I was a bit late that day. The torchlight was so dim that I could hardly see anything in the dark. I thought of taking the shortcut through the compound of an old building. It had been a factory during my father's childhood. People avoid using the shortcut because they say the building is creepy especially at night. “Ghosts…spooky building…why do people believe in such crap!” I said to myself as I reached the middle of the path. The dim torchlight fell on a young boy in our school uniform. He was crying with his head down. “Hey chap, why are crying?,” I asked. The boy slowly lifted his head. Oh my goodness! He had no eyes, nose or mouth. It was just a flat surface. I was thunderstruck at the sight. It felt as if my heart stopped beating. Suddenly I kept my hand on my chest and felt the presence of a book there. Soon I realised that it was just a dream that I had when dozing off while studying.
Nidhin is a Std X student at St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Punnapra, Alappuzha
