The Hidden

"Happy birthday mom! Where was you? I was calling you since last night"

 "Sorry dear ! The love of you children remains with me and in this old age your father has given a surprise on my birthday .. We have come to Lonavala, .. And think where we are? , we have stayed in the beautiful bungalow which is now ours"

 "Ours? We do not have any property in Lonavala, mom !"

 "Hey beta , he bought it for me as my birthday gift .. It was long time ago when I said that what if we will stay somewhere quiet place in our old age, Now he gifted this bungalow .. Do one thing , you guys should join us here , it will take three to four hours only , let's dinner together. I am messaging the address "

 Mummy Papa's selfie popped on mobile which had that red bungalow in the background, along with the address in the message.

 After talking with mom , Meera not so happy.

 "Ravi! Did you hear ? Bungalow? and even Papa didn't tell us about that .. Did you knew that ?"

 "No Meera! I Didn't t know that, let go now if they are entitled to this, they made money in their entire life .. May be they came to know any property dealer as he was previously in same business. So they must have got a cheap deal .. Leave this matter .. We should leave also .. Mumbai to lonavala is a beautiful drive. let me fix your mood "

 Meera had made all the preparations with little concern. The car was running on the Mumbai Pune Express High Way.

 "meera! are you still angry"

 "No Ravi! I am not angry , just worried .. Nowadays no one can be trusted, nor know why I am not feeling all right"

 Ravi said looking at Meera's dull face

 "Nothing will happen .. You just chill .."

 "Ravi!! Look ahead" Meera screamed loudly and Ravi hit the brakes. As soon as the brake hit, the rear car also survived. There was no damage as he was driving on the side. it was getting evening and the speed was not that much.

 Meera and Ravi were in their seats.

 "Meera you're fine? "

 Meera who was shocked

 "Ravi that .. That giant figure right in front of the car .. I'm afraid .."

 Then someone tapped on Meera's side glass

 "Do you want to die? What If we met an accident? .."

 Meera screamed with fear.

 "Sorry sir! Something had come in front of the car .. I'm really sorry"

 Dealing with the man, Ravi gave water to Meera.

 Suddenly Meera's saw a message popped on mobile

 "Save me, Meera! We made a big mistake"

 "Ravi! I told you something is wrong .. Mom's message .. What will happen now"

 After Saying that Meera started crying wildly.

 "Meera calm down, I call the police there. Give me that address"

 Ravi called Lonavala police and told everyone all story .

 "What happened Ravi? Why did your face turn pale?"

 "You were right Meera, something is wrong .. The police is saying that there is no such area here which is in the address"

 "There may have been a mistake in writing with Mummy"

 "Whatever we do, we'll get there"

 Ravi started the car but did not succeed .

 Defeated, he took a lift in another car and reached Lonavala. Meera felt as like someone was preventing them from coming there.

 On reaching the police station, he showed that message. Then they checked that number with GPS and planned to reach there. The road was over as soon as the location approached. It was just a black forest. They entered with a flashlight. Upon reaching the location, there was an open field, there was no bungalow there.

 "Sir, has anyone joked with you, there is no bungalow here"

 "How can it happen? Why would my mother lie .. And she sent me a selfie with the bungalow. See it."

 "See, Madam! We are not saying that the bungalow would be wrong .. Just the location cannot be this .. We see what we can do, send this photo to us"

 Meera and Ravi were in bad state of mind . They were never thought that the birthday day would end like this. They spent the night with a room in the market. The next morning both again reached the same place.

 There was nothing but just empty ground and after wandering around something hit Meera's leg in the bushes.

 "Ravi! Mom's phone!" Meera screamed. 

 Meera switched on the phone. It had many photos. The bungalow looked clean, there were many photographs inside. Mummy also recorded the video in which she showed a woman whom she described as her house help.

 "Ravi! Nothing is going to happen by the police, they won't even listen to everything .. We have to ask in near by area "

 Meera and Ravi started asking what they could get. Regarding the bungalow, showing the photo of that house help, if someone in local verify her or someone knows her. Tired after wandering they stop for drinking tea at a small dhaba.

 "I heard about it .." said the boy who came to give tea.

 "What .. have you heard? please tell me"

 "That .." By then his middle-aged mother came from behind and hit him hard on the back.

 "How many times have you said no nonsense to the customer, you mam .. If you want anything else, order it otherwise don't waste time"

 Meera found his behavior bit strange.

 At that time, he left from there and then beckoned the boy out. They Gave two thousand currency note in his hand and asked

 "Tell me what you knew"

 "here no one talk about this bungalow. Nobody will tell you, this is a bungalow of demons, it doesn't even exist "

 "There is a bungalow which not exists?.. Please Tell me clearly"

 "Look sir! I heard this bungalow was the way of some other world, demons world . Many hundred years old where Nobody used to go.Then a builder bought it and broke it to make a resort there. Don't ask what hell happened.. Many people that day Killed. Everuy one heard that one by one , the builder, his workers all are killed. They left this land like abandoned. Nothing is built there than . You guys don't tamper with this incident. And yes we have heard a Bai, who used to guard there, was also killed by driving a bulldozer on her . "

 Meera and Ravi had cold hands and feet. He decided that he would know more about the bungalow from boy's mother. The next day when they reached that hotel, it was closed. On being asked, they discovered that a fire broke last night and that boy died of burns.

 Meera started crying loudly.

 "Everything happened because of us"

 Ravi silences her and arrives at the woman's house. Seeing them, the woman jumped on Meera screaming.

 "You guys finished my boy. Go away from here you killers .."

 Meera told the whole thing while crying that how she too lost her loved ones and just asked for help.

 "You guys go back! There will be no help, I will lay as many corpses as you talk. Now what will I do, my son is gone, so I tell you, that bungalow come there once in every ten years, a week before the new moon. It comes and disappear on Amavasya day. If someone goes or talks about it, then he also goes away with them to their world , your family members will never come back . Go back and let other people live. "

 Meera was stunned after hearing her talk. And both decided to return.

 Meera was sad when she came back.

 "Meera, I have thought that the last rights should be done .. Mom dad there soul will be calm, I go to office, we talk about it later when I return "

 When Ravi went, a message came on Meera's phone

 "Save us".

 © ® Sushma Tiwari