A/N : Just a warning guys, this is a story based on a true event. Enjoy reading!

A few words :

Beta : child

Mausi : Mother's sister

Didi : Elder sister

Nana : Mother's father

Nani : Mother's mother

Tikki : An Indian dish

Pandit : A scholar who has mastered the four Vedic scriptures namely, Hindu rituals, Hindu law, religion, music and/or philosophy.

*edited*

~Ridhima's P.O.V.~

It was a chilly evening, dark, grey clouds blanketed the sandy sky, strong and cold winds were blowing, and the sun barely shone through the thick layer of clouds even at 5:00 p.m. that boring Monday. Leaves were scattered all around, making circular movements every now and then with the wind, the trees swayed along too. Not a single human being was on the roads. Typical scene of a horror movie.

Ridhima was just another careless girl, not so pretty, slender, all in all, one you wouldn't spare a second glance at. She was beautiful on the inside, but the gods didn't work as hard on her physical beauty as they operated on her heart. She had the heart of gold.

Her home wasn't too large, but not too small either. It was a comfortable two-story house. It had a big garage and a very spacious verandah where the décor was beautiful and the walls were green, mainly because of the leaves of the money plant that surfaced them.

She just woke up after her evening nap, to get ready for her music classes. She learned the synthesizer from a lady who resided nearby. As soon as she opened her eyes, she squeezed them shut immediately after hearing the loud, ear-splitting sound of thunder.

She always despised the stormy weather. It reminded her of how much darkness the world was filled with, including herself. She didn't believe in the saying: 'every dark cloud has a silver lining', because no amount of people believing in this line could change the fact that she was ugly, and that there was no positive side to this. Her self-esteem was too low.

"Mummy, please come here!" She shrieked as another thunderstrike's sound racketed throughout the house.

"Yes beta, I'm glad you're awake. Don't worry about the thunder, it will go down in some time. We won't go for your classes today. Take a break, you've been working very hard anyway." Her mother, Ishita, spoke softly as she swayed her daughter back and forth in her arms.

Her mother's voice was comforting enough to stop the various voices she heard in her head that said that the storm would kill everyone. Her thoughts always ran wild. They could be anything. Sometimes she heard voices that diminished her already low self-esteem even more, and sometimes she imagined scenarios that would never happen. She was scared of both, but she knew her family will always be by her side. Just in case you're wondering if she suffered from some mental sickness, well, no. She didn't. She was just always left abandoned and had nothing else to do other than daydreaming or talking to herself.

"Mummy, what's for dinner today? I'm a little hungry."

"Tell me Ridhi, what would you like?"

"We haven't had some junk food in a while ma, can we eat burgers today?"

"Of course! I know how much of a foodie you are, come on, help me make them. This way you'll also get your mind off this bad storm. Come on, get up." Ishita ushered her daughter into the kitchen.

"Ma, where's mausi?" Ridhima loved her mausi a lot. She was like her second mother. Her mausi, Sakshi, reciprocated her feelings very well too! She considered Ridhi as her own daughter and pampered her a lot.

"Sakshi has gone to buy some stuff for herself, I hope she'll be back soon, the storm is just worsening by the minute." Ishita's troubled voice reached Ridhima's ears and instantly, she pulled her mother into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry ma, I bet she's right around the corner. Now tell me, what sauces would everyone like?"

"Haha yes, beta. Your nana doesn't like spicy food, nor do your brothers, so just omit the Tabasco sauce for the three of them, and put the rest for all of us."

"Okay, ma."

Creak.

The sound of their gate opening and then closing was heard. Ridhima felt relieved when she came to know her mausi was back.

"Didi, I'm back! I bought some tikkis for everyone too!"

"Mausi! We were worried about you! You were out for so long, and this storm, oh god."

"No fear when mausi is here beta." Her mausi said with assurance, and Ridhi believed her.

"Yes, mausi." Ridhi spoke with a grin on her face. They started preparing the burgers in silence.

~

"Ridhima, are the burgers ready?" Ishita asked as it was time for dinner.

"Yes, did., Ridhi and I made them."

"Great then, set up the table."

Ridhima and Sakshi were silently setting up the table when another roll of thunder was heard. It was the loudest they had ever heard, and Ridhima was beyond scared. Immediately after that, everything became silent. So silent, that the only sound heard was the ticking of the clock and Ridhima's heavy breathing.

"Thank god it stopped. Ridhi, call everyone for dinner, and also bring the first lot of burgers."

"Yes, ma."

With that, Ridhi went to call everyone for dinner, and as soon as she was done, she approached the kitchen, and her mausi stopped her.

"I'll bring it beta." Something about her mausi's voice was unconventional, but Ridhima couldn't put her finger on it. It was dull, low and scary.

Suddenly her mausi's eyes turned black, and her arms extended and brought the serving plate out, with a big, unnaturally wide grin on her face. Ridhima's eyes swelled in shock and the moment she tried to scream, her voice went silent, and her mausi's eyes went back to normal. Ridhima thought that it was just her thoughts running wild again, and maybe this time she saw them for real. She shook it off and sat on her chair wordlessly. Although she couldn't keep her mind off it. Somewhere inside, she knew this wasn't a hallucination.

Soon everyone finished their food, appreciating its taste and having fun. Ridhima was lost in her thoughts. The thought of her mausi's black eyes sent chills down her spine. It unnerved her. She tried to act normal, but her mausi saw right through her.

"Ridhima, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She felt better as soon as she heard the normal voice of her mausi.

"Nothing mausi, just my wild thoughts again."

"Come, come in the kitchen, we'll do the dishes. I also want to talk to you."

"Yes, just a minute." Ridhima's voice was laced with fear this time. Why you ask? Because she was sure that the last sentence, wasn't spoken by her mausi. The disturbing voice was back again. Although this time, her eyes were normal. She was surprised that no one else noticed it. That was when she was less worried because this could be her fabrication too.

"Ridhi, put the dishes in the sink too."

"Yes, ma."

She and her mausi went to the kitchen and Ridhima tried asking her mausi about what was currently happening. Sakshi's back was faced towards Ridhima and nothing about her posture was wrong. It didn't last long.

"Mausi, you wanted to talk to me? Also, your voice sounds quite different. Are you okay?"

As soon as she said the sentence, her mausi's posture changed. Her back stiffened, and she somehow looked larger. Her neck twisted to the side making a crack sound, and with immediate effect, Sakshi turned towards Ridhima, with the same black eyes. Only this time, she looked like a devil.

"Aaaaah!" Ridhima's shrill scream was heard throughout the house. But along with her scream, another sound was heard. The heavy rain picked up again.

Ridhima, not knowing what to do, ran out of the kitchen, and rushed outside. Her mom was standing there, admiring the heavy rain which she loved.

"Mummy, mummy help! There's something wrong with mausi! I know there is! She suddenly grew dense black eyes and her arms they...they... Mummy help!!"

"Ridhima, beta what's wrong? Are these your thoughts again?"

"No ma, I'm positive, something is wrong! You have to believe me!"

Not so long after, Sakshi was heard yelling. Each one's screams came along with loud, cracking sounds of the storm. Sakshi came running outside, flailing her arms saying that her eyes were burning and that she was suddenly feeling weak.

Sakshi first ran to Ridhima, so see if she was okay and the moment she touched her pale skin, a sudden pain spread through each one's arms. Both of them screamed so loud, and for so long, that the birds around flew away.

Their scream started with their normal high pitched voices but ended with an unnatural low pitch that they didn't know existed. They looked at each other with wide eyes, not believing what was happening.

Ishita, on the other hand, was at a loss for words. She started speaking incoherent words, sometimes mumbling softly, other times screaming loudly. She couldn't understand what was happening, all she knew was that she would turn mad if she heard any of those ear-piercing screams again. Just as this thought crossed her mind, she heard a scream, none other than her daughter's.

"Aaaaaaaah.....HAHAHAHAHA" Unlike her previous screams, this one was different. Why you ask? This one ended with a booming laugh. Not just any laugh, a devil's laugh.

Ishita and Sakshi could not gather what was happening to their family. After hearing so many screams, Ridhima's nana and nani came down the steps as hurriedly as they could.

"What happened?! What is going on here?!" Her nana demanded.

"Daddy, I don't know what is going on here, all I know is that I have to stop this."

All this while, Ridhima was standing there silently, in an odd posture. Her neck was to the side, bent more than a normal human's potential, her feet were not aligned correctly, and her arms were dangling by her sides and there was a funny smile on her face. Her eyes had turned pitch black, and slowly, her skin started to turn blue.

Her nani shrieked at this sight and ordered her daughter to call the Pandit. Ishita called up the Pandit with trembling hands and reported the situation to him.

Not so long after Ishita called up the Pandit, Ridhima came back to her normal self although her face showed that she was terrified of what just happened. She tried to speak, but no sound came out of her throat. She slowly approached her mother, hugged her and started to sob silently, wishing that this never happened.

"What happened to you beta?" Nana tried asking Ridhima, but all she could do was shrug.

The Pandit arrived, dressed in his orange clothing, with a few books in his hands, and they described the situation to him.

"I think a devil has cast it's dark shadow over our house and is now troubling us. This could turn fatal. Do something before the devil takes control over us." Ridhima's nani said.

"Yes. I will. Ridhima, Ishita, and Sakshi, do you see the park outside your house? Or is your vision blurred?"

"We see it." The three said in unison.

"Good. So now, the three of you, walk together, holding hands on that road right angled to your house. You walk North, while I will walk South with this lantern in my hand. Whatever happens, do not look at me, or the lantern. I will try to stay away from you. Also, you are required to not utter a single word or else this ritual will not work. After you've reached the T-point on the road, I will blow out the lantern and you can safely come back. Just count to three before you turn around."

"Okay."

The four of them left their house and started the rite. The three women did not once look at the Pandit or the lantern. They didn't even look at each other, they just held each other's hands and walked to the T-point on the road, petrified. Once they reached the end of the road, they mentally counted to three and turned around and started walking back to their home. Since the ritual was over, they just looked at each other and passed hopeful smiles, thinking all of this was over. Or maybe not.

They approached the Pandit and gestured him to fill in with what he gained from the ritual.

"Well, you're lucky. It looks like there is no devil in your house after all. The screaming and those unnatural events could be caused by anything. Most likely it was a horror movie you saw recently, and it's scenes were buried somewhere in the subconscious part of your mind, and came out in this violent form."

"Okay. Is there any way to see if a devil...you know what I mean?" Ridhima asked, not believing what he was saying because she knew it was true, and she actually felt it all. The pain, the voices, everything.

"Oh yes, of course, there is a way to check." He took out a stone from his pocket and showed it to Ridhima.

It was a simple white stone, in a shape that resembled a flattened egg, with two circles. One blue, and the other yellow. The yellow one being inside the blue circle. The yellow circle had a small slit in it, which was colored red.

"Do you see this? This is how the eye of the person whose body has been taken over by the devil looks like. You don't need to worry, they're rare."

"Okay. Thank you so much for your help Pandit ji." Ridhima said, looking into his eyes sincerely, and went back home.

It was when she was closing the gate, that she realized, that the model of the eye that she saw, was exactly like the Pandit's real eye. This time, she held back a scream as she saw the Pandit walking away, more like hopping away, vanishing around the corner.

There was no devil in the house. It was the Pandit's doing. Why? The answer to this question will remain unknown unless she digs into history to find it out. Till then, she is sure that the image of the eye will haunt her every minute, every second.

-------------------------------***--------------------------------

Heya lovely people! How was this story? 

This story is based on a true event that occurred in my neighbor's home. The names of the characters do not match with the victim's in real life. Ridhima, was beyond scared. I remember her looking over her shoulder every time she heard the simplest of sounds. She would run away whenever she heard an odd,funny sound. It was sad seeing their whole home destroyed, because their only child, now suffered from anxiety, depression, and a few other things. She's a good friend of mine, and we all try to help her, but this mystery still remains unknown. The Pandit, was a trusted one. We trusted him too, but looks like he cannot be trusted anymore. He was banished from our colony, never to be seen again. We are still trying to find out the reason behind this.

So lovely readers! Please vote, comment and share your thoughts on this! 

Also please help us in this, tell me your thoughts on what could be the reason? We were thinking it has to be related to the past of their family. (The pandit was quite old, he was even alive when Ridhima's grandparents were not born)

Thank you for reading!!