A few months later, we began to act normal as the unfortunate events seemed to be more of a coincidence than a curse. After all, nothing strange had happened for a long time!

But then, things soon got weird once again. Sweets, fruits, and books soon began to disappear and my cousin and I were blamed each and every time; until-

On Sunday, I woke up to find my family screaming and crying. It had happened so that my cousin had run away from the house, leaving behind a printed message which said:

"I am tired of the accusations on

me. I had done nothing. It was not

me!"

I remembered him once saying that he would leave this house but never did I think he would actually put his words into actions. I repented on not exposing his thoughts to the elders the day he put them into words. But now, it was too late, far too late.

The police were called and a search party was arranged. My cousin's photograph went through all the newspapers and was also sent to other police stations.

He always wanted to be famous but like this!?

Even after a month, police could not trace my cousin. We had lost all hopes. The vanishing of objects had also ceased but only to give birth to another problem. Our dog, Stoutland, began behaving like a drunkard. He started stalking our house-helper, Rosa in the same way as a panther to its prey. And then the ill-fated day arrived.

On 2nd of August, we heard shrieks and cries of our maid followed by the barking of our dog. We ran inside to find the fingers of her right-hand bleeding. The little finger and the ring finger seemed to have been chewed off. We dragged the rabid Stoutland away from Rosa and chained him to the pillar. We took her to the hospital where she was admitted quickly but later died. her last words were:

" I AM SORRY."

On returning from the hospital we found Stoutland's torn dog-collar. On further searching the ground, we found his body floating in the well.

We were all in the state of trance and remembering my Grandfather's final advice, sold the house to Mr.Roberto, a builder who has been trying to persuade my family to sell him the house since decades.

As my family bade their goodbyes to the house we now called haunted, I ran and climbed in the backseat of the car trying my best to not look at the house that has invited a chain of sorrows in our lives. I found that I sat on something. I stood up and turned around to find the old diary of my grandfather. I reluctantly opened it and a torn note fluttered out of it and fell on the floor. I picked it up and examined it. It was the other half of the note my grandfather had written before his death. It read:

"..that I would sooner or later die

of a Heart attack as I hear strange

noises every day. You know I am

weak at heart I would surely die

of these sudden noises. I am sure

its Roberto behind all these, to

instill fear of curses and ghost

in your heart. I know he would

stoop lower to get our house hence

I am asking you to leave it but

DO NOT SELL IT. AT ANY COST "

As I completed the letter the wind snatched it from my hand and blew it out of the window into the cruel and greedy world I have now come to realize. I helplessly looked at the note fly away. We were on the highway.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I saw through everything.

Mr.Roberto had killed my aunt and hung her: A foolproof Murder. I now understood that Rosa was aiding him as she was the only one who could copy anyone's but my cousin's handwriting. That is why it was printed. My cousin too did not run away but was kidnapped and probably murdered and buried somewhere. The thought that Rosa would sooner or later reveal everything made Roberto murder her. Probably our dog was drugged or something which made it kill her and later chew off its a collar and drown in the well while intoxicated.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I realized how low Roberto stooped just to get our property. I wept bitterly at my helplessness of not being able to do anything or gather any proof against the murderer.

I cried in helplessness and anger as the car sped through the tunnel.