The Guest House

Prelude

In life, we often come across experiences that are beyond any explanations. Some believe in the existence of something out of our realm and then there are some who don’t.

What happens when our worst nightmare stares right in our face and we have nowhere to run?

Welcome...to the Guest House!

Chapter one

“Yes, mom I’ll call you as soon as I reach Bangalore. Yes! I promise!”

Gia breathed over the phone.

“I’ll miss you too mom! I love you. Bye”.

She hung up and sighed.

This was the first time Gia was going out of Kolkata, her home, where she spent all her life so far, and the first time ever she was going away from her parents. She had just finished her masters in engineering from one of the top institutes in India and was placed in one of the biggest MNCs in the world. She had always been an ace student and had worked very hard to get this opportunity.

This tiny beautiful girl standing in the middle of an unusually busy Kolkata airport couldn’t have been more excited and happy as she was at this moment. She felt all her dreams have been magically granted.

“Calling all passengers of Air India flight 771 from Kolkata to Bangalore for boarding at gate number one”

Gia heard the resounding announcement for boarding of her flight. Her heart was now beating so fast she thought it’s trying to escape out of the cavity. For a moment, Gia gave her choice a second thought. Then finally she took a deep breath and started speeding towards gate number one.

The flight to Bangalore was uneventful, most of which she spent sleeping, dreaming about the new life she is about to start.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to land in Bangalore. You are requested to ensure that the seat belt is fastened securely, table folded and seat upright. You are also requested to keep the window shutters up. Should you require any assistance on arrival, kindly contact the ground personnel. Thank you for flying with Air India.” The speakers in the flight came alive with the announcement.

The announcement brought Gia back to the present. She took out her laptop bag from the overhead cabin and prepared to de-board the flight.

At the airport, she booked a cab and asked the driver to take her to the guest house provided by her office for the first month.

She took in the lovely view of the new city and felt a sense of freedom. She felt empowered and liberated for the first time in her life.

“We are here madam” the driver announced finally after about what seemed like an eternity.

Gia paid the driver and got off of the cab with her suitcase and her backpack.

It was about 12 in the afternoon when she finally checked in to her room and took a long warm shower.

Refreshed, she finally took in the room.

It was a huge room complete with a tiny kitchenette, a king size bed, a cupboard filling up one of the walls, and two lovely bright red couches with beautiful silk cushions stacked neatly in a row.

The TV faced the bed behind which was a majestic window taking up the entire wall. Gia loved everything about the room and she was overwhelmed with a sense of achievement.

It was when the clock struck 1:00 that she remembered she needed to call her mother.

“Hi, ma!” Gia said over the phone.

“I’ve reached safely and am now in my room in the guest house. You won’t believe ma how beautiful this place is. You will love it here! There’s a lovely view from my room, there is a kitchenette and a gorgeous bed.” Gia spoke on excitedly.

“Yes, I have had lunch ma” Gia went on. “The food here is a little different ma, but I quite liked it.”

“Miss you too mom. I will get you and dad here soon. Please take care both of you. Love you”. Gia hung up and sighed.

Gia remembered it was Friday today and she won’t start office until Monday. She felt relieved she still had the entire weekend to orient herself a little with the new city.

She picked up the phone and called the only friend she knew in the city.

“Hi, Adi! I’ve reached Bangalore. When are you meeting me?” Gia blurted out in one breath.

“Ok. Cool! See you in an hour then. Bye!” she hung up.

Aditya was a senior journalist at one of the leading newspapers in Bangalore. They went to the same school and were quite close friends since childhood.

She unpacked her suitcase and took out a lovely dress her mother had gifted her for her birthday. The dress made her feel a pang of loneliness for a moment before she started getting ready for her meeting.

Gia took out all her toiletries and neatly stacked them on the dressing table, and then she went into the powder room to change into her evening dress.

She came out into the bedroom and took her time to do her makeup.

She was a beautiful petite girl with long black hair. The royal blue dress perfectly accentuated her fair complexion and her black eyes.

After about 15 minutes, she was all done with her makeup. She took a step back and took a long look at her reflection on the mirror and couldn’t help but admire her mother’s classy choice in choosing the dress.

“You are the best ma!” she thought to herself.

She then went back to her suitcase to dig out her matching stilettos.

She was all set to move and quickly booked a cab over her cell phone.

She then suddenly felt like she was being watched. She quickly glanced at the window and did not find anyone outside.

She went towards the window and pulled the curtains. She then quickly checked every corner of the room and then shrugged the feeling away.

“Gia you are imagining things now girl! You need sleep” she thought to herself.

She was shaken back to her senses by the beeping of her phone.

“Hello?” She asked over the phone. “Yes, I shall be there in a minute,” Gia told her cab driver and went out of the room.

Chapter Two

“Hey, Adi!” Gia addressed a good looking guy in his late 20s coming towards her.

Aditya was dressed in a red tee-shirt and blue denim. He was tall and had very sharp features; blue-eyed and had a dimpled smile that Gia always adored since the day they met for the first time a decade ago.

They hugged when they saw each other and spent the whole evening laughing and catching up with each other’s life. Gia forgot everything and enjoyed the evening like a little child enjoys the circus.

It was 10 in the night when they finally decided to call it a day.

Aditya dropped her back to her guest house and drove away.

Gia entered her room changed and took a long warm shower after which she passed out in her bed. She didn’t realize how tired she was till her head touched the pillow.

She was suddenly woken up by a soft but persistent sound.

Gia woke up and groggily checked her clock on the side table. It said 3:00 am.

She decided she must have been dreaming and turned around and tried to go back to sleep when the sound started again.

This time, Gia took some time to realize what she was hearing was footsteps. It was as if someone was walking around in the room.

She quickly sat up on the bed and turned on the light. She jumped out of the bed and scanned the room and found it to be completely empty.

She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to sleep.

When Gia woke up in the morning it was already 8:00 in the morning. She lazily got up and sat on the bed and took in the gorgeous view outside the window. It was raining heavily outside and the sound of it splashing on her window cheered her up instantly.

She ordered breakfast and went and freshened up. She was about to read the newspaper when the caretaker brought her the breakfast when she suddenly noticed the couch. The cushions on the couch were stacked one on top of the other. There was also a dent in the middle as if someone had been sitting there leaning on the cushions.

Gia tried desperately to remember if she had, at some point, sat on the couch and did that, but she distinctly remembered the last time she saw the couch, the cushions were perfectly fluffed up and placed side by side neatly.

Gia suddenly remembered the footsteps from last night, and the feeling of being watched before that, and instantly felt a cold wave pass down her spine.

She was once again overcome with this sense of being watched only this time it was accompanied by a strong rotten smell!

She quickly took her umbrella and left the room. She realized she was gasping for breath.

The engineer in her tried to come up with a logical explanation of everything but the real her failed to find any.

She went out for a walk to clear her head. The cold drops of rain on her face soothed her senses and calmed her down somewhat.

She called her mother. “Hi, ma! How are you guys? It’s raining here and is beautiful. Missing you and dad”

Gia considered telling her mother what just happened but decided against it fearing her mother might panic and ask her to come back home.

She casually talked a bit with her mother and hung up.

The rain and the talk with her mother calmed her down a bit. She took a deep breath and reasoned with herself. “You are overreacting, girl! It’s just a coincidence. Don’t be such a cry baby now!”

She slowly turned around and returned to her room

Chapter 3

“But Adi, there was no-one in the room! The cushions were stacked as if someone was sitting there but I swear I distinctly remember the cushions being perfectly stacked in a row last time I saw them before going to bed.” Gia blurted out all in one breath.

The tiny corner cafe where Gia and Adi were meeting for lunch was a beautifully decorated quaint eatery which was the heart-beat of all the youngsters in the area.

“I understand Gia, but I am sure there is an explanation of these things. All I am saying is you might’ve been… errr… too tired last night and might have dreamt it all up. As far as the cushions go, you might have sat there at some point or the room service might have dropped in to clean up and sat on the couch while you were out meeting me and you didn’t notice it before morning since you were so tired last night. Think about it?” Adi suggested in a soothing tone.

Gia considered what Adi just suggested. She felt it all made sense. She heaved a sigh and agreed. “Yes, Adi. I didn’t think of it that way. I think you are right and it makes sense.”

They spent the rest of the day happily eating a sumptuous lunch and laughing to their heart’s content. Gia felt very relieved and she was finally beginning to enjoy herself. They went for a movie after lunch and Adi took Gia for some shopping.

Retail therapy was indeed a girl’s best therapy and Gia was a happy girl and had forgotten about everything by the time Adi dropped her to the guest house.

En route the guest house Gia had planned to ask at the front desk if room service was sent to her room last evening but by the time she reached the guest house she had completely forgotten all about it.

She just went into her room, changed and sank into her bed. Tonight she decided to take a tiny dose of a sedative to help her sleep as she figured she desperately needed some sleep.

The night went uneventfully and Gia slept on through the night like a baby.

She was woken up in the morning by a sharp knock at the door.

“Bed tea madam” the man announced from the other side of the door.

Gia opened the door and took the tray with the newspaper on it from the man and thanked him.

She took a sip of the tea and went on to read the paper.

She decided to take her bath before breakfast comes and went into the bathroom after putting out a fresh set of clothes on the bed that she would be wearing after her shower.

She took some extra time in the shower as she loved how the warm water was caressing her skin softly and took away all her worries and scares.

She thought about Aditya and her heart skipped a beat. She realized how much he has grown up since the last time she saw him some 4 years back. She felt a strange warmth in him every time they were together. She felt a sense of safety and peace around him. She suddenly remembered, it never occurred to her to ask him if he was seeing someone, or if he had a girlfriend. She smiled to herself and came out of the shower.

She wore her robe and walked into the room drying her hair with the towel. She blow-dried her hair for a few minutes and then turned to her bed to gather her dress.

The bed was empty!

For a few minutes, Gia could not believe her eyes. She rubbed them and saw again.

The bed was still adamantly empty.

Gia checked under the bed, in the cupboard, in her suitcase but couldn’t find her dress anywhere. She stood there for a few minutes and told herself she must’ve forgotten the dress at home and thought she had laid it out on the bed but she forgot.

She just took out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and went to the dining hall to feed herself some breakfast. She decided to not think about what just happened in the room.

Her phone rang. “Hi, Adi! Good morning!” She chirped over the phone. “Yes of course! I am totally free today. It is after all my last day before the big joining day tomorrow.” She answered to whatever Aditya said on the other side. “Sure Adi see you in an hour then. Bye!” Gia hung up.

Somehow Gia couldn’t bring herself to go back to her room and decided to wait at the lounge and watch some TV there.

Aditya was there to pick her up well before time and took her to some nearby places. He also took Gia to her office to orient her a little about the new city.

“You will get a hang of it soon, don’t worry. It’s not a very big city.” Aditya promised.

“How about some ice-cream lady? Passion fruit-flavored if I haven’t forgotten?” Aditya added.

Though still shaken, this brought a smile on Gia’s face.

“Oh My! You still remember that! Even after so many years?” Gia was pleasantly surprised.

“Of course!” Aditya said very nonchalantly. “I remember everything about you!” He smiled sheepishly.

Gia contemplated telling Adi about what happened in the room today but then decided against it.

“He as it is doesn’t believe me. I don’t want him to think I am crazy now.” She reasoned with herself.

“So.. do you have a girlfriend or something?” Gia blurted out.

“Umm...no. Not anymore.” Aditya replied. “Are you seeing someone?”

“I was, a few years back, but not anymore.” Gia answered honestly.

“He must be a moron to let you go” Aditya blurted out.

There was a pregnant pause between them as Adi looked deep into Gia’s eyes.

The pause broke only with the severe honking from behind and Aditya realized he had stopped the car in the middle of the road.

Both of them had a pretty silent ride back to her guest house.

This time Aditya leaned in and kissed Gia on her forehead softly.

“Goodnight lady” Aditya spoke in her ear

“Goodnight Adi” Gia whispered back.

Gia kept herself calm till Aditya drove off before she let herself understand what just happened and let it all sink in.

Did Aditya just kiss her? Or did she dream that up too? She couldn’t help but feel elated.

She took a few moments to get a hold on herself and then walked back to her room.

Once inside the room, she turned on all the lights and went into the kitchenette to get some water from the refrigerator. With a glass of water in her hand, she turned to her bed planning to turn on the TV when she saw something that made her head spin and she dropped the glass of water which shattered into million pieces when it hit the floor.

There on the bed, laid out neatly, was her dress that she couldn’t find in the morning!

Chapter 4

Gia came back to her senses after a while. She did not know how long had it been. She slowly got up and checked every nook and corner of the room. Under the bed and inside the closet to check if someone had entered while she was out.

She then called up the front desk.

“Hi! I am calling from room no. 213. Who was the person who was sent today to clean my room while I was out? Can you please ask them to come meet me? It’s urgent.” Gia demanded politely over the phone.

“I am sorry ma’am but we do not provide room service every day. We do so after every three days. No one has been to your room today ma’am. We will send someone tomorrow if you want.” The receptionist replied at the other side of the phone.

“Wait. Are you saying that there was no room service sent to my room yesterday or today?” Gia asked.

“No Ma’am. “ The voice confirmed.

“Ok. Thank you.” Gia hung up.

The room was spinning now. She was trying her best to get a grip on herself and try to figure out a reasonable explanation of everything that was happening around her. She realized she was failing miserably.

At some point, she passed out on the bed.

She woke up the next day and remembered it was her first day at work. She looked at the clock and it was already 7:30 in the morning!

She was running late. Very late!

She rushed through her morning routine and dashed out of the room. She felt a sense of relief to be able to get out of the room.

She booked a cab and reached her office barely on time. She had a busy induction day where she met other people her age selected from different campuses around the country.

She quickly made a few friends and quite enjoyed the first working day of her life.

She decided to ask around if someone could give her some lead to a place she could rent or some girl who would be interested in sharing an apartment with her etc. She desperately wanted to get out of the guest house as soon as possible.

Exactly at 6:15 she was pleasantly surprised when she received a call from Aditya.

“I am waiting outside your office babe. Come fast.” Aditya said from the other side of the phone.

Gia rushed out. She was relieved to get to meet Aditya today.

“What a welcome surprise!” she thought to herself.

She sat in the car and gave Aditya a big hug. She finally felt some semblance of normalcy and peace in his arms.

“What’s wrong Gia?” Aditya asked, concerned. “Did someone say something to you?”

Gia just kept on holding Aditya, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Gia you are scaring me! Tell me what’s wrong please?” Aditya asked with growing concern.

“Okay. Let’s go somewhere, sit, eat, and then we shall talk. Is that okay?” Aditya asked.

“Yes. Thank you” Gia agreed.

Chapter 5

They were sitting in a cafe. After having dinner when Gia looked a little less pale and visibly better, Aditya decided to ask her again.

“So tell me? What happened?”

Gia narrated the entire episode. Her big scared eyes were again filled with tears.

“Hmmm,” Aditya said after hearing everything. “You want me to stay over with you tonight? I can take up the couch. We shall start looking for a place for you from tomorrow. I am sure we will find you something.”

“Oh, that will be wonderful!” Gia said relieved at the idea. She was dreading spending another night alone at that place.

“Okay. Let me then drop you at your place first. I will have to go back to my place, grab a change of clothes and get my laptop and come back to you. Shouldn’t take me more than an hour. Will you be okay? “Aditya asked.

“Yes. I guess. Thank you so much Adi” Gia said almost smiling now.

As discussed, Aditya dropped Gia at her place and drove off.

Gia dreaded going back into her room. She contemplated waiting outside till Aditya comes back. But then she decided against it. She went silently and slowly back to her room.

She turned on all the lights as soon as she opened the door. She couldn’t bear to be alone in the room without the lights even for a second.

She entered the room slowly half expecting something to attack her from nowhere.

She sat in a corner of the bed and turned the TV on at a very loud volume. The TV made her feel like she wasn’t all alone. She then decided to make Aditya’s bed on the couch and clean up the room a little.

She went in and quickly took a shower and busied herself with cleaning up the room after making Aditya’s bed. 

That’s when she suddenly heard something. She realized it's coming from the bathroom. It’s the sound of the shower running. It had the distinct sound of someone taking a shower. It was not the sound of water hitting the marble floor, but the sound of someone standing there taking a shower.

Gia’s first thought was that she must have forgotten to turn off the shower.

“You are so distracted girl!” Gia scolded herself.

She went quickly and tried to open the door to the bathroom.

The door was locked...from inside!

Gia was horrified by now. She tried again to open the door. Locked!

She took some steps back and felt as if her legs were made of rubber. She sat on the bed.

A few seconds passed by. Gia now sat there like a stone. The shower was now silent.

She saw the door opening. The door was opening on its own!

Gia kept on watching from the bed as tiny wet foot-prints formed on the floor!

Chapter 6

The footprints had no owner. Just the footprints. As if someone just finished their shower and was walking into the room. Only there was no one. Just the footprints.

Gia started to scream...only to realize there was no sound coming from her throat.

She suddenly felt a hand grab her shoulder and she fainted.

When she came back to her senses, she found her head on Aditya’s lap who looked visibly worried.

“Are you okay baby?” Aditya asked urgently.

Gia just stared on... confused and dazed.

“You left the door open so I came in and saw you sitting here facing the bathroom with your mouth wide open. I tried to pull you out of it but then you collapsed! What the hell happened?” Aditya enquired in one breath.

Gia got up and had some water. Then she looked at Aditya and told him everything. She also showed him the footprints that were still remaining somewhat on the floor.

Aditya held her in his arms for some time.

“I am here now. Relax. It will be all right.” Aditya whispered in her ear.

They fell asleep on the bed in each other’s arms.

It was around 3 in the morning when Gia suddenly woke up. Her throat was completely dry. She got out of bed and went into the kitchenette to get some water.

The cold water hitting her throat soothed her soul and she began to feel better.

She turned around and started back towards the bed when she froze on her track.

There, lying next to Aditya was someone draped in the sheet that Gia had on her just a few seconds earlier.

The silhouette looked like someone had pulled on the sheet right up till their head.

She stood their frozen, watching the silhouette breathing.

As if waking from a trance she came back to her senses after what seemed like an eternity and screamed.

“Adi!”

Aditya woke up with a start. He felt an Icy cold body next to him. He turned to see Gia and jumped off the bed.

They both stared at the silhouette in utter disbelief and terror, till right in front of their eyes the sheet flattened again.

“Get out!” a resounding voice commanded from out of nowhere.

Aditya took Gia’s hand gathered the car keys from the table and ran out of the room immediately. They kept running till they reached Aditya’s car and drove off.

It wasn’t until they were way out of the area did he finally parked the car in front of a hotel and looked at Gia.

Gia looked positively ghastly. She just sat there staring out straight. Like a stone statue.

Chapter 7

Gia and Aditya spent that night in a hotel. The next morning Aditya arranged a place for Gia temporarily with a female friend of his.

Gia had to undergo therapy to get over her experience. She still stays in Bangalore and is now married to Aditya. They have never revisited the guest house and could never really find out the true history of the place.

There were a few speculations though, about a man getting killed in the room etc. but we shall never know the truth. Or will we...?

                                                              THE END