Nightmare

In a small town, there stood an old government school by the bank of a small river. On the other side of the river lay a cremation ground, and the closed section of the school directly faced it. The closed section was prohibited for students, as it was rumored to be haunted by revengeful spirits.

Among the students was a curious young boy Aakash in standard 5th. He had always been fascinated by the stories surrounding the closed building. 

One day, driven by his unquenchable curiosity, he decided to sneak into the forbidden area after everyone had left for the day. The door handle was wrapped in thick chains, he managed to peek inside the washroom.

As he looked around, he felt a ghostly chill. The place was empty, but something felt off. Suddenly, a freezing gust of wind blew from inside, carrying a foul smell that made his skin crawl. Frightened, he ran away from the building and kept the encounter a secret from his parents.

That night, he was troubled by a horrifying nightmare. He found himself trapped in the same haunted washroom, surrounded by blood and chunks of flesh. His mother appeared, warning him that there was no escape from the evil spirits. The nightmare kept recurring every night, tormenting him to the point of physical and mental exhaustion.

Desperate for a solution, his parents tried everything to protect him from the cruel force. They resorted to religious rituals, and holy books, and even consulted doctors to check for any underlying mental issues, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, the boy gathered the courage to reveal his secret to his parents. Upon hearing his confession, his father sought the help of a paranormal expert. The expert diagnosed that an evil spirit had indeed targeted the boy, seeking to harm or even kill him. He provided an enchanted water mixture that the boy had to drink before bed without knowing about its magical properties, to avoid the spirit's interference.

The boy began drinking the enchanted water, and to his amazement, the nightmares started to recede slowly. Yet, the experience had left a lasting impact on him. He became attuned to the presence of other entities around him, but thankfully, none of them posed any threat. 

As the years went by, Aakash continued to live with the memory of that terrifying encounter at the old government school. While the nightmares had ceased thanks to the enchanted water, his curiosity about the paranormal had only grown stronger. He was no longer content with mere tales; he wanted to unravel the mysteries of the supernatural world.

Aakash's fascination with the unknown led him to devour books on ghosts, spirits, and the unexplained. He spent countless hours in the town library, reading about ancient rituals, haunted places, and the history of the paranormal. His quest for knowledge became an obsession, one that worried his parents.

His father, who had once sought the help of a paranormal expert to save his son, now tried to dissuade Aakash from pursuing his dangerous interest. He believed that Aakash was inviting trouble by delving too deeply into the supernatural. But Aakash was determined; he wanted to understand the forces that had once tormented him.

One day, while researching in the library, Aakash came across an old journal written by a former teacher of the haunted school. The journal contained firsthand accounts of eerie incidents that had occurred in the closed section of the school. Aakash was captivated by the details of strange noises, ghostly apparitions, and inexplicable cold spots. The teacher had documented how the encounters with the unknown had driven him to quit his job.

Aakash decided to investigate further. He began visiting the old school during the day, exploring the areas that were said to be haunted. He brought a camera with him, hoping to capture evidence of the supernatural. He started to document his experiences in a journal, just like the former teacher had.

On one of his visits, as he wandered the dark corridors of the closed section, he heard faint whispers echoing through the empty halls. Goosebumps covered his arms as he strained to make out the words. It sounded like someone was pleading for help. Aakash followed the eerie voices, leading him to a small, dusty room.

Inside, he found an old, decaying diary. Its pages were filled with the desperate writings of a student who had been confined to this room as punishment. The student had endured days of isolation, and the diary spoke of loneliness, despair, and a growing sense of madness. Aakash realized that the room had been used as a detention cell in the past.

As he flipped through the pages, he couldn't help but feel a connection to the tortured soul who had penned these words. The diary was abruptly cut off, ending with a chilling entry that read, "They are here. The shadows in the corners. They won't let me go." Aakash shuddered, sensing a presence in the room with him.

His camera inexplicably malfunctioned, its display showing distorted, ghostly images. Aakash's heart pounded in his chest as he felt a sudden drop in temperature. He could see his breath in the air, even though it was a warm summer day. Panic washed over him, and he stumbled out of the room, leaving the diary behind.

Aakash knew he had stumbled upon something profound. He was convinced that the spirits within the closed section of the school were trying to communicate with him. He returned to the library to research methods of spirit communication and protection.

His obsession grew, and he began conducting séances in the haunted school building, attempting to make contact with the restless souls. Some nights, he would hear eerie laughter or distant cries, and his camera would capture inexplicable orbs of light.

Aakash's reckless pursuit of the paranormal didn't go unnoticed in the town. Rumors spread about the boy who had once been tormented by spirits and was now willingly inviting them into his life. People whispered that he was playing with forces beyond his control, and many believed that he was endangering himself and the entire town.

One evening, as Aakash prepared for another séance, he felt a sinister presence unlike any he had encountered before. The room grew icy cold, and the air crackled with malevolence. He realized too late that he had unleashed a malevolent spirit, one that harbored a deep grudge against the living.

The room darkened, and a shadowy figure materialized before him. It emanated a palpable aura of hatred. The spirit's eyes glowed with malevolent energy as it lunged toward Aakash, its cold fingers wrapping around his throat. He struggled to breathe, panic gripping him.

Desperate, Aakash reached into his bag and pulled out the enchanted water that had once saved him from the nightmares. He splashed it on the spirit, causing it to recoil with a blood-curdling scream. The room filled with an otherworldly light, and the spirit dissipated, leaving behind a lingering sense of dread.

Aakash knew he had narrowly escaped a dire fate. He had underestimated the power of the spirit he had invoked, and it had nearly cost him his life. With a newfound respect for the supernatural, he abandoned his reckless pursuits and returned to a normal life.

As Aakash grew older, he channeled his fascination with the paranormal into a career as a paranormal investigator. He traveled to haunted locations across the country, seeking to understand and document the mysteries of the afterlife. But he always remembered the lessons he had learned in that old government school – that the supernatural world was not to be taken lightly, and that some spirits were best left undisturbed.