Part 1:
It was about two in the morning. Sharif was deep in sleep when a sudden thumping on the door jolted him awake. In that isolated village house, the darkness outside was absolute. Sharif thought it might just be the wind, but then, a soft voice whispered near the window, "Sharif... come outside..."
The voice sounded exactly like his mother, who had passed away three years ago.
The Mysterious Shadow
Sharif began to tremble with fear, yet an eerie, supernatural pull seemed to be drawing him out. With shaking hands, he peered through the window. In the faint moonlight, he saw a woman standing under the large banyan tree by the pond. She wore a red saree, but she cast no shadow on the ground.
The woman slowly turned around. Sharif saw that she had no face—only two glowing, fiery red eyes!
Sharif's body went numb. He didn't want to open the door, but his feet were no longer under his control. As he stepped onto the porch, a bone-chilling silence descended. The shadow was now very close to him. Suddenly, an ice-cold hand gripped Sharif's throat. Before he could realize what was happening, he saw many more shadows surrounding him—none of whom had faces.
Part 2:
A year had passed since Sharif's disappearance. The villagers had stopped walking near the pond altogether. However, Sharif's younger brother, Arif, returned from the city to investigate his brother's mysterious vanishing. He didn't believe in ghosts or superstitions.
As Arif entered his brother's abandoned room, he found it covered in dust. An old photo of Sharif hung on the wall. Arif noticed that Sharif looked paler in the photo than he remembered.
At exactly 2:00 AM, Arif heard a whisper from the mango tree behind the house—"Arif... my brother... go back..."
Arif stepped out with his flashlight and headed straight for the cursed banyan tree. As the beam hit the water, his blood ran cold. He saw Sharif standing in the middle of the pond! His body was soaked, and his skin had turned a ghostly white.
Arif screamed, "Brother! What are you doing there?"
Sharif said nothing but began walking toward Arif, gliding across the surface of the water. Arif took a step forward in joy, but then his flashlight revealed the truth—Sharif had no shadow.
Suddenly, Sharif's face began to distort. His eyes ignited like red flames. From the darkness behind him, the faceless woman in the red saree emerged. She leaned into Arif's ear and let out a chilling laugh, "I have taken Sharif, and now, it is your turn..."
Arif tried to retreat, but he felt the ground vanish beneath him. Hundreds of skeletal hands erupted from the black water, dragging him down by his legs.
Part 3:
As Arif sank beneath the black depths, he saw a distorted world. Under the water, there was no village, only thousands of skeletons dressed in tattered, ancient clothes.
Uncovering the Mystery
In a supernatural glow, the faceless woman appeared before him. This time, her features became clear. Arif gasped—she looked exactly like an ancestor from a portrait his grandmother used to talk about.
The woman laughed mockingly, "Your ancestors buried me alive by this pond under a false accusation. From this day on, no man of this lineage shall die in peace; you shall all remain my slaves in this pit of hell!"
The Soul of Sharif
Arif saw his brother standing in a corner, his eyes hollow and vacant. He was working like a mindless puppet. Sharif reached out his hand toward Arif—not to save him, but to bind him there forever. Arif realized this wasn't just a haunting; it was a hereditary curse.
The next morning, the villagers witnessed a bizarre sight. The pond had dried up overnight! At the bottom, there was no mud—only a heap of bleached white bones. Resting at the very top were two skeletons clutching each other, looking as though they were twin brothers.
The village elders realized the last light of that lineage had been extinguished. To this day, on new moon nights, the sound of a whip and a woman's coarse laughter echo from that dry pit. No one goes near the property anymore. They say those who dare to peek into the dry pond never speak again!
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The End