"Hello, Gowni," Oscar called out, catching her attention. He approached Gowni with a cheerful expression on his face.

Gowni, engrossed in her book, was informed by Oscar about an upcoming educational trip to a mildly frightening location. To participate, the students were required to register their names with Mrs. Virtani Samson. The trip entailed a five-day stay at the designated place. Excitement filled the air as everyone began preparing and packing their belongings for the trip, eagerly anticipating the prospect of staying in a haunted location.

Out of the 500 students, only 12 had registered their names at Mrs. Samson's office, forming two groups for the trip. Gowni, Harvami, Virshai, Chran, and Benchu belonged to the group supervised by Mrs. Suntaina Arora. Harvinder, Kunal, Sagar, Kanvia, Sunvia, and Mantuni comprised the group under the guidance of Mrs. Mantaina Katwal.

To ensure safety, it was mandated that students go out or move around in pairs, with no individual excursions permitted. The choice of partners was left to the students themselves. In the first group, Gowni and Oscar paired up, while Harvani and Chran, as well as Virshai and Benchu, formed the other pairs. In the second group, Harvinder and Kanvia, Kunal and Sumbia, and Sagar and Mantuni paired up. With their packing completed, the days passed swiftly.

Finally, the day arrived for their departure. Boarding the bus, they stowed their bags away. Notably, there was a room at the location, which held an aura of danger, and access to it was strictly prohibited. According to belief, entering the room resulted in hearing a hypnotizing sound that compelled individuals to proceed through the door. Whoever ventured inside never returned, and the identity behind the door remained a mystery. Therefore, all students were duly informed to refrain from approaching or entering the room. The room itself, both inside and outside, was painted black, while the rest of the doors in the house had a yellow color.

All the students pledged to adhere to the instruction of avoiding the room. However, Mrs. Katwal's group dismissed the existence of the room's haunting and regarded it as a concocted tale. They decided to challenge the narrative by venturing through the door on the fifth day. Upon arriving at the location, the two groups were assigned separate rooms, each spacious enough for them to sleep comfortably in their own beds with equal distance between them. The formation of student pairs was intended to prevent the "ghost" behind the door from causing harm, as it was believed that it targeted lone individuals.

In total, there were six rooms, including the haunted room, which had to be passed to reach their assigned quarters. Once settled, everyone retired to their respective rooms, taking some time to rest. Eventually, they gathered to have dinner before going to sleep.

On the first day, Oscar and Gowni decided to accompany Harvani and Chran for a refreshing morning outing. Since it was winter, they opted to engage in some snow-related activities. The two couples had an enjoyable time playing in the snow. However, their playful moment was interrupted when Kunal and Sunvia noticed them and playfully threw a large snowball, bursting into laughter. Oscar was about to retaliate against Kunal, but Gowni intervened, preventing any confrontation. They all retreated indoors, where they decided to enhance their day by playing a game of Antakshri. They sang their favorite songs and had a great deal of fun.

Later, Oscar and Gowni found themselves near a water pool, engaging in a conversation. Suddenly, Oscar adopted a frightful expression and urgently exclaimed, "Gowni, look up! See what's there! Quickly!" Gowni glanced upwards, but there was nothing to be seen. Oscar then continued with a fearful countenance, "Gowni, look behind you! Fast! Fast! Turn around!" Gowni complied, only to be unexpectedly pushed into the water by Oscar, who burst into laughter. In retaliation, Gowni chased after him, but in his haste, Oscar himself ended up falling into the water. This time, Gowni joined in the laughter, finding amusement in Oscar's misfortune.

As dinnertime approached, everyone gathered for their meal. Mrs. Arora initiated a discussion with the students, inquiring about their experiences of the day and whether they had enjoyed themselves. Each student took turns sharing their anecdotes with Mrs. Arora, after which they retired for the night following dinner.

On the second day, Kunal and Sunvia decided to organize a swimming race exclusively for the boys. The winner of the race would earn the privilege of selecting the game for the evening, with all participants obligated to take part. Everyone agreed to the proposition and called upon the teachers to initiate the race. The competition commenced amidst cheers and enthusiastic support for Kunal. As luck would have it, Kunal emerged victorious. Since Oscar had not participated in the race, Kunal's triumph was uncontested. Kunal chose to play truth or dare for the evening's entertainment. Following dinner, they gathered in the first group's room to engage in the game. Kunal spun the bottle, and it landed on Kanvia, who chose to reveal a truth. Kunal asked her about her most memorable day, to which she recounted her birthday, specifically the day of her birth on August 28, 2000. Kunal spun the bottle again, and this time it pointed to Chran. He opted for a dare, and Kunal instructed him to step outside the room and count to 50. The darkness of the night added to the challenge. Chran complied, and as he reached a count of 30, he noticed a figure emerging from the closed door of the haunted room. The figure vanished as soon as he stopped counting. At count 40, the figure approached him closely, whispering a chilling "Boo." Terrified, Chran swiftly ran back into the room, recounting his encounter to the others, but they dismissed his claims. Mrs. Katwal advised everyone to settle down and sleep, and despite the incident, no one dwelled on it as they drifted off to sleep.

On the third day, they planned to visit the nearest Dhaba for their meals. They made their way there, and upon arrival, they were attended to by Manianya, the cook's daughter. She served food to all the students and inquired about their accommodation. Oscar pointed towards the house, stating that they were staying there.

After a moment of contemplation, Manianya responded, "Do you know about that house? It is considered the most haunted house in this area. No one has been able to stay there for more than two days. If someone stays beyond two days, they receive a warning on the third day, and if they don't leave, they meet a grim fate the following day."

Oscar remained skeptical of Manianya's words, but they all returned to the house nonetheless. On the way back, Oscar shared Manianya's tale with Gowni. Once they reached the house, everyone proceeded to their respective rooms. Sagar and Mantuni arrived later as Sagar took his time finishing his meal. As they passed by the haunted room, they suddenly heard a horrifying sound and witnessed blood oozing from beneath the door. Filled with terror, they fled back to their room, with the blood seeming to follow them. They recounted the incident to everyone, prompting an investigation. However, when they ventured outside, they found no trace of blood. Despite Chran's insistence that something was indeed amiss, no one believed him.

Due to this unnerving incident, one pair from each group decided to cut their trip short and returned home. Sagar and Mantuni from the second group, as well as Harvani and Chran from the first group, chose to leave. Mrs. Arora had brought two statues of Lord Hanuman, which were placed in front of the haunted room. Oscar procured red-colored threads, and they all tied these threads around their wrists as a precautionary measure.

A lock was placed on the outside door of the haunted room, and red threads were tied to it. Everyone decided to consolidate their living arrangements by occupying a single room, and the key was kept near Oscar's bed on the table.

The fourth day transpired without any fear or unsettling occurrences. On the fifth day, which happened to be Christmas, preparations for the festive occasion commenced. Oscar took the initiative to collect funds for a Christmas tree. Accompanied by Gowni, he ventured outside to acquire the tree. After decorating it, they brought it back to the house, only to discover that the house had already been adorned by the time of their return. Kunal affixed the words "MERRY CHRISTMAS" onto the door of the haunted room. However, shortly after Kunal moved away, the paper fell down and disintegrated into ash.

Oscar and Gowni were the sole witnesses to this peculiar event, as no one else seemed to have noticed it. Their belief in the existence of a ghost within the room grew stronger, and they became increasingly convinced of the imminent danger posed by their continued stay. They took solace in the fact that the following day would mark their return to the safety of their own homes, freeing them from the clutches of this malevolent entity. As night fell, everyone retired to sleep.

In the dead of night, Harvinder and Kunal awakened, and Kunal ventured to retrieve the key. Oscar awoke, catching Kunal in the act, causing Kunal to feign sleep. When Kunal attempted to lift the key, he found himself unable to do so. However, upon touching the thread connecting the key, he regained the ability to pick it up. Kunal woke Kenvia, Sunvia, Virshai, and Benchu, and together they devised a plan to explore the contents of the haunted room. They emerged from their rooms and removed the threads from their wrists, with the exception of Virshai.

Kunal and Sunvia fastened a chain around their hands, binding them together in a manner that could only be undone with the key. Harvinder and Kenvia followed suit, but Virshai and Benchu opted not to secure themselves with the chain. With their preparations complete, they entered the room after unlocking it. Oscar awoke once more, startled by a distressing dream, only to find the room vacant. He roused Gowni and the teachers, alerting them to the situation.

To their astonishment, the door closed on its own accord, leaving the five students who had removed their threads hypnotized and drawn into the door. Virshai began pounding on the door, prompting Oscar to open it. However, as the door swung open, Virshai's thread fell to the ground, and an unseen force yanked her into the door. Thinking quickly, Oscar placed a statue of Lord Hanuman in front of the door to prevent it from closing. The group emerged, accompanied by a cameraman from the media who initiated a live television broadcast of the unfolding events.

With Oscar and Gowni tightly holding hands, they opened the inner door, causing the door itself and the adjacent wall to vanish. In their place stood a dense forest, teeming with untamed and living trees. The group found themselves under attack by the sentient flora. Astonishingly, when one of the plant-like entities made contact with Oscar's locket, it disintegrated into ash. The locket, a mystical artifact bestowed upon Oscar by a saint for his act of kindness, possessed extraordinary powers. Emboldened by this discovery, Oscar wielded the locket, systematically transforming each menacing plant into a pile of ashes. While Oscar and Gowni surveyed the scene, they heard a horrifying voice emanating from the well. However, upon turning their heads, they found no one there. As they redirected their attention toward their teachers, a ghastly visage manifested before them, causing both of them to collapse in terror. The apparition disappeared as they fell, leaving them bewildered and scanning their surroundings in vain. After regaining their composure, they witnessed a tree emerging from the depths of the well, upon which Harvinder and Kenvia, as well as Kunal and Sunvia, were suspended by ropes, still alive.

To their horror, on the third branch of the tree, the lifeless bodies of Virshai and Benchu hung lifelessly. Suddenly, the malevolent ghost seized Oscar from behind, lifting him into the air. Overwhelmed by fear, Oscar hurled the locket towards the specter. Astonishingly, the ghost was drawn into the locket, causing the plant, the well, and the remnants of the menacing flora to vanish entirely.

Oscar's bravery and quick thinking garnered immense praise from all present. His name resounded in news channels across the land, as the sole hero of the harrowing ordeal. The group eventually returned home, where they recounted their harrowing tale to their families and loved ones. Oscar's parents felt an overwhelming sense of pride in their son's courage and resilience.

[END]