After a Long Wait, Sharma Family, who were Hindu decided to move to their new House.
The Couples were newly wedded and made this house to live with each other and start a new family.
In Hindu mythology, many when moving to a new house have a Ritual worship to make Gods happy before entering their new House and living there.
So to follow this Religious believe, they decided to conduct this Ritual by Calling a Pandit (Hindu priest).
So the Pandit first checked a proper Muhurat (Auspicious Time) to conduct this pooja.
After that, he prepared Pooja Samagri (Ritual Items). This was followed by purification of the House and setting up the Havan and Pooja Area.
The Pooja started at the right time and went on without any problem until it reached the last phase.
During that phase, suddenly the clouds went dark like heavy rain was upon them. Strong winds followed.
Seeing that, Mrs. Sharma started to worry. Changing Climate like this is not a good sign during a Pooja. Her Husband reassured her by saying it was just strong winds and that it would be fine.
The Pandit continued with the Pooja until the winds died down and Sun came back. This was followed by a sigh of relief from Mrs. Sharma.
Everything looked fine at first. But as the Pooja was nearing its end, suddenly a raven came crashing into her window. It interrupted their Pooja.
Seeing that, Mrs. Sharma stood up in fear. She believed it to be a bad Omen and asked the Pandit what was happening.
Even the Pandit looked shocked. Something like this had never happened before. A Raven is found in High Altitude places. Seeing one here seemed pretty strange.
In Hindu traditions, crows and ravens are sometimes associated with ancestors (Pitru).
In folklore, ravens are sometimes linked with mystery or change. That is why some people call it a bad omen.
So the Pandit started to check the Muhurat and his books to find something he could do for this situation. He didn't find much.
Mrs. Sharma felt something was not right. She decided to change the date for this pooja. This got strong opposition from Mr. Sharma.
According to him, there was nothing to fear. He doesn't believe much in these things. The only reason he did this was because of his Wife and relatives.
According to him, he had paid the Pandit beforehand for this pooja. If the Pooja got cancelled, his money would go to waste. He would need to pay the Pandit again for doing a new Pooja.
So he reassured his Wife by saying it was just a coincidence. He said they live in the 21st Century. Things like Bad Omen are not true and are just old Believes.
The Wife wanted to argue. But her Husband was stubborn and still followed up with the Pooja. Seeing that it was near its end anyway, Mrs. Sharma had to give in and let the Pooja continue.
After completion of Griha Pravesh Pooja, they distributed Prasad and Food to the Pandit and their neighbours.
While leaving, the Pandit gave Mrs. Sharma Two Lockets. They consisted of two Symbols, "Om (ॐ)" and "Swastika (卐)".
Both are considered sacred in Hinduism.
Om represents the universe and ultimate reality (Brahman). It is believed to be the first sound of creation from which everything began.
The word Swastika meaning from Sanskrit:
Su = Good
Asti = To be / existence
Meaning: Good fortune or Well-being.
While giving them, the Pandit said:
"I Don't know what this incident represents. But still, your family should stay safe. Use these Symbols. Hang the Swastika near your Main Door and the OM near your Pooja House."
After saying that, the Pandit left. Mrs. Sharma did as she was told.
For Some Few Years, everything seemed Normal. On the contrary, their Luck seemed to have boosted.
Mr. Sharma was having everything Good. He got a Promotion and within a Year removed his Bank Debt for making the House.
Mrs. Sharma started to get familiar with her environment. She learned how good their neighbours were. They were ready to help her at any moment.
For Sharma Family, getting this House seemed to have changed their Life for better. Mrs. Sharma started to get her Guard down. She stopped paying attention to the words of the Pandit and became relaxed.
Though she still followed her usual Pooja, she felt safer here than anywhere else.
After another year, Sharma Family got another good news in the form of a Small Child.
To them, coming to this House was the best Decision they made in their Life. They did not know the approaching Danger slowly creeping toward them.
The Days followed with more Good Things happening to them. This time the Good Things became more frequent. Earlier it was not that consistent. Now they had something good happening every day.
It seemed a little Strange to Mrs. Sharma. But she believed it was because of her Child boosting their luck. This made her feel proud as a Mother.
After the Child was born, for first few weeks everything seemed fine. But as Days went by, they noticed weird behaviour in their Son.
The Crying of their Son increased too much. His consumption of Milk rapidly decreased.
He cried so much that the couple could not get proper sleep. The Child only cried continuously.
It reached the point where they started to argue with each other because of their Son.
They didn't understand what was causing this behaviour. They visited a Doctor. The Doctor said the Child was perfectly fine.
But they noticed something Strange. Whenever he was outside, he didn't cry even once. He seemed energetic and behaved like a normal Child.
His Mother thought it was because of lack of Fresh Air. The Doctor also advised taking the Child outside more often. She believed this could solve the problem.
It helped slightly. Whenever they were outside, their Son looked energetic. He observed the outside world with curiosity.
After returning home, he fell asleep quickly. This gave them hope that their Son was getting better.
Now everything seemed fine again. They looked like a Happy Family.
Seemed… Until…
A year had Passed. It was their Son's First Birthday. The whole Family was Happy and excited.
Nothing was made at home. The plan was to stay out, eat outside and have fun all Day.
They went to a Restaurant, had good meals and went on a Trip. They decided not to go home until late Night.
Usually their Son gets tired fast. But that Day he was very excited and energetic.
The Family had a wonderful time together. They forgot all Stress and Tension.
But Night came. Like all good things need to end, they decided to head back Home.
Mr. Sharma started Driving. Mrs. Sharma sat beside him holding their Son.
They talked happily. Their Son still had energy left. It felt adorable to them.
As they approached their Block, something weird started to happen.
The Area which was always packed with Cars and people, even at Night, became quiet. There was no one in sight.
As they moved closer to their Residence, they felt a heavy atmosphere gripping their throat. It made them uncomfortable.
Once they reached their Neighbourhood, both felt something was wrong.
The whole Neighbourhood was Silent. All lights from neighbour Houses were closed.
The place looked Deserted.
There were no Car Horns. No chattering of people. No insects or birds.
Only Silence.
The Silence felt louder than any Noise.
The Silence affected them deeply. They looked visibly shocked.
!!!
They came back to their senses when their Child started Crying.
Mrs. Sharma urged her Husband to reach Home quickly. It seemed logical.
It was a Wrong Choice.
They drove through the Silence and reached their House.
After parking, they went inside. Their Child cried louder and tugged his Mother's clothes. It felt like he did not want to go inside.
Ignoring it, they entered the Dark House.
Mrs. Sharma switched on the Lights. Mr. Sharma placed his keys and sat on the Couch.
They were exhausted and wanted sleep. Their Child kept crying louder.
Mrs. Sharma held her Son and tried to comfort him. He continued crying and started pointing towards the Kitchen.
She thought he was hungry and wanted Milk.
As Children grow, they recognize routines. She believed he remembered where she prepared Milk.
She handed the Child to his Father and walked toward the Kitchen.
The Child kept crying and reaching toward her, Mr. Sharma tried to play with him but failed.
As Mrs. Sharma approached the Kitchen, she felt heaviness pressing her Chest. The atmosphere felt Dark and Chilling.
She looked behind repeatedly. She felt someone watching her.
Inside the Kitchen, she played Music on her Phone to calm herself. She took Milk from Refrigerator.
She filled the Bottle and placed it in Microwave. She nodded with the Music while waiting.
While turning her head casually, she noticed something at the corner of her eye.
She turned quickly toward the dark Corner. The Corner looked darker than other areas. Nothing stood there.
Still, she was sure she saw a Shadow Figure.
Tim…
The Microwave stopped as the Countdown ended. She removed the Milk and checked temperature. She kept looking back toward the Corner.
It still looked darker. It felt like something existed but remained unseen.
After confirming the Milk was warm, she returned to Living Room.
The Child had stopped crying. But as soon as she entered, he started crying again. It felt like she had not returned alone.
Mr. Sharma joked sarcastically,
"It seems our Son doesn't like you much."
It was a joke but offended Mrs. Sharma. Which turned into a heated Argument.
While arguing, she fed the Child Milk. While drinking, his eyes remained fixed behind his Mother's back. As if something was watching them.
They ignored this. As there Mind were Focused on Arguing.
Until…
Thud… Smash…
A Loud Noise followed by Glass Shattering sound came from the Kitchen.