Shadow School: Where Time Stands Still in the Cane Wound

1. Silence and the Beginning

After retiring, life seemed to have come to a standstill for Avni Babu. In search of some solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, he moved to a remote village in South Bengal. He bought an old schoolhouse—which had been closed for a long time—from the local panchayat at a low price. The aim was to live peacefully and grow a garden.

The villagers said, “No one lives there, sir. There is something strange.”

Avni laughed and dismissed it, “There can be chirping sounds in an old house. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

2. The first sound of the night

The first few days passed very peacefully. He spent his time working in the garden in the afternoon and reading books in the evening.

But one night he woke up to a strange sound—

Chapang! Chapang!

It was as if someone was beating someone with a cane.

Then he heard the sound of children reading in whispers.

“My mother’s name is A-ru-p... I go to school every day...”

Avni got up and looked out the window. The light was shining from the main classroom of the school. But it suddenly went out like a line being cut.

3. Finding out

The next day, Avni went to the village market and asked the locals,

“There was a school here. Why did it close?”

An old man shook his head and said,

“It was twenty years ago. The headmaster at that time was very strict. He used to beat the children a lot. Some say that a boy died from beating him. Then one day a fire broke out, the school burned to ashes. Sir also disappeared.”

Avni fell silent. The same voice returned at night.

4. The classroom of the shadow

One night, Avni bravely entered the old classroom with a torch in her hand.

The room was cold and frosty. Suddenly the light became dim.

It gradually becomes clear before our eyes—students made of shadows are sitting on benches. They have no eyes, no faces, just the smell of burning and silent tears.

A faceless teacher stands in front of the board. He has a cane in his hand.

He whispers,

“Sit quietly! If you don’t do your homework today, you will bleed!”

Avni steps back, but the door is closed. The teacher turns around and says—

“What are you doing here? This is my school... forever mine!”

5. The awakened past

The next day, Avni goes to the village and investigates further. An old woman says,

“The headmaster was Bimal Sarkar. He taught the children, but they were subjected to unspeakable torture. No one said anything out of fear. One day, he beat a boy so much that he couldn’t stand up.”

“The fire broke out that night. Many say that some of the students protested together and set the fire. But the police have not found any evidence. Sarkar Babu’s body has not been found either.”

Avni understood—the schoolroom was still a place of torture, in the shadows.

6. The last class

One night. Full moon. Avni thought—If this soul is not stopped, there will be no peace.

She sprinkled Ganga water on herself, tied a rope of Homra around her hands, and entered the classroom again.

The shadows surrounded her. The faceless teacher said—

“Have you come to take my place?”

Avni said,

“I have come to stop this class. To stop the sins of so many years.”

A soul whispered,

“We are imprisoned here, because no one has told the truth. He still teaches us—in fear and pain.”

7. Fire and Liberation

That night, Avni set the classroom on fire with kerosene from her own hand.

Screams could be heard from inside,

“No! This is my school! This is mine! Mine!”

The shadows slowly began to disappear. And suddenly, a strange light filled the room.

The next day, people saw that the schoolhouse was completely burnt down. Avani Babu was nowhere to be found.

But surprisingly, no one had heard a sound since that night.

8. A New Morning

The villagers later built a new school there. This time the children were smiling.

It was spread among the people—

“The Shadow School” is no more. But if the light of truth is not lit, the shadow will return.”