"KNOCK, KNOCK"

There was something eerie about the wind chimes. They no longer sounded melodious. The whispering breeze kept shaking them violently. The chimes appeared more like a warning of a storm that was about to hit! She sat by the window gazing at the moonlit sky. She could see birds gliding away. And a few bats hurriedly flapping their wings. Her tummy was making weird, terrible noises, but she was too lazy to head towards the kitchen. She waited for her hunger to die down.

Suddenly she heard a loud knock. She paused for a second or two, trying hard to recognize if it was her door. There was yet another knock, this time it was even louder. She wondered if it was just an open window. But then there were continuous knocks. They only grew louder and louder. She jumped on her feet and scampered to the kitchen to fetch a candle.

She wasn’t expecting anyone at this odd hour and so she didn’t bother to light a lamp when the power went out. Somehow she managed to find the matchbox in the dark. Holding the lit candle she walked along the corridor until she reached the front door. It was dark outside and she couldn’t see who was knocking on the door. She asked “Who’s there?” and waited for a reply.

But all she could hear was the howling wind and the dreadfully violent wind chimes. Assuming that someone knocked on her door by mistake, she decided to go back to her room. But then, there was a knock at the door, again! Her heart skipped a beat. Was someone trying to play a prank on her? Who could it be at this time of the night…? She pondered.

Reluctantly she peered through the peephole. She could see nothing but darkness outside. She began chanting a prayer and stood still. The menacing knocks started all over again. “WHO IS IT?” She yelled, her voice almost cracking. “I’m not opening the door until you tell me, who the hell are you?” she cried. There was complete silence. The breeze no longer whispered and the wind chimes seemed to have dropped on the floor.

No one answered. She was sweating profusely by now and the candle was about to melt itself to death. She placed the candle on the mantel and walked across the room. After reaching the window that faced the portico, she strained to see if there was someone waiting to go on a knocking spree. But to her utter shock, the dimly lit portico was empty. Then who was knocking on her door?

Was she just imagining things? Was she hallucinating? Was it fear getting the better of her? Tears rolled down her cheeks and she burst out crying like a little girl. She wailed and moaned and ran back to her room. She was so scared that she hid beneath the cot waiting for dawn to arrive. She heard the knocks yet again. She began screaming on top of her voice. She wanted her screams to hush up the knocks. She went on sobbing and screaming until the knocking stopped.

After a very long wait, the sun finally rose. A traveller walked up to the house, with the hope of getting a glass of water to drink. When he was just about to knock on the door, a passerby yelled at him. “Come back if you value your life” he shouted. The puzzled traveller asked for an explanation. The passerby then told him about the ghost who haunted that house. She would roam around the house at night holding a burning candle. People could hear her scream and moan all night… every night.