THE GHOST SHADOW

Life is really delightful and magnificent with all sorts of imaginable dreams when it comes to childhood. It's all free from stress and worries. But, as one grows up, different types of pressures crop up. The pressure of performing well and scoring highest marks supercedes. It mounts high when it comes the time of examinations. Sensitive children face it the most. 

That time,  Ratna was in class XII. She had to appear in the Board Examination. So, she was studying hard with a packed routine of fifteen hours a day. She was a good girl and worked hard to attain perfection in everything. Her only dream was to make the dreams of her father come true. She had a golden heart,  as beautiful as she looked. The dates of examination were coming closer. She was all the while now absorbed into books to give her the best. 

Finally,  the day of examination came. It was English Paper on the first day. She was very excited. She went to the examination center with her father and took his blessings before getting in. By the grace of God,  she did well in the examination. The Paper was easy, so she wrote it well taking extra sheets. She was very happy when she came back home. Her mother had already cooked good dishes for her. She enjoyed having it all.

Ratna had a brother also. He was just one year old. There was a big gap between them. But, she loved her brother a lot. Such a little kid, adorable too, but badly struck with Polio disease! Ratna felt worried about it. She wanted to do something for him that he might be cured very soon. She wanted to see her brother walk on his feet again. She wanted to see him play,  run.....

That night, he was crying a lot. It was a moon-lit night. Her mother was cooking food. Ratna carried her brother in her arms and started moving around on the terrace to quieten him. Suddenly, she saw a big human shadow in the door way of one of the two staircases. First, she thought that it was her shadow. So, she moved a bit hither and thither. But, the shadow didn't move. It remained constantly standing at the same place. Ratna felt horrified to see it. At last,  she went into her room struck with fear. That time, she didn't share anything with her mother. But, she was looking terrified. When her father came back home,  she wanted to share this incident with him,  but he asked her to keep quiet at night. He just suggested her not to knock the shadow ever.

Next morning,  her father told a very shocking story. Actually,  the landlord had five daughters. They were a happy family. But one day,  the tragedy took place. At a very petty thing,  two of the sisters started to quarrel. The quarrel turned into a fight. Parents were trying to pacify them,  but they didn't stop. So, the father gave two slaps to the youngest one, and the matter got out of control. At night, the youngest daughter burned herself to death on the same staircase. Since then, her soul lived there on that staircase. Now, she had become a ghost. The residents of the house had seen her shadow several times. But, they didn't say anything to her. Often at night,  they would hear the sound of her anklets, but they would not knock her. She was a good ghost. She never did any harm to anybody. The story was really pitiful. Ratna felt shocked to hear it. After that day  she never got scared of that ghost although she heard her or saw her. She, also, took a vow not to beat or humiliate anyone. This ghost had, really, taught her a great lesson.