Vivek was walking down his lane, heading to buy vegetables and fruits, when he noticed a woman standing silently on a distant balcony.
He hesitated.
Once a college topper with a master’s degree in mathematics, Vivek’s life had narrowed to the modest role of a tutor. He had never aimed for fame or wealth—his only passion was sharing knowledge. But over time, that passion turned into a burden. A lack of ambition and financial hardship became his greatest enemies, isolating him from the world he once belonged to. His wife, Sonali, had divorced him just three months ago. His parents had passed without leaving anything behind, neither wealth nor emotional anchor. Now, with Sonali gone, he had nothing left to live for.
Vivek caught himself staring at the woman on the balcony and quickly turned away, embarrassed by his own gaze. Yet to his surprise, she smiled back.
He shrugged it off and continued with his errands.
On his return, he deliberately avoided looking up at the building. He thought it would be odd—creepy even—if she caught him staring again.
Back home, he busied himself with cooking, something he wasn’t used to. By the time he was done, it was already 1:45 PM.
That night, a soft, crackling tune from the gramophone filled the silence. Vivek stepped onto the balcony with a cup of tea, letting the music drift with the cold winter air. It was around 10:45 PM. The street was nearly deserted, cloaked in a stillness that felt deeper than usual.
He stood there in silence, wrapped in the tune and the chill, when his eyes drifted again to the same building.
And there she was.
The woman on the balcony.
She looked exactly the same as before—calm, quiet, faintly smiling.
Vivek felt it again, that pull of her gaze, and before he could help himself, he lifted a hand.
She waved back.
He exhaled slowly, something between relief and confusion. But just then, a thought slid quietly into his mind—unwelcome and deeply unsettling.
That building… no one lived there.
He remembered now. The building she stood in—it had been unoccupied for years. He remembered that clearly. Legal issues, government disputes—no one had lived there for as long as he could recall.
But maybe the case was resolved. Maybe someone had moved in.
The chill around him deepened, but he couldn’t look away.
Then came the sound from behind him:
DONG.
DONG.
DONG.
The old grandfather clock, gifted to him by his mother, chimed from the living room.
Three slow, heavy strikes.
Vivek turned slightly, startled. It couldn’t be 3 AM, could it?
But when he looked back across the street, the balcony was empty.
She had vanished.
The next night, the same thing happened. He was drawn to the balcony again, and so was she—standing in the same place, as if she had never moved.
Again, three chimes echoed into the darkness.
And again, she was gone by the final strike.
Night after night, this quiet ritual repeated. No words. No gestures, except the shared gaze and that hauntingly familiar silence. The presence of another human being became a strange comfort to Vivek.
Until, on the fifth night, she did something different.
She lifted her hand—not to wave, but to beckon.
Calling him.
Vivek hesitated. Every part of his rational mind screamed to walk back in. But his legs betrayed him. It was as if something—excitement? Curiosity? Something darker?—pulled him toward her.
He crossed the street.
He went inside.
Only the night crow watched as Vivek’s figure faded into the shadows, growing smaller until it vanished into the building.
The next morning, Sonali nearly collapsed when she saw the news.
“Two dead bodies discovered in the long-abandoned flat at D.M. Shah Colony,” the headlines read.
Police reports stated that one of the bodies was female, severely decomposed, estimated to have died nearly three months ago. She had suffered five stab wounds. The second body was male—recently deceased. Rigor mortis had already set in, and the time of death was estimated around 3:30 AM. Doctors confirmed that the male victim had died of heart failure.
The woman had no known living relatives. But the man had a name.
Vivek.
Further investigation revealed a few disturbing details:
~ Sources reported seeing Vivek staring at the balcony on two separate occasions, each time staring strangely for nearly a minute, as though entranced by the woman’s presence.
~ The local newspaper man noticed that newspapers had piled up outside Vivek's door over several days. After no one answered when he rang the bell for payment, he reported the situation to the police, which eventually led to a search of the building.
Despite these strange occurrences, the connection between the two deaths remained unclear, leaving the locals uneasy, especially after dark. No one looked up at that balcony anymore.
Authorities are still investigating a possible connection between the two deaths. But those who live nearby now avoid that lane, especially after dark.
And no one looks up at that balcony anymore.