The first time I met Anath Babu was in a dingy train compartment. I was on my way to Raghunathpur. I work with a newpaper agency in Kolkatta. Was keeping very busy lately and was thinking of taking a break since a long time. I love writing too. Its more of a hobby than profession. Was thkning of penning down some story of my own this time. Had a general idea, but was not able to think too much abt it coz I was too busy with work. My prayers were answered when I got this 10 day break. Didnt think much this time. Packed off my suitcase and set off for the journey. If you are wondering, of all places, what made me choose Raghunanthpur, let me explain. I could stay for free over there. While I was discussing my plans with a colleague, he was more than happy to suggest me this place. We have our ancestral home there. Its a huge mansion. I would have loved to come with you, but because of family stuff, you know I cant. Why dont you just go and check the place out? We have a caretaker called Bharadraj, so it wont be a problem at all. He can take care of all your needs said Ashok. The train was so full of passengers. And one of them was Mr Anathbondhu Mitra. Short, prolly of 50 years of age, balding but with an intelligient face and an intriguing smile. Thats how I can describe Ananthbabu. When I had set my eyes on him the first time, I was kinda amused. The way he dressed, reminded me of a character straight out of some periodic drama. His coat, those trousers, his glasses, his hairstyle, his boots I dont think anyone would dress up like that these days. H e told me he was going to Raghunantpur too. When I asked him the reason , there was this sudden change in his expression, which frankly speaking I could not fathom. Or maybe the train was too noisy for him to understand my question properly. He looked so absent minded that time. Loved the house the moment I reached there. It was huge, as Ashok had said. There was greenery all around. One could find all sorts of vegetation over there. I decided to stay at the penthouse. I wanted a lot of fresh air, sunlight and complete solitude. While unpacking I realized I had forgotten my shaving kit. But Bharadraj had a solution to that one . You just have to walk down the road for a minute Sir. And you will find a grocery shop right down the corner said Bharadraj. Decided to take a stroll by myself at around 4 o clock in the evening. Was surprised to realize that the shop was actually a place of the locals for their adda . Wooden benches were laid on both sides of the shop and a few middle aged men were speaking quite animatedly about something. One was them was exclaiming This is something which I am not making up as I have seen this happening with my own eyes. So what if 30 years have passed on? These are things which will never erase from my memory, specialy when Halder Dutta was such a good friend of mine. And I still believe that I am partly responsible for his death.I kept listening to the conversation while buying my shaving kit. The guy continued Just imagine, we had bet of just 10 rupeess amongst us. The bet was to spend a night , alone, in that house. When he didnt return the next morning, I, along with others , went to find him. I cannot forget how I felt when I saw him lying on the floor, dead. It looked like something has scared the hell out of him. His eyes were wide opened, staring along a unknown thing. There was not a sign of any wound on his body. No snake bite either. So u tell me now, what would u attribute his death to? Its a clear cut case of something beyond our comprehension. Something paranormal. I stood at the shop for some more time. Wanted to know what exactly these guys were discussing. I got my answer after another 5 minutes of wait. In Raghunathpur, near the southern side of the town, theres this house. Its almost around 200 years oldmostly ruined. Theres this room in that mansion, situated at the north western side which seems to be haunted. The locals firmly believed in this theory. Ofcourse, nobody had the guts to prove it right, until the above incidence took place. Moroever, the mansion, it seems had a tainted history of murders, suicides and killings. Have to admit, I was quite curious about the entire episode. Anyway, I was just about to come out of shop when I saw Anathbabu Mitra walking towards me, with that trademark smile on his face. Did u listen to them? he asked me. Yes said me. Do you believe it?You mean in the ghost?Yes.You know what? I have heard so much about haunted houses, but I have never met someone who has actually seen the whole thing with his own eyes. Do you want to take a look?Of what?The house?Excuse me, what do u mean?Well, lets just see it from the outside. Its not very far from here you know. Probably a mile or something. This guy was turning out to be quite interesting. And what would I do returning so soon? So I decided to go along with him.You cant possibly spot the house from a distance. Its surrounded by wild vegetation from all possible sides. But you can spot the huge iron gate from far. Cross the gate, and you enter the portico. The house had a very strange architecture. It was surprisingly simple, with no artwork at all, and had a very squarish feeling to it. The walls were now adorned with fungi, and one could see rays of the setting sun reflecting in them. After a minute passed, Anathbabu said As far as I know, ghosts never come out when its still sunny, so why don t we go and check that room once? He winked at me when he said the last line. You mean the room at the north western corner?? Wasn t it the same room where?Yes, thats the room where Mr Halder died.God, this guys kind of inquisitive when it comes to all these stuff. Probably, Ananthbabu could gauge my mind. You know what? I have to tell you this. This house is the only reason I am here in Raghunathpur.Really?Yes. I got to know about this house when I was in Kolkatta. I remember you asking me on the train that day about the reason of me in here. I know I was quite rude when I didn t answer you that time, but I was firm that I will let you know when the time is right. I just wanted to be sure about you.You mean you came all the way from Kolkata to meet this ghost?Wait, please dont get so impatient. I didnt tell you what is my profession is. I happen to be a researcher, whose research interests lies in paranormal activities. I have been to in this field from the last 25 years now. I had to learn 7 languages so as to pursue my passion. I have been in talks with a London based scientist Dr Norton, regarding the same. Have published a lot of my work in..reputed..jounals. Dont want to sound pompous, but I can gurantee you this, you probably wont find another scientist in this country who has worked so extensively regarding the paranormal.While I was listening to him, even for a minute, I didnt feel that he was being boisterous or pompous. In fact, my whole opinion about him changed. I felt a certain degree of respect towards him. I felt that I could trust him. He kept silent for sometime and then said I have been close to 300 haunted houses . I have spent the night alone in them.Are you serious?Yes. In places like Jab alpur,Cherrapungi, Jodhpur, B arasat, Hazari bagh. ButHe stopped abruptly. Nodding his head slowly he continued Wasnt that lucky. Prolly they dont come to people who really want to experience them. I have been dissapoin ted evrytime. Let me tell u a b t a incidence in Chennai. I was very close there. This was an old abandoned British club house. My room was quite dark. Wanted to light a candle. But this ghost was possibly allergic to candle light. It would not let me light the can dle. Everytime I lit up the matchstick, it would blow it off. Wasted 13 matchsticks, an d t hats when prob ably the ghost decided it had enough . I finally lit the candle, but t hats all to it. Let me tell ab out an other funny incident. This was in W B. I was in this haunted house and I dont know exactly when, I must have do zed off. when I woke up, I could feel that I was completely b ald!!! Min d you, I was quite you ng th at time, and possessed a headful of hair. B ut all my hair was completely gone, justlike t h at. For a moment, I wasnt sure of myself. But a mosquito bite b ought me bac k to reality! An d b eleiv e me, the bite was very real I had a torch with me. Switched it on, and lo and be ho l d, my hair (and thankfully my head too) was in tact! Apart from these two situations, I hav e never experienced anything odd. I had almost given up, when I got to hear about this place. Decided to give this place one last try.I was taken in by his talks t hat I didnt realize that we had reached the room he was talking about. This place was surrounded by cobwebs. Am sure this is hau n ted I was telling myself.The room was..surrounded bythreehugeverandahs..from..three..sidesOn..one..of..the..wallsthere..was..this..huge..grandfatherclockIt..was..in..a.verydilapidatedconditionThe..hourhand..was..broken..someone..has..shatereered..the..glassthe..pendulam..was..missingIt..wasthenI..noticed..the..roomThe..door..was..ajarThe..moment..Ananthbabu..pushed..it..openfor..some..unknown..reason..I..had..a.creepy..feeling..all..over..meBut..once..we..were..inside..the..roomI..didnt..notice..anything..unusualThe.room..looked..like..it..served..as.a..sittin..hall.or..smethingThere..was..this..hugecentretable.inthe..middle..consisting..of.just..the..legs there..was..this..broken..armchairnear..the..windowwasnt.sure.if..sitting..on..tat..would..be..comfortable..because..that..was..in..a..very..shabbyconditionAnanthbabu..wasvery..still..for..sometimeLooked..to..me..like..he..is..trying..to..feel..something/someonein..the.roomHe..was..concentrating..on..smething..very..hardAlmost..after.a..minute..laterheasked..me..Canyou..smellanything..fishyhere?What..sort..of..smell?Fishoil a nda..the..smell..of..a..dead..corpseItriedtakingin..deepbreathsbut..all..I..could..feel..in..the..room..was..a.mustysmellwhich..is..quitecommon..in..rooms..which..remainunused..for.a..longtime..nowAnathbabu..on..the..other..hand..was..quite..excited!!! ..I..am..sure..this..house..is..hauntedI..am..quite..familiar..with..the..smellbut..dont..know..if..I..wouldbe..so..luckythat..I..will..get..to..experience..it..Anyways..letsleavenow.He..decided..to..come..back..to..the..house..next..day..to..spend..the..night..alone.On..the..way..back..he..told..me..I..didnt..stay..todaybecause..its..Amavaysha..tomorwand..moreoverI..shouldkeep..some..thingsin..handy.in..situations..like..theseRight..now..I..donthave..them..Will..have..to..get..them..tomow..Todaysvisit..was..more..of..a..survey .He..dropped..me..till..my..houseBefore..leaving..hesaidPlease..dont..tell..anybody..else..about..thisThese..people..are..so..prejudiced..and..scaredIf..they..get..toknow..about..myplansprolly..they..would..not..let..meAnd..one..more..thingPlease..dont..feel..bad..because..I..didnt..ask..you..to..come..along..with..meU..see,there..r..certain..things..in..life..which..feels..best..when..done..in..solitude!!!Thenext..morningI..could..not..concentrateon..my..writing..muchMy..mind..kept..driftingto..the..ouseto..AnanthbabuIn..the..eveningI..went..with..himto..drop..himnear..the..main..gateAnathbabu..was..quiteprepared..for..tonightHe..was..wearing..warm..clotheswas..carrying..water..and..a..huge..torchWhileentering..the..househe..showed..me..two..thingsIalways..carrythese..two..bottles..with..me..One..consists..of.thismosquitoerepellantoil(formulated.byAnanthbabuhimself)and..the..other..is..an..acidto..keepsnakes..at..bay!..Saying..this..he..wentoff.I..couldnt..sleep..at..allatnight.Assoon..as..it..was.dawnI..asked..Bharadrajto..get..some..tea..for..me..and..Anathbabu..ina..thermosReachedthe..placebutcouldnt..find..himanywherearoundI.was..comtemplating..calling..hisname..out..when..I..heard..a.voiceHey..thereturnaround!Thats..whenI..saw..himwalking..confidentlytowards..meFor..a..moment..I.thought..he..neverhad..any..luck..with..the..ghost..thing..eventhis..timeI..got..tea..for..youdoyou..wantsome???...Probably..we..can..just..go..home..and..chatif..you..want..to.Lets..just..sit..near..the..fountain..and..talkwhat..say?Wesat..nearthe..fountainwith..Anathbabusipping..his..teaCurious..are..we?He..asked..me..winking!Well..Yeah..a..littleAll..right..thenLetme..startExpeditionhighlysuccessfulIt..was..worth,..me..coming..hereWhen..u..leftme..at.th..gatethe..time..was..around5..pm..isnt..it?...Before..entering..the..room.I..did.a..small..survey..by..myself..just..to..check..the..surrondingsSometimes..it..so..happens..that..its..not..the..ghostsbuthumans..who..love..playng..pranks..at..the.expense..f..others.Anyway,..I..was..satisfied..bywhat..I..sawThere..was..nothing..suspicious..around..this..place.I..went..insidethe..roomGodit..was..dirtysweptthe..placeand..was..all..ready..for..my..rendezvous..with..Bhoot..BabajiIt..was..quite..dampinside..the..room..Wasfeeling..suffocated..so..I..opened..the..window.Had..nothng..to..do..afterwardsSo..justsatbackin..the..chairWas..feelinguneasy..a..lot..but..I..am..used..to..situations..like..these..so..nothng..to..complainSoon..it..was..darkoutsideI..mean..pitch..darkAnd..it..was..then..I..could..smell..the..fragnanceI..am..a..very..coolheadedpersondont..get..excited.soon.but..somehow..everything..seems..very.different..todayI..could..feelmyheart..racing!Dont.remember..the..timebut..probably..it..was..after..9I..saw..a..firefly..entering..the..roomWasthere..for.a..minute..and..then..it..flew..awaythe..wayit..cameAfter..that..I..have..no..idea..whenthe..cricketsstopped..chirpingthe..jackels..went..quietI..musthave..dozed..offI..woke..up..when..I..heard..a..noiseIt..was..the..clock..tickingIt..was..midnight..The..sound..of..the..clock..was..sweetbut..nevertheless..it..was..veryloudI..was.wide..awakenowAnd..there..were..two..other..things..i..noticedI..was..sleepingverycomfortablyin..the..armchairYes,the..broken..armchair..wasnt..brokenanymoreInfactit..was..quite..comfortableand..on..top,..someone..had..placed..a..pillowbehind..my..back!!!I..was..astonished..to..see..all..this..and..infact..was..enjoying..the..moment..when..I..realized..moonlight..was..pouring..in..from..the..open..windowWasnt..it..supposed..tobe..Amavyasa..yesterday?Saying..this..Ananthbabu..stoppedHe..then..looked..at..me.smiled..and..saidWasntthe..environemt..lovely?I..saidYes.quitenice..actuallySoit..seems..like..you..had..a.verypleasantnight?Hearing..meAnanthbabubecame..quite..seriousI..couldnttake..it..any..longerLost..my..patience..and..asked..him..bluntlyDo..u..mean..to..say..that..you..didnt..feel..any..fear..out..there..yesterday?He..lookedinto..myeyesbut..this..timehis..trademark..smile..was..missing..from..the..corner..of..his..lipsHis..tone..had..a..seriouness..note..to..itwhenhe..asked..meThe..day..before..when..u..had..come..with..me..to..this..housedid..u..notice..anything..strange..just..outside..the..room?UmmI..am..not..sureBut..why..are..u..asking..me..this?WellifI..dont..show..you..probably..you..cant..make..it..outCome..with..me.So..it..was..both..of..us..againthrough..the..cobwebsthe..darknessAnanthbabu..didnt..speak..the..whole..time..Theres..just..one..thing..he..mentionedYou..knowI..dont..think..I..will..ever..do..this..again..I..dont..want..to..run..behind..ghosts..everagain..in..my..lifeI..am..doneThe..door..was..ajar.This..time..I..pushed..it..open..and..entered,..the..roomI..had..barely..taken..two..stepswhen..I..saw..something..which.surprised..and..horrified..mesimultaneouslyWhois..that..guy..lying..prostate..on..the..floor..wearing..those..boots?And..this..is..when..I..heard..this..blood..curdling..laughter..of..a..womanresonating..in..the..huge..mansion.I..dont..think..I..rememberanything..else.after..this.I..gainedconsciousnessI..found..myself..at..homeBharadrajstanding..right..infront..of..meThe..guy..sitting..next..to..me..was..the..guy..from..the..shopThank..Godyou..are..all..rightSidhuhad..seen..ugoing..towards..that..dreaded..house..and..he..came..and..alerted..usWereuout..of..your..mind????..Why..did..u..go..there?It..was..for..AnanthbabuI..managed..to..mumbleGodthat..poor..fellow..We..discovered..his..bodyyesterdayHe..was..dead.stone..coldbodyeye..staring..at..something..which..cannot..be..comprehendedI..was..thinking..tomyself.You..areall..wrongHe..is..not..deadHeis..aliveU..can..seehim..if..you..go..the..housetomorw...early..morning..Wearing..that..old..fashioned..coat..those..bootsand..that..intriguing..smile..on..his..lips