An Eerie Experience !! A Who Dun It Story !!!

It was the dead of night, 1:48 am to be exact that an eerie sound awakened me. Still groggy, I rubbed my eyes to look at the digital clock. At the same time, my mind began to wonder what in the world could be making this sound.

It was raining cats and dogs outside. The unprecedented weather was wrecking havoc and I began to think perhaps my imagination was playing games with me. Yes!! There is that sound again. It sounds like a growl or rather something eerie, not the usual sounds that doesn’t bother you, you know. Just a kind of sound that intrigues you and makes your hair stand up at its end.

It would start with a low growl ... oooooooooorrrrrr... then to a higher pitch ...... oooooooooo .... and finally lower in intensity and cut off completely. A few moments of silence in between and it will begin again, same sound, same pitch and like wise.

I looked at the clock, it read 2.13 am. I had spent approx last 30 mins or so just figure out the source of the sound. I had 2 options. First be a sissy and lie down, cover myself from head to toe, and try and get sleep. It’s a hard day’s work these days you know why bother..... Or else get up and investigate. I decided on the later. I stay alone, and I dislike keeping my mind preoccupied with ghosts and such hair rising thoughts.

Since I am well versed with each nook and corner I didn’t bother putting on the lights. Another aspect was I didn’t want to scare anyone or anything that was making that sound. I moved from 1st bedroom to the other, yeah the sound exist, but it wasn’t coming from that room. Same was the case with the other bedroom. Kitchen was deadly silent so that eliminates most of them except for the hall. I stood in silence for sometime, trying to figure out the source. Jumping Jeepers, what the hell is happening??

Panic began to set in. Here is a sound coming from the same room that I am in and I can’t figure out the source. Suddenly I started getting some tingling sensation, knots in my stomach, throat dry and eyes grasping the door handle ready to slam it on anyone who would dare approach.

Once I got used to the darkness I peered around, nothing, no sound, nothing moving. Ah well it must be some rodent or something, that’s it, lets go to sleep, I turned my back and the sound started again. However it was out there was waiting for me to find them. Ahh so you wanna play huh, I said aloud in my mind, I will show ya and then switched on the lights.

Wonder of wonders, the sound persists. Obviously this thing is not gonna let something like this scare him. He was out there trying to challenge me, mocking at me, asking me to try and find him. You bet I will find ya you dirty #$%^&* I told myself.

As I kept looking around, the power went off. My first intuition was Sabotage!!!! But then I realized I been reading too many spy novels and bond movie remakes (John Grisham's "The Broker" being the latest). I found a candle and lit it, and immediately I felt the song “Gumnaam hai koi.... badnaam hai koi .... being played in my mind. Christ I never realized my mind would ditch me when I needed it the most.

As I kept walking around the room with a candle in my hand, my only prayer was "Please god, please don’t let the other person see me, he would get scared and perhaps konk off forever" You see I can give the best of the ghosts a run for their money, especially when I am tired, sleepy and worried about the deadline tomorrow.

Suddenly there is the sound of the guitar being played. Hey wait a minute, that’s my niece's guitar that’s being played. Damnn!!!! This is getting worse. I pinched myself to see if I am dreaming and sure enough I was not. Suddenly all horror movies started playing their most scary part before my eyes.

Determined not to give up, I began to search for the source of the sound. After much probing, I realized that whatever was making the sound was closer to the living room window, the room that is the biggest.

I walked near the window, candle in hand. If only Tahtta or Patti (my neighbor's granddad and mom who are around these days) see me with a candle god knows how they would take it heehehe, so I blew the candle off. The sound stopped as I neared the window and would increase the moment I would walk away.

Now this was surprising, whoever it was would keep silent the moment I would come near the window and start whistling the second I would step away! I peered into the dark, rainy and windy night trying to ascertain the presence of some shadows, lady with a candle, shiny eyes etc etc in the darkness. None!! Phew thank god!!

Now came the moment of surprise. After playing around with all kinda stories in my head, I let the inquisitive half take over. I began to investigate, why the sound would come the moment I step aside and stop when I came at a certain spot near the window. In a couple of minutes I realized that it’s the AIR rushing in that’s making the sound.

The reason being there is a small gap between the mosquito netting and the window frame, and the sound was coming since the air was being forced out through the miniature gap. When I stood before the window, I was effectively blocking the free flow of air, and hence there was no sound, but the moment I would step aside, the channel for air flow existed and hence the growling sound heheheheh.

Phew, now that was a nightmare solved. Pretty happy, I turned around to go back to sleep when I heard the guitar play again. Again all kinda thoughts began to flow in, but I took out the guitar from my niece's toy box to see whets happening. Now that’s the funniest part.

There was a roach inside the electric guitar and my niece had not turned the guitar off because of which even a slight touch would produce the sound.

I switched off the guitar and went back to sleep, contended on solving a Who Dun it!! A la Sherlock Holmes style......