- "A thick, dark mist suddenly surrounded me. I couldn't see anything and lost my way. I thought you would realize and come back to the campsite, so I decided to return on my own."
- Janki Samveg Patel
"I do not believe in ghosts," Rohan said firmly as he ate a gooey marshmallow by the campfire. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows on the faces of his friends - Soham, Riaan, and Anaya - who sat on the grass beside him. They had planned this night out to celebrate their results in the school's annual exams.
Soham sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes even the bravest of us get scared when they hear creepy, haunting stories around a campfire."
Anaya nodded in agreement. "It's just the darkness that frightens me. Ghosts are not real."
As their conversation continued, an eerie howling sound echoed from the woods. Anaya and Riaan glanced uneasily towards the forest. Rohan said it must be some wild animal, but his voice trembled slightly. A sudden gust of wind swept past them, making the trees sway and casting long, unsettling shadows.
Anaya stood up and declared, "We should check it out. It would be a great adventure - and a way to prove that all these phantom stories are imaginary."
Everyone agreed, and they began their mysterious exploration.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. Shadows seemed to move around them like silent specters. Soham was about to trip over a tree root when Rohan quickly grabbed his arm and steadied him.
Then something happened that almost made their hearts stop.
A loud crash sounded from behind them - and Riaan had vanished.
Panic spread instantly. They called out his name and searched desperately, their voices echoing through the forest. Their fear grew with every passing moment.
Soon, Rohan spotted something on the ground - large footprints. They looked strange and enormous, almost like those of a monster. The trail of footprints led them to an old, abandoned mansion hidden among the trees.
Its gates were made of rusty wrought iron, and thick spider webs covered the entrance. The place looked lifeless, yet strangely watchful.
Anaya hesitated and said, "We should go back. Riaan often plays pranks to scare us. And we need to wake up early tomorrow."
Reluctantly, they agreed and returned to their campsite.
When they reached the campfire, they noticed that the flames had completely died out. In the faint moonlight, they saw something moving inside their tents.
Their guess was correct - it was Riaan.
He was rummaging through his bag, searching for a torch.
Everyone shouted at him at once, half angry and half relieved. They demanded to know why he had disappeared and left them terrified in the forest.
Riaan explained nervously, "A thick, dark mist suddenly surrounded me. I couldn't see anything and lost my way. I thought you would realize and come back to the campsite, so I decided to return on my own."
Finally, Soham said with a tired sigh, "Now that we're all safe, let's just go to sleep."
But the mystery of that night stayed with them even the next day.
Whose shadow had they seen in the forest?
Whose footprints had led them to the mansion?
Was the old house truly haunted?
No one could answer.
The questions remained unsolved - and so did the mystery of ghosts.
