CHAPTER 4: Amrita's Story

I stood in the big hall of the house, my heart still pounding. Amrita's diary and her photo were now in my hands, but my mind was in turmoil. Did I really believe that I felt her spirit?

I calmed myself down and started flipping through the pages of the diary again. I knew that Amrita's whole story was hidden inside these pages-a story that I now had to understand, so that I could help her.

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"23 August 1925,"

"Tonight was the darkest night. I tried to talk to him, but he started threatening me. There was panic in his eyes, as if he knew that his end was near. I told him that I could no longer tolerate his atrocities and deceit. He threatened to kill me, but this time I was not going to be afraid. If I die, it will be recorded in the walls of this house."

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As I turned the pages, my heart was becoming heavy. It was clear from Amrita's words that her husband was a cruel and violent person, who not only exploited her physically but also mentally. But she never gave up.

I said to myself, "She tried to write her truth till the last moment. But what happened then? Is her soul trapped because she did not get justice?"

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Then I felt as if the air around me became heavier. I looked around, but there was nothing there. Then suddenly I heard a whisper-as if someone was standing close to me and trying to say something.

"Anya..." the voice came again, soft and slow.

"You... you are Amrita?" I said nervously.

There was no reply, but I felt that she was here, very close to me.

"I know what happened to you," I said softly. "I have read your diary. I will help you."

Then suddenly the mirror in which I had first seen Amrita began to glow slightly. I was drawn to it. The mirror no longer reflected me, but Amrita's image. Her eyes had the same old sadness and pain, but this time there was something else-hope, as if she expected that now her story would be heard.

"Can you show me what happened that night?" I asked softly.

The image in the mirror began to move. And then a blurry scene began to emerge. I could see that Amrita and her husband were arguing in the room. Her husband was screaming in anger, fire in his eyes.

"You cannot own this house!" he shouted. "This house will be in my name. I will get it registered after you."

Amrita was crying, but there was anger and courage in her eyes. "You have tortured me a lot, but now I will not be afraid. This house is mine and is connected to my soul. You can kill me, but you will not have possession of this house."

The man moved towards Amrita and then suddenly he pushed her. Amrita stumbled back, and hit her head hard. She fell on the floor, and died on the spot.

The scene was happening in front of my eyes as if in reality. I took a step back in panic.

"He killed her..." I muttered to myself.

Amrita's soul was literally trapped in this house, because she had not received justice. Her husband had escaped by calling her death an accident, and Amrita's spirit was waiting here to tell the truth.

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I said firmly, "I will get you justice. Your story will no longer remain hidden."

Amrita's image slowly disappeared from the mirror, but I felt that now her spirit was trying to tell me something. I understood that there were some more secrets hidden in this house, which I had to bring out.

Now it became my duty to bring this truth in front of everyone. I knew that until I did so, Amrita's spirit would keep wandering in this house.

I picked up the pages of the diary and went down the stairs and towards the door. Now I did not have to spend much time here. But my steps stopped. Should I leave that mirror here?

"No," I told myself. "This mirror is the witness of her soul. It has to be brought out as evidence."

I decided that now with this mirror I will have to reveal the secret that was hidden for so many years.

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