The Fortunate Escape
The full moon night marked the first Wedding Anniversary of Abhishek and Ananya.
His plans for spending the evening with his wife were rudely interrupted when his phone buzzed. An emergency had cropped up at the hospital. With the roar of his engine, he set off to the hospital.The ticking of the clock had started to make Abhishek anxious. Guilt started welling up in him, for making Ananya wait. He smacked his forehead and called her. "Tringg" rang the bell, while he paced restlessly in the corridor. With a click, Ananya's sweet voice rang out of the receiver. He tried to assure her that he would reach home in an hour. Hurriedly, he grabbed his car keys and rushed out of his cabin, slamming the door behind him.
He turned the key in the ignition and the car whirred to life. Taking the bumpy village route was in order today if he wanted to make it on time. Halfway through, the car's tyres screeched to a halt. Cursing his luck he came out of the car. To his dismay, the rear tyre was punctured. With a groan, he scanned his surroundings his eyes rested upon an ominous manor. A howl pierced the silence of the night sky and a cold shiver ran down his spine. A flickering light lit up a moving figure dressed in stark white and a red turban. Approaching him Abhishek inquired about a car mechanic or if there was a garage nearby. Instead of answering him, the guard gave him a cold stare. The guard beckoned him inside and led him into a grand yet old hall, where a frail old man lay on an ornately carved teak bed. His thick moustache gave him the appearance of a zamindar. A man seemingly his son sobbed next to his sickbed. Fixing his bloodshot eyes on Abhishek he said, "We were waiting for you Doctor please save my father." Abhishek was startled, how was he aware of that. Falling backwards with a thud he heard the tinkling of anklets on the stairs. And everything happened in an instant a lady glided down the stairs stopping in front of his fallen figure. He was paralysed with goose bumps creeping up his back. He tried to speak but not a single word came out of his mouth. With a gurgle, he felt his throat choke and an icy grip on his neck. He fell to the ground unconscious. He woke up with a babble of voices surrounding him. Looking about himself he realized that the manor had vanished and he lay sprawled on the earth. He narrated last night's story to the villagers who looked at each other darkly and said, "You are fortunate to have escaped from his clutches. The zamindar's wandering soul is in search of the doctor who had poisoned him and killed his family in exchange for riches from his rival." He returned home ragged and trembling, it was a night he would never forget.[ratemypost]
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