After the best afternoon nap, Ashwin woke up, he stretched his arms while his eyes were still half closed, rubbed his hand on his messy hair, yawned his sleep away, he walked to the washroom.
He knew that he was supposed to study but no, it had never been his cup of tea for the last two years, so he sat on his chair, his hand lay on the table, his fingers rolled at his smartphone, scrolling YouTube, this time he had opened YouTube for class twelfth chapters but before he can put that on the search bar, his finger already clicked on the video which shows a massive monster like an animal with black eyes, black blood was coming out from his eyes which was staring at him, but it was just a YouTube video so it was not more to concern, he enjoyed that kind of videos, which he thought was worth it.
After watching that video he sat there silently with a blank mind, he was not worried about exams, but he thought he should be tense about it, he never thought about what he do if he failed, his sir gave him the option of a diploma but he was not interested in diploma, he wants to study mythology but does any subject like it exist on this education system?
He was sitting there thinking at that time his phone started singing, he looked at it, it was his friend’s call,
“Hello!” Sanjay said.
“Hey Sanjay, are you coming, right?” Ashwin asked.
“No, my mom put restrictions on me not to get out.”
“Why?”
“The answer is obvious, boards are near.”
“Then who will teach me?”
“YouTube is, the best way to learn.”
“Seriously? Whenever I click on that I end up looking at other videos.”
Sanjay laughed which Ashwin didn’t like,
“I thought you would be my last hope.”
“Sorry man, I am sorry, I also wanted to come.”
Ashwin didn’t speak for a few seconds, his expression fell from his face,
“No problem mate, hope you will do your best in exams, and for preparation too,” Ashwin said.
“You can call me whenever you need me, I will solve your doubts.”
“Yeah, okay, bye.” Said Ashwin hanging up the call, he threw his phone on his bed which was near his table, there was space for two hands between his table and his bed, he stood up and rushed towards the kitchen, but his mom was not in the kitchen so he assumed that she would be out of the house for some work, maybe shopping or some gossiping.
He opened the freeze-taking out the bottle, first, he checked which one was chilled, then he chose one, he drank water fast like he had been thirsty for months, without even breathing he finished more than half the bottle, keeping it as it was inside the freeze.
He walked out to watch television, that was the only way to pass the time, he started watching a movie which was, of course, a horror movie, but half of it was over because he came late to see the television, he didn’t know what to do ahead, he wanted to go at the library but he couldn’t go till moon arrives, but still he has to wait till midnight, till that time he has to do something which can easily pass his time.
He wondered what he would look like in that library, would there be any precious treasure? Or it may be haunted? His face became wide with a smile, a smile of excitement, he was now desperate to see that library, his body started tickling with the thoughts of that library, but then one more thought crossed over his mind. Why did no one know about that library? Still, it was located just outside of his town, someone might know about it, then he decided to ask his mother about those forests, maybe she could reveal some information regarding the library too.
He heard the door getting opened, he got conscious taking the remote from his side to switch it off, but before he could do it his mother arrived, she looked at him then turned her eyes at the television which was still on, she folded her arms, his eyes gave him the hint of disappointment, he switched off the television.
“Why are you watching television?” She asked.
“Can’t I?” He muttered slowly.
“Of course you can, after boards.” She said still her eyes glaring at him.
“I wanted to freshen my mind for some time.”
“But not with television, I allowed you to nap, how much more freshness do you need?”
“Mom, do you know anything about the forest next to our town?”
“That forest? Why do you want to know about it?” She asked with her eyes up.
“Just curious.”
“Not now, keep your curiosity in control.”
“I can’t focus on studying till I come to know about that forest.”
His mother gave him a weird look, examining how her son was convincing her to say it.
“Okay, that is rumoured to be haunted.”
The words made an impact on his mind, he thought that would be more fascinating if it was haunted,
“Really?” He asked.
“They say that anyone who went there never came back.”
“Do you know anyone like that?”
“No, not me but yeah I heard one of our neighbours saying that her husband’s friend went there for adventure purposes but he never came back.”
That scared him a bit, but still, he had required courage to enter there also at midnight without getting afraid.
“Anything more you know? I mean anyone can visit there with sunlight, right?”
“No, no one dared to visit there it is as it is from years, many claims that the river which flows from there, it is maybe Silverstream river, they claim to see dead bodies travelling across the river, state Brook shire where the river continues claimed that, dead bodies in the way that can cause nightmares.” She said, “But don’t try to put your feet inside that, okay, or else you know.”
“No, I won’t go, you know how scared I am of these things, don’t worry Mom.” He said with a fake smile.
His mom nodded, she knew that Ashwin was faking because he was the lover of these things.
“Go inside your room, study.” She said and left for the kitchen.
Those words were enough to bring goosebumps down Ashwin’s body, his body became cold after hearing that stuff but still, the insect of adventure was flying in his mind so he was still ready to see the forest, that library too.
“Is there any tribe living over there?” He asked a bit louder so that she could hear it in the kitchen.
“I just told you that it is haunted, how can anyone live there, are you mad or what? Now start preparing.” She shouted as if I was deaf.
Ashwin stood there for a while thinking about that forest, he visualized some stuff of the forest while his mother described that, it was a combination of excitement and fear, he didn’t know which emotion he faced at that time, but he was ready to go there at any cost.
He smiled thinking that what if he died, he thought that it would be a good way to escape the boards, and his smile became wider while his leg moved ahead towards his room.
Ashwin was successfully awakened till midnight, he stepped out of his bed, then walked towards his parents’ bedroom, the lights were off, which was a good sign, still, he opened the half-opened door, to check whether they were asleep or not, he turned on the flashlight of mobile, they were in their dreams, a smile of passing the mission approached in his face, in cat feet he opened the front door slowly without making any noise, then passed himself out of the door, closing slowly.
Finally, after the wait of the whole day, he was out of his house, he felt like he had achieved an achievement, but at the same hand he felt his cold heart, the fear of getting there was approaching him, but he was unable to differentiate feeling of fear and excitement, maybe it was going to his favour, but really?
He kept his phone inside his pocket, taking out the key to his bicycle, he leaned towards his bicycle which was bathing in dust, first, he picked one cloth to clean it, then sat in the seat, he felt like years had passed since his last ride.
His bicycle was kept next to his house in the garage where his father kept the car, there was a motorbike stable at the gap between the wall and the car, and his bicycle was on the other side of the car, he started paddling out of his society, he lived in sunset view residence, in Clearwater town, his beautiful town surrounded with all the rivers flow through the country, that’s why it’s name was Clearwater, he picked up speed reaching at blossom lane, he saw few vehicles passing through that street, he picked one side where he let himself talk to the air through the speed of his bicycle.
He has many memories related to that bicycle, and probably it was going to be his last few rides on the bicycle because he will get a motorbike after the twelfth, so he wanted to leave more memories behind.
He entered Sunset Boulevard, which was an empty street. Only a few were present in the street, any doors of the shop were not open, just him, a few motorbikes and streetlights, that’s all there was on Sunset Boulevard.
Then he turned right, which was the last street standing ahead between him and the forest, Riverside Drive, the street which was empty during the night as his mother said. The street provided the way to the forest, ahead of that it connected to another state but no one dared to pass from that street at night.
He went there paddling with his full force, slightly bent towards the handle, standing up at the paddle which contacted speed, then when he saw the clan of trees, he pulled brake at once which drifted tires in that road.
The trees were looking so calm, so silent, there was an unusual silence in that forest, in that atmosphere, no sound, he could hear his heartbeat so clearly because of the exercise he did, he took a glance at his watch which showed him twelve fifty, which provided him time took by him to reach there, he took only twenty minutes.
He felt cold, but it was not what he felt while leaving his house, it was something else, he never felt that cold in winter, but now he felt it in summer, the dreadness passed from his head to leg, and his legs became heavy at that moment, he felt heavier than before, but still he put his legs ahead of the trees, there were many trees chained in both sides, in front there were some trees with grass on the way, dry leafs surrounded with the group of green leaves, which made a sound when he put his leg ahead, first that sound pulled out Ashwin’s soul but then he realized that it was just a leaf.
He turned on the flashlight to see ahead, there was nothing he could see till his eyes could go. In the light of the flashlight, he was unarmed. He realized that he should have brought his cricket bat for his self-defense but it was useless thinking that after entering the horror.
The cold frozen sweat appeared on his forehead, it was sweat not because of the atmosphere but because of his fear, fear of the unknown, fear of what people talked about, that fear he wanted to destroy, that night he thought he would do something but after entering inside he realized that it was all his mistake which will harm him at one point.
Cold air snapped near his ear which trembled him, but still, the urge to find that library ran to his mind, he walked fast, ahead he went, the smell became unpleasant, it was worse, just like a dead mouse in your room, he covered his nose with the handkerchief he carried with him, he gone ahead, he can see a hill in front of him, that was very wide, he saw an upper side of a hill which was like a way, in which you can walk, that was space of walk upper side in that hill as he assumed when he followed the way he saw a building over there upwards.
Happiness took over the fear, his face became wide, and his chest grown in proud as he found one library, he looked for the way to climb that hill, and he started climbing, he had a hobby of climbing hills, he always goes to hills station often so it was not anything in front of him, slowly with the supports of stone attached to the hill, he climbed it, it was small which was good part of it, he saw river in front of him, down to hill, he identified the river same as his mother said, ‘Silverstream’. The river was justifying her name, it was silver, and it was wide, wide like an ocean, no reflection of the moon occurred on that river, though the sky was clear with the moon shining at the top, and no stars were visible from the reflection in that river, only he can see was the silver water, calm water flowing but who knows that it was calm or most dangerous? but it was just a river, there were ways from both sides in the middle there was a river covering most of the land.
He walked to the building up on the hill, that building looked so old, just like in any horror movie, there was a triangle on the upper side, and in the middle, there was a circle of the building, the downside was the structure, he could see glass windows of that building.
It was going to be the best adventure, he thought if he remained alive, he slowly moved ahead with fear, excitement, and happiness on the same face. His shining eyes were thirsty to see what was there inside that library.
He stopped reaching there, he took a glance at that, old library, the bad smell was no more in the air, he smelled of wood, and he liked it, he went ahead to the door crossing the threshold, the wooden door contained two glass at upper side just like a face with two eyes, both the glass were broken, he can see one stair from that gap, aside there were bookshelves with old books, the smell of books was making his nose feel like heaven, he pushed the door, with some force but it not required the force it was open, his body was about to fall but he balanced it, then stood there examining the ancient building.
The thought appeared in his mind that what could be reasons for banning the library, these many books were useless if there were no readers, but he also didn’t like to read books so he was just thinking of having a tour then going back home.
He started looking there, examining the cover of books visible from the shelf, all contained black covers, without touching any dusty books he took round then came to the staircase, the wooden stairs, he climbed a step which made the noise of wood, he liked that noise, it was like someone scratching wood, he went up.
He saw there were many shelves upstairs, there was one more floor, he examined this floor, he stood at one shelf in which he shows some words scratched on the top, witchcraft it said after he read those words, his body passed a current of fear, he understood the reason why the library was forbidden, his hand moved ahead to touch the book, he took that book in his hand and then he heard someone’s footsteps.
“Hello you man, I have been waiting for you for ages.” That man said, the man was in a black suit, a black hat on his head which appeared to be hairless, his face was covered with wrinkles, which told him that he was an old man, his hand caught one stick, which supported him to come downstairs.
(To be continued)
