"And there lies Lucy"

Her fingers pointed towards the small little rusted tombstone under the tree. Now covered in leaves. Most parts of the tombstone had withered away or were broken, but the letter "L" was still inscribed in the middle , bold as ever.

The day was beginning to fade. I could see the sun lowering down and in no time, it would be dark soon. But my cousin, Maya stood still , staring at the tombstone and murmuring something under her breath.

My mother and I decided to spend our summer vacations at Maya's place. She too lived with her mother, who was really good friends with my mother. The more reason I personally wanted to go to their place was because they had a small but beautiful lake behind their house and it would be good to polish my swimming skills a bit more.

Now I have known Maya since childhood. We basically grew up together. We were in the same neighborhood until her father died in a car accident and then she had to move houses. That is, the current one where I am at. As far as I know her, she was really easy going and friendly. She was also good at academics. After her father's tragedy, she bought herself a pet dog and named her 'Lucy'. That seemed to cheer her up and within a year or so, she became herself again. She found joy.

It wasn't until a month ago now when Lucy died from sickness. Maya buried Lucy under a tree, along with her joy and happiness. Now, when I look at her, it's like she is a completely different person. Her face has become paler than ever. Hardly ever she smiles now, and her movements have become slower than ever.

"It's time we should head back now" I said. The air had a cool breeze, which stirred up the rustling of the leaves. The air around me had a strange odour. Not anything creepy or foul, but it had a sense of premonition in it. It was stiff.

"Hmm" she nodded her head and turned at me. And walked towards the house.

Inside , I saw both of our mothers laughing and talking while sitting on the sofa. They each had a white cup each in their hands. Probably tea. Maya went over to the dining table behind them and coughed.

"Ah ! There you two are !" , her mother said. She had quite sparkly eyes. "We still have an hour to go until dinner. Do whatever you want", she said, and began talking with my mother again.

I turned back and saw that Maya was not there. I heard her room door closing, so she must be there. I basically had nothing to do , so I figured I would take a walk behind the house, where there was a lawn. I never explored that part .

Curiosity was one of my fundamental nature. Not that I was reckless , but I always wanted to explore things which others would not do.

I stepped into the backyard. It was dark all around me, although I could see faint light sparkles from afar houses and buildings. Fortunately , I brought my mobile with me so I switched on the flashlight and took a look around.

Compared to the front lawn, the backyard was pretty messed up. It had twigs and dried leaves all around the borders and in some places the ground was also not in a great shape. As if someone has done a lot of digging around. And it was obvious because to my left, there was a small wooden box and inside it I found a shovel and a spade.

I was never afraid to venture alone in darkness. In fact, I adored it and loved it. But for some reason, this time, I hesitated. It was like something was stopping me from going further. Something trying to warn me. I took a step back and decided to return. When I suddenly my eyes went towards the tree. It was strange enough that there was only one tree standing in the backyard. On top of that , upon throwing my flashlight on it, I saw something which even I could not comprehend.

There were large claw marks scratched on the bark of the tree. Although they looked faded, it felt so alive. Normally I would not be surprised since there are a few stray cats and dogs in this area always jumping around. But what shocked me was the size of the mark. Surely it could not have been a dog or a cat. What could it be ? A bear?

I was about to run my hands across it when I heard a voice-

"Raj !" It was my mother. "Come now it's time for dinner" she announced. I hurriedly switched off my flashlight and ran back to the dining area.

Upon arrival, I saw Maya already seated and the food was being served. Our mothers talked with each other while Maya and I sat quietly. My mind wandered off to the tree and the claw mark. Agh. What could it be?

"Where were you?" Maya asked. Her eyes fixed on me, while taking a bite of her rotis.

"Um..I was?kind of strolling through the backyard for a change. Found nothing special really" I chuckled , scratching my head. Looking like a complete idiot.

Maya's eyes widened. Her hands froze in mid air and let out a gasp of air. She banged the table with her right hand and ran upstairs, to her room.

I stared at both mothers and they stared back at me. We were clueless. What just happened right now? . Her mother apologised for the mess and took her plate away in the kitchen.

After dinner, I decided to stand near the verandah. Despite being summer, the night gave off a cool breeze. As far as my eyes could go, there were trees everywhere and a few lampposts dimly lit. The chirping of the crickets took control over the whole area.

I moved my eyes around when I noticed that the window of my room was directly parallel to Lucy's tombstone. It was just a few metres away. Although it kind of made me uncomfortable at first, I did not give much thought about it. After all, it was just a tombstone.

I returned back to my room and laid down on my bed. The cool air coming through the windows filled the room. I could feel my eyes shutting down on their own as I let out a big yawn.

All of a sudden I got startled and sat back up on my bed. I heard a sound. A howling. It had to be a dog. But it did not sound like it. It was more of a wailing. A cry, and it intensified every five minutes. It just got louder and louder.

I looked outside through my window but could not see anything except some bushes. It was all dark. Suddenly I froze. My face was covered in sweat and my eyes widened. Even though I could not see anything. I heard that awfully wailing sound again, but this time it came from right below me. Right under my window.

I quickly closed my window shut and threw myself against the wall. It was quiet for a while and when I thought it was all over, I heard it again. But not the wailing sound. A different one. Like someone or something was trying to climb up the wall. Large thumping sounds got closer near my ears. I put my hands over my mouth. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. My throat was dry and my body felt numb. Little by little , the thumping sound got closer and finally stopped near my window, which was closed. I was frozen , and sweating all over. The air felt warm around me. I pressed my ears against the wall and what I heard next shook me up. A low but threatening growling sound. It sounded so bloodthirsty. I could simply wait and nothing else. What is that? What could it be? That thing did not have an ordinary growl. After a few minutes, I heard a scratching sound on my window as the growling intensified.

At that point, I moved around in panic and the last thing I heard was my water glass breaking, and I fell on the ground?

It was all a little blurry when I opened my eyes. I could feel the sunlight on my face. My head was feeling lighter than before. I looked around and I was in my room. Suddenly the door opened and my mother entered.

"Feeling alright? You had us worried for a while?" she asked as she sat beside me.

After drinking a glass of water, I asked - "Wh-what happened exactly?"

She answered - "We both heard a crashing sound from your room and rushed over here and found you lying on the floor and a broken glass beside you with the water spilling out. I brought you back to bed and opened the window. Why did you close it anyway?"



The window? I vaguely remember what happened last night but I do remember the sounds and noises I heard last night.

"I guess I had a terrible nightmare that's all" I chuckled. I wanted to believe it was all a nightmare. There was only one way I could check it out by myself.

After breakfast, I strolled around the area of the lawn near my window. Hoping to find any sort of clue if it was at all real. I followed the trail along the bushes , but could not find anything weird. I was about to head back when I looked up and I was frozen. All the memories started gushing in like a waterfall. On my window there was a large claw mark. The exact one which I had noticed earlier on the tree. It was the one.

I remained silent the rest of the day. My head was spinning in circles after all this. I knew I had to get to the bottom of this mystery.

I decided to check upon Maya and went to her room. The door was open and I saw her sitting on her window sill , doodling away with her pen and a notebook. She got startled when knocked on the door. She got up and said - "Your eyes look pale", and left the room. Her notebook fell on the floor, but she did not care about that.

I bent down to pick it up when I saw that those were not doodles or scribbles. They were well made sketches. Sketches of a dog. Most probably her dog Lucy. It made me smile inside.

It was when I began to turn over the pages, I noticed something strange. There were the exact sketches of Lucy on every page, but with each page it looked like Lucy's facial expressions as well as the body structure were getting ?..monstrous looking. In the first page, she drew Lucy as a small puppy with a sweet smile and a wagging tail. But I noticed with each page, slowly Lucy grew up and something about his smile did not seem sweet anymore. I rushed over to the last sketch she made and as I expected, Lucy was completely different. Her eyes were bloodshot, there were fangs instead of teeth , her fur was dark and spiky and below that, were her monstrous large claws.

I threw the book on the table and rushed downstairs. I was breathing heavily. As it happened Maya's mother was passing by. She saw me and asked - "Are you okay? Looks like you have seen a ghost?"

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about Maya and Lucy?" , I asked.

"Y-yeah sure of course ", she replied. Quite hesitantly.

We sat on the sofa and I asked her -

"What exactly caused Lucy's death?"

" No clue really. She looked sick for a few days and then one day she did not open her eyes.", she said,

I asked a few more questions about Maya and Lucy. She just answered yes and no and sometimes even nodded her head in reply.

I got up and before I left, I asked her - "Oh, and one last question". I could tell by now she was fed up and gave a forced smile on her face.

"The tombstone of Lucy under the tree. Is it really her grave?".

Upon this question, I could see her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open and her right fist was clenched. "Of-Of course. Isn't it obvious?" she chuckled , "But why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just curious" I said. I went to my room and circled today's date on the calendar. Whatever it was , it had to be done today.

In the evening, I was all prepared. My scout gear came in handy. I took my flashlight and a rope with me. Things will start to get interesting from now on. I searched for Maya but she was nowhere to be found, so I snuck in the backyard again and hid behind a wall. The person should be arriving any time now. For about ten minutes or so, I was in the same position, trying to avoid making any noise. I could hear the mosquitoes humming near my ears. My eyes started to get tired when I heard steady footsteps coming along. I stood up. A moment later I saw a figure , and as I expected, it was her. It was Maya's mother. She turned her head left and right and picked up the spade against the wall. I noticed she did not dig the ground, instead she pushed the spade straight up into one area of the ground and threw some rocks on it and then left.

After waiting for a few minutes, I came out and inspected the area. But found nothing strange. Today the air around me did not feel cool. It felt warm and uneasy. I looked up and saw Maya's window directly above where the spade was kept. Slowly , but steadily I am beginning to connect all the dots now. But I have yet to do a few things.

From what I remember, every once in a week , a person came to Maya's house to supply them with some of his farm materials. I bet he will come tomorrow. Also, even if I wanted to, I could not say or do anything right now. I just have to wait for the moment.

At dinner I made a few observations. Both the mothers were talking among themselves as usual. Maya and I were quiet all the time. After dinner, I decided to stand near the verandah again just when Maya tapped on my shoulders and asked in a soft yet cold voice -

"You saw them didn't you? The pictures?"

"Pictures? There were more? I did not know that. I only noticed the first one. It was really adorable" I chuckled. It was a necessary lie.

She stared at me for about a minute or so before departing into her room. I decided I would go into my room too and work on my own things a little. On top of that, I should wait and prepare myself this time for that THING to come.

It was 12 o'clock. I stood near the open window with my flashlight. I waited and waited until I heard that faint wailing sound again. I stood up and peeked through the window. It felt as if a thousand different footsteps were running around the lawn. When the wailing sound occurred again, this time I threw my flashlight directly from where it was coming from and I saw something I was expecting to see but also not wanting to believe it was real. I saw nothing except two bloodshot eyes glaring at me , now growling and it was steadily getting near me. I closed the window shut and somehow managed to pass that night again.

Next morning I thought to myself - 'I seriously need to get myself a good sleep'. The more reason for unveiling this thing. After breakfast, I saw the delivery man at the doorstep with some bags containing farm equipment and seeds. I have been seeing him coming here since I was a child. His face didn't change much. I went over to him while he was in the front garden planting some seeds. I greeted him and he seemed to recognise me immediately.

"Is something wrong? Your eyes look paler than before " he asked

"Yes?well I needed to ask about um?a dog named Lucy-" . I didn't even finish speaking when he hushed me

"Come with me," he whispered . We went around the garden. "What about her?" he asked , in a soft voice.

I told him about everything that occurred during these past few days including my strange encounters with her mother, Maya as well as her sketches. I asked him about Lucy and her story and what was happening around here.

I called him Uncle Richard. He lowered his head for a few minutes, sighing deeply and then said - " Yes, they did have a dog named Lucy. But whatever you heard about her, it's not entirely true.

He continued- " After madam's husband passed away, Maya adopted a stray dog named Lucy. She was yellowish in colour and her face looked plum. That was the time when Maya began to smile again. They were like bestfriends. Just played around the lawn the whole day, and Maya even made her a collar to wear. But one day suddenly I heard cries from inside the house. I rushed through the gate to see Maya sobbing and madam sitting beside her and in front of them was Lucy, on the floor. And?" Uncle Richard stopped. His eyes got teary and began sobbing with his knees on the ground. I rushed to help him up and asked what happened suddenly.

He grabbed my hands and told me that what he was going to say next, should not go outside this area. He also asked me to forgive him after this. And the next words that came out of his mouth made me confirm my suspicion but also brought the least expected news.

"Whatever the thing that attacked your window, I assure you. It is not your hallucinations. It was a real thing because ... .Lucy is not buried under that tombstone."

My hands froze, and I asked him - "H-how did you know?"

" You asked how Lucy died. She ?.was killed" , he choked on his voice.

"Who???" I asked

"It was?..madam who did it. But it was an accident. Madam never liked Lucy much. Lucy was protected and loved only by Maya. One day , Maya was at school and Lucy needed some medicine. Madam carelessly misplaced the medicines that day and gave those to Lucy. As a result , her skin turned purple and in a few hours she passed away. Madam knew Maya was not stupid. She would know if she saw her in this state, she would understand her death was unnatural. That's why madam asked me to bury Lucy in the backyard and close the matter."

I never expected Uncle Richard was also in this mess. But I could not blame him. I bent down over to him and asked- "So what's in Lucy's grave?"

He got up, rubbed his eyes and sternly said - " Madam never disclosed the details but from my sources, what I know is that madam buried a dog that looked like Lucy , and was also near her death."

"Don't tell me?.she buried the dog alive?" I asked which Uncle Richard nodded his head in agreement

What kind of a monster would do that? I asked myself and asked Uncle Richard , "so this thing that comes around at night ... .is there any way to stop it?"

Uncle Richard thought hard, pressed his fingers against his forehead and said - "Oh ! Follow me ! ". He took me near an old iron gate which , judging by its appearance, was never used. He bent down and dug a small area of the ground with his bare hands. He grunted and continued to dig until his hand struck something metallic. "Aha !" he said, as he pulled out a tattered cloth and unwrapped it slowly. It was a collarbone. A pink coloured collarbone with the initials "L" engraved in the metal part in the middle. Obviously the colour was faded, but the initial was intact.

"Now", he said while rubbing the dust off, "Before I became indulged in these farming activities, I had an interest in rituals. And I mean spirit rituals. More of an occultist you can say. It was when I realised it was taking too much toll on my life and energy, that's when I decided to stay in a not-so-threatening job."

"So you know?" I asked, " To get rid of that thing?"

"Pretty much. But you have to do it. I am not allowed inside the house after that incident, " he said , and told me the instructions. I clenched my fists and nodded my head. It was about time to put a stop to this nonsense and get a good sleep.

It was 10 :30 at night. Dinner was over and I took observations. My mother was busy talking with my dad on the phone. Maya's mother seemed in a bit of discomfort for some reason. Her sparkling eyes and smile looked faded today and she looked at Maya, who had the same stone cold expressions except this time she said - " The night is burning today", and went to her room. As usual, I was clueless.

I glanced at the clock and kept everything prepared. The collarbone was on the table, as well as the matches. I knew what I was about to do could cost me my life. But , I had to put an end to this. I opened the window and looked outside , waiting for the sound. It was pitch darkness except for a dim light on the street. The clock struck 11 and the wailing started.

I quickly put the matches and the collarbone inside my pocket and rushed downstairs. I could feel the sound getting closer. It was going exactly as planned. Uncle Richard gave me the location of a secret fireplace in the far south west corner of the house. Apparently , it was just in front of the grave. The 'other' grave. I switched on my flashlight and found it in a jiffy and went inside. The place was damp and the fireplace was rusted. Broken windows everywhere and a strange odour filled the room. Nevertheless, I unpacked a few things and arranged them. Fortunately, the place was also an old warehouse so it had a couple of wooden logs stored. I grabbed a few and set them inside the fireplace. The wailing sound got closer and closer. I took a matchstick , lit the fire and threw it in the fireplace. Soon enough the whole room was filled with the yellow warm flame. Now was the final part. Suddenly my heart froze. I heard the wooden door next to me, which led to the backyard banging loudly. There were scratching and howling sounds all over, and I knew it would break at any moment now. I grabbed the cloth from the table and as I took out the collarbone, just then I heard the door smash. My body went numb. I felt the tremors through the floor of two extremely large feet, coming towards me. Even if it was at a distance, I could sense its warm breath and growling intensified. What should I do? I could not move. With whatever little energy I had left, I raised my right arm and threw the collarbone right into the fire. The footsteps now became fast, as if it was running towards me. I clenched both of my hands and saw the collarbone , slowly going deep inside the logs, nowhere to be found. There was one last growl from behind. I thought I was done for and waited for my last moments.

THEN THERE WAS SILENCE. ABSOLUTE SILENCE.

I slowly opened my eyes and carefully turned around. The broken pieces of the door were lying around as the moonlight shone upon them. I noticed there were large foot markings done on the floor. I sat there for a while in utter silence, unable to comprehend what I just witnessed. I cleaned up the mess and departed to my room, sealing the secret fireplace once and for all.

"Wake up! It's already 11 am !" , a voice said.

"Not now Ma. Just a bit more !" I groaned.

"It's me you fool ! Now wake up !" . I opened my eyes and saw Maya sitting beside me.

"Maya?" I gasped. She was not her usual self. Something was different. Her face. She was giggling and smiling and her face lit up as bright as the sunlight. "Your mother asked me to wake you up. Come on, today you have to teach me swimming " , she giggled and ran downstairs. I was amused.

I got dressed and went downstairs. Both the mothers were gossiping and Maya was in the garden, admiring the flowers.

"It's been quite a long time since I saw Maya this happy. I wonder what happened" , my mother said. I noticed Maya's mother staring at Maya. Her eyes spoke guilt. "A miracle I guess. Isn't that right Raj?" she said

I gasped. She noticed me already? I saw her eyes meeting mine and gave me a smile. But this time, I could tell it was genuine. A smile filled with warmth and happiness and nodded her head.

"Ah ! You're here finally" , my mother said , "You had a good sleep , didn't you? Your eyes look so alive and fresh.

"Yeah. I guess I really had one terrific sleep" I chuckled and went near them.

"Let me call Maya inside and then we can eat together", said Maya's mother and came near me.

She patted my shoulders twice before joining her into the garden. I turned around and the garden looked alive. Or maybe because I had a great sleep. Who knows?

.