The icy grip around Shehnaaz's neck tightened, and her breath came in short, desperate gasps. Her vision blurred as she struggled against the force that pinned her to the cold stone wall. Naina’s hollow eyes glowed faintly in the dim room, and her lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Na..i..na…"Shehnaaz choked out, clawing at the hand holding her neck. "Tum yeh kya kar rahi ho?"

Naina didn't respond. Instead, her voice came out as a chilling whisper, layered with a strange resonance. "Yeh jagah tumhari nahi hai… aur tumne yaha aakar apni zindagi ki sabse badi galti ki hai."

Shehnaaz's heart pounded as she realized that this was not Naina, at least, not anymore. She was about to lose consciousness when suddenly, a loud, commanding voice echoed through the room.

"Shehnaaz!"

Through the fog of her fear, she recognized Sidharth's voice. His footsteps echoed sharply as he rushed into the dark chamber, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and fear.

"Sidharth!" Shehnaaz gasped weakly as Naina turned to face him, her head tilting unnaturally, her twisted smile unwavering.

Without hesitation, Sidharth grabbed Naina's arm and yanked her away from Shehnaaz. "Tumhe kya lagta hai? Tum meri Shehnaaz ko nuksan pahuncha sakte ho?" His voice was low and furious.

Naina or whatever had taken over her, let out a chilling laugh. "Tum samajhte ho ki mujhe rokh sakta hai? Main wapas aa chuka hoon… aur ab koi mujhe nahi rokh sakta.

Sidharth stepped protectively in front of Shehnaaz, his body tense. "Main tumhe warn kar raha hoon. Chhordo Naina ko aur meri parivaar ki taraf to aankh uthakar bhi mat dekhna. Naina hosh me aa, Naina"

The spirit in Naina's body hesitated for a moment, as if assessing Sidharth. Then, with a hiss, it pushed Sidharth back with an invisible force. He stumbled but quickly regained his footing, his jaw clenched.

Shehnaaz, still trembling, watched in terror as Sidharth grabbed a small pouch from his pocket. He threw its contents, what appeared to be some kind of powder toward Naina. A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the room as Naina staggered backward, shielding her face.

The air seemed to shift as the ghost's hold on Naina weakened. Her body slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Sidharth knelt beside Shehnaaz, who was clutching her throat, tears streaming down her face. "Shehnaaz, tum theek ho?" His voice was soft now, filled with concern.

She nodded weakly, leaning into his arms. "Sidharth… yeh sab kya ho raha hai? Naina… woh…"

"Shh," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Abhi kuch mat socho. Tum safe ho, aur yeh sab main sambhal lunga."

Shehnaaz looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Par Sidharth, tum yeh sab kaise jante ho?."

Sidharth hesitated, his expression unreadable. "Bas itna samajh lo ki yeh jagah apne andar kuch Raaz chhupa ke rakhi hai. Main sab kuch samajhne ki koshish kar raha hoon… tumhe sirf mujh par trust karna hoga."

Naina stirred on the floor, groaning softly. Sidharth helped her sit up, but her face was pale, and she seemed disoriented. "Kya hua?" she murmured, clutching her head.

Sidharth exchanged a glance with Shehnaaz before replying, "Tum gir gayi thi. Shayad thakaan ki wajah se. Tumhe ab rest karna chahiye."

Naina nodded weakly, her memories of the incident clearly wiped away.

_______________________

That night, Shehnaaz could not sleep. She sat by the window, staring at the moonlit courtyard, replaying everything that had happened. Her heart was heavy with unanswered questions. Why was Naina behaving like this? What was this strange force haunting the haveli? And why did Sidharth seem to know more than he was letting on?

She turned to look at Sidharth, who was sitting silently at the desk, poring over an old, dusty book. His brows were furrowed in concentration, and he seemed completely absorbed in his reading.

"Sidharth," she called softly.

He looked up, his face calm but guarded. "Haan?"

"Kya tum mujhse kuch chhupa rahe ho?"

He sighed, walking over to her and kneeling by her side. "Shehnaaz, main tumse kuch chhupana nahi chahta. Lekin abhi, kuch cheezein hain jo samajhne ki zarurat hai. Jab waqt aayega, tumhe sab pata chalega."

She wanted to push him for answers, but the weariness in his eyes stopped her. For now, she decided to trust him, even though the mystery of the haveli weighed heavily on her heart.

"Kya hum yaha se nahi ja sakte?" Shehnaaz asked having fear in her eyes.

He took a deep breath. "Nahi, hum chah kar bhi yaha se nahi ja sakte us aatma ne is haveli ko charo aur se gher liya hai."

Meanwhile, in the depths of the haveli, the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the empty corridors. The wind howled, and the shadows seemed to move on their own. Somewhere, a soft laugh reverberated, chilling and full of malice.

The spirit was not done yet. Not by a long shot. Shehnaaz stared at him, her mind swirling with questions. Why would not he tell her the truth? What was he hiding? Why he was behavior was changed.

As she lay in bed that night, her heart heavy with fear and uncertainty, Shehnaaz couldn not shake the feeling that the haveli was alive, watching her every move. And somewhere in its dark corners, the ghost was waiting, biding its time. She needed to know the answers before something worst can happened.

____________________________

Shehnaaz sat on the haveli's back porch, her thoughts spiraling. The strange occurrences, Naina behavior, and the chilling incident in the library had shaken her to her core. She needed answers. As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and red, she noticed an elderly woman walking slowly toward the haveli gates.

Her hunched figure was wrapped in a faded shawl, and her steps were deliberate, as if she carried the weight of centuries. Intrigued and desperate for guidance, Shehnaaz hurried to meet her.

"Maaji," Shehnaaz called out gently. The woman stopped and turned, her wrinkled face calm but her eyes sharp with wisdom. "Aap kaun hain?"

The woman studied her for a moment before speaking. "Mera naam Saraswati hai. Main yahan ke purane logon mein se hoon. Tum kaun ho, beti? Aur itni ghabraai hui kyun lag rahi ho?"

Shehnaaz hesitated but decided to trust her. "Main Shehnaaz hoon… yeh haveli mere pati Sidharth ki hai. Par yahan kuch ajeeb ho raha hai. Kya aap kuch jaanti hain is jagah ke baare mein?"

Saraswati's expression darkened, and she sighed deeply. "Tum jo dhoond rahi ho, woh sach tumse chhupane ki koshish kar raha hai. Par mujhe lagta hai ki tum sach ke kareeb ho."

Shehnaaz leaned closer, desperation in her voice. "Maaji, mujhe bataiye. Yeh haveli ke andar kya ho raha hai? Kaun hai is sab ke pich? Wo kiu kar raha hai ye sab?."

Saraswati's voice dropped to a whisper. "Yahan ek aatma hai. Uska naam Yuvraaj tha. Mere purkhon ne hi usse iss haveli ke ek kamre mein bandh kiya tha, bohot pehle. Uska zakhm purana hai, aur uska dukh gehra. Lekin uska badla abhi baaki hai."

"Yuvraaj?" Shehnaaz echoed, her skin prickling with unease, she remembered that Naina also told her the same. "Par usne aakhir kiya kya tha?"

Saraswati shook her head. "Uska dukh uske niyat ko maloom karne par hi samjha jaa sakta hai. Agar tumhe kuch karna hai, toh tumhe uski kahaani samajhni padegi. Main tumhari madad karungi, par tumhe himmat rakhni hogi apne parivaar ko bachane ke liye warna anarth hoga."

Shehnaaz nodded resolutely. "Main tayaar hoon, Maaji. Mujhe bataiye, kya karna hoga?"

Later that night, Shehnaaz and Saraswati ventured into the haveli's library. Saraswati carried a bundle wrapped in cloth, which she placed carefully on the table. She opened it to reveal a thick religious band and some herbs.

"Yeh raksha kavach hai," Saraswati explained, tying one around Shehnaaz's waist and another around her own. "Yeh humare aaspaas ek suraksha chakra banayega. Koi bhi bura saaya isse paar nahi kar paayega."

Shehnaaz nodded, swallowing her fear as Saraswati sprinkled the herbs around them in a circle and began murmuring a prayer.

"Ab dhyaan se suno," Saraswati said, her voice steady. "Yahan ke purane kitaabon mein kuch toh likha hoga uske baare mein. Tumhare haath agar uska sach lage, toh darna mat. Padhti raho."

They began scouring the shelves, their shadows flickering in the dim candlelight. The room was eerily silent except for the rustle of pages and Saraswati's low chants.

Shehnaaz ran her fingers along the spines of the books, searching for something that felt significant. She paused when she came across an old, leather bound volume with no title. She pulled it out, the weight of it heavy in her hands.

"Maaji, yeh dekhiye," she said, setting the book on the table.

Saraswati leaned over it, her eyes narrowing as she flipped through the yellowed pages. "Yeh purani haveli ka record hai. Shayad yeh hume kuch bata sake."

The air in the library grew colder as Saraswati read aloud. "Yuvraaj… ek rajkumaar tha. Woh......". She got shocked hearing about him, her eyes filled up with tears.

Shehnaaz listened intently, her heart pounding as the story unfolded. But before Saraswati could read further, a sudden gust of wind swept through the room, extinguishing the candles.

Shehnaaz gasped. "Yeh hawa… yeh kahan se aayi?"

"Shh," Saraswati said sharply. "Apne chakra ke andar raho. Bahar kuch hai."

The wind howled louder, and then they heard it, a faint sound, growing steadily clearer. The unmistakable jingle of ghungroos.

Shehnaaz's blood ran cold. The sound was accompanied by a soft, haunting melody, a voice singing a classical raag. It was beautiful but eerie, echoing through the darkened library.

Shehnaaz clutched Saraswati's arm. "Yeh awaaz kahan se aa rahi hai?"

Before Saraswati could respond, the door of the library creaked open, and in the dim light, a shadow appeared.

The shadow run towards the main hall of the haveli. Saraswati told her to follow the shadow.

Shehnaaz's heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened in shock when she saw the shadow. "Yeh kaise ho sakta hai?"

_____________________________

That is it for today.

Hope you all like it.

Thanks for reading.