Laura was troubled by strange phone calls shortly after she had moved into a new house. A man always threatened from the other end, “I’ll tell you how I kill you!” Tired of these threatening calls, Laura talked to her sister. She asked Laura to seek the help of the police. “We are helpless at the moment as you have no suspect that you can think of. But please ask someone to stay with you,” said the police. They also installed a device to trace calls. Laura’s sister suggested, “I can’t stay with you because of my children. But why don’t you rent out a room?” So, Laura advertised about a room in her house. That same evening, a young man came and Laura rented the room to him. To the police’s surprise, the calls came from Laura’s house! When Laura was talking to the police about this, she saw a ghostly figure of her tenant! She ran out and never came back.
A Night After Christmas
Gerald rolled on his bed, unable to sleep. It was too cold for comfort and his 13-year-old mind kept him restless. He wondered if his younger brother George was asleep. He crept towards his room and called out, “George, are you awake?” There was no answer. He then paused outside his parents’ room. He could hear the shrill sound of his father snoring. Heaving a sigh, Gerald walked into the living room and switched on television. After half an hour he was still bored. ‘Let me give mother a pleasant surprise. I will wash the dishes lying in the sink,’ he thought. So Gerald strode into the kitchen. The little black radio on the table caught his attention. ‘Ah, let’s have some music!’ he thought. Gerald switched on the radio. Soft music from the 70s filled the kitchen, while Gerald scrubbed the dishes. In the living room, the clock struck 12. The colourful lights on the Christmas tree flickered.
The Strange Shadow
Gerald whistled along with the tunes, nodding his head now and then. He could see the lights flickering on the Christmas tree, which was towards his right. He scrubbed hard at the oil-stained dishes. The tiny, glittering lights from the tree and the garland formed dancing shadows on the wall to his left. Next, he reached out to grab a kettle from the dishwasher that stood right next to the sink. At the same time, Gerald could also see the shadow of his arm moving back and forth. Just then, something happened. A soft scream got stifled in his throat. Was it his imagination, or was it real? Something black had moved on the wall. It seemed that a shadow of something large and thick had moved on the wall along with his arm. ‘What could it be?’ thought Gerald. He was not sure about it though. ‘Maybe, I am getting sleepy and having weird dreams,’ he thought.
Gerald Tells the Secret
Gerald had his suspicions about what he had seen. So, he repeated his actions, at the same time keeping an eye on the wall from the corner of his eye. And there, it happened again! There was indeed another shadow. ‘This was no mistake; nor was he dreaming,’ he realised. It was actually happening and he was terrified. ‘I need to go back to bed.’ With this thought, Gerald hurriedly finished the dishes, switched off the lights, and scooted off to his room. The next morning, Gerald thought it might have been a dream. So, he decided not to tell anybody. He was afraid he would be laughed at. A week passed. It was a Friday night. Gerald and George were in the kitchen washing the dishes when Gerald suddenly remembered the shadow. He decided to confide in his brother. Gerald stood close to the dishwasher. Again, the lights on the Christmas tree and the garland flickered.
The Brothers See the Shadow
Gerald described the scene of the other night. He told George how he had reached out for the glass, and seen another shadow move along with his own. Gerald then put out his hand towards the dishwasher. Lo! There, on the wall, was the shadow yet again! ‘Maybe, it was George’s shadow,’ thought Gerald initially. ‘No, it cannot be. George is much thinner and shorter; the shadow is large and thick.’ “Watch out, George,” he screamed, seeing the shadow again. Petrified, the brothers dashed into their parents’ room and begged to be allowed to sleep there. The next morning, the worried parents asked Gerald what the matter was. Gerald related the events of the two nights, but the parents were not convinced. Soon, the Christmas holidays were over and the boys resumed school. The strange shadow was forgotten, but it was still there. It had not forgotten the boys.
