Classic horror stories from Bengal: Neela and her father see a ghost in the dead of the night

Neela was still staring. The shadow on the wall in front of her now gleamed into clearer focus. Its shape could be made out but also the fact that it had got a little distorted. The focus seemed finally right – but whether that was Neela’s vision or the shadow’s own, it was difficult to say. When a ghost was literally taking shape in front of you in the dead of the night, who could think of all that?

The shadow formed as it nestled against a half-burnt window – as if it had entered shapeless through that window and begun coming into its own. As if it was slowly climbing the wall and moving right. Or was it the wall moving as it snaked against the shadow? On the other side of the room was another half-burnt window. The figure became still somewhere halfway between these two windows. It was stuck to the wall like glue but also looked three-dimensional – like it was emerging out of it, as though a living person was standing with their back to the wall. A half-burnt fragment of clothing was hanging off its body, which itself was pock-marked with scorched blisters. The head…

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