The New Bond
The word still echoed in the air.
Aradhya's throat felt tight.
The room was dim, shadows curling at the corners like whispers waiting to be spoken.
But not the 'run-and-scream' kind of scared.
It was a strange fear— the kind that comes when something broken inside you starts to glow again.
She looked at the girl sitting at the edge of the desk.
Hair like ink. Eyes like clouds before rain. Not blinking. Not breathing. But somehow... there.
Aradhya Sharma
*softly*
तुम......सच मे हो?
(you......really are?)
Anamika (ghost girl) smiled just a little. Not innocent, not eerie. Just...real.
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*whispering*
मै तो हमेशा से यही हू। तुमने पहली बार देखा है।
(i've always been here. You just saw for the first time.)
Aradhya felt goosebumps all over her body.
Aradhya stepped closer, her feet silent on the floor.
Aradhya Sharma
*half- whisper*
Kya...sirf main hi tumhe dekh sakti hoon?
(Am i......the only one who can see you?)
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*nods*
Shayad. Ya shayad... tum woh pehli ho jo mujhe dekhna chahti thi.
(Maybe. Or maybe... you're just the first one who wanted to see me.)
That made something stir in Aradhya's chest. Guilt? Grief? Something old.
She sat down on the bed, cross-legged, facing her ghostly friend.
Aradhya Sharma
*more curious now*
Tum... hamesha mere room mein rehti ho?
(You... always stay in my room?)
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*smiling softly*
Nahi. Kabhi-kabhi meri jagah bhi mujhe chhodh deti hai.
(No. Sometimes... Even my place forgets me.)
She looked down at her own hands like she didn't fully recognise them. For a second, Aradhya thought she saw a burn mark flicker across Anamika's wrist but when she blinked, it was gone.
Aradhya Sharma
(Did I imagine that?)
Aradhya reached out — hesitant, her fingers just an inch away from Anamika's.
The air buzzed. Cold and warm all at once.
And then their fingertips touched.
Anamika gasped.
Aradhya flinched.
But neither of them pulled back.
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*voice trembling*
You're... not scared anymore?
Aradhya Sharma
*honestly*
Mai ab tak ke sabse ajeeb din jee rahi hoon. Scared hona to chhoti baat hai.
(I'm living the weirdest day of my life. Being scared is the least of my problems.)
They both smiled faint, unsure, but real.
Then Anamika looked toward the closed window, something flickering behind her gaze.
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*serious now*
Kal tum school ja rahi ho?
(are you going to school tomorrow?)
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*softly*
Le chalogi mujhe?
(Will you take me?)
Aradhya blinked.
That was the first time someone had asked to come with her.
Aradhya Sharma
*faltering*
Tum...ja sakti ho?
(You...can you go?)
Anamika (Ghost Girl)
*smirking like she knew a secret*
Tumhare sath rahungi toh jaaungi. Bas sabko mat batana... Sab nahi samjhenge.
(If I stay close to you, I can. Just don't tell everyone... not everyone will understand.)
Aradhya nodded again.
Somewhere inside, something clicked.
This wasn't just a ghost. This was a story waiting to be told and somehow, Aradhya was in it now.
Later that night, when the world was asleep, Aradhya opened her journal. She hesitated for a long moment before writing down just one line:
"I met someone no one else can see. And she wants to come with me."
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