GHOST PANIC

Panic of Shadow

(Ghost Story)

A secluded village in East Bengal, called Sonakhali. There are vast paddy fields all around, occasional palm trees, and some distance away, an old, almost dilapidated landlord's house. The villagers call it 'Shadow House'. The name is like that because as soon as evening falls, a thick shadow forms around this house—an unusual darkness, as if the light does not want to enter.

It is said that about a hundred years ago, landlord Birendranath Roy lived in this house. He was very cruel. He used to torture the farmers to the utmost. Many innocent farmers lost their lives due to his punishment. One day, a young farmer from the village, Hemanta, dared to protest in front of the landlord. The result—his body was found in the pond behind the house.

From then on, strange things started happening in Chhaya Bari.

One night, Birendranath's body was found floating in his own house, covered in blood. No one knows how he died. However, the villagers still say that the shadow of Hemanta roams around that house after dusk. Some have heard it clearly, someone saying in a pitiful voice, "Will I not be judged?"

After that incident, no one in the village goes near the house anymore. The house has been empty for years, turning into a ruin.

Now let's come to the story in the present tense.

Raihan is a young researcher, studying in the history department of Dhaka University. His research topic is the zamindari system of Bengal and its impact. He had heard about the shadow house of Sonakhali—many folk tales and legends are associated with this house. He decided to research the history of this house.

Everyone warned him. But Raihan is a rational person, and considers ghosts and ghosts to be superstitions. According to him, behind these folk tales lies real history, which is important to investigate.

One day, despite the reluctance of the villagers, he entered the house. With a torch, a camera, and an old map. As soon as he entered the house, there was a strange smell—the smell of old wood, damp walls, and something that seemed to be burning.

He started taking pictures, old pictures hanging on the walls of the house, empty windows, dusty furniture. Suddenly, his eyes fell on a door that was different from the other doors—made of iron, locked.

But the lock was also strangely rusty. It opened with a little push.

Inside was a small room, with handprints on the wall, stains on the floor—as if someone had been dragged away. Suddenly, Raihan saw a shadow moving on the wall in the light of the torch. But surprisingly, there was no one behind it.

He thought it must be a mistake of the eyes, a play of light and shadow. But then he clearly heard a voice, pitiful, full of sighs—"Will I not be judged?"

Raihan sweated. His throat went dry. The voice came again, a little angry this time—"Will you suppress the truth?"

He controlled himself even as he ran away. The torch had gone out. He turned it on again with great difficulty. As he tried to find a way out of the house, he saw that the rooms in the house had changed—where there were windows, there were now walls; where there were doors, there was emptiness.

He realized that he was trapped.

Night passed and morning came. The villagers noticed that Raihan had not returned. Of course, none of them dared to go near the house.

Two days later, a teenager from the village bravely went outside the house. He saw that Raihan’s bag was lying in front of the house. The camera, the map, everything was there, except Raihan.

The police came and searched. Every corner of the house was searched. But there was no sign of Raihan anywhere.

However, one thing was found.

Written in blood on the wall behind the house, “When the truth is suppressed, a shadow is born.”

The incident with Raihan became another source of fear for the village. The shadow house was no longer just an abandoned landlord’s house, but now it was the home of an invisible presence. Some say at night, they see a shadowy figure in the window of their house—a young man whose eyes seem to be trying to say something. Many believe that Raihan is now part of that house—as if the shadow has taken him over.A few days later, Raihan's family received a letter that Raihan had sent before his research—it read, “If I don't come back, you'll know—when you go in search of the truth, the shadows wake up.” The next morning, the villagers found Raihan's bag and camera in the yard of the house. When the police arrived, they found nothing. However, the last picture found on Raihan's camera was of a face—which was definitely not Raihan. That face is still the subject of discussion among researchers. Some say photo editing, some say hallucination. However, the villagers say, “The shadow didn't find anyone, the shadow chose him.” No one still goes near the shadow house in Sonakhali in the evening. Some say, the shadow still swings in the night sky, some shout, “Where is my justice?” Then------------------- A year later, Ananya Sen, a mountaineer and partial parapsychology researcher, came to investigate the shadow house after learning about it. She had an electromagnetic reader, infrared camera, and sound recorder with her. She knew that many ghost stories are the result of unexplained natural forces. At night, Ananya sees the same shadow figure moving around Raihan's place. She captures a temperatureless human-like figure on an infrared camera, whose movement is counterclockwise. She thinks that this shadow figure is not a ghost, but a form of a powerful emotion trapped in the past, which is called residual haunting. Ananya investigates further and learns that after Hemanta's death, her younger sister Kalpana committed suicide. Her diary is found in an old room. It reads, "If my brother's death is not judged, my soul will not find peace." These two restless souls—Hemanta and Kalpana—live together as emotional shadows around the house. These shadows do not fade with time, but are revived by the environment of the house and the presence of people. Ananya decides to organize a penitential ceremony with the help of the villagers, where the village elders will acknowledge the landlord's mistakes and pay homage to their memory. The priest, the imam, and the local clergy pray together for peace. On the night of their joint effort, the play of light and shadow is seen on the walls of the shadow house for the last time. That night, an audio recording found in Raihan's bag can be heard during the performance—"Thank you, I have found peace." Since then, the shadow house has not been the center of any unusual events. Raihan has not been found, but one day, a notebook written by him floats on the balcony of the house, where it was written—"Time gives answers to everything, just listen if you want to know." Now the shadow house is on its way to becoming a research center. Some still ask, "Is Hemanta back?" when the leaves turn at night, but they know that he no longer wants punishment—only remembrance.