A paranormal short story – Aparna12’s Weblog

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (30)

Posted on July 1, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Hi Friends,

First of all, I would like to thank you for your overwhelming positive response to my paranormal story ” Grace Witchy Adventures “. I have decided to publish this series as a novel. So, you wouldn’t be able to read this story from next Friday onwards. But…… But……… But….. I have planned to add more thrill and adventure to this story which I am expected to finish by Mid-August and release the book by the first week of September. Now, there’s another update. Instead of Grace’s witchy adventures, I will start publishing a new horror series with a new story every week. So, Fridays Short stories will be dedicated to horror and crime thriller. Thank you for your patience.

The story so far:

Grace Royce accompanies her best friend and colleague, Sharmila Gupta’s wedding in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, India. When Sharmila shows her fiance’s photo, Grace is shocked because she has frequently seen him in her dreams forcing an innocent girl to suicide.

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Grace has recurring dreams of Sharmila attempting suicide when the friends are holidaying in Dehradun. Her fear is about to materialize after their trip. Grace skilfully revisits the past and alters everybody’s memories to stop the wagging tongues of people from hurting Sharmila. She thwarts the attempt of a mad scientist X, in Australia, who is watching the proceedings, to kill Sharmila.
He stages small accidents which Grace is unable to prevent. Finally, he is able to cause a hit and run accident leading to Sharmila’s death. Grace is mourning the loss of her good friend while blaming herself for failing to protect her. She has a strange dream at night, where she finds herself in her bedroom in Australia. Her dead parents appear before her and they take her into the alternative future time zone, had Sharmila lived. Whatever she witnesses is awfully shocking to her.
She sees the evil side of Sharmila abusing her friendship and taking advantage of her. She is horrified to see her best friend kidnapping and sacrificing her with the help of a mysterious stranger. She comes back to her room with her parents and Sharmila’s soul pays her a visit. She explains how she was cursed by her grandma after she accidentally killed her grandfather who was bedridden with cancer.

When she clarified that it was just an accident, her grandma realized her folly and offered a choice to die young before the curse could materialize or live a long cursed life. She had chosen the former. Sharmila warns her to be careful.

Grace decides to investigate Sharmila’s death and views the CCTV footage that shows the car which ran her over. She finds that it belonged to Vinod Mohan, Vivek’s ( Sharmila’s former fiance) younger brother. She approaches the police and hands them the evidence. Vinod claims of innocence and says that he had lent his vehicle to a friend who reported it missing. Grace is frustrated and prays to Sharmila for guidance.Grace sees identical bracelets on the wrists of Vivek and Sharmila in her dreams. She requests Sharmila’s mother for the bracelet and discovers the hidden microchip which alerts X in Australia because both the bracelets were connected to his destiny machine. He orders Vivek’s death which leaves Grace completely stumped.

X is surprised to find his mentor Edward Fox’s son Stewart on his doorstep. Stewart is shocked to hear about Sharmila’s death. He takes X to task for acting in a haste and tells him about Sharmila’s past. Both of them are planning to bring her back from the land of death to wreak havoc on earth which Grace sees in her dream.Grace questions Sharmila’s spirits and discovers the identity of her killer. Grace leaves to Australia with Sharmila’s parents. She requests Sharmila to infiltrate X’s gang to uncover clues and prevent him from carrying out the dangerous task of reviving her. She spots X and enters his body in the presence of Stewart.

X gets into trouble after misbehaving with a waiter and Stewart slaps him. He drags him out of the cafe as they go back to their hideout.Sharmila decides to have fun at X’s expense. She enters his body, snatches the phone from one of the guards and calls Grace with the update. X returns the phone with a thanks. His guard is pleasantly surprised. When X comes to his senses, his guard appreciates him for his good manners which X vehemently denies.

Sharmila re-enters his body and X turns into a pervert. Stewart kicks him while the guard chuckles and gets fired. Sharmila possesses him and manages to capture the incriminating photos of the hideout. The guard visits the lab and blackmails Stewart to reinstate his job Or face the police. He has already forwarded these pictures to other men as a precaution and potential blackmail. Stewart and X are ready to merge their sinister machines as Sharmila is shocked and contemplating how to stop these villains from carrying out their evil plan.She foils their attempt to revive her with their combo machine by entering X’ s body and making him enter wrong password that destroys their project. She leaves him and possesses Stewart who tries to seduce X. They fight with each other and while they are discussing the chain of events, they eventually find out about Grace and try to kill her by sending their assassin.
Grace has a nightmare and witnesses her own death. When she wakes up, she’s shocked to find a stranger holding a sharp knife in her room and she screams.She sees a stranger about to murder her but it turns out that Sharmila had entered his body and tells her about her involvement in the case being discovered. She requests her to fake her death so that X and his men will stop making attempts on her life. The man leaves with his partner who was about to set the house on fire. He convinces him not to clean up the act. They are being followed by their own gang members who end up being dead because of the assassin’s quick thinking. He sends the confidential info to the police and alerts X about the betrayal of his men whom he had to kill, thus, getting away from the crime itself. X and his men are hiding, watching the police raiding their den. The next day, Sharmila’s mother enters her room and screams.

Grace wakes up and tells her about Sharmila’s soul. She acts as a medium and Sharmila talks to her mother. The assassin sent by X to kill Grace has forgotten what he did because Sharmila had possessed his body. He wants to know how he ended up in Sydney when they had an important task. His partner shows him the pictures on his phone and says that their boss had asked them to go into hiding.

X and his friends are awestruck with the splendor of Stewart’s residence. Grace excuses herself from a tour with Sharmila’s parents. She is shocked to find a strange woman who appeared out of thin air into her room and claims to be her Aunt Ruby, the sister of Marge Royce, Grace’s mother.

Aunt Ruby tells Grace that she is a Princess of Witches and her parents are still alive and living in Queensland. Ruby produces a magic mirror in which Grace sees her past. She was on October 13, 1876 and a wicked wizard, Xander, her father’s friend turned foe is planning to Kill Grace but her father kills him. His evil spirit takes over her father, Reginald, and he tries to strangle her but fortunately her mother, Marge, saves her and hands her over to their trusted servants, Maria and Vincent, and time travel to 1994, with her memories modified. Ruby also warns her that her nemesis, Xander, has now reincarnated as X, Sharmila’s murderer and a crazed scientist. They wait for Sharmila’s parents to return.

Grace introduces her aunt to Sharmila’s parents and they decide to leave for Queensland. The assassin of Sharmila can’t help feeling that he had left his task incomplete. So, he leaves the note for his partner and pays a visit to Grace’s house in Melbourne which looks like it has been torched. He is unaware of the change in their hiding place and is surprised to find the den completely deserted. He’s killed before he could contact X. Stewart shows X his secret lab and his latest upcoming invention that could detect the presence of a ghost and lay a trap for capturing Sharmila’s soul. And now:

The assassin, Michael’s partner, Charlie calls X and tells him about Michael’s departure to Melbourne from Sydney. X is furious to learn about Michael’s abnormal behavior. He realizes that Sharmila’s ghost entered his body and prevented him from murdering her. He finds out that Michael died in an accident and wants to take revenge on Sharmila’s soul and Grace. Stewart asks him to calm down and wait until the completion of his secret project.

Grace, Aunt Ruby, and Sharmila’s parents arrive in Queensland. They admire the beauty of the grand palatial house. The family is reunited and introductions are over. Grace meets her family members enthusiastically. There’s an explosion and a man resembling Santa Claus appears before them.

Grace hugs her father while Sharmila’s parents stumble upon the living room, only to find a man apparate. Aunt Ruby saves the day by magically inducing them to sleep. They are contemplating how to use magic without arousing suspicion of the humans. Grace suggests using a magically enchanted remote control to make Sharmila’s parents believe that everything runs on remote and that her parents are scientists working for the Australian Government. Sharmila’s parents and Grace’s parents enjoy their breakfasts, warming upto each other. Ruby helps Grace to activate her dormant power. While everything seems to be fine, Grace’s witchy intuition warn her of an imminent danger. And now:

Chapter 17

Intuition saves the witch.

That night, Grace had a weird dream. She saw Sharmila’s soul trapped in a jar and two evil men successfully completing their project. The gadget looked like a giant IPad attached to a timepiece. They entered the date and time and suddenly, the whole scenario shifted to the night when she was to be murdered by the assassin, Michael. This time, he had an evil grin and plunged the sharp knife into her stomach. She woke up with a start and sweated profusely. Her Aunt Ruby materialized in front of her. ” Are you alright, my child?” she asked her. Grace hugged her and cried. ” I just saw myself getting murdered again, ” she sobbed, ” Poor Sharmila was trapped and the evil men turned the time and date when I was about to be murdered. The assassin looked pretty intimidating and wasted no time in killing me.”

Aunt Ruby comforted her and sat beside her on the queen sized bed. She produced a cup of hot cocoa magically and offered it to her. She said, ” I am not going to give you false reassurance that everything is going to be alright. It’s your gut instinct and intuitive power that’s awakened and warning you not to be careless and watch out your every step. First, I would advise you to call Sharmila’s soul and always keep her with you. I will make you a pendant and ask her to stay inside it. Don’t worry. The interior of the pendant will look like a palace. She can stay comfortably without getting paranoid. Always wear it, and keep it hidden if you are taking it off, while going for a bath. We will begin your training in magic from tomorrow. Now don’t worry your pretty head and go to sleep.” Grace fell asleep eventually.

The next morning, she woke up and had her shower after brushing her teeth. She wore a pink shirt and a blue skirt. She was about to step out of her room, when her internal magic flared up. She noticed a tile looking entirely different from the others. To test her intuition, she took out a crumb of cookie and dropped it on the tile. A poisonous scorpion appeared in front of her and snapped the crumb with its sting. Thank God! Her magical power were reactivated. Otherwise, she would have died.

She jumped across the offending tile and reached the breakfast table where everyone occupied their respective seats. Aunt Ruby had arranged for a vegetarian breakfast for Sharmila’s parents. They seemed to be fascinated with Grace’s parents and were laughing heartily over a joke. Grace was about to bite into her sandwich when she saw its color slowly changing to blue. She dropped it with an alarm and almost cried. Everyone turned their heads towards her. Her mother, Marge, left her seat to join her daughter. She asked, ” Gracie, what’s wrong? Why haven’t you touched your sandwich?” Grace looked at Ruby and she willingly stepped in to her rescue. She said, ” Grace’s probably having a stomach upset. I have the cure but it shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach. Don’t eat the sandwich. I will bring something else.” She went into the kitchen and glared at the cook, Hilda. She yelled, ” What kind of sandwich did you serve my niece? She almost ended up dying.” Hilda had tears in her eyes, ” I would never dream of hurting the sweet princess. I had to go to the washroom. So, I asked Karen to make the sandwiches.” Ruby summoned Karen but she denied doing anything wrong. The morning tea and breakfast session ended on a sober note.

Sharmila’s parents were worried. Mrs. Gupta ( Sharmila’s mom) asked her whether she was alright or needed any medication. Grace assured her that she was feeling better. Mr. and Mrs. Gupta went for a walk in the Royal Garden. Ruby, Marge, and Reginald surrounded Grace. She said, ” I didn’t want to discuss this with you in front of Sharmila’s parents. But someone wants me dead and first hid a poisonous scorpion magically and then poisoned my food. I am scared. I never hurt anyone. So I can’t understand, why am I being a target of someone’s hatred? ”

Aunt Ruby always referred to her crystal ball to find out the culprit in the event of a crime detection. She produced one and chanted something. There was a thin smoke which cleared shortly and Ruby saw a face emerging in the crystal ball. She gasped when she saw who it was. Her own daughter, Alice! She glanced at Grace and her parents who looked at her expectantly.

She was furious and shouted, ” Alice, you wretched creature. I summon you now. Show me your ugly face.” A young girl in her twenties appeared before them. ” Mom,” She addressed Ruby, ” Did you call me? ” Ruby slapped her and yelled, ” I can’t believe I gave birth to a cold blooded murderer. How dare you try to kill Grace by your murderous attempts? Thank God, she saved herself by her active intuitive powers.” Alice looked at Grace with pure hatred. She raised her voice and yelled back, ” This bitch tried to steal my boyfriend, Lance. I wish I hadn’t brought him with me to meet your stinking Highness Lance couldn’t stop praising her in front of me. So, I had to get rid of her.”

Grace looked discombobulated. She retorted, ” Who the hell is Lance? I never had anything to do what him. Alice, my dear cousin, I am not stealing anyone’s boyfriend. It’s the last thing on my mind. Somebody already wants me dead. I am just trying to stay alive. I don’t have time for the crap called romance. You can tell your boyfriend that I am not interested in him or any man in the world.”

Alice suddenly looked relieved and hugged her, ” You are not interested in men. Does it mean you are a lesbian? ” Grace chuckled, ” No, you idiot. Aunt Ruby, please show her my life story.” Aunt Ruby took Alice into a private chamber and replayed Grace’s life story. Alice looked properly ashamed of her actions and begged for her forgiveness. Grace asked Alice to summon Lance so that she could patch up things between her and her boyfriend. She called Lance and he appeared in front of them. He looked very handsome. He hugged Alice and they exchanged a hot passionate kiss. ” Alice, my love,” he claimed taking her hand to his mouth and brushing his lips against it. He continued, ” I missed you so much, sweetheart. I only have eyes for you. You didn’t give me a chance to complete my sentence, ‘ Your cousin is gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as you’. You didn’t wait to hear my explanation. Anyway, I have found a perfect solution to end these miserable arguments.” He took out a tiny box containing a diamond ring and slid it on her finger, asking, ” Will you marry me? “on his bent knees. The whole family applauded and Aunt Ruby was all smiles for her daughter. Alice said yes and more hugging and kissing followed.

Grace teased, ” Lance, you will have to face me if I find any tear in her eyes. It should only be tears of happiness and not otherwise. Do you understand? ” Lance grinned at her and said, ” I won’t give you any reason to complain.” Alice said, ” Grace, you are the best witch in our kingdom. I tried to kill you but you forgave me so easily. And you also reunited me with my love. How can I ever repay your kindness? ” Grace replied, ” Forget it, sis. Please use your brain before jumping to any conclusion. I have a special present for Lance.” She took out a strand of silk thread and tied it around Lance’s wrist. She said, ” This is a special Indian tradition. On the occasion of Rakshabandhan, a festival celebrated to mark the strong bond of love between a sister and a brother, the former ties a decorative silk thread on her brother’s wrist to pray for his good health and long life. Her brother promises to protect her at all times at the cost of his life. I now consider Lance as my brother. So, remove all dirty thoughts from your mind.” Alice praised her along with Lance who said, ” Grace, my dear sister. This is the best gift any brother could get. I promise to protect you from any kind of danger and would always be at your side. ” ” With his bride, ” added Alice, ” You have two bodyguards at your disposal, Grace. We will never leave your side at any cost and protect you at the cost of our lives.”

Grace held back her tears as she opened her arms to hug her cousin. The entire family celebrated the occasion with a grand engagement party for Alice and Lance in the evening.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (29)

Posted on June 24, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’s WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Chapter 16

To magic or not to magic.

“Gracie, ” cried the Santa Claus lookalike. She rushed into his arms. Grace was ecstatic to be with her father. Meanwhile, Sharmila’s parents stepped outside their room after hearing the mini explosion. They were terrified to watch an obese man appear out of thin air and hug Grace. Aunt Ruby caught them looking at the father-daughter magical reunion. They stood rooted to the spot, too scared to say anything. Aunt Ruby couldn’t allow the exposure of a magical world to the humans. She cast a spell to modify their memory and made them go to sleep.

Aunt Ruby yelled at her brother-in-law, ” Are you mad, Reginald? How can you appear in front of the humans using your magic?” The Santa clone looked confused and said, ” But all of us are witches and wizards here. Where did the humans come from?” Ruby was exasperated and faced her sister, ” I still wonder what did you ever see in this clown before marrying him? I have told both of you about Grace and Sharmila’s story. Marge, your husband needs to take memory pills.” She produced a magical mirror and replayed Grace and Sharmila’s story. Reginald watched the entire drama in silence and so did his wife. He turned towards Grace and kissed her on the forehead. He said, ” I think you are amazing, honey. I am so sorry for Sharmila’s parents. I will help you in your quest to capture her murderer. But where’s your gown? What kind of clothes are you wearing?”

Grace kissed his cheek and said, ” This is the attire worn by modern youth of the present generation. I am wearing a pair of jeans and T-shirt. It’s quite comfortable. You should try it.” Aunt Ruby said, ” Gracie, we have a problem. We can’t continue to do magic in front of your friend’s parents. How are we going to explain what’s going on here? ” Grace thought for a while before replying, ” I have an idea. I will tell them that my parents are scientists working for the Australian Government on a secret mission. They have designed this house to function with the help of a remote control.”

” What’s a remote control?” asked her father. Aunt Ruby produced a white colored elongated object in her hand. She said, ” This is called a remote control. I have seen it at Grace’s house and she has explained to me how it works. You need to push these small buttons to make the electrical appliances work. I will teach you both about the human world later. Grace, you just gave me a wonderful idea. We will create plenty of remote controls and program them with inbuilt magic instead of battery. In this way, we will still be able to do magic and appear normal to them. “

” That’s a brilliant idea, Aunt Ruby, ” said Grace. Ruby then zapped her sister and brother-in-law to wear modern clothes just like her. Marge was delighted to find herself in a cotton Yellow Sundress and Reginald appreciated her. ” Honey, ” he said, ” You look several decades younger.” He was wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of Khaki shorts. ” I think we should change our old fashioned clothes permanently. These are so cool and comfortable.” Aunt Ruby said, ” We are all famished and didn’t have any breakfast. Moreover, Sharmila’s parents may wake up any moment. Gracie dear, let’s get you initiated into witchcraft and activate your powers lying dormant for 146 years. This is a simple process, my child. All you have to do is to take a special bath treated with magical herbs, creams, and potions. Then I will recite some hymns to protect you from any harm.”

Grace asked, ” How will I know that my powers have been reactivated? Do we have to take these special baths very often? ” Marge replied, ” You will get a tingling sensation when there is something wrong going on around you. You will get goosebumps and you will be able to find out what’s wrong instantly. When you powers get activated, you can try doing magic either using a spell from the spell book Or snapping your fingers, giving a specific command or use your wand. We have ordered a special wand for you. Now, go and get ready. And yes, you have to recharge your powers in the same way every fortnight.”

Aunt Ruby led her to a gorgeous bathroom with a Claw foot bathtub filled with herbs, special concoctions, potions and a wonderful fragrance of lavender spread all over the bathroom. Grace got undressed while Ruby turned around. She stepped into the bathtub. Her Aunt Ruby massaged her back with creams, oils, and applied the potions while muttering something under her breath. Grace felt relaxed. After having spent around half an hour, Grace wore fresh clothes and found The Guptas sitting on the breakfast table and chatting with her parents. The table was set and the dishes were about to be served. Grace suddenly remembered that the Guptas preferred only vegetarian meals. She took aside Aunt Ruby and shared her dilemma. Ruby dragged her to the kitchen and asked her to take out her smartphone and search for tasty vegetarian meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She showed the pics of vegetable sandwiches, aloo paratha ( an Indian flatbread made of potato stuffing) idlis and dosas. Ruby produced them in a flash while Grace kissed her. She carried them with Ruby in a special tray while their cook watched in awe and amazement. Ruby asked Hilda, the cook, to come up with pancakes, omelettes and chicken sandwich with orange juice and maple syrup for the others.

The whole family had enjoyed their breakfast. Reginald and Marge watched The Guptas munching on idlis, dosas, and vegetable sandwiches in fascination. They looked more appealing than the one they just had. Grace’s father was itching to know what the couple were eating. Aunt Ruby signaled them to keep quiet and that she would explain later. The servants cleared the table and served them tea with cookies. “I am so happy for Grace and you, sir, “said Mr. Gupta, wiping his mouth with a napkin, ” You finally got reunited. This is a splendid house and I thank you both for having us stay with you. I will never forget your kindness.”

Reginald liked him instantly and said, ” Oh no! The pleasure is mine. Consider our place as yours and feel free to stay as long as you like.” While Grace was happy to watch them engage in a friendly conversation, her gut instinct kicked up. She had a tingling sensation and experienced goosebumps all over her body. What could possibly go wrong in such a safe place? Watch out for the next episode and a surprise next week.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (27)

Posted on June 17, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Chapter 15

Dead Or alive.

A couple of days passed since the assassin, Michael, died. His partner, Charlie, called X and said, ” Boss, we have a problem. It’s been two days since Michael returned to Melbourne. He had been acting pretty weird. He insisted that he didn’t remember killing Grace. I had to show him the photos taken on my smartphone.”

X burst out, ” What did you say just now? He didn’t remember killing Grace. He came back to Melbourne two days ago. Why the hell did you wait for two days? I didn’t receive any call from him. Didn’t he call you back to report his finding? Do you know what this means? It means that bitch, Grace, is still alive.”

“But how is it possible, boss? ” asked Charlie, ” He sent me the snap of Grace’s dead body.” X was furious. He thundered, ” Didn’t you follow him inside to witness the crime?” Charlie regretted the decision to call X. He was shaking with fear. He took a deep breath and replied, ” Sorry, Boss. Michael convinced me to stay back and stand guard. He also prevented me from setting the house on fire.” X lost his temper and ordered, ” Move your ass back here, and call me when you reach Melbourne.”

X disconnected the call. He saw Stewart watching him with an amused expression on his face.” You were right,” X added with a sigh, “I can’t trust my men. Michael betrayed me. He gave me fake evidence to confirm her murder.”

Stewart replied,” Don’t blame Michael. Sharmila’s soul had possessed him and saved Grace. He proved his loyalty by coming back to finish the task. The question is, why didn’t he call you immediately? ” ” Boss, “cried the gorilla( beefy bodyguard), ” Please switch on the television. We have bad news.” He was shocked to learn that Michael had died in an accident. The police had discovered his mangled body near their old hideout.

” How does she do it? ” questioned X, ” How does Grace manage to sabotage my dreams and plans? I think she has extraordinary psychic abilities. Stewart, can’t you do something to get rid of her? ” Stewart chuckled, ” Patience is not your cup of tea, my friend. First, we have to take care of Sharmila’s ghost so that Grace doesn’t get any idea of what’s coming next. My invention will be ready in a month. Meanwhile, I want you to lie low so that Grace drops her guard down and you can take her by surprise.”
X grinned at him, pleased with his excellent suggestion.

Grace, Aunt Ruby, and Sharmila’s parents reached Queensland. A chauffeur waited for them outside the airport. Grace was pleasantly surprised to find a Rolls Royce at her service.

They reached their destination within half an hour. Grace and Sharmila’s parents couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the white-colored palatial mansion. Aunt Ruby smiled at their childlike enthusiasm. The iron gates opened automatically. Sharmila’s parents had never seen anything like this in their whole lives. Aunt Ruby explained that they had a remote control to operate the working of the gates. Mr. Gupta said, ” Grace, why didn’t you tell us that you were wealthy? This place is amazing. I think you belong to a royal family.” Grace and Aunt Ruby looked at each other. He had been spot on with his assessment. Unfortunately, they could not reveal their secret. They entered inside the gate, and the gravel path started moving. They reached the stairs leading to the entrance of the mansion. The stairs worked as the escalators, leaving Grace and her guests speechless.

The butler opened the door and welcomed them. The floor started moving, and they watched without fluttering an eyelid. A gorgeous woman dressed in a silk satin cream colored gown came towards them with her arms wide open.

She hugged Grace and kissed her cheeks. ” Gracie, my baby, ” said she, ” It’s been too long since we saw you. Can you believe it has been 146 years? Sharmila’s parents were too stunned to say anything. Grace hugged her mom and said, ” Mom, aren’t you getting carried away by your emotions? “

Aunt Ruby took the cue and said, ” When Grace was born, she had health problems. My cousin and her husband took Grace to Melbourne and raised her as their daughter for 28 years. And for the parents separated from their child at birth, 28 years seem to be equivalent to 146 years. Am I right, Marge? ” Grace’s mother nodded and smiled at her additional guests.

Grace introduced Sharmila’s parents to her mother. The latter asked Edward, the butler, to call for Joanie, the housekeeper. Marge asked Joanie to show their rooms to Mr. and Mrs. Gupta. Stanley, one of their domestic helps, carried their luggagges to their respective rooms. ” I missed you so much, sweetie,” said Marge. Grace said, ” Me too, Mom. Where’s dad, by the way? ” Her mother told her that he was busy in a meeting and would be joining them shortly.

Pop! Pop! Pop! People started appearing in front of Grace out of thin air. All of them waited for their turn to hug and kiss her. They were cousins, second cousins and so on. They gave her expensive gifts and made her feel at home.

Marge felt very happy to be reunited with her daughter. Aunt Ruby shed tears of joy at the reunion. Marge took Grace aside and asked, ” How long are your guests planning to stay with us? Don’t get offended by my question, dearie. I am merely asking out of curiosity. “

Grace told her about the entire story. Marge gave appropriate reaction at proper places. She sympathized with the Guptas and said, ” We have no problem even if they decided to live with us forever. It’s very difficult to lead a life without your child. Gracie, promise me that you will be careful, and also that you will no stone unturned to bring Sharmila’s killer to justice.”

Grace felt proud of her mother and promised to do her best.

Boom! There was a huge explosion in the house. A man resembling Santa Claus appeared before them. Who is he? What happens next? Watch out for the next episode of Grace’s witchy adventures.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (25)

Posted on June 10, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Grace has a nightmare and witnesses her own death. When she wakes up, she’s shocked to find a stranger holding a sharp knife in her room and she screams.She sees a stranger about to murder her but it turns out that Sharmila had entered his body and tells her about her involvement in the case being discovered. She requests her to fake her death so that X and his men will stop making attempts on her life. The man leaves with his partner who was about to set the house on fire. He convinces him not to clean up the act. They are being followed by their own gang members who end up being dead because of the assassin’s quick thinking. He sends the confidential info to the police and alerts X about the betrayal of his men whom he had to kill, thus, getting away from the crime itself. X and his men are hiding, watching the police raiding their den. The next day, Sharmila’s mother enters her room and screams.

Chapter 14:

A dangerous twist in the tale.

Grace waited for Sharmila’s parents to return. When they came back from their tour, she introduced them to her Aunt Ruby who was now dressed up in a modern attire. Aunt Ruby said, ” Mr. and Mrs. Gupta, on behalf of Grace and her family, I request you to spend some days with us in Queensland until Sharmila’s killer is caught. We have a reason to believe that the murderer is living here and Grace is working hard to collect evidence for his prosecution. Please think over this matter tonight because we have to leave by tomorrow morning.”

Mr.Gupta answered, ” We would love to come, if it isn’t too much bother for you. We are waiting for the murderer to be caught so that we can go back to live in India with Sharmila’s fond memories.” Ruby smiled at him and said,” It’s our pleasure to have you as our guests. In fact, had it not been for Sharmila, Grace wouldn’t have been alive.” The couple gave her an odd look while Grace nudged at her to be quiet. Grace replied, ” She means to say that I would have died in loneliness if I hadn’t met Sharmila. I had to live away from my family without any contact due to unavoidable circumstances.

Besides, I promised to visit them shortly. Don’t worry, Uncle. This stay is only for a short period and I assure you it won’t affect my investigation in any way.” Sharmila’s parents accepted her explanation and went to their room to pack their clothes. Aunt Ruby said, ” Sorry, Gracie. I almost made a slip about Sharmila’s presence as a spirit. I guess that they don’t know about your true identity. We will have to be very careful around them.”
Aunt Ruby magically got her luggage packed.

The next day, Grace, Ruby and Sharmila’s parents went to the airport. Ruby had cast a spell on the house to make it look like it had been destroyed by fire to the villains. She had anticipated that the goons would surely be back to confirm that Grace had indeed died and her house was set ablaze.

The assassin ( possessed by Sharmila) in Sydney felt something wrong with his partner’s explanation. He wanted to make sure that Grace was dead. He left his partner alone with a note and resumed his journey back to Melbourne. Fortunately, Grace and her Aunt Ruby with Sharmila’s parents had left for Queensland. The assassin hired a car and reached Grace’s residence. He was astonished to find it in ruins. He decided to contact X and tried calling him but the number wasn’t reachable. He drove the car to the old den and was surprised to find it devoid of any life form. He decided to drop the matter for the day and go back to his hotel. Unfortunately, a truck collided with his car and he ended up dead. His curiosity definitely got him killed.

Meanwhile, X and his friends were enjoying their stay at Stewart’s mansion. Stewart showed X and his 50 men their respective rooms. Later that night, they had a grand dinner consisting of fried chicken, roast beef, tomato soup, fried fish, kebabs, vegetable fried rice, and ice creams for dessert. Stewart asked X to send his men to retire for the day.

He said, ” I would like to show you something. You aren’t supposed to open your mouth and blabber what you saw to anyone. Your men can’t be trusted. I am sure it’s not their fault but promise me that you would keep quiet.” X nodded and they proceeded towards the library. As soon as they entered it, X was astonished to find plenty of expensive books from all the genres, fiction and nonfiction, nearly arranged in the wooden shelves in five rows with sufficient space to browse. There was a big mahogany table with plush comfortable chairs. They reached the end of the middle shelf and Stewart pressed a button on the wall. X was shocked to find the floor moving downwards. Stewart grinned at his confusion and said, ” This is a special escalator leading to my very special laboratory. No one knows about this place because I didn’t give anyone the access or privilege of visiting my lab. You are the first and the only one who can come here at anytime. But make sure that you are alone and none of your cronies come here. I don’t want our project resurrection to be ruined again.”

He led him towards an air-conditioned unit with sliding glass panels and a biometric system to gain entry. He punched in some numbers and X felt like he was in a Wonderland. There was a gigantic LED screen that showed what was going on in the mansion. There was a big control panel with many laptops and computers connected to it. X saw that Stewart had gathered the broken pieces of their joint venture on a big table and had started fixing the components.

Stewart chuckled, ” I bet you have never seen anything this grand in your life.” He led them to an antechamber in the lab. X saw a glass rod-like thing. Stewart said, ” I am now working on a special gadget to reveal the presence of any supernatural power so that I can trap it. I feel that we have failed in our earlier mission because of Sharmila’s ghost. She has been helping Grace and as per the pictures sent by your men, Grace is dead. What if one of them was possessed by her ghost and helped Grace to escape to safety?” X was taken aback by this mere suggestion but he didn’t know that Stewart was absolutely right. X asked him, ” What are you talking about?” Stewart replied, ” We have been fools. Don’t you think it’s weird how none of the newspapers or TV news channel aired any information on an arson and a death? Do you think it’s possible for a person to disappear without a trace? “

X was livid with the late realization dawning upon him. His own men had cheated him. But he couldn’t ignore the image of seeing Grace’s body and the fire engulfing her house. Stewart said, ” Don’t you worry, buddy. Even if she’s alive, we will find her out and hunt her. But we must trap her friend’s ghost to prevent her from helping Grace. ” Sharmila was horrified at the prospect of getting trapped forever. Stewart was too clever for his own good. She wondered, ” How did he find out about Grace being alive? I must warn her to leave Melbourne immediately.”

What’s going to happen to Grace and Sharmila’s ghost? Watch out for the next episodes because more magic and adventure are in store for you.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (23)

Posted on June 3, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Chapter 13

A Magical Adventure

Aunt Ruby watched Grace’s expression in amusement. She asked her, ” Do you want to see more magic? ” Aunt Ruby watched Grace’s expression in amusement. She asked her, ” Grace was surprised to find Aunt Ruby reading her mind. Her aunt waved her hand and a table of delicacies appeared in front of her.

Grace could hear a rumbling sound in her stomach. Pancakes with maple syrup, burgers, omelettes, noodles, cakes and pastries, pasta and french toast with two glasses of orange juice! Aunt Ruby commented, ” I know you are hungry. Instead of watching them, and dripping the floor wet with your saliva, let’s have our breakfast.” Grace needed no more prodding as she and her aunt feasted upon them. When they were full, Ruby made them disappear. She faced her niece and said, ” Let’s have some tea before I could explain why I am here.” After a heavy breakfast and tea, the aunt and niece sat on the couch to have their discussion.

Aunt Ruby said, ” I want you to know about our family first. As you might have read in books about the types of witches like The Earth Witch, Water Witch, Air witch, Fire witch, Kitchen witch and so on, we are unique kind of witches. We are The Time Witches. We belong to the Time Coven in The Forest of Queensland. We can travel back and forth in time and can see the future as well. We are powerful enough to change someone’s destiny by altering the past, present or future but this power is strictly restricted. This is so to prevent a Time witch from becoming a rogue and exploiting people for his or her personal gain. You can use this power only twice a month. Besides, dealing with time, you can also perform regular magic like other witches. That makes us incredibly powerful. Are you ready for shocker? ” Grace merely nodded, not knowing what to expect.

Ruby said, ” You are a Princess of witches and your parents were the King and The Queen.” Grace looked at her aunt incredulously. Ruby smiled, ” I see that you don’t believe me. It’s better if I show your past in the mirror to clear all your doubts.”

Ruby produced an ornate mirror and tapped it with her wand. A mist started forming on the surface of the mirror which cleared shortly. She was shocked to find her mother in labor pain. She watched herself being born. Her father doted on her and she was blessed by all her family members who celebrated her birth grandly. Aunt Ruby kissed her on the forehead and gave her a gold chain. While the celebrations were going on, there was a huge ruckus in their coven. One of the guards came rushing towards the palace. He was breathless and announced, ” Pardon me, My Lord, for my intrusion. But Xander, the evil wizard, has found out about the birth of our Princess. He’s coming to claim her for a sacrificial ritual to make him immortal.”

Her father handed baby Grace to Ruby and said, ” Close all the doors and windows of the palace and protect it with enchantment. I am going to kill the evil wizard. He might try to impersonate me. Never open the door unless I say, ” My Gracie, my princess, ” thrice.”

Grace could feel the goosebumps on her hand. She felt as if she was watching a Historical action movie. Wait… The entire background looked completely different to her. She was puzzled over the costumes of her family members. They were dresses like those living in the early 19th Century.

“Aunt Ruby,” she said, ” Why are you all dressed up like this? Are we supposed to wear the costumes belonging to the Victorian Era? ” Her aunt replied, ” I will answer your questions. Just watch it until the end.” Her father fought bravely against Xander, the evil wizard and managed to kill him. Xander’s dying words were, ” The battle isn’t over yet. You may have won this time, Reginald. But I will be back to claim My Princess. How could you kill your own friend for the sake of a baby? You could have plenty of others. This girl, born on 13th October, 1876, was supposed to die today to make me immortal. You betrayed me. I will make sure she dies.”

Grace thought that his face looked familiar. She was pretty scared. The mirror went blank as Ruby waved it away. She wore a grim expression on her face. ” Grace, ” she added, ” You aren’t 28 as you think. We modified your memory as per the present century. You were born on 13th October, 1876 on a Friday. You have been blessed with tremendous power. Xander was your father’s best friend until a seer foretold him that you would be responsible for his death. Likewise, if he wanted to be immortal, he should sacrifice you on the day you were born. Your father walked out on him and chose you over his best friend. The evil wizard died physically but his evil soul took over your father and he tried to smother you. Fortunately, your mom stopped him and handed you over to Maria, our trusted housekeeper and your nanny. She and her husband, Vincent, always loved you like their own child. So, they took the form of your real parents and traveled forward in time to the present century in 1994. Your memory was modified to keep you safe from your supernatural enemy. Only you can wipe out Xander’s existence.”

” Does it mean that Mom and Dad are still alive? ” asked Grace with tears in her eyes. Aunt Ruby hugged her and said, ” Yes, Sweetie. They are all waiting for you. You have a huge family back in Queensland who are anticipating your arrival.” Grace asked, ” Do we have to go back to the past? How does it work? I don’t want to wear old fashioned clothes.” Aunt Ruby chuckled, ” Everything has changed. We are living in accordance with the 21st Century. Most of us are 500 years old but our physical appearance looks like we are in our 40s or 50s. Being a Time witch has its own advantage. None of us have wrinkles or grey hair. Your life is in great danger. You need to come with me right away. Your enemy isn’t aware of your being alive. Thank God, Sharmila saved your skin.”

” How did you know about the attack on my life? “

” My dear child, all of us kept a close watch on you through our crystal ball. “

Grace replied, ” I can’t come immediately without Sharmila’s parents. I owe her my life. They will be here by tea time.” Aunt Ruby thought for a while before saying, ” Ok, dear. We will try to concoct some story to convince them to accompany us, alright? Now a word of caution. Your enemy has assumed another form. Can you guess, who he is?”

Grace’s eyes widened in horror as she realized that Xander was none other than the modern day evil scientist, X. Watch out for the next episode for more thrill as Grace begins her training as a Time witch.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (21)

Posted on May 27, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

He stages small accidents which Grace is unable to prevent. Finally, he is able to cause a hit and run accident leading to Sharmila’s death. Grace is mourning the loss of her good friend while blaming herself for failing to protect her. She has a strange dream at night, where she finds herself in her bedroom in Australia. Her dead parents appear before her and they take her into the alternative future time zone, had Sharmila lived. Whatever she witnesses is awfully shocking to her.

Chapter 12

The unpredictable.

Sharmila’s mom screamed, after seeing Grace lying on the bed, with a knife sticking from her abdomen and the blood ( Ketchup) smeared duvet. Grace immediately woke up after hearing the scream and this sight caused the poor old lady to faint. Grace revived her by sprinkling water on her face. She said, ” Don’t worry, Mrs. Gupta. I am still alive. I didn’t want you to worry, but now that you have already seen me in this condition, I have no other option but to tell you about the current situation. I want you to promise me that you will never share this information with Uncle at any cost. His heart is weak and he may not be able to bear the shock.”

Sharmila’s mother nodded and sat on the chair besides her bed. Grace told her the entire story, right from her being a witch, to Sharmila’s soul saving her life by entering the body of the assassin. Her mother had tears in her eyes as she said, ” Can I speak to my Sharmi? I promise you I won’t tell a word about this to your uncle. Is it possible for you to act as a medium so that I could talk to her just once? I won’t pester you to keep calling her.” Grace closed the bedroom door and thought of Sharmila. Her friend’s soul left the body of the assassin and appeared before her. Grace told her about sharing their secret with her mom and that she wanted to have a mother-daughter conversation with her. Sharmila entered Grace’s body and hugged her mother. Mrs. Gupta said, ” Why did you not listen to Grace and stay at home? Your death could have been avoided.”

Grace ( Sharmila) answered, ” Did you forget about Granny’s curse? Had I been alive, no doubt, I would have turned into a monster! My death saved a major disaster. I wanted to get rid of this curse. I am sorry, Mom and dad. I love you both. I won’t be able to contact you for a while because Grace’s life is in great danger. Somehow, I managed to avert her death. Please tell Grace to move on to another place until everything cools down here. She can’t afford to use her witch powers at present because my killer will find her out. Stay with her and don’t talk about me in front of dad. Miss you both. Don’t worry, I will be keeping tabs on all of you.” They chatted for sometime before she exited Grace’s body and said, ” Please move on to another location as soon as possible. The assassin might make another attempt on your life since he forgot what he did. I am going to haunt someone else in the team of the villains. I will contact you when the time permits.” She vanished into a thin smoke.

Meanwhile, the assassin in Sydney turned to face his partner in crime and asked, ” What are we doing here, buddy? Aren’t we supposed to kill Grace and dispose off her body? ” His partner stared at him and said, “Have you lost your mind? You have already murdered her and we are supposed to stay hidden until our boss contacts us.” The assassin continued, ” But I don’t remember killing her. You do know how much I enjoy getting my hands covered in blood.” His partner showed him the blood smeared dead body of Grace. The assassin was puzzled but didn’t pursue the matter.

Stewart said, ” We have to start everything from the scratch. Let’s go to my hideout where I have a special lab to conduct the experiment. I hope you remember the technical specifications of your machine so that we could reconstruct them.” X nodded. He and his gang members followed Stewart in his black SUV. They reached their new den after traveling for an hour.

Stewart showed X around the place. He had a beautiful marble fountain installed in the front lawn, with a gravel drive leading to a huge Victorian Mansion. X was awestruck by the beauty of the place. Stewart chuckled at the look of amazement in everyone’s face. He took out a remote control from his pant pocket and pressed a button. The gigantic door opened to reveal an equally gorgeous foyer leading to a magnificent hall adorned with chandeliers and the most gorgeous sofa set that X and his men had ever seen.

A humanoid ( girl) dressed in a black miniskirt and a white silk blouse welcomed them. A couple of other robots welcomed them with the chutes of whisky. X and his men were shocked to find that the sofa could be extended and could accommodate all of them.

While they were enjoying their newfound luxury, Grace had a tough task at hand. True to her words, Sharmila’s mom behaved as if nothing had happened. Mr.and Mrs. Gupta went for sightseeing but Grace refused to go with them by saying that she had work to do. No sooner did they leave, than Grace had a shock of her life. She saw a queer woman wearing a witch’s attire grinning at her. ” Who are you? ” she asked, ” How did you come here? ” The woman replied, ” Don’t you recognize your maternal aunt, Ruby? ” Grace was taken aback. She said, ” My mom never mentioned having a sister. By the way, you didn’t answer my question. How did you suddenly appear ? I almost had a heart attack. ” Aunt Ruby said, ” It’s a pity that my sister, Marge, didn’t tell you anything about our family. We are from the family of witches. I am a witch and so are you. Your parents were witches too.” Grace was too confused to reply. She kept staring at her newfound relative who decided to make her appearance at a perfect time. Ruby waved her hand and a comfortable couch appeared in front of her. She magicked another chair for Grace who was astounded and continued to watch her aunt, wondering what kind of magic was she going to do next.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (19)

Posted on May 20, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER SHORT STORY BY ME.

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

She sees the evil side of Sharmila abusing her friendship and taking advantage of her. She is horrified to see her best friend kidnapping and sacrificing her with the help of a mysterious stranger. She comes back to her room with her parents and Sharmila’s soul pays her a visit. She explains how she was cursed by her grandma after she accidentally killed her grandfather who was bedridden with cancer. When she clarified that it was just an accident, her grandma realized her folly and offered a choice to die young before the curse could materialize or live a long cursed life. She had chosen the former. Sharmila warns her to be careful.

Grace sees identical bracelets on the wrists of Vivek and Sharmila in her dreams. She requests Sharmila’s mother for the bracelet and discovers the hidden microchip which alerts X in Australia because both the bracelets were connected to his destiny machine. He orders Vivek’s death which leaves Grace completely stumped.

Grace questions Sharmila’s spirits and discovers the identity of her killer. Grace leaves to Australia with Sharmila’s parents. She requests Sharmila to infiltrate X’s gang to uncover clues and prevent him from carrying out the dangerous task of reviving her. She spots X and enters his body in the presence of Stewart. X gets into trouble after misbehaving with a waiter and Stewart slaps him. He drags him out of the cafe as they go back to their hideout.

Sharmila decides to have fun at X’s expense. She enters his body, snatches the phone from one of the guards and calls Grace with the update. X returns the phone with a thanks. His guard is pleasantly surprised. When X comes to his senses, his guard appreciates him for his good manners which X vehemently denies. Sharmila re-enters his body and X turns into a pervert. Stewart kicks him while the guard chuckles and gets fired. Sharmila possesses him and manages to capture the incriminating photos of the hideout. The guard visits the lab and blackmails Stewart to reinstate his job Or face the police. He has already forwarded these pictures to other men as a precaution and potential blackmail. Stewart and X are ready to merge their sinister machines as Sharmila is shocked and contemplating how to stop these villains from carrying out their evil plan.

She foils their attempt to revive her with their combo machine by entering X’ s body and making him enter wrong password that destroys their project. She leaves him and possesses Stewart who tries to seduce X. They fight with each other and while they are discussing the chain of events, they eventually find out about Grace and try to kill her by sending their assassin. Grace has a nightmare and witnesses her own death. When she wakes up, she’s shocked to find a stranger holding a sharp knife in her room and she screams.

And now:

CHAPTER 11

Road to excitement and danger.

Grace screamed at the man who was staring at her. He had a sharp knife ready to plunge into her body. She was numb with shock. Before she could open her mouth to question him, he said, ” Don’t yell, Gracie! It’s me, Sharmila. Just listen to me before you start screaming. X and his accomplice, Stewart, have accidentally found out about your indirect involvement in the failure of their sinister plan. They have sent this guy to silence you forever. I entered his body to warn you about the gravity of the situation. I am going to pretend stabbing you. Act like a dead body and I will snap the pictures of your ‘corpse’ to convince those rascals that you are indeed dead. Meanwhile, you try to convince the boss and work from home until the danger passes off. I will somehow try to contact you. I have to prevent these guys from resuming their work on their dream project.”

The man ( assassin) sent by X gave her a cushion and a bottle of red nail polish. He made her lie down with the cushion placed above her abdomen, opening the tiny bottle of nail polish. He pretended to gag her mouth and inserted the knife into the cushion. He also spilled the red nail polish to fake her death. He snapped a picture of her ‘dead body’ and left the place immediately.

He joined his partner waiting outside with a can of gasoline. ” Hi, “said his partner, ” Did you finish the task? ” The assassin replied, ” Yes. But what are you doing with the gasoline?” His partner, ” The boss told us to make her disappear from the face of the earth to eliminate the trace of a murder.” ” Are you insane?” said the assassin, ” Do you want to set the entire neighborhood on fire simply to get rid of the corpse? It will look more suspicious.” ” We can enter the house and try to tamper with the electric circuit and make sure that a faulty wiring led to her death. “” Why are you so desperate to protect the boss? Are you going to clean his butt everytime he shits? ” His partner was astonished to see the assassin’s wavering loyalty towards the boss. He asked him, ” Don’t tell me that you are planning to switch over to the other side. I am surprised at your attitude. We are his employees and should be loyal to him.” The assassin replied, “Sometimes I wonder if they you have a brain at all. I admit that loyalty is important but protecting our interests from the exploitation by our bosses is equally important. Haven’t you watched any movie? The gang leader always pins the blame on his henchmen for the majority of crimes committed by him in order to escape from prosecution. Why should we get punished for the crimes committed by the boss? He will never hesitate to throw us under the bus to save his skin. Look, we have eliminated the girl. It’s the proof of our loyalty. There’s no need to burn the neighborhood.”

His partner agreed with his view and they drove away to the den. They were unaware that X had sent two men to monitor the execution of their tasks. They stopped outside a bar and had drinks before resuming their journey. The assassin couldn’t help feeling that he and his partner were being tailed. He cast a casual glance around and observed a black car following them. He whispered to his partner, ” Do you know that the boss in whom you have misplaced faith sent a couple of our comrades to keep an eye on us?” The partner felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. So much for being loyal! He said, ” You were right. Let’s teach the son of a bitch, a lesson he would never forget.”

The assassin gave a maniacal grin and said, ” I have a plan that would cover our behinds from the asses, sorry, bosses.” He pushed the accelerator and increased the speed. Their stalkers gained a momentum. After playing hide and seek with their pursuers, they reached an accident-prone area. He swerved the car to take a sudden U-turn whereas their pursuers lost control of their car and rammed into a tree with such a force that both the men ended up losing their consciousness. The assassin picked up the can of gasoline and set the car on fire. He clicked the picture of his dirty deed. His partner was waiting for an explanation. The assassin filtered the recent photo in such a way that it appeared as if a house was on fire. He attached the photo of Grace’s fake dead body with that of the fire and sent it to X. His partner understood the plan and grinned at him. ” That’s a great job, but how would you explain the disappearance of two men? ” questioned his partner.

The assassin explained, ” I would claim that the men he had sent behind us, were traitors working for the police. We found them leaking the information on our hideout to the police. We caught them red-handed and killed them. Now, let’s forward the information on our hideout to the police.” The assassin sent the pre-recorded video of their hideout to the police. After waiting for half an hour, he warned X that the police might be on their way and sent a message of the supposed betrayal by their own men. X asked him and his partner to move on to a secret location and stay hidden until he contacted them. Meanwhile, X alerted his partner and men to vacate the den, leaving behind everything to avoid getting caught. They fled through the secret tunnel and remained hidden among the bushes, watching their secret haven getting raided. X and Stewart were furious over the betrayal of the dead men whom they had sent to spy on Grace’s assassin and his partner. They waited patiently until the coast was clear. When they went back to their den, it was stripped of everything they possessed.

The assassin and his friend disguised themselves as respectable businessmen and escaped to Sydney. Sharmila’s mother knocked on Grace’s bedroom in the morning. When she didn’t respond, she opened the door slightly and screamed at the sight that met her eyes.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (18)

Posted on May 13, 2022 by aparna12

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. A PARANORMAL SHORT STORY BY Me.

Good morning friends,

Today I am expecting some guests because of which I am unable to come up with the latest episode of Grace’s witchy adventures. This is one of my stories published in StoryMirror.com.

A Matter of life and death.

Julia Gonsalves lived with her maternal grandmother, Rita Demello in Goa. Her parents died in a car crash, when she was hardly five. Somehow, she survived the tragedy, and her grandmother became her guardian. Rita showered all her love upon her granddaughter. However, she was stern with her whenever Julia was up to any mischief.

Ten years passed peacefully. Julia was a brilliant student and excelled in all the subjects. Her grandmother had raised her with strict discipline. She didn’t allow her to mingle with boys. She expected Julia to come home immediately after school. Julia never disobeyed her grandma.

Rita wanted to give her all the comforts of life. Julia attended Martin’s Higher Secondary school and Junior College.

This school charged an exorbitant fee. Rita was under the impression that high school fees ensured a good education and safety for Julia.

Julia was an ambitious girl. All the teachers liked her because she never got involved in any kind of controversy. She had a limited circle of friends. She avoided talking to boys as much as possible. When she entered her sixteenth year, she became an epitome of beauty and grace. She preferred wearing a long skirt with a full sleeve blouse. Her friends ridiculed her for being old fashioned. She didn’t care for their sarcastic comments.

Her best friend, Susie Gomes, was a big flirt. She had many boyfriends. She belonged to a wealthy family. Her parents were busy minting money. Hence, they hired a nanny to take care of her. Susie never had any moral values. She was a spoilt brat. She had no siblings and craved for her parents’ love.

When she started growing up, she found solace among her friends. She started dating young boys, as soon as she turned sixteen. She lost her virginity after discovering the pleasure of sex.

Julia’s friendship with Susie began when they were in first grade. Susie’s nanny had forgotten to keep her lunch box in her school bag. Julia shared her lunch with Susie.

They became best friends. As luck would have it, a crack developed in their relationship. Susie started consuming alcohol and drugs. Julia was worried about her. She gave her friendly advice to quit drinking and taking drugs. Susie lost her temper and said,” Who are you to advise me? It is my life. Did I ever ask you to get yourself a boyfriend? Why are you so concerned about me?”

Julia felt abashed and stopped speaking to her. Julia’s growing popularity among her fellow students added fuel to the fire. Susie was now jealous of her friend. Her parents often compared her to Julia and criticized her every move.

Susie wanted to humiliate Julia in public.

She thought of an evil plan to serve her purpose. Her male friends had often pestered her to get Julia into bed with them. They had offered her a substantial amount in exchange for Julia. She warded them off, citing her close friendship with Julia as the reason.

One day she approached them and accepted their offer. They were eight guys who had ditched their girlfriends for her.

Susie called her gang members to hatch a plan for Julia’s downfall. They stayed back in their class after school was over.

Susie addressed her boyfriends,” I have a brilliant idea to tarnish Julia’s image. I will invite her to my house for lunch on Sunday. I will spike her drink with a sedative. You can carry her to my bedroom and enjoy sleeping with her. I will record everything and upload it on the internet.”

Fortunately, Julia overheard their conversation. She had come back to retrieve her purse that she had left behind in a hurry. She waited patiently in another classroom until they left.

Julia fetched her purse and went home.

She greeted her grandmother without any enthusiasm. Rita sat beside her and gently stroked her hand. ” What’s the matter, honey?” she asked her,” Who offended my darling granddaughter?”

Julia hugged her and burst into tears.

She told her everything about Susie’s plan to ruin her life. Rita was fuming. She consoled Julia and said,” I will handle this situation on your behalf. Accept her invitation, but tell her that you would visit her after ten days. Don’t let her know that you are aware of her conspiracy.”

Julia appeared to be puzzled. She didn’t probe her grandmother and went to prepare tea.

Rita had a dark secret.

She practiced occultism and conducted seance. There were two rooms in the basement. She used one of them to contact the departed souls of her husband and daughter. She always kept it locked. She was also a brilliant sculptor. She used another room as a studio where she carved marble and clay statues.

Rita started working on her new mysterious project. She became secretive and avoided long conversation with Julia. The latter started wondering about her grandmother’s strange behavior. Nevertheless, she didn’t pester her grandma in this matter.

Susie invited Julia for a sleepover as per her plan. The latter accepted her invitation and said she would come after a week. Susie was frustrated with Julia for postponing her program. Nevertheless, she managed to smile and pretended to be her friend again. Julia went home and reported her discussion with Susie. A week passed uneventfully.

Finally, the day arrived when Julia was supposed to leave for her friend’s house.

Julia started getting ready for the party.

She chose to wear black jeans with a white t-shirt. She tied her hair into a ponytail and quickly applied lipstick and mascara.

Rita knocked at her door and said,” Wow! My granddaughter is so gorgeous. I am sure guys will go bonkers after seeing you. Drink this hot cocoa before you leave.” Julia blushed and kissed her grandma before sipping the cocoa. Julia said,” I don’t think I can go, granny. I am feeling drowsy.”

Rita locked her room after helping her to get into her bed. She came out and shouted,” It’s time for you to leave. Do keep me updated after finishing your job.” Another Julia emerged from the secret room. She looked stunning in her sky blue mini-dress. Her dress barely covered her thighs. She winked at Rita and asked,” Do you like my new look?” The latter gave her approval and asked her to leave. Rita dialed Susie’s mobile number, asking her to pick up Julia. Susie arrived shortly in her Mercedes Benz. She let out a small whistle after seeing the modern version of Julia. “Wow!” she exclaimed, ” I never imagined I would see you dressed up like a model. Where is your bag of clothes? I thought I invited you for a sleepover. Don’t you need spare clothes to change?”

Julia replied, ” I am not coming to stay with you forever. I thought I would wear your spare pajama for a night.” Susie simply shrugged as Julia sat beside her in the car. They reached her palatial house within fifteen minutes. Julia followed Susie, who pressed the doorbell. Her butler, James, opened the door and took her coat. Susie’s boyfriends surrounded them and shook hands with Julia. They drooled over Julia’s new look, completely ignoring Susie. A pang of jealousy swept over Susie. She pinched Tom to remind him of their plan. Tom said,” Guys, why don’t you allow her to breathe? I am going to get her a drink. What would you like to have, Julia?”

” I am not thirsty,” snapped Julia, ” Let’s get down to the business. I know that all of you are lusting after my body.” Susie and her friends were speechless. Julia faced Susie and said, ” Since you are so eager to make a porn video, I am going to strip right away.” She was standing completely naked in front of them. Tom licked his lips and unbuttoned his shirt.

Julia flashed a brilliant smile revealing her pearly teeth. ” Come to me, my darling,” she hissed like a snake and squeezed her breast. Worms started wriggling out from her nipples. She developed rashes and blisters, as her admirers and Susie watched in horror.

Her face emitted a foul smell of rotten flesh. Her body crumbled into several pieces. Suddenly, a beautiful woman appeared before them. She looked like an angel. She resembled Julia. She smiled at them and said, ” Don’t be afraid, children. Julia is not dead.” They looked at one another without uttering a single word. Susie asked her,” Are you Julia’s mother?” The woman nodded and started speaking,” You must be wondering about my presence here instead of Julia. She overheard your conversation to ruin her life. So, I came here to rescue all of you from the path of self-destruction. I am not going to give you any lecture and bore you to death. I am going to take you all for a short trip into your future. You will witness the outcome of your current lifestyle in the years to come.”

She asked them to close their eyes. They seemed to be spinning like a top and held each other tightly. Julia’s mother, Sandra, made them open their eyes. All of them were standing outside a luxury apartment. Sandra asked them to watch the proceedings in absolute silence. Susie was astonished to see her older version. She had dark circles under her eyes. She had become obese with a prominent belly. A fourteen-year-old boy opened the door with a resounding kick. He was furious. He threw his school bag on the couch and stared at Susie senior. ” Who is my father?” he exploded in anger,” You have not answered my question until now.” She gave him a vague reply. He lashed out at her,” Don’t give me a bullshit reply. Everyone in my class calls me a filthy rich bastard. It hurts me a lot. Children in our society look down upon me as if I am a shit. Are you a whore?” Susie watched herself crying. She couldn’t answer her son because she didn’t know about his father. Susie and her friends were getting tensed up after watching the emotional outburst. However, they were invisible and mute spectators. The teenager hurled out a volley of abuse before running out of his house. They hurried after him. Unfortunately, he jumped in front of a moving bus and got crushed to death. Susie screamed her heart out. She pleaded with Sandra to take them back into their past. After their return, Susie promised Sandra that she would not indulge in sex before marriage. The latter also advised her not to consume alcohol or drugs. She took them on a trip to a hospital where a drug addict was undergoing treatment. There were puncture marks all over his skin. He cried out in pain and desperation. ” I want drugs. I can’t live without it,” he yelled out. The chief doctor called his assistants and nurses to hold him tightly while he administered an injection. The patient dozed off to sleep after his emotional outburst. Susie and her friends understood what Sandra was trying to convey through this visit. Sandra said,” I want to show you something before we go back to our place.” Their final journey ended outside an orphanage. The warden cracked a whip and made the children slog like slaves. Some of them were cleaning toilets. The children cried for food after finishing their tasks. The warden asked the domestic help to serve them thin gruel with stale bread. Susie and her friends almost burst into tears after seeing the poor kids. Sandra addressed them,” Children, do you realize how lucky you are to have your parents with you? They provide you with all the comforts of life. They don’t expect anything from you except that you should study well and be financially independent. All of you wasted your time by indulging in unhealthy and dangerous activities. I wanted you to see the future implications of your current misdeeds. Had you succeeded in humiliating Julia, she would have died. You would have ended up in a juvenile home. Your parents would be ashamed of you. Please focus on your studies and career. Don’t let your mind wander away. Your parents have pinned high hopes on you. Don’t let them down. You are like my own children. Promise me that you will mend your ways. Don’t discuss anything about my visit to Julia. She would be upset.”

Susie and her friends promised her to turn over a new leaf. Sandra felt happy and blessed them. She vanished out of their sight.

They kept their promise by asking for Julia’s forgiveness. She was pleasantly surprised and agreed to help them with their studies.

Susie managed to win back the friendship of the other girls. Life became beautiful for Susie and her friends, including Julia. Sandra had convinced Rita that Susie and her friends had reformed. Sandra vanished into thin air.

Rita and Julia continued to be best friends forever.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (16)

Posted on May 6, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

The Story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Grace decides to investigate Sharmila’s death and views the CCTV footage that shows the car which ran her over. She finds that it belonged to Vinod Mohan, Vivek’s ( Sharmila’s former fiance) younger brother. She approaches the police and hands them the evidence. Vinod claims of innocence and says that he had lent his vehicle to a friend who reported it missing. Grace is frustrated and prays to Sharmila for guidance.
Grace sees identical bracelets on the wrists of Vivek and Sharmila in her dreams. She requests Sharmila’s mother for the bracelet and discovers the hidden microchip which alerts X in Australia because both the bracelets were connected to his destiny machine. He orders Vivek’s death which leaves Grace completely stumped.

Chapter 10

A twist in the tale.

Sharmila had to stop them from executing their dangerous mission. She re-entered X’s body and made him enter a wrong password thrice, much to the annoyance of Stewart. Both the machines stopped functioning after blowing out a fuse. Stewart slapped X and hurled abuses at him. He said, ” How dare you ruin our dream project? You idiot, how can you forget the password for operating your own machine? “

X rubbed his cheeks as Sharmila exited his body and entered Stewart’s to pull another prank. X groaned when he saw both the machines completely blown up. He asked, ” How did this happen, Stevie? Did you enter a wrong password? You could have referred to your notes rather than relying on your cleverness.” Something was wrong with Stewart. He tried to make a pass at X, adding with a sigh, ” Did anyone tell you how handsome you are, honey? I know you prefer the company of men.” He started stripping off his clothes. He was about to remove his underwear when X slapped him real hard.

Meanwhile, one of the guards happened to witness this incident and recorded everything on his smartphone. “I should have listened to Vinie before joining these lunatics. I should forward this recording to the police, “he thought. His comrade said, “Don’t do anything foolish now. First, we have to escape from this place and make sure we are safe. I have a plan.” He whispered into his ears and the guard smiled.

Stewart was stunned to find himself almost naked. He screamed, ” You fool! Were you trying to take undue advantage of me? You are a creep and a pervert. I have a good mind to call off this partnership.” X was stunned at his accusations. He retaliated, ” Let me make it clear, you jerk! I didn’t touch you at all. You acted like a sex starved maniac and undressed yourself. Why don’t you check the CCTV recording? How can you question my sexuality? Your behavior is questionable.”

Stewart replayed the CCTV recording. He was shocked to find that X was telling the truth. He had no idea what came over him. “Listen,” he said, ” I am sorry. I don’t remember doing anything like this. I feel completely zoned out. I think you experienced the same thing. It’s as if someone possessed our bodies. If I had to guess, the ghost of Sharmila is exorcising us.” Sharmila’s soul couldn’t believe that this idiot guessed it right. She feared what he would discover next but decided to remain a mute spectator and watch the proceedings.

X laughed at Stewart’s theory, “That’s an excellent joke, buddy. Ghost of Sharmila, indeed? I think your brain has cracked up after enduring the excessive work pressure. Why don’t you take a break for some time while I try to repair these duds?” Stewart replied, ” Laugh all you want. Can you explain your behavior in these videos?” X’s smirk was quickly replaced by a frown. Stewart also told him about the blackmail by one of the bodyguards, David. He happened to be X’s most reliable employee and could never think of betraying him.

X replied, ” Fine. Now that we have discovered a ghost playing truant in our den, what are we going to do next? Call a ghost buster.” Stewart was lost in thoughts before replying, ” I hate to say this but either we have a mole in our midst who has decided to be good and foil our plans or Sharmila must have an accomplice who discovered our secrets. Can you think over our past failures?”

X replied,” Stewart, you just happened to hit the nail on the head. I tried killing Sharmila several times after she reached India. She escaped most of the times until I finally had her dead. I had planned a fate for Vivek that went completely haywire. How could someone foil my plans ? Now that we joined forces to create a monster machine that would revive Sharmila, it seems her ghost isn’t interested in coming back to life. I wonder why? Someone has been ruining our plans. If I discover his or her identity, we will make sure to pack the person to hell. But who can it be and why?” X and Stewart asked their men to search their hideout for the presence of an electronic bug but it was futile.

“How the hell did he or she discover what we were up to?” X commented. Stewart asked him, “Do you remember if Sharmila confided in anyone?” X suddenly remembered, ” Yes, I remember seeing her with Grace Royce, my former colleague. They were as thick as thieves. Sharmila never went alone without Grace giving her company. But Grace isn’t that smart to get on to us. She looks like Plain Jane. There’s nothing special about her.”

Sharmila was petrified as she continued watching their exchange. ” This is where you are wrong, ” answered Stewart, ” Haven’t you ever heard of the proverb ‘ Don’t judge a book by its cover’? She must be having some sort of power like a gadget or so. Didn’t you tell me that she accompanied Sharmila to India and stayed there until her death? She must be the one stirring the hornet’s nest and made you kill our trusted partner, Vivek. It’s time to get rid of her before she spoils any of our plans. I suggest we kidnap her and find out what kind of power she possesses before ending her life.” X approved of this plan. Sharmila couldn’t wait to inform her friend. She possessed the body of David, the bodyguard, who resembled a gorilla.

Grace couldn’t sleep that night. She had a nightmare. She saw a masked man approaching her with a sharp knife and plunged it into her stomach.

” Help!” she shouted at the top of her voice as she opened her eyes. There was another bloodcurdling scream followed by a pin drop silence. What happened to Grace? Is she alive or dead? Can she survive this ordeal? Watch out for a stunning twist in the upcoming episode of Grace’s witchy adventures.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (14)

Posted on April 22, 2022 by aparna12

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

The story so far:

She saves Sharmila from marrying a criminal after nabbing him and his friends in a shameful act of trying to hang an innocent girl.

Grace decides to investigate Sharmila’s death and views the CCTV footage that shows the car which ran her over. She finds that it belonged to Vinod Mohan, Vivek’s ( Sharmila’s former fiance) younger brother. She approaches the police and hands them the evidence. Vinod claims of innocence and says that he had lent his vehicle to a friend who reported it missing. Grace is frustrated and prays to Sharmila for guidance.
Grace sees identical bracelets on the wrists of Vivek and Sharmila in her dreams. She requests Sharmila’s mother for the bracelet and discovers the hidden microchip which alerts X in Australia because both the bracelets were connected to his destiny machine. He orders Vivek’s death which leaves Grace completely stumped.

Chapter 9:

The fun has just begun.

Grace waited for Sharmila’s phone call. She was getting worried because it was evening and there was no news from her. Meanwhile, Sharmila was having fun playing a poltergeist. When they entered X’s hideout, she snatched the phone of the bodyguard and moved away before she called Grace. She said, ” I have managed to enter X’s body and reached his hideout. Listen, I want to create a rift between his henchmen before we could stop X from executing his evil plan.” She went on to tell Grace how she had got X into trouble. Her friend roared with laughter but finally sobered up.

Sharmila convinced her that she would be fine and would meet her in person, rather than calling her, using a different mobile each night.They ended the call with Sharmila promising to visit her at the weekend in her spiritual form. Sharmila ( in X’s body) quietly handed back the phone to the bodyguard after deleting the call. X chuckled,” I forgot to charge my phone and I had to call someone urgently. Anyway, thanks for your help.”

The bodyguard who looked like gorilla could hardly believe his eyes and ears. X had a reputation of being rude and downright nasty. “No problem, Boss,” he grinned. Sharmila left X’s body to float around and find out what’s happening. She saw Stewart working on a gadget that resembled a thick bracelet. There was the destiny changing machine invented by X on his right and connected to the laptop. Sharmila was alarmed. She had to do something to sabotage both the machines.
She saw X taking out his mobile and arguing with his bodyguard that his mobile was fully charged and he didn’t understand what the guard was blabbering about.

She giggled and re-entered X’s body. Now, X’s demeanor had completely changed. He started acting coy and behaving like a cross dresser. He battled his eyelashes and said, ” I am sorry, handsome. Why don’t we play a game of love?” It was precisely the moment, Stewart stepped out of the lab. He was so furious that he kicked his butt, causing X to fall face down. The bodyguard failed miserably to suppress his laughter. Stewart turned to face him. He said, ” Do you think it’s funny to laugh at someone’s misfortune? You are fired. Collect your belongings and leave.” The bodyguard pleaded with him to give him another chance but Stewart stomped off to another room, dragging a bewildered X along with him. Sharmila left X and entered the guard’s body. She took out the smartphone and started clicking the pictures. One of X’s men spotted him taking the pictures of every single room. ” Hey” Guard no. 2 asked, “You aren’t supposed to click the pictures. This place is supposed to be hidden.”

The former guard replied, ” Our boss has lost his marbles. His partner saw him making a pass at me and kicked him. I laughed and I got sacked. I will share these pictures with you so that the new asshole can’t fire you. We can also extort money to keep our mouths shut.” The second guard was very greedy and gave in to the temptation. They circulated the confidential pictures among themselves.

The first guard who took the original pictures, went to the lab, much to the surprise of his friends because they were not allowed anywhere near the lab. He knocked at the door. Stewart opened it with a shock registering on his face. ” How dare you defy my orders?” he yelled, ” You aren’t supposed to be here. The lab is meant for geniuses like us. You are just a lowly servant who just got fired.”

The guard sneered at him and said, ” I would watch out for my mouth, if I were you. I guess I have to subject you to a shock treatment.” He showed his phone containing the photos of the hidden rooms storing the weapons, drugs, and stolen idols, besides, complicated machinery parts. The guard saw his smug expression turning into that of a frightened child. He said, ” I have forwarded these pictures to my friends working for you and your gay partner. If you sack any of us, we will forward these pictures to the Australian Police. Your future will be permanently behind bars.” ” What do you want?” asked Stewart. The guard replied, ” First, reinstate me into your employment. Secondly, you will treat us like your colleagues and not your servants. See to it that Mr. Pervert doesn’t misbehave with any of us.”

Stewart agreed to all his conditions. The guard returned with a smile on his face and briefed his friends about the exchange. His friends beamed upon him as their hero. Sharmila left his body and the guard looked confused as there was a huge celebration going on.

Sharmila entered the lab and watched X and Stewart having a discussion. They were ready to fuse their machines together to bring her back from the jaws of death. What’s going to happen now? Can Sharmila’s spirit stop them? Or is it too late to avoid a huge disaster? Watch out for the next episode of Grace’s Witchy adventures.

Thank you so much for taking your precious time to visit my website. Hope you enjoyed reading my blogs. 😊😊

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’s WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES: A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER SHORT STORY BY ME.

CHAPTER 11

Share this:

Like this:

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. A PARANORMAL SHORT STORY BY Me.

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME

Share this:

Like this:

GRACE’S WITCHY ADVENTURES : A PARANORMAL THRILLER BY ME.

Share this:

Like this: