“This house is just how you had described Mr. and Mrs Kruger!”, said the house broker.
Kris and Kate walked into the apartment and stared and stared.
The house had everything they had ever wanted- a living room just adequate enough to house Kate’s small library shelf in the corner and Kris’ editing machines and still have enough space for the seating when some extra friends came over to stay, a cozy bedroom with just enough light coming in, the perfect kitchen where they would cook together not too big not small, a bathroom good enough to fit a tub, a balcony perfect to fit two chairs where Kate could make a tiny garden and where they could sip their morning coffee or have a glass of wine at night.
Kate whispered in awe, “This is it! This is just like a dream.!”
The house broker smiled and added, “Surprisingly its just a little more than the half of what you had decided as your budget.”
Kate turned to Kris looking happy, “Lets take it!”
Kris looked doubtful, “Wait a minute!” And looking at the broker asked, “Whats the catch, mate?”
The broker’s smile disappear, “Nothing Mr. Kruger. Nothing at all. When I heard Mrs. Kruger listing down what she needed I knew I had to get you to this apartment. And I think I was right.”
Kris did not sleep that night. He kept on thinking how could such a beautiful apartment, their dream house could be so cheap. There must be some twist. How could things be so perfect all of a sudden for them? And then it hit him, “Unless the apartment was haunted!”
The next day Kris went back to the apartment; this time without Kate.
He checked every nook and corner to find something fishy. He didn’t. It was just the same, how he had seen. But he wasn’t assured. He asked the old lady who stayed next door and then some more in the building. The neighbours said they hadn’t seen anyone living there. Probably nobody lived.
Kris grew suspicious. He went to the local administrator’s office to find who owned the house. But to Kris’ surprise the house never had had an owner. It was a brand new apartment that never got sold.
Kris wasn’t satisfied. He started thinking what if someone had never bought the apartment before because something had happened in there; like some accident, or an unfortunate death of the worker who built it?
He visited the apartment again and stayed till the sun went down. He tried switching on the lights but the apartment had no power. He checked outside everywhere else there were lights. He started feeling jittery. Then he heard a knock from the bedroom. His heart started racing. Was it what he was thinking? He wanted to go and see who was it but was too scared. He heard a few steps as if someone was jumping up and down. And then he heard the knock again. This time he almost yelped and started running down the stairs of the building not even looking back!
He ran home and told Kate that were never visiting that house again. Its haunted for sure.
The old lady who stayed in the neighbouring apartment of Kate and Kris’ ‘almost perfect apartment’ was talking to her friend over the phone, “I saw another man running away from the neighbouring apartment today. I don’t understand why people do that.”
The friend asked her, “Didn’t you ask him why?”
The old lady said, “No I didn’t I was busy playing my evening’s game of hop scotch in my balcony!”
- Amruta Pradhan :)
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