Split second thrill

It was post dinner time.After a brief sibling rivalry with my brother, I went to my reading room upstairs and got engrossed in my work. He followed me upstairs in the mood to prolong the fight but seeing the couch he lay on it and started to snore. My brother is someone who would be fast asleep the moment he wants to sleep. That night I presumed he was asleep.

After sometime, I heard a scratching sound and a banging sound sounding alternatively. My eyes that was fixed on the laptop became alert. I listened carefully to the scratching sound. It was the gabbiest and the most unwelcomed sound. It stuck my mind and I frantically jumped out of the chair to see where it was. I even panicked it might be on floor adding more to my annoyance. Gladly, the lizard was on the wall making the tchak tchak tchak sound. For a moment, I rested in peace! But what is that banging sound? It sounded like drums beat. After a few seconds, it stopped.I continued my work thinking it could be a noise outside, may be from workshop. After a while, I heard a child’s laugh. Later, I heard a soft music for a few seconds and then some giggles... Whoof, finally I know what it was- THE ANNOYING whatsapp forwards in my brother’s mobile. Ugh! My brother hasn’t slept yet. Snoring sound was just to confuse me. I grumbled for sometime and then returned to my work. A few minutes later,a dog was howling and running across the street. I followed the noise. The howling sound was strong near my home and faded away with distance. Someone during my childhood, instilled fear in me that dogs howl when they sense a ghost. Ever since, when I hear a dog’s howl, my mind would stop for a second and would imagine ghost. "Is the ghost right in front of my house watching or guarding me; that’s why the howling sound is more near my house and less away from my home?" Both weren’t good to imagine. I ran across the room grabbed a God’s picture and tried to work. But fear filled imaginations couldn’t resist imagining.I even thought the ghost might be scanning my house from different directions and that it could be dog’s way of alerting humans about the "white figure". This time I didn’t fear to the degree I should have been. Guess, I’m learning to stay strong with such imaginative experience over years.Nay... I know my brother was awake in the next room and that he was there to face and share lizards and ghosts. I called out to my brother just to ensure that he was awake. I didn’t get a response. I paused and then panicked. However, I’d work to be done, so I took the laptop to the hall so that I’m near my brother. I strategically sat near his legs because if I fear I could catch hold of his legs and that would shake him out of his slumber. Fortunately, I completed the work in sometime. I closed my laptop feeling really good for the work completed despite fear within me. Like the usual chores before sleep, I went down to check if the house was locked and had some water. I went up to the hall. My brother was already snoring. I went to switch off the light in the hall and mistakenly rattled things there and went to use the rest room. I long for sleep every night as it completely black out of mind and body for a few hours! With that mindset, I came out of the rest room and as I was pulling the door to latch it, I saw a black shadow beside me sharply and stiffly turned towards me.It was a well defined and well visible shadow. I was literally thrown aback. The shadow with my reflex also disappeared. The outline of the shadow was imprinted in my mind and I knew whose shadow it was but couldn’t recollect it then. The momentary shock threw me aside and I saw my brother lying sideways turned to the opposite side of me and using Whatsapp. Err...The light from the phone had dimly lit the room and had cast my own the shadow on the wall. As I was in a shock and speechless, he turned to me and scolded me to have rattled the things that woke him up.

I wanted to retaliate to have opened whatsapp in the middle of night that shook me off but the split second experience though was paralyzing was equally a thrilling experience especially when I couldn’t guess my own shadow!

Jananee Ramakrishnan

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Exploring inside out and outside in.