I was fast asleep. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I wondered who could be there at this hour of night.It was bitterly cold, so I didn’t feel like coming out of my bed. But again there was a knock and after a few seconds there was a loud thud near the door; as if someone tumbled because of the crumbled door mat. I suddenly stood up. That sound, as if someone has already entered my house, scared the living daylights out of me. That fear flushed away all my senses and I was scared stiff. I grabbed a bottle lying near my lamp. But of what use? It was a plastic bottle.
I plugged up the courage to go out. My hands and legs shook like leaves. I came out of my room and crossed the lobby and saw my front entrance open. All I could see outside was black night and felt as if happiness and light had closed their doors for it. I felt apprehensive and closed the door pushing away the forceful cold winds. There was complete silence in the house, as if it was never resided.
‘ But what about that sound?’ I thought, and mustered up courage to check. I decided to check the drawing room first as it was near the entrance. As I started to move towards the room, the creaking sounds of the wooden floor panels made my heart miss a beat. I searched for the switches on the wall and switched on the lights. My eyes squinted, trying to adjust because of the sudden flash of light and my vision darted towards the blood stained floor. It was such a fright that I jumped out of my skin and took a scary leap away from the blood. But suddenly stumbled upon something. My hands fell on it and it felt like a cold wet cushion. I turned my head and the sight made my blood run cold. There laid a dead man beside me!
I was scared out of my wits and shouted with all my might. But suddenly woke up on my bed. I was perspiring hard and breathing heavily. But the thought that it was a nightmare relieved me.
It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more. The bottle was still kept near my lamp. I pulled myself together and tried to sleep again. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. And after a few seconds there was a loud thud; as if someone tumbled because of the crumbled door mat.
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I think that this story is a gripping and captivating horror story that effectively builds suspense and terror. The author did a great job of creating a sense of eerie from the very beginning itself. The description of the dark and silent house and the bloodstained floor, all of which contribute to the fear and foreboding.
I found the ending particularly chilling, as the protagonist wakes up from a nightmare only to be woken again by a knock at the door. It left me wondering if it was a dream or reality.
I personally feel that this story is a well-written and effective horror story that will provide a good scare to the readers. It is also short and easy to read.
Firstly , I would appreciate this piece of work provided by Hifza Siddiqui. Everything seemed so real because of all circumstantial as well as minute details provided.
The plastic bottle, forceful cold winds, creaking sounds of the wooden floor panels make this whole plot look realistic and I could imagine all the scenarios as if every detail of the plot and the individual scenes were happening to me . In the end, though it felt that it would be just a random dream and the story will end but all the deja vu made the plot scary and full of dark vibes.
A short story making you feel hundreds of emotions in just four minutes definitely proves the efficiency , quality as well as the ability of the writer. The ending was unexpected but provided a different charisma to the whole plot making the reader like me eager to what happened next and reaching to the conclusion as per their respective imaginations.
It was definitely a masterpiece.