It was midnight, and sleep eluded me, so I opted for a quiet walk in my apartment. The night air seemed more inviting than tossing in bed.
In the chilly night, my jacket was nowhere to be found, but who cares at midnight, right? Without second thoughts, I grabbed the white bedsheet from the bed and wrapped myself in it. Surprisingly, the cozy bedsheet turned out to be a savior against the night's cold.
A few steps in, I had a close encounter with a spooky white figure, only to realize it was just me, scaring myself with my own reflection. Draping myself in that white sheet gave me a fright and I ended up scaring myself!
As I strolled along, a warm voice echoed in the quiet night, "Hey, hi! Do you reside in this apartment?" I wondered what brought him out at this hour. His voice, warm and friendly, resonated in the silent surroundings. Listening to him, I couldn't help but admire the charm in his eyes and the inviting smile. Sporting a 3-day stubble beard, he looked remarkably handsome. Oh, and by the way, he was wearing a black shirt. It added a cool touch to his whole vibe under the moonlight.
"Can I join you for a walk?" he asked, and I thought, why not? It might be a more interesting night than usual.
Hesitant but curious, I asked, "I've been living here for a year, but I haven't seen you around. By the way, which floor are you on, and what's your flat number?""
The mysterious stranger grinned and replied in a hushed tone, "Ah, that's the perks of being a ghost - we're invisible. I reside on the ghostly 13th seventh floor, and my flat number is 1313. Lucky number, isn't it?"
Laughing at his ghostly details, I teased, "Well, that explains why I haven't seen you before – invisible and all. Must say, it's my first time encountering a handsome ghost. Lucky me, right?"
His laughter echoed like a ghost, sending shivers down my spine.
As we strolled, he started sharing spooky ghost stories, making the dark night scary. Amidst the ghostly tales, a sudden chill ran down my spine. The stranger grinned mysteriously, "Speaking of ghosts, there's one right behind you!" I turned around in a panic, only to find him laughing heartily.
"Oh man, feeling a bit uneasy here," I confessed, "mind if we switch to a less spooky topic?"
"Want to hear a joke?" he said, his tone sending shivers down my spine.
"Sure, why not? Mr. Ghost!" I responded, adding a playful touch to the scary atmosphere.
"Ever wondered why ghosts never interfere in couples arguments?", he mused.
"Because ghosts have realized that couples arguments are deadly and scarier than facing a ghost. It's even worse than a haunting experience!" I responded, marveling at my own amusing articulation.
"Phew, nope!" he replied coolly.
"Well, because when they argue, they both end up looking like ghosts" I attempted a philosophical response.
"Phew, nope!"
I shrugged, eagerly awaiting the punchline.
"Because they know it's a dead-end conversation!" His laughter erupted, bouncing off the walls like a mischievous ghost causing choas in a haunted house.
I signaled "shhh" to suppress his laughter. "Keep it down; people are in deep sleep," I whispered.
"If someone shows up, watch how I vanish like this," he whispered, playfully disappearing into the bushes and leaving a haunted silence that sent shivers down my spine.
"Mr. Ghost, Mr. Ghost sir!" I called out, but there was no response.
Just as I started to feel spooked, the mysterious stranger reappeared from behind a tree, attempting not to burst into laughter. "Sorry about that," he said, struggling to compose himself. "Couldn't resist a little ghostly prank. Hope I didn't scare you too much!"
Relieved, I couldn't help but laugh along as the stranger remarked, "Chalo, it's time for me to vanish. Hope our paths cross again, goodnight," walking briskly and disappearing into the lobby.
As I continued walking, the security guard approached me and greeted, "Hello, ma'am. I noticed you talking to yourself. Everything okay? Anyone you're looking for?"
"Heyyy wait, have you not seen a man in a black shirt?" I asked the security guard.
"No, ma'am. Haven't seen anyone like that. Are you sure?" he replied.
"He just crossed you and went up to the 13th floor," I asked, my words jumbling and trembling.
"13th floor?" he questioned, puzzled. "lekin maaam, is taavar mein hamaare paas 12 floors hain"
Under regular circumstance, I never quite grasped Hindi and often had to insist him to repeat in a blend of languages (English, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi), hoping to catch at least one word from each. However, in the current moment, the intensity of the situation I am in, made me realise what he actually meant. "But we only have 12 floors in this tower"
"Oh, no, wait. Yes, you're right."
My legs started to shiver, a chill running down my spine. Understanding the gravity of the situation, I rushed to the CCTV room, anxious to witness the footage of my midnight encounter with that mysterious stranger.
"Play the last few hours, quick!". The person in the CCTV room played the footage from the last few hours without an enquiry sensing the urgency in my voice. The sound of my breaths intensified as I watched the footage, only to discover that the man in black shirt was never captured in the CCTV footage.
"Oh, no. There was no one next to me," confusion etched on myface. I was left standing there, talking to myself, my words hanging in the air.
👻💀👁️🗨️The mystery of whom I was talking to lingers, casting a shadow on the haunted midnight👻💀👁️🗨️
