Seeking For Justice

It's about half past seven in the evening. A woman is walking through a suburb, likely returning home from work. At one point, she stops in front of an old house. She does this almost every day, pausing to look at the house, but what she sees in this old house is known only to her. The house isn't particularly beautiful. It's an old, single-story house, overgrown with plants and cracked in several places due to long neglect. Yet, this woman stops to look at it daily. As she gazes at the house today, she feels a touch on her shoulder and jumps, her voice tinged with fear as she asks, Wh...who? She then hears a woman's voice, Oh, it's just me, no need to be so scared. The woman turns to see a middle-aged lady standing in front of her. Surprised, she says, You? I don't seem to recognize you. The woman introduces herself as Pinky, a resident of the neighborhood. Her house is right opposite the old one. Then she asks:

Pinky: Can I ask you something?

Woman: Yes, of course. My name is Rekha.

Pinky: I see you stop in front of this house every day when you walk by. What do you see here? Please don't mind, I'm just curious.

Rekha: I work in an office, and this route is a shortcut, so I take it to get home.

Pinky: But what do you see here every day?

Rekha: Actually, I'm looking for a child. One day, I saw a little girl in this house. But that was the only time. I've never seen her again. So, every time I pass by, I stop to see if I might catch a glimpse of her. You see, it's been 12 years since I got married, but God has not blessed me with a child yet. So...

She sighs deeply. The pain of being childless is evident. Pinky, in a comforting tone, says, Don't be sad. God will surely bless you with a child. But, you know, you weren't quite right. No child can live in this house. Rekha insists that she saw a child in this very house. But Pinky keeps saying that no child could live there.

Finally, a bit annoyed, Pinky blurts out, How could a child live here? No one lives in this house. Rekha is shocked.

Rekha: What are you saying? No one lives here?

Pinky: No, no one does. Look at the house carefully. Would it be in this state if someone lived here?

Rekha takes a good look at the house. True, it's in such a state that no one could possibly live there. Besides, there's no light on in the house. Why would anyone sit in the dark in the evening? Seeing her expression, Pinky says, Now do you believe that no one lives here? Rekha remains silent, unable to fully accept it.

Rekha took a closer look at the house. Indeed, it was in such a dilapidated state that it seemed impossible for anyone to live there. Besides, there was no light on in the house. Who would sit in the dark in the evening? Observing her expression, Pinky said, Now do you believe that no one lives here? Rekha remained silent, unable to fully accept it even after seeing it.

Rekha: Why does no one live in this house?

Pinky: I don't know. I've been married for over 20 years, and it's been like this since then.

Rekha wondered if she had seen wrong.

But how could that be?

The face of the fair, sweet little girl still lingered in her mind. What a sweet smile she had! Noticing Rekha's thoughts, Pinky said, What are you thinking? I've lived in this neighborhood for so many years; what I'm telling you is true. Also, let me warn you, stay away from this house. Everyone in this neighborhood avoids it. Rekha looked at her in surprise. Pinky lowered her voice and said, This house is not good; it has some bad omen. Those who are not mentioned at night have made this house their abode. Rekha didn't stay there any longer and left quickly under the pretext of work. She had a modern mindset and did not believe in ghosts or supernatural phenomena. She had no intention of standing around listening to ghost stories.

Returning home, she freshened up and began cooking. However, no matter how much she tried to work, the unsettling feeling did not leave her. With other thoughts running through her mind, she made mistakes in her work and even had to hear a few words from her mother-in-law because of it. After dinner, she said to her husband Alok:

Rekha: Do you think my eyesight has gone bad?

Alok: Oh, why would your eyesight suddenly go bad?

Rekha insisted on having her eyes checked. Alok, being a homeopathic doctor, examined her eyes and assured her that everything was fine. Suddenly, Rekha became serious.

Alok: Why did you suddenly think your eyesight has gone bad?

Rekha then told him everything from the beginning. Her husband laughed and said, I thought people can't see when their eyesight goes bad, but you seem to be seeing more! Rekha did not protest. Anyone would laugh at her story; she couldn't understand what had happened. Did that woman lie to her? But why would she lie? What would she gain by lying about that house? Rekha decided she would uncover the mystery. According to her plan, the next day she left work a bit early and went to stand in front of the house again. Today, she left the office a bit earlier.

As she stood in front of the house in daylight, it indeed looked haunted. Plants had grown all over it, and some cracks were clearly visible, indicating it was uninhabitable as Pinky had said. She thought maybe she was mistaken. As she was about to leave, she heard the sound of a child's laughter. Rekha was startled. She looked around to see if there were any children nearby. But no, there were no children in the vicinity. The house was at the very end of the alley. People passing by gave her strange looks. But this wasn't her imagination; she distinctly heard a child's laughter. And it seemed to come from inside the house. Should she go inside? She hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to enter a stranger's house like this. What if someone misunderstood? Even if no one lived there, what if the owner was nearby? But ultimately, her curiosity won.