Manan ff: Love Diaries (chp 9 – Never Make A Promise)

The piano played on its own. Nandini was too creeped out. Suddenly it stopped playing and she stood there with trembling hands. Suddenly she felt her palm gripped but the sensation it caused was too tickling. She felt being pulled up lightly as if floating in air. She was astonished. The force that was doing this, seemed too creepy. She closed her eyes tightly. After sometime she felt her feet touch the floor and the sensation wasn’t there anymore. She looked around and was about to go but on seeing something spooky from the corner of her eye, she stopped.



She slowly turned her head making up her mind that it’s her imagination. It was Anjali, her appearance was different from the last time, she seemed as if she’s made up of smoke. “A-anjali, what happened? How come you look like this?” She asked. “I am a ghost, I can look however I want to, I can transform, I can float, just like you floated sometime ago,” she said. “But it was you who made me float, I can’t do it on my own, I am not a ghost,” Nandini said. “Yes, so didn’t you enjoy?” She asked.

“Enjoy? You feel this is some kind of joke? Playing piano in middle of the night disturbing my sleep, when I come to check I float, what is all this? I don’t need ghostly powers,” Nandini said, this was the first time she got irritated because of her sister. “When did I offered you?” Anjali asked. “So what was this? Why did you make me float?” Nandini questioned. “Did I left your hand in between? Did I make you fall? Did I harm you? Did I do anything?” Anjali questioned back. “This was creepy, I made promise to you but you need to understand that you can’t live in this world after dying,” Nandini said.

“OK fine, I am going, don’t try crying later on,” Anjali said and was about to disappear. “Stop Anjali, I didn’t mean that, every person has to die someday and go back to God, but you couldn’t go because you committed suicide, I want you to get peace, I will ask mumma to do your funeral, maybe this is our last meeting I guess,” Nandini said and went. Tears rolled down Anjali’s ghostly face. “I want to live,” Anjali said and cried disappearing into the thin air.



Nandini walked back to her room, her long hair moving to and fro on her back as she was walking fast, a lone tear escaped her eye but she quickly wiped it. The truth was that she wanted to forget the past, but she couldn’t. Can you imagine losing your one and only sibling who was born with you and you were bounded with her/him by so many things, your thoughts, toys, everything? Or maybe a sibling which wasn’t your twin but your only sibling? You can’t right? Same was with Nandini, she couldn’t do anything about it.

She reached her room and wiped the tears off her face, she saw Manik wasn’t there. He came from washroom and looked at her. “Where were you?” He asked. She told him everything. “This meeting wasn’t good Manik, she isn’t good now, I didn’t wake you up because I didn’t wanted your sleep to get disturbed,” she said. “Its ok, but try avoiding all this,” he said. “Fine,” she replied and they dozed off to sleep again. Anjali didn’t dare to come after Nandini’s rudeness. She was roaming in the backyard, she climbed upon the tree swinging on it.

Next day, Nandini woke up and saw her room messed up, all the photos of her childhood were scattered everywhere. She rolled her eyes and collected them keeping it back in the cupboard and went to freshen up. A hand came out from behind the cupboard revealing it to be Anjali. “Phoolon ka taaron ka sab ka kehna hai, ek hazaaron mein meri behna hai, saari umar humein sang rehna hai,” she sang carving a pinky promise sign on the cupboard by her nails and smiled disappearing into the thin air. Nandini came out of the washroom wiping her face.

Her gaze shifted to the pinky promise sign on the cupboard’s side and she gasped. She touched it and looked down as some tears made way through her eyes. She quickly wiped them and went throwing the towel on the bed. She went to the kitchen. “Mom,” she said. “Yes dear what happen?” She asked while making breakfast. “I got to show you something, it’s a proof that Anjali exists,” Nandini replied. “Beta I will just come, wait,” she said going out with the breakfast followed by Nandini. She heard her whisper, “Nandini is hallucinating Anjali.” “Mom, that’s why I wanted to show it to you,” she said.



“Follow me,” Nandini ran upstairs followed by her parents and she went to the side of the cupboard. “Look mom, have a close look,” she said. Varshini came and got shocked seeing the sign but was too scared to admit and agree to Nandini. “Beta it’s not a joke to carve a sign by yourself and later showing it to us trying to convince us that the so called walking dead exists,” Varshini said. “Oh you really think I will do this? I love my nails and its drawn by nails,” Nandini told.



“Beta you might’ve carved it only but you forgot, don’t worry, nothing such will happen,” Nandkishore said, he was the one who didn’t believe in ghosts but Varshini did. He thought Nandini made it and forgot it. Only if he knew. “Dad why will I do this and how will I do this? Mom dad please believe me,” she said. “Nandini don’t worry OK, if you say we will call a priest, fine?” Varshini said and Nandini hugged her. “But mom you were also disagreeing with me at first?” Nandini asked. “I was scared and getting scared doesn’t mean to scare others as well, not pointing at you. Come on, let’s have breakfast,” Varshini said and the trio went from there together.