The Lover from Beyond

They say that if you seek adventure you must travel,I did so because it was in my profession or at least a part of it, my father was an industrialist and owned a small factory in Bangalore, and he used to send me to various places to meet new clients on such occasions it is very hard for me to find a good place to stay as my budget was limited, it was during my travels I came up against one of my own ‘experience’. It was in udupi I was to meet my new client, so there I was again in an old dull Street with strange people.

It was already nightfall so I had to make haste and started asking the locals if there was an inn near by when one of them pointed his finger and gave me directions. It was wasn’t far, pretty soon I found myself in the lobby, it was dull four stories which needed a lot of repairs, it had a bald old guy for a receptionist when I asked him for a room he said “sorry sir, no rooms we’re full tonight”

“But come on, I’ve traveled so far I’m tired I could really use some rest, I’ll even pay you an extra 100”

The old man grinned at my offer which showed is entire front teeth and said “very well fallow me”

He picked up an old small rusty key from his hanging board and lead me up stairs to the top floor into the narrow corridor which was ill light it had four room on each side my room being the last one on the left. He opened it and said “well this is it, I don’t usually give this room to anybody because my employer said so, he has some sentimental value for it, but since your really in need of it you shall stay here”

The old man went away and I entered what seemed like a really old coffin full of Cobb webs and dusty looks like he was right the room wasn’t used in a long time. So I went to the bathroom the water was still on, got cleaned up changed into my sleeping robes and hit the bed, which was really cold by the way. It was half past one while I was still conscious after that I don’t know when I feel asleep.

Later that night something woke me up something that sounded like……. Like Breathing!, right in front of my face.
I knew I was alone I woke up terror struck but there’s was nobody there. Was it a dream?

I was to tired to act Sherlock Holmes so I went back to bed again with a puzzled mind.

It must have been hours after that, the dogs were going crazy outside, and then there was the chill. This time I felt it, like a hand on my chest it was a small hand not like a child’s but more like a women’s, I opened up my eyes and looked, it had gotten darker than it was before so I saw nothing. But the frightful thing was I COULD STILL FEEL THE HAND right on my chest, heavy and cold……

It wasn’t a dream I knew it was real I could feel it, the hand on my chest, my heart racing all those things they weren’t a dream, with a quick reflex I rolled out of the bed and flipped the switch, just as I expected…… Nothing

I looked around, behind the curtains even under the bed the door was also locked so nothing could have gotten in or out. But what was that… That Hand and that that breathing earlier?.

I was probably hallucinating because of the lack of sleep and from that journey,I said these stupid things to myself and went back to bed thinking this will all be gone when I’m sound asleep and when the morning comes I’ll be out of here, then I closed my eyes

“Your not leaving me this time”

I fell off of the bed and got up, and then I saw IT……….even in the darkness, darker than the shadows with no face but still I could tell, IT was looking at me a figure of a women, I was shaking now the hair on my body standing straight no strength in my legs, the thing still starting at me with its dark eyes which I could make out they were like a bottomless pit then out of reflex I strode backwards against the walls then all of a sudden they started to shake out of control like somebody was banging them on the other side.

The figure now crawling towards me, I felt like the last breath in my lungs were escaping me as the THING made its way towards me closer and closer until it was at my foot. Grabbing hold of me, it crawled up holding me like a ladder. Face to face I could feel it’s child breath, heavy and dusty……. And as it smiled at me revealing it’s long and blood red tongue coming out to touch my face I don’t know whether it was Courage or Fear that made me push that thing to the ground, I opened the door ran straight down stairs to the lobby, it was empty so I ran outside not looking back even for once.

It was already 5 in the morning so I thought I’d stay outside still trying to shake that image out of my head, reality as it seemed made no sense to me the moral in me didn’t come to my aid when I needed them

7:00 am I decided to go in at the reception there was a young man who was in his late 20’s,”can I help you sir “he asked

“Aaaah, ye ye yes I’d like to talk to the receptionist”

” Sure that would be me”

“Ow no I meant the other one, where is he?”

“I’m sorry sir but there is no other one”

“Look I checked in last night”

“Last night?, but nobody checked in last night, let me check uh what’s your name sir”

“Well it was off records so the old man had got me the old room at the top floor the one that wasn’t used in a long time, so my name is probably not in there”

“Did you say old man!?”

“Yes an old man”

“My god it happened again. Please fallow me sir”

And once again I went up those old stairs to that ghastly room and as we did I said “what is this are you people trying to rob me or something?”

“No sir nothing of that sort”

“Then what’s going on?”

He kept quiet. When we got there he opened the door. Empty obviously

“Here you are sir your luggage”

“Can you tell me what this is all about who is that old man”

“He was a ghost”

“A what? But”

“Tell me something sir did he carry any of your luggage?”

No I said

“Did he hand you the keys?”

“No he opened the door himself”

“And I’m sure you didn’t see her because if you did you wouldn’t be back here again”

“She?……. Yes there was something like a women or at least that’s what it seemed like”

The guys face turned pale at this remark

“Now le… le… let’s go down and talk at the lobby”

He turned back and didn’t wait for me and went straight down

At the lobby he explained everything. “Two years ago a guy brought in a girl to our inn they said they were lovers, we gave them the same room where you stayed last night, it was past 1:00 am and I was asleep. Only two rooms were occupied that night the one with the couple and the one next to it”

“After a while I woke up because I heard screams, of a woman and it came from upstairs. I quickly ran to find out what it was the room where the couple stayed was opened by force when I went in I was shocked, the young women lay dead on the bed! And the man who was with her, missing, the next day the police came and sorted it all out. The guy who came with the girl was the one who killed her, he escaped through the window, he was a criminal and this wasn’t the first time he did such a thing, but unfortunately for him he did not get away with it”

“What happens to him did he get caught?”

“Justice it seems came from another way, he died the same night from an accident while he tried to escape, the cops found his body only two blocks away from here”

“And that old man”

“That old man was the guy who had lodged next to them, he heard everything from next door and tried to save the girl but he died trying”

I simply picked up my things and walked out with the receptionist. When we were out he asked me how much I offered to pay the old man for which I said “there’s no point in that now, I can’t pay a ghost. In that case how much do I owe you?”

For which he replied, “Nothing sir it’s on the house, but in return please don’t tell anybody about this place, it doesn’t happen every time, it just happens on one particular night when that young women died which was last night”

“Don’t worry I won’t tell”

“I’d normally tell my customers to come back”

“Even if you did I wouldn’t dream about coming back”

–END–