

Shehnaaz also realised that he did it unintentionally. She cursed herself for being carried away by her emotions once again.

Before Shehnaaz could say anything, they both heard a scratching sound at the wall.

It made them confused. They were unknown to the fact that two red eyes were watching them.

"Kamre ke bahar se awaz aayi na?" Asked Sidharth to which Shehnaaz nodded.

"Chal ke dekhte hai." Said Shehnaaz and they both went outside the room.

They both became shocked seeing the scratches on the wall just beside the door.

"Sidharth yeh kaise hua? Iss ghar mein abhi humare alawa toh koi nahi hai." Said Shehnaaz looking at Sidharth who himself was also confused.

Then he looked at the picture windows which were open.

"Woh khidki khuli hai. Koi billi ghush gayi hogi andar. Forget it." He said.

Shehnaaz was not fully convinced but she made herself believe that.

At Midnight...

Shehnaaz was sleeping when suddenly her sleep broke by a sound.

She woke up and saw that the vase in her room was broken. Then she saw a ball lying on the floor, near the vase.

She woke up and went towards it. She bent down and picked up the ball from the floor.

She switched on the lights and looked at it carefully. Then she remembered something.

"Yeh toh bilkool waisi hi ball hai jis se main aur Sana bachpan mein khela karte the." She said to herself.

She smiled remembering the moments from their childhood when they used to play together. She didn't realise when the ball slipped out of her hand and started rolling on the floor.

"Arrey!" Uttered Shehnaaz and started following the ball.

She was not in herself anymore. She was following the ball without thinking anything else as if it was leading her towards something.

While following that ball, Shehnaaz came near the door. The door itself got opened and the ball went outside the house while rolling.

Shehnaaz stood at the door and then suddenly got her sense back. She became confused seeing everything.

"Main yaaha kaise aayi? Aur yeh darwaja kaise khula?" She asked herself.

Being totally confused, she turned behind.

She saw a lady approaching her hand towards her. And the next moment, she felt a sudden push.

Her feet got slipped and she fell from the stairs which were at the entrance.

She direct fell on the ground. Her body was paining. Before closing her eyes the only thing she could see was a hand.

Soon everything went dark for Shehnaaz.
______________________________________

What will happen next?

Stay tuned...

Also vote if you liked this chapter.