The House in November

I drew a chair near the quieted, not-in-use hearth and sat down to set up my equipment—magnetic field detector, spirit box, electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) recorder, motion light-up cat balls, electromagnetic radiation tester, and thermometer. The library room contained much to trigger my curiosity, as my eyes wandered on the walls covered with shelves crowded with books of all sizes.

- Sreelekha Chatterjee

The lone light from the candle held by my host, Anil Diwan, lit the bookcase, which stood next to the fireplace, filled with discolored folios. "Should I leave it on the table?" Anil asked. I nodded in affirmation. The only window on one side of the room brought in the cold November breeze and the candle flame flickered. Anil bent forward and shaded the candle with his hand. As soon as I reached the window to close it, a gush of bitter wind blew keener, as if November was in great haste to invite the next month of inclement weather.

I heard someone, probably a kid, laughing aloud in the corridor.

"Was there a child who had an untimely death in this house?" I probed, wondering about the entities who had entrenched themselves in the comfort of their present abode.

"Yes, one of my great uncles had died of pneumonia at the age of twelve."

"What’s the kind of activity that you find here?" I enquired.

"The house is peaceful during the daytime. It’s only in the night that it transforms into something else. The caretaker and another house help never stay here after sundown. I need answers as to whether they are telling the truth." Anil said, shivering a little.

"Shh…" I said, in the middle of my perplexity, pointing at the door. "I heard some footsteps."

"Is there anybody here with us? I’m Kunal, and I’m here to help you if you wish to communicate with me."

I place the electromagnetic field detector in my hand to sense energy changes in the atmosphere. The inside air hung heavy on us—still, but biting. The pointer spikes indicated the presence of some unintelligible being in the room but again dropped down to zero.