The Green Room

Something

Rohan watched the play from the control room. Ayush sat quietly beside him, clicking switches every now and then. He had put on a cap earlier that day, but the warden took it off during lunch and growled at the students, "You are not supposed to wear caps in the Dining Hall!" Angry over the insult, Ayush trimmed his head bare after lunch as the warden had ordered the barber not to cut his hair till further notice. Anjali was furious over what the warden had done, and also on the staff members for doing nothing about it. She tried to bring Ayush down from the control room, but he just sat there, ignoring all her gestures. He looked funny; even if the juniors would dare not as much as glimpse at his bald head, he didn't want to be a piece of attraction.

Rohan reminded Anjali about the costumes and props before the practice began. "Don't worry, dear!" was all she replied. With Chandni busy on stage, Rohan sat with Ayush, desperately waiting for the session to end.

He slumped onto his bed the moment he reached his dormitory late after midnight. He was exhausted. He didn't change into his night-suit. What was the use? He would have to change back into his uniform again the next morning. He loosened his tie and tried to sleep.

Pug marks. They must have played a crucial role in identifying the leopard. Why did the forest officer kill himself?

He was walking through a forest. He looked back.

Pug marks.

Will they realize it's all fake? Whatever! Sir will take care of that.

That was all he could do. He looked back again and again. No, he did not leave his own footprints.

Only pug marks.

He fell on a bed. It was comfortable. He turned to a side... and his mouth went dry.

His bed was hovering in the air.

Panic struck him. A strange sensation ran down his nerves. His bed began to descend. He prepared for the impact... but none came. He opened his eyes. The dormitory came into view. The lights were on. He looked around.

Why are all the beds empty?

He heard a commotion downstairs, as if the entire school had gathered there. What was going on? Why didn't anyone wake him up?

He tried to get out of his bed... and opened his eyes. It was dark. He was breathing heavily. His back was wet with sweat. He pulled the blanket from his face and took in a long breath. He looked around. All his classmates were sleeping. His eyes wandered towards the locker area. Silver moonlight fell from a skylight at its entrance... and she was standing there!

Kajal! For the first time he saw her clearly. She was more beautiful than she had appeared in the picture. He wanted to get closer. He felt a pang of fear. She was luring him, and he was falling for her. She was a killer. He saw the formidable mist swirling behind her. She was waiting for him. His heart went frantic. He began to tremble. He wanted to run... scream... only if he could take his eyes off her.