- Hey, do you think it is right to hide the past incidents from the new tenants? They have a baby. Aren’t we putting them in danger?
- Shh, do not say a word. What should I tell them, that all the previous occupants died in their sleep as if someone had sucked the life out of them? Do you think they will still rent the house after knowing that? Keep your mouth shut, idiot. We need the money.
***
The new inhabitants of the house were a small family of three. Husband, wife and an infant.
It was their first night at the new house.Â
“This deal has been quite a steal. Don’t you agree? Who rents a house at this price in Mumbai? That too with antique furniture. Just look at the mirror work on the mahogany cupboard.”
The husband was beaming with pride as he examined the antiquity.
“I don’t know. Something is amiss…”
The wife started but could not complete her sentence as the little one started stirring on the crib.Â
Nobody noticed the mirror on the closet shifted a little.
***
The clock struck twelve. The tired new parents had just dozed off after putting the much reluctant baby to sleep. The mirror on the cupboard opened with a creak and slimy, long fingers protruded from behind. In the darkness of the room, one could only make out a slim figure was peeping beyond the glass frame. Slowly a miry limb landed on the floor and the glass opened with a slight screeching sound.Â
The tender sound was enough to alert one of the members in the room. An ear-shattering cry of the baby woke up the parents. The light was switched on and the baby was checked for all the usual mishaps. The diaper was dry, the crib was not hurting him, the temperature of the room was adjusted to make the tiny one comfortable but nothing could calm the kid down. It was only after hours the tiny one hushed and by then it was already time for the next feed.
It was while feeding the baby that the mother noticed a bizarre thing. The mirror on the cupboard was open in a strange way.
***
 The ordeal continued for the next few days. The baby kept waking up in the middle of the night and each time the couple found the mirror opened like a door.Â
On the fifth day, a decision was made.
“It’s us or the cupboard. If you can’t shift the cupboard we are sorry we have to leave this house.”
The house owner was notified by the sleepless couple.Â
Next day the cupboard was replaced with a common steel Almira. And the cupboard was shifted to some attic.Â
Well, the baby continued to wake up in the middle of the night for various other reasons and the couple still had some sleepless nights. But, at least no unnatural death was reported again in the building.Â
***
Photo By:Â
This is an entry for the event #twelve #Five00-10 at ArtoonsInn Writers Room.
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Event sponsored by The Archaic House
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