SHORT STORY

One dark night, my friends and I stumbled upon a mysterious, deserted house. The once grand mansion loomed in despair, windows shattered and the walls whispering secrets. Mustering courage we entered the dusty, crumbling building. Inside was dark with a musty smell. The walls were of ancient brickwork with cobwebs and dust collecting in the corners. The place was sending shivers down our spines.

As we examined the house, in one room, which seemed a little larger than the other rooms, lay a piano untouched for decades. I couldn’t fight the urge to touch the keys. At my tap, the haunting melodies filled the room. Spine-chilling sounds filled the entire house. Ghostly figures appeared and raced from every corner, gesturing us to follow them. Panic surged, but my companions and I followed them to unravel the secret. The ghostly figures led us into a room which looked like a storeroom. They stopped and started to swirl in the corner. As soon as we reached the corner, the figures vanished into thin air.

Then we found a few broad papers and a thin book lying on the floor. We opened the book. It narrated a tragic tale of a family, cursed by the very piano I played. It also had information about how to free the souls cursed by the piano. I closed the diary with trembling hands. We left the house in complete silence. And the house retreated into hushed silence. This forever changed us, where past and present met in an unforgettable experience.

by

Akshara Jasti

Class IX

Written in October 2023