Even though they grew up in the same little place called as their home, Priy and Ruksa never got along with each other very well. These two were the typical neighborly sister’s that one may come across at every nook and into every corner of the city. Being always on the move the twosomes never had a chance to get settled in one particular place for more than a gap of few years. ‘Ruksa’ the little one! Was very much of a dear child towards her father. A major general by profession within the armed forces, he was constantly relocated to vary of places for official duties. ‘Growing up in the south, schooling with the people of north, and some of the few years spent in the dusty places of the east. Name it! And chances are these two along with their mother and father have had resided there at one point in their life, to tell absolutely everything about it.

Anything that had a hint of adventure became an ever so integral part to this family. Especially! When it came to the little ones idea of enjoyment and fun. Priy was the eldest, who usually enjoyed bossing around in the house, She made sure of several subtle ways to terrorize her only sister, that too over trivial of things that usually took place between them. Once she even made some arrangements to lock her sister inside one of the many rooms in their house. That particular room was said to be haunted. The ghostly presence was of a man who had been the owner of that place before the family moved in. This happened to be the dinner time story as told by their mother. A staunch believer of the divine, Priy and Ruksa’s mother always used to be in her own heavenly state of things, worshipping the almighty with a certain depth of compassion. Ruksa once said “Do you know my mother speaks to lord ganesh when she is all alone.” Emitting a giggle as if to convey something far more unnerving.

Ruksa passion for books was well known to her folks. Since her schooling days, Books were the only thing she adored with her heart beside her parents and a lovely hated sister. No matter at what time of the day Ruksa was always found busy with a book or two by her side. Cocooning herself in one of the empty rooms of that gigantic house, she used to be literally surrounded in pieces of some antique looking furniture comprising of wooden chairs and a brown, almost withered study table. “…In the company of her thoughts’ their mother would say. The times when she tried using those tables to write or just scribble, the whole thing would squeak so badly that the entire house would come down with the sudden shatter of silence. Silence was the only thing that was uniform through out that place.

Literature by some of the eminent writers formed her special liking. Shakespeare to Wilde, Ruskin bonds cute stories to even the teenage wizards, every other word weave a spell on her glowing little mind. Priy knew this very well, and though of using her dear books to lure the little one into the confinement of the haunted walls of the room. All this for the sheer reason that Ruksa happened to use the computer in her humble absence. “At least that will teach her not to use my stuff,” in future.

That day Ruska found it quite unassuming, owing to her sisters sweet gesture. She had never ever been so polite before. Not even on the day she had her first birthday.

“The books you were expecting dear, they are here.” Priy said with a slight glint of smile.

“Here already?” Dropping the plates she as washing into the kitchen sink. “ …wow! Were is it di?’ she queried almost rushing towards the exit.

“There!” Pointing towards the slightly opened door, ‘ …In that room. It’s neatly kept on the bed.’

Without a second thought Ruska dashed towards the front door and had it fully opened. Priy followed closely, behind her sister. The moment she entered the room, Priy hurriedly reached for the door handle and closed it wide shut with a loud ‘thud’ to the whole house. Realizing she had been tricked but it was obviously too late before she realized; though she tried every possible muscle to inch the door to open, she found it unassumingly closed on her.

“keep looking for the books …kiddo!” the sinister voice started fading away into silence with what seemed like a glorified evil laugh!

The room was dark now. Only the light from afternoon sun was making its way into the blackened room. There was tiny slit to the huge ‘British era’ed’ window. The window was huge covering up the entire right wall, plastered with raw bricks and white cement. The whole house was supposed to be empty that day. Their mum had been to their relatives staying far away from their tiny neighborhood and dad was at his work place. Leaving the entire house all of empty to these two sisters. One being locked inside of the abandoned room and the other, well the other enjoying away to the view of the television in the nearby room.

Ruksa kept knocking and screaming so that somebody may hear her and let her out. But the sound echoed inside and felled as suddenly as it appeared. She nearly gave up after awhile. All the fear inside her started to fade as she slowly came to terms within the glowing darkness that arose inside that unfamiliar place. The tears gave way to dried eyes, that started adapting for some light. Now she could almost see he darkened vagueness. It was much similar to the other rooms in her house, except for the dusty floor and the webs spreading all around. Her imaginative mind started to like this, it started to make her believe into all the possibility that may have been present in that very place, apart from fact of the unseen ghost. Reading did render her as a very curious child.

She reached for the switches to see if there was any light that may have helped her. As no one used that room, the connections were discarded years before. Amazingly the fan was still swinging. It was rotating in a very slow spooky pattern. Her eyes became adjusted to the dim darkness inside after all this while. Was it the wind? She doubted! As there was no way it can make its entry inside that room. She left that doubt linger cuss her stare happened to stumble upon the boxes lying under of those humongous leggy bed. Almost in no time she reached the boxes and started pushing them one box at a time. They were big and heavy for her little strength.

When she opened them all but one was brinked with stacks and stacks of what seemed like official papers. Assuming that the other one must be having the same content, she reached for it anyways.

To her surprise she found what she didn’t really expected. She did eventually! The box had loads of books. Each neatly arranged in sequential and lined inside to the very top of that brown box. Her library was the only place she must have seen such number of books in one place, her face glowed with a smile. It was the second one on that day after having dropped the dishes in the sink.

Hours went by. Not a single speck of noise troubled Priy from inside the closed door. Sensing something was wrong, She didn’t wanted to get blamed for whatever as it was already time for their fathers arrival. With a nervous stance she called out “Ruksa!’ But there was no answer from inside. She called out again, this time with louder voice almost breaking its tone; “Ruksa…”

Worried and sweating in that chilly wind, she pushed opened the doors that were locked by her hours before. Finding her only little sister all safe and sound asleep literally covered in dust and piles of books. It was hard to believe what she saw but she was more or less relieved with the sudden view.

Out of a sudden she realized a dark shadow was staring down on her, just inches away. on her back. With slight hesitation she let her gaze turn. Now almost shifting her entire weight backward and nearly jumping out of guilt, she saw, her father. He was holding a bag stuffed with green vegetables in one hand and a questioned look in the other!