Can You Hear Her?

I was probably around 13 years old when I went to one of my aunt's houses in Aali Tehsil,Kendrapada with my niece to spend my summer holidays. I had planned to stay for 2-3 days but ended up staying for a week. Believe me, I was unable to sleep for those seven days.

My niece is three years younger than me. My aunt is a widow and has three daughters. One of her daughters was married and wasn’t there. The moment I stepped into their house, I could sense some strange energy and immediately wanted to leave. However, with all the day's events and conversations with my cousins, time flew by, and things started to feel normal.

At night, all of us slept in the same big room, and I was right in the middle. In front of the bed was a window with a clear view of their front yard and the neighbor's house. I usually stay up later than others, so at around 2 a.m., I heard a voice—it sounded like a bird or a child calling out someone's name. It seemed to come from the yard, so I got up and looked through the window.

To my shock, I saw a girl on the swing, her hair untied. Because it was dark, I couldn't see her face clearly, but I could see her moving around the place. Panicked, I immediately tried to wake up my cousin, but she dismissed me, saying it wasn’t possible, and went back to sleep. As I turned back to the window, I saw the girl now walking along the roof of our neighbor's house, fearlessly jumping across the edges. Restlessly, I covered myself with the blanket and forced myself to sleep.

In the morning, I told everyone about what I had seen, but no one believed me. Instead, they laughed, saying it was just my imagination. However, they did admit to hearing a strange voice, which they assumed must have been a bird.

A month after my visit, when I returned from school, I found the youngest of the three sisters at our house, talking to my mother very seriously. When I asked what was wrong, she told me that her elder sister had been possessed for the past week by someone trying to kill her. They had called a Tantrik (someone who communicates with spirits), and he revealed that their house was haunted by a girl who had been burned alive by her two brothers. Now, she returns every night, seeking revenge.