THE CALL

             It is hard to explain what it was. May be it was a dream or someone's idea. All that can be said is, "the truth was out there".

             I was sitting contentedly in my favorite divan, enjoying my favorite program in the television (the advertisement) with the remote control in one hand and potato chips in the other, when suddenly the power went out. I was alone in the house as my parents and brother had gone for a wedding. I was asked to sit at home and study for my semester exams that were due next week but of course, the matter had comfortably crept out of my mind.

   

             For a moment, I was completely blind. I was engrossed in watching television that I did not notice the nightfall and I had forgotten to charge the emergency lamp. As minutes passed by, my eyes got cognizant of to the darkness and I was able to see the furniture around me. I got up and groped in to a nearby drawer for some candles only to remember that we were out of candles. I usually thought of me as very brave, but now I was not sure. The rain outside was getting heavier with thunder and lightning making matters worse. I hoped my parents or at least my brother would be back soon. The stillness around me was getting thicker and thicker. I decided to walk around to lighten myself, trying hard not think about the horror movies I had seen lately, but my legs had gone very stiff. Wait! I remembered that there was a torch somewhere in the house and decided to look for it. I found it a couple of minutes later but to my bad luck, it was out of batteries. The sudden hope that had glistened died and fear started to skulk again. Long eerie shadows looked out at me everywhere. A cold shiver ran down my spine as the wind hustled outside. I started to panic at the slightest sound; the clock ticking, the rainwater trickling from the windowpanes, the cat mewing and what was that thud, thud noise. Oh! That was my heart pounding with fear. I sat down again trying to get hold over myself. Then suddenly, I jumped out of fright. Whew! It was only the phone ringing. I went to get it falling twice on the way, with a shaky voice I said. “Hello”

               I was flooded with relief when I heard Niyathi’s voice on the other end. Niyathi was my friend who lived next door. She called to see if I was all right and need anything, as she knew that I was alone. Soon I forgot all about the rain and the darkness. I was at ease again chatting the time away with my friend. Almost half an hour had passed and I heard someone slamming at the gate. I asked Niyathi to hold and being sure that it would be my family, I went to open the door with keys to the gate in my hand. However, it was not my parents; I could not see any car at the gate.

               There was only one person. I gaped through the rain, who was it. It was a girl with a short curly hair, about my height standing with an umbrella. My fear of ghosts was now tenfold, but did they use umbrella. I hoped not. As the lightning flashed across the sky, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Niyathi!

   “Hi” she yelled.

   “My mom asked me to check on you. I could not call you on the phone, as all lines are dead. Are you all right?”

    “I…on…phone…here…you…what….” and not being able to make any sense, I ran back to check the phone. It was dead.

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