Second Last Life

Tiyash Chakraborty, a twenty-two years old College student having Arts as major and supposedly the ‘legendary brave boy’ of his college who feared no one, was standing in front of the really big mansion which, according to several people, was being reigned by Ghosts. A normal person would harbour different kinds of emotions while taking in a view of the typically old and ragged manor. No doubt it was inhabited by those really ugly beings. According to Tiyash – “Ghosts are mythical. They only occur in movies and in the mirror when a girl stands in front of it, wearing no makeup. You might reason out a possibility that Tiyash might bear hatred towards the female community, but it’s not so. In fact, Tiyash was infatuated with a girl in his class, Sarah Adhikari - an enchanting creature with long black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. Sarah Adhikari had offered him a deal, assuring him that she would go out with him only if he could spend a night in the haunted house of the neighbouring town, all alone, with just a bag containing clothes to change, water bottles and foodstuffs. And yeah, he was also allowed to carry his phone with him. “As you all can see, I’ve already reached the main entrance of the so-called ‘Haunted House’,” Tiyash declared in a husky voice as he held his phone in the hand, the camera facing and recording the huge gate built of iron bars that were already damaged and filled with rust. Fortunately, the house was not secured with the gate carrying a large lock in the middle. Rather, it was open. “I’m now going to enter. Not sure if I’ll return alive. Or I may be severely harmed by the spirits living here,” Tiyash joked and continued, “ but you know, ‘Tiyash doesn’t fear anyone’.” He applied some pressure at one of the bars of the gate, causing his hand to get painted with rust. “Ugh!” Tiyash expressed his displeasure on seeing his palm get coated with a thin layer of oxide. The gate opened with an eerie noise. He felt someone’s hand on his shoulder, so he turned back immediately. There was no one behind him. “That’s…strange,” He murmured to no one in particular and instantly threw the unusual feeling at the back of his mind. He started proceeding forward while studying the disheveled condition of the house.  He rubbed off the orange dust on his jeans and gripped the straps of the bag that was being a burden on his shoulders. The bag contained all necessary items that he needed to spend the night with. Tiyash had no idea whether there would be internet facilities in that prohibited place, so he made sure to previously download some movies to keep himself entertained. After watching movies till his heart content, he would have his supper. After getting his stomach flooded with the dinner that he had bought from a restaurant, he would spend another three to four hours watching movies again, up until his eyelids became pretty heavy. Tiyash’s scalp was concealed with a dense growth of jet black mane, which had the power to make girls feel envious of his possession. His dark-brown peepers were a sight to behold. Many girls of his College had already been swept off their feet by his charms, but he was not a confident person in front of ladies. He usually avoided talking to girls, especially the ones in other departments of the academy. According to his eyes, Sarah was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He did not have the nerve to talk to her about his feelings, or ask her out for a date. So he decided to make use of this mind-blowing opportunity to impress her. The deal was really puny for him. He just had to spend the night in the shivering darkness, what more? Tiyash did not believe in ghosts or monsters. He was used to watching abundant Horror movies. The ugly creatures called ‘ghosts, witches, werewolves’ never really scared him. Nightmares never bothered him. And why would they? They were just mere dreams with a scary plot. “I have finally reached the doorstep of the Mansion,” Tiyash announced and recorded the flight of stairs leading him to the corridor which he had to walk across, so as to reach the door. The door was quite huge as well. Tiyash was so excited to explore what was there inside. Maybe there would be old and highly aristocrat furniture occupying spaces in each of the rooms; dangerous yet dead animals’ heads hanging all over the walls; large canvases with paintings of rich personalities would be hung in almost all the rooms, decorating the walls. Tiyash hoped that even if the paintings were covered with a sheath of dust, they would not lose their majesty. “Now, I’m about to open this door…what the hell!” Tiyash yelled, irritated and displeased while checking out the heavy metal lock that was hanging proudly between the two parts of the hatchway. He grabbed the lock and pulled it in different directions in hopes that it would open. Without a key, there was no way he could open the door. He could not understand what to do, so he thought of recording himself saying, “Looks like the door isn’t going to open because of this lock over here,” he held the phone over the rusty metal and then again, turned the camera back to him, “Wish me luck! I’m going to stay outside, sadly.” Tiyash made a grumpy face and started walking through the corridor, looking here and there to find someone ‘unexpectedly’. “Is anybody here??!!!” Tiyash pouted. Of course there would be nobody present in a place like that! Tiyash was well aware of it and felt like a fool. He thought of roaming about the surrounding places to kill some time until his stomach ached for food. While indolently walking through the corridor, he glanced in different directions, to find another entrance to the house. As the abode was completely abandoned, the lawn got sheltered with a thick growth of dry grasses and leafless trees, bearing no flowers, or beauty of any form. Everything felt so dark, humid and creepy. It wasn't that the sights sent a shiver down Tiyash’s spine! Supposedly not. The sun could be seen disappearing at the horizon. The sky was a magnificent mixture of colours. He regretted to not have packed the items needed for painting the combination of purple, yellow and red which were ornamenting the dome above him. He carefully sat down on one of the steps, making his jeans wipe away the collection of dust, accumulated there for an unknown number of years. He imagined himself as the artist hiding behind the clouds, sitting with a palette full of colours of the finest quality and twisting his hands in a skillful way to decorate the medium with a brush, mightier than any magical wand that exists in fictions. He was beginning to grow affectionate for that place. His apartment stood amidst a saturation of buildings, inhabited by people who had no knowledge of peace. The guy next door was a lover of rock music and hence, the only vibrations that caused violence against his eardrums was the terrible songs that he played at a volume that could bring about an earthquake. The neighbours to his right were passionate lovers of debate. Tiyash had to endure the vocal battle between the couple who had the willingness to fight over every topic in existence. The balls of cotton in the holes of his ears were tired of servicing him. Besides those beings, there was a railway station, situated very near to his apartment. It seemed to enjoy disturbing his already troubled soul. He achingly stared at the tracks of rails every day, dreaming about running away home, where his family resided. The sun dissolved in the vicinity, making the surroundings darker than earlier. Tiyash stretched his limbs, dropped his bag on the wood beside him, and rested his back against the edges of the stairs. He was idle enough to stand up, but he did anyway. “Tsk” He made a sound and rolled his eyes, exasperated. After juggling the water bottle for some time, he opened its cap to pour the liquid down his throat. He used his knuckles to smear the drops of water that escaped from getting trapped inside his mouth. There was no source of illumination in the purlieu, so he switched on the electric torch to make it act as a substitute. He was at least assertive about the fact that he would not get bored, because of the gadget in the grip of his hand – his treasurable mobile phone. He flopped onto the floor of the corridor, stretching his legs restfully. “What should I watch?” Tiyash asked himself, scratching his neck while diving deep into thoughts. At first, he thought of listening to songs. “Nah, later,” he rejected the idea and went on to open the ‘download’ folder. According to the atmosphere that was surrounding him, a horror movie would make the environment quite interesting. So he searched for a really spooky film within a few minutes and hastily plucked in the earphones before the video could start. The movie started in a very interesting manner. Tiyash laid his head on the bag and placed one of his legs over the other. The belt around his hips bothered him with a slight hint of pain, but he chose to ignore it. Tiyash was never scared of the ghosts in the movies. He knew that behind that ugly as hell makeover, there is always an ordinary person with a normal face. There’s nothing to fear! After watching half of the movie, he decided to pause the video. He put an effort to fiddle with his belt to loosen it. No, he wasn’t going to take it off and lay down again. He was just making preparations to find an appropriate place in the wild sod, and pee his load out, immediately. He paced his way to the grass, experiencing a cool mild breeze that was busy pushing his perfectly styled pitch-black hairs to the left. Why did he style it anyway? As if he went there to woo a lady! We cannot deny the fact that we too beautify ourselves before stepping outside our house, in case we require impressing somebody? Tiyash hunted down the best place to wee. He quickly dropped his jeans and tugged his underwear down. “What a bliss!” Tiyash breathed out, feeling relaxed. He suddenly felt the urge to look around himself. What if…he was being stared at? The air blanketing him was so eerie that he couldn’t resist himself from taking a view of his surroundings. His heart bumped against his thorax at a faster rate, nervousness taking control of his body. “I’m the only one here,” Tiyash started laughing exaggeratingly, only to quieten abruptly, listening to the sounds of footsteps, that were most probably approaching him. Tiyash was not a person to chew his nails, but his fingers automatically reached his lips, compelling his teeth to nibble on the dead cells. He held his breath so as to not create any sort of extra vibration that may disturb the audibility of the ‘suspicious’ sound. A rat suddenly hopped out after scurrying under the canopy of dry grasses and darkness. “Oh s**t, it’s a rat!” Tiyash mewled out while clutching the red T-shirt at his heart. What a relief! Tiyash being a courageous gentleman was too arrogant to admit that he really got scared by the noises before the rodent made an appearance. Deep down, he knew that his pride got heavily wounded.  He accused the unnerving environment for extracting his coward-self out, but ultimately decided to laugh the disappointment off. He aimed the torch at the ground, taking watchful strides until he reached the steps. The air that blew, hitting his body playfully, was cooler than before. He took the previous position, lying down on the floor clad with dust, and adjusted his comfort by placing his head in multiple ways on the bag. After assuring his coziness, he resumed the video. The girl in the movie was heading towards a room, following the piano notes which were raising an octave higher with every step she took. The house was empty, not a human was supposed to be present. Yet the piano was being played beautifully. Jenna wasn’t mesmerized though. She knew there was something apprehensive about the music. It scared her. Tiyash rolled his eyes. He was definitely losing interest in the film, judging by the way the plot seemed so dragged. It’s so obvious that the piano is being played by a ghost, or some mysterious creature of that sort! Why to make it so dramatic? If the girl is feeling afraid, why is she trying to pay a visit to that enigmatic room? Well, he had nothing else to do instead of watching it, so he pretended to be engrossed into the story. Jenna entered the room, her face displaying no emotion. “Marvelous face with no talent,” Tiyash commented on the actress’s poor acting skills. There was no one in the room…but the piano keys were being operated, on its own. Interesting. Tiyash yawned, opening his mouth wide. He caressed his stomach, feeling his organ grumble for food. He decided to take a meal break and stopped the video. “Kindly do not pee just anywhere you like. You are so disgusting!” Tiyash jerked up, holding the phone in his hands, his thumb going for the pause button…but the video was still paused. Tiyash felt anxiety in his chest. He sat frozen in his spot, trying to decipher the situation. “W-What did I just hear?” Tiyash asked himself, his body shaking involuntarily. “I repeat my words again, for you seem deaf. Do not dare to destroy our beautiful lawn with that poison of yours!” The tone of the voice converted from humble to rude. Tiyash laughed out loud. “I know you are not a ghost! You just want to scare me,” Tiyash took the torch in his grip and aimed it in different directions to find out the girl who was probably sent there by his friends to accomplish the task of frightening him. The girl must’ve entered the yard prior to his arrival. “Where are you by the way?” Tiyash strained his eyes to try and figure out the vague outline of the girl in the dark when his torch proved to be useless. “I’m sitting right in front of you,” The girl giggled. “H-How dare you joke!” Tiyash positioned the light before him but there was nobody in sight. His ears could not deny the utter loudness of her voice, making him believe that she was not lying. His body remained motionless, the only exception being his shivering hand that was still holding the torch, tightly. “I’m not scared,” Tiyash announced nervously, sweat dripping down his neck. “Switch off the torch, I’ll give you a surprise,” The mysterious girl commanded very sweetly. Tiyash spent some time thinking whether he should really switch the light off or not, but ultimately, he did. Only because he believed that it was just a girl covering her face with the ugliest form of makeup possible, he carried out her order. “Okay, now switch it on,” The girl, with her melodious voice, instructed him again. “Kay,” Tiyash switched the lights on as per her wish. The image of the girl that Tiyash created in his mind was as dreadful as the devil of the underworld, but strangely, she was just the contrary. When you target your light source at someone’s’ face in the dark, it’s pretty obvious that there’s going to be dark bands in the areas where the light doesn’t reach. She peculiarly did not have any! The oddest thing which caught Tiyash’s eyes was the girl’s nude body. And...her golden locks hanging down the sides of her forehead.  “W-Why are you not wearing anything? Is this a freaking joke? Are you trying to lead me astray using your bare skin?” Tiyash scolded her while his blood boiled with anger. He had the least amount of interest in watching her obscene appearance and hence he zipped open his bag to dig out his T-shirt which he brought along with him. “Wait…I’m not trying to attract you with my nudity! I-I have no clothes!” The girl defended herself but Tiyash was too furious to listen to her. “Kindly wear this!” He threw the shirt at her but surprisingly, it went through her body and fell on the floor behind her. Tiyash's eyes widened with disbelief. The shirt just…went through her? How is that even possible? Tiyash wanted to scream loud enough so that the people far away from the f*******n place could hear him. He tried doing so but no sound came out of his throat. His vocal cords weren’t working! If plan A fails, try to make your plan B succeed. Tiyash tried really hard to stand up and run, but he was completely paralyzed. “I’m not a bad girl! You don’t have any right to judge me!” She puffed her cheeks and creased her eyebrows. The girl was looking really adorable, but if you consider looking into the matter in Tiyash’ point of view, you’d admit that she was radiating petrifying and dangerous sensations. Tiyash was quite sure that he was going to die. He had unknowingly dug his own grave by agreeing to Sarah's treaty. “Hey, why aren’t you talking?” The girl asked, waving her hand in front of Tiyash’s face. Tiyash was already frozen into a sculpture. Neither was he able to move, nor did he possess the power to transform his thoughts into comprehensible sentences. This really hurt. He never thought that his ultra-bravery would kill him someday. “Pl…Plez…,” Tiyash attempted to apologize for entering her territory without permission, but the sounds he produced, made the girl pretty confused. The girl started coming closer to him, in hopes that his words could be understood better, if she shifts towards him. “What are you saying? I really cannot understand anything!” The girl brought her ear close to Tiyash’s mouth. Tiyash’s heartbeat rose within a second. He feared that his blood vessels would explode any moment due to this unbearable hypertension. There was no way he could tolerate this fear anymore. Maybe the girl was coming closer to get better access to his head, which she would tear off from his body and munch onto it till dawn. He felt completely out of energy and had no control over his body. He laid on the floor and was about to close his eyes shut. The last thing that he saw was the girl, hovering over his body, her face filled with concern. “Goodbye, Sarah. I hope I’ll date you in my next life,” Tiyash pronounced his dying wish in his mind and closed his eyes, falling unconscious.