The classroom was silent.
Mukesh stood frozen near the old wooden desk, his heart was beating fast. The whisper from the previous moment still echoed in his ears.
" You're getting closer...."
He quickly turned around.
No one.
The classroom door was closed . The windows were still . The afternoon sunlight stretched across the dusty floor .
I and mukesh swallowed nervously.
Who's there? I asked softly.
No answer.
Just then quiet ticking of the wall clock.
I looked again at the strange symbol carved
Into the desk - the same symbol i had seen on the locked room door.
A triangle with a small circle inside it.
Astha's fingers slowly traced the carving.
Suddenly -
Click.
Astha jumped.
The desk drawer that had always been stuck suddenly slid open by itself.
Inside the drawer was something old.... Very old.
A folded piece of yellow paper.
I carefully opened it.
The paper looked like it had been hidden there for the years.
On it there were only three words written in dark ink:
" The key listens."
I frowned.
" What does that even mean ?" I whispered.
Just then-
The classroom lights flickered.
Once .
Twice.
Then the whisper returned... closer than before .
Right behind her.
" Not every key is metal...Somya"
I spun around quickly.
But the classroom was empty.
Completely empty.
My heart started racing.
Someone....or something...knew her name.
I looked again at the paper in my hand.
" The key listens".
Her eyes slowly moved towards the locked room at the end of the corridor.
And suddenly -
She understood.
The key wasn't something of use.
It was something you say.
I slowly whispered towards the locked door -
" Hello...?"
For a moment nothing happened.
Then from the other side of the door....
Something whispered back.