jinn(?) thread I guess.

So about a month back I had my final exams. I was on self imposed lockdown. my mental health was terrible, physical even more. basically I was weak on every front.

khair I think this was during my prep leave or b/w 2 exms, but there was a weeks gap
1/n

and as usual, my fam decided to go on vacation. they been doing this for a long time- go on a holiday while I have exams, so i was unperturbed.

khair one of my brothers had some college thing going so he stayed back, and our househelp, J bhai (hiding his name)
2/n

J bhai comes and goes. sometimes he'll stay for months and then disappear for a year (he calls himself a faqeer smh idk) but my fam trusts him alot.

so I think it's a Saturday night. I'm sitting in my room, at my table, when I smell something weird. something burning
3/n

I remember I was on call with my study partner, and I mention this to him. we both don't think much of it.

then I smell it again. very very strongly. this time the desi in me panics that some wiring or something is burning. so I go around the room sniffing all the walls
4/n

I'm sure I looked very graceful doing that :)
but I cant pinpoint where it's coming from. my friend suggests maybe someone is burning kachra? I check the time & it's 11 pm. I don't think anyone burns kachra in a residential area raat ke gyara bajey.

I try following the smell
5/n

outside my room, but.... I can't smell it.
I go back to my room & it's there. strong as before. now I think something is burning in my room. my very realistic friend suggests maybe someone burnt a jalebi(coil)? but no. that has a distinct smell and I don't see one.

so I go
6/n

to call J bhai or my brother.
I can hear my brother talking so I know he's on the PS and his scared ass won't come.
I go knock on the room j bhais sleeping. he comes out & he's also talking. "merey night package ka time hogaya hai mein gaun baat kar raha kya hai"

7/n

I tell him about the smell & he comes with me.
I'm dreading the walk to my room, hoping he can smell it too & I'm not going mad
he can! he smells it & goes "kuch jal raha hai"
now he goes around my room too, sniffing & looking, checking lights. nada.
the house too, nada.
8/n

so we debate what to do.
should we call my parents? no use because they're on a plane rn & even if they weren't kya karletey wo
should we call someone else? who

now this part I didn't tell my friends. me & j bhai standing there talking, and the lights go out.
ghup andhera.

9/n

we both go quiet. just standing there.

is the whole house in darkness? no. how do I know this? rememebr my brother on the PS? ya if the lights went out like that mid a gaming session, uski ek cheekh ati zor ki.

and we can see the neighbours lights on too..
10/n

j bhai quietly goes "koi wiring jal gai hai ussi ki smell thi"
I quietly agree

I reach for my phone, i just hung up & kept it there. i can't locate it.
j bhai goes to get an emergency light
the moment he steps out, a very weird tik tik tik sound starts in the whole room
11/n

I can't tell where it's coming from

how do I describe it. it was like a million little insects were moving around
tiktiktik tiktiktik tiktiktik
I panic and call out J bhais name aur meri awaaz nai nikal rai. my throat is as dry as parchment

& what little comes out dies down
12/

so I just quietly stand there. start reciting whatever comes to my mind. Im just mindlessly saying things now.

and the room feels v v hot. not the hot when the lights go out, but the hot when there is a heatwave. its becoming hard to breathe (later my father mentioned that..
13/

the feeling I was describing was when someone throttled you but I'm glad I didn't think of that then )

Idk how long I stood there taking in deep breaths. finally j bhai comes back with a light
I can speak again too

breathlessly I ask him, "itni daer kyun lagi??"
14/n

& he goes no, it hardly took 5 seconds.. light aapney rakhi thi

5 seconds?? where did the time go? has this happened before? yes. in a lift (for those who get the hint)

as J bhai is walking towards me, he stops in his tracks. shines the light at me & says my name.
"jee?"
15/n

"hilna nai bilkul" he says this in a whisper.

boys this is where I almost passed out.
"kyun?? KYUN J BHAI??" Im about to start crying & my mind is running wild
what is behind me?? what can he see? oh god when will this shit stop?
16/n

he slowly moves the light around. I am not even breathing I'm that stiff. finally he walks again & I breathe out.

he goes behind me and shine she light all around. "J BHAI MUN SE BOLEIN KYA DEKHA APNEY" I lunge at him.

he looks at me & goes.. "koi khara hua tha yahan"
....
17/n

no. koi nai khara tha. I didnt feel it. but then again, if someone cut my throat right then wouldnt feel that too probly.

I look at him & hes looking at me with so much sympathy I actually start to cry. we decide to leave.

as soon as we say this aloud, the lights come back.
18/

now whatever little hope we had of this being normal dies. I can see jbhai start to panic too

we call for my brother. reluctantly, he comes down
me: "can you smell that?"
him: ??
j bhai: "TUJHEY KAMREY SE BOO ARAHI HAI??"
him and me both:
(J bhai never says talks in tu:p)
19/

him: jee jee arai hai arai hai
:p

he then gives me a bezaar look "is it happening again" and I nod. honestly we are all very very bezaar of this house.

he doesnt go in my room but looks around bahar se. he then turns to us & we decide we'll all sleep in the same room.
20/

so we take my things and all dump in the drawing room.

it is around 1230 I think. my brother has abandoned any gaming ideas too. j bhai has forgotten his call package. I've forgotten I have a final in 2 days.
we are all visibly shaken & scared.
I drop a message to my dad &
21/

try to sleep.

honestly its fun & all reading this but it drains the person it is happening with. mentally physically emotionally. just about done with this.

khair lights are off. we all try to sleep. idk when I doze off. i have a very vivid dream. guess who came in it.
22/

Monis bhai. yes the monis bhai. those that don't know him I'll link his thread below.

theres nothing special in it. just childhood memories with him. why did he come? idk. did it have meaning? idk. was it just my brain linking things? idk.
I wake up v tired & exhausted
23/

I see that both the others are asleep. its around 4, 0430.

I need water. fuck man
I try to sleep again but im v thirsty (i generally do wake up at night to drink so no biggie) but I forgot to bring some with me last night
I debate waking one of them up. but decide against it
24/

so one side of the drawing room has glass doors that open in the living area, where the water cooler is. I can see it when I move the curtains, the light is on

I slide the doors open, reciting ayat ul kursi, fuming at the fact that I'm scared shitless in my own house.
25/

& cursing my dad on not changing this old house even after everything that has happened.

khair I make the small walk to the dispenser. pour a glass. sit drink breathe, all the time my eyes darting around for anything out of the norm.

that's when I notice something.
26/

the sensor light on the stairs is on.

now these lights my ikea loving parents got for the whole house. theyre on the stairs, in the foyer, on the porch. even in cabinets. & they've been working perfectly for 6 months now.

they only turn on with movement. only. heavy movmnt.
27/

the thing is, brain, everyone who could turn those on is asleep in the room right infront or away. rest of the siblings & parents are away. no pets present too.

then how is it on?
I keep my glass down & sit there looking at the stairs. the light doesn't go off.
28/

I am silently willing the "thing" to show itself becasue I think in that moment I was just done with all this drama.

nothing happens. then I start talking out loud. idk what happens.

"bas kardo. boht hogaya hai bas kardo. ek zindagi guzar gaee hai.. thakk gaee hun me.."
29/

..hum sab. what do you want? kya kiya hai tumharey sath? why do you always show yourself when my father is away? why always to me, with me?" (yes I said all that in English. again I'm pretty sure I've lost my mind)

nothing happens. then the light flickers. then it goes off.

30/

& I feel super proud of myself. aha I am the jinn talker now lmao they listen to me kya baat hai meri

I get up to leave and... it comes back on. with full glare.
boys phat gaee meri.

I keep standing. should I sit back down? or should i go back? kya karun? paani aur pi loon?
31/

but no.
I will myself and start to walk back.

and it feels like I'm dragging my feet. it's like I have weights of a 100 kgs on each of my feet. I drag and drag. the light is still on.

I get to the glass door finally. I can see my brothers shadow, jbhai's silhouette

32/

now this is glass, right?

I can see inside, they can see me. but I can also see wow reflection in the glass of the room behind me.

and I see it. I am 100% sure I see it even though my father questioned this alot, seeing as I was scared, sleepy, and have weak eyesight

33/

but I see something, someone behind me. I think it's what jbhai saw too.
I can't make out what it is. it's a big shadow, of.. something. it's extending from behind me right up to the stairs. up to the first floor of the house.

I dont know how long I stood there. didn't knock
34/

on the door, didnt call out. just stood there. both of us did.

then I hear a knock. it's my brother on the other side of the door looking at me weirdly with his hands thrown up in a "what??" gesture
I shake my head & he opens the door.
"what happened? why did you leave?"
35/

"paani peeney gaee thi"
"acha....."
"why?"
"you were standing at the door all zoned out like you weren't there mentally"

I know he's scared.
"am I ever, there?" I go. he laughs.
"acha paani mujhey bhi de dein"

hahahaha. no. khud jakey le lo. and I go to sleep.

fin.

p.s. yes we told my father everything. yes I have no shame in admitting I screamed at him for abandoning me when I was in such a vulnerable mental state & for not changing this house.

the same house I am sitting writing this in. lol haha :)

hahah I try to share my coping mechanisms along the way, too :p