THE UNBARRED CASEMENT

June fifteenth was the school opening date

June fifteenth was the school opening date for the eleventh-grade students but the hostellers were requested to come a day before. Keerthi came with a long face carrying luggage into the hostel. The seniors were waiting to help their juniors. Warden said Keerthi to go to room number 619. All the seniors together shouted “ma’am”. “shh… help her carry her luggage, guide her. The corner room on the fifth floor is your room already a girl has arrived there. You can go. And you girls don’t say anything to her and frighten her. Understood!”. Replied the warden. “yes ma’am!” Said the seniors. “Give me your bag,” said one of the seniors grabbing the only bag that she was carrying. Her seniors helped her a lot in reaching the fifth floor without a struggle. As soon as they reached their room Keerthi asked them the reason for shouting when they heard the room number. “Nothing, nothing,” everybody said nothing and went back down. “Kavya come!” said one of the seniors. “Mmm you go I’ll come”, replied Kavya.

“Come on, will you promise me that you won’t say this to anyone else,” asked Kavya, holding Keerthi’s hand. “Yes”, replied Keerthi. “One of our seniors committed suicide in this room. After that incident we were shifted to this room, as the roommates of that deceased senior refused to stay in this room”. “Oh my god! Then how you were staying?” asked Keerthi. “No, we too didn’t stay here. We protested and they shifted us to the first floor and sealed this room. A year passed and now they have opened this room. They told us that they did some Pooja to this room and everything is normal. You don’t worry everything would have become normal.” “Did you notice anything abnormal after that incident in this room?” asked Keerthi. “Yes, and that’s why we refused to stay here” replied Kavya. “kaaaaaavvvvvvyaaaaaa”, there came a call from the ground floor. “Okay bye,” said the senior and went down.

Keerthi kept on thinking about that. She was in a state of dilemma, thinking about what to do next. She wasn’t afraid that if she would die for being in that room. She was worried for the crooked minds that the administrators had. “They wanted more money and that’s why they have unlocked that room,” thought Keerthi. She decided to take a camera with her and record abnormal activities if anything happens as she could have proof and make that room locked again.