The Green Room

It was the end of October and the mountains grew pleasantly cold. Rohan was playing football with Manav and Varun in the balcony while Nisha sat on a table completing an assignment. It had been more than a week since Chandni joined the play and their conversations continued to be formal. But he had earned her smile whenever they crossed paths; and he was happy. It was more than he could have ever expected. But then, it would end too. Two months from now, and she would be gone. He could do nothing, but become a mere spectator and watch her leave.

Rohan kicked hard. The ball bounced off a wall and... "Watch out!" he shouted.

Too late! The ball hit Nisha on her head. Down she fell and her pen went flying off the balcony.

"YOU..." she growled like a monster as she rose. Her face hidden behind her hair, she pounced on Rohan, pinning him against the railing, and started showering him with punches.

"Go on! Throw him off the balcony!" Ayush pepped her up.

She suddenly withdrew, her brows raised, alert. Rohan had heard it too.

Someone was screaming.

It was coming from the Green Room. They heard multiple footsteps on the stage. Rohan rushed into the hall and caught a glimpse of Anjali before she disappeared down the staircase. Rohan followed her. Surbhi, the girl who played Glinda, lay cuddled at the bottom of the staircase. Her hair had come loose. She was trembling.

"What happened?" asked Anjali, kneeling down next to her.

"Someone has died!" she pointed towards the make-up room, her face white. "There is a dead girl there!" she whispered harshly.

Silence fell across the room instantly. For a moment everyone gaped at each other. "What! What are you saying?" asked Nisha, her eyes wide with horror. Rohan arched his neck to peep into the room.

"What happened, Surbhi? Tell me." Anjali took her in her arms.

"I saw her lying in that room. She is dead. I saw her... her head was bleeding."

"Saw whom?" Anjali asked and turned to Rohan.

Cautiously, he went into the make-up room. Only the wooden chair sat in the center of the room. "There is nothing in here," he declared.

More students had come down and were watching from the staircase.

"No! She is there..." Surbhi began to cry even louder, backing against the wall, kicking her legs frantically.

"See for yourself." Rohan looked at her with concern, wondering exactly what had freaked her out. She was a sweet girl. She had a doll-like face and a long, graceful neck. But currently, her hair was disheveled, her face glistening with tears. Anjali tried to take her to the room but she broke free and slumped to the floor. Her green T-shirt was poking untidily from under her jersey. It took a while for Anjali to take her to the room. But once there, her protests ceased altogether. "But... I saw her," Surbhi was horrified, her eyes wide as she pointed to a spot next to the wooden chair. "She was right there; and this chair... it had fallen!"

"Yes, baby!" Anjali cut in. "I know you saw something. But it's okay..." she turned to Rohan and nodded. She had it under control. She opened her mouth to speak again... but stopped.

They all looked towards the door that led to the spiral staircase. Someone had just giggled on the other side.

"Who's there?" asked Manav.

Silence.

Slowly, the door opened and a boy poked his head in. It was Mohit Sharma, Surbhi's classmate who played the Scarecrow.