The summer rain pelted against the windows. The air was thick with the scent of the rain mingled with an eerie chill that seeped through the walls. In the sacred embrace of Ramadan, I chose to concentrate on my studies till it was time for Sehri, blissfully unaware that this decision would plunge me into a nightmare beyond comprehension.
Lost in the labyrinth of my textbooks, I failed to notice the sinister undertones creeping into the atmosphere. But as the clock struck 3am, I stopped in order to wake my parents up to eat. Before that, I took a customary look at my phone and noticed a message from my friend Jannati, saying “Arita, check out the storm outside.”
I went over to my balcony and was immediately captivated by the storm. As I stared at the beautiful rain outside, suddenly, amidst the tempest's fury, a jarring noise thudded -- the unmistakable sound of my bathroom door locking. Dread took over my heart as I stumbled towards the source of the disturbing noise, only to find my bathroom locked from the inside.
Panic gnawed at my senses, so I sought refuge in the presence of my parents. They laid there undisturbed, oblivious to the impending horror and peacefully asleep. Returning to my room, I confronted the locked door -- the barrier between me and something unknown lurking within. With trembling hands, I turned off the light, hiding myself in the suffocating darkness. I cowered beneath my blanket, hoping against hope that it was all a figment of my imagination.
The muted click of the shower turning on reverberated through the stillness, echoing the rain in a sinister fashion. A chill crawled down my spine and I felt an ominous presence. When the door creaked open, steam rushed to escape the bathroom. Time stood still as shadows of the phantom intruder moved with stealthy intent, shrouded in the veil of darkness.
The muted click of the shower turning on reverberated through the stillness, echoing the rain in a sinister fashion
Minutes passed as though centuries, each moment filled with unspeakable dread. The alarm bells rang in every corner of the house signaling the time for Sehri. Then it all became still once again.
My mother's gentle voice calling my name shattered the suffocating silence, sounding the end of my torment. Disoriented and drained, I mustered up some courage and managed to stumble towards the bathroom and check inside, only to find the floor wet; water dripping down the shower head; all the glass fogged up with condensed steam.
Standing inside, entirely perplexed, I tried to get hold of my bearings. My world came to a sudden halt as the lights turned off and shrouded me in darkness yet again.
“Click!” -- it was the same unmistakable sound from earlier. The door locked, this time with me trapped inside.
Arita Haque is a student at Oxford International School, Dhaka.
