Chapter 12 How it all started

• Dodamarg, Maharashtra. Ten years ago:
• Strangely there was no lock on the door, it limped badly to a side on the floor. It was the reason why it didn't swing open inside, otherwise the latch wasn't strong enough to keep it closed. The possibility of someone using the room couldn't be ruled out from such a situation, yet the thick layer of dust on the floor raised doubts over a living soul to have come that way in a while. Dust had settled inside the room too causing the door to sink into it.
• The light from the torch revealed no other footsteps than her own as she guided it all around the floor. After several attempts the old, wooden panel holding desperately to it's rusty hinges finally creaked open letting out a gust of wind as if captivated for years. The smell of old furniture and furnishings laden with cobwebs immediately rushed out to torture her nostrils. The dampness in the room was sickening. Finding an electrical switch on the wall she pressed it in the hope of light, but in vain. She searched amongst the pile of books, clothes and utensils - all scattered on the floor. It seemed a storm had passed through once, creating a mess. There was a single window facing the door. It had glass panes through which the faint shimmer of moonlight cast strange shapes on the opposite wall.