Navika Ghosh of Class V, Epic Public School shares this simple and exciting story about a brave girl who dares to explore a spooky old house. Facing whispers and strange happenings, she discovers a room full of toys and a chilling mystery that calls her back for another adventure.
Far away in the green hills, there was a small house. It had been standing there for many, many years. The walls were old and cracked. The windows were dusty. The garden was wild with tall grass and thorny bushes. Nobody lived there for a very long time.
People from the nearby village often talked about it. They said strange things happened inside. Some said they heard whispers when they walked past. Others said they saw lights in the windows at night.
And with time people started believing that the little house on the hills was haunted and started calling it the “Spooky House.”
But not Navika.
Navika was a brave little girl. She lived with her parents in a small cottage near the village. She was very fond of adventures. She was even known for her skills to resolve mysteries. And most of all, she didn’t believe everything she heard and always verified if she heard something.
One day, when the sun was bright and the birds were singing, Navika made a decision. She decided that she would go to the Spooky House and see for herself, what was the reason for which people felt it was haunted. She would see for herself if it was really spooky or not.
She packed a small bag with a torch, a water bottle, a sandwich, a pen and a notebook. She wanted to write down everything she saw. She told her mother she was going to the hills for a walk.
Her mother smiled and said, “Be careful, Navika!”
Navika waved and set off.
The hills were beautiful. Navika felt the fresh air. She saw butterflies were dancing around the flowers. She felt wonderful.
After walking for a long time, Navika finally saw it. The Spooky House stood there alone at the top of a small hill. It looked even older and stranger from what she imagined. The wooden door of the house was half open, and it made a creaking sound as the wind was blowing. The windows of the house were looking like tired eyes. The roof was broken in quite a few places, and vines climbed up the walls like green snakes.
Navika took a deep breath. “I’m not scared,” she whispered to herself.
Then gathering all the courage she had she slowly stepped inside.
The inside of the house was dark and dusty. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling like old curtains making it more spooky. The wooden floor inside were making creaking sound as she walked through the rooms.
Navika decided to turn on the torch she was carrying. The light from the torch made long shadows on the walls which surprised initially. But when she finally realised it was her own shadow she laughed and it did not feel spooky anymore. She continued to walk.
As she walked through the hallway, she suddenly heard it—a soft whispering sound. Navika stopped and tried to listen. It was very faint, as it was the wind talking. Navika stopped and listened carefully again. But she couldn’t understand what the voice was saying.
It was too soft and too far away. “It is just the wind” She told herself and continued to walk forward.
As Navika reached the end of the hallway she was a door at the end. The door was painted red in colour, but the paint looked quite old and it was peeling off. Navika reached the door knob and tried to open it, but it was locked. She decided to continue exploring but just as she was about to turn away, the door creaked and slowly opened… all by itself!
Navika’s heart started beating very fast, but her curiosity was stronger than her fear. She stepped into the room. And what she saw made her gasp in surprise.
The room was full of toys!
There were dolls with pretty dresses, toy trains on little tracks, teddy bears sitting in chairs, puzzles, and lots of colourful balls. There was even a rocking horse near the window. Navika’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She had never seen so many beautiful toys in one place.
She forgot about being scared and picked up a doll with golden hair. As Navika picked it up the doll smiled at her with painted eyes. She then went to and touched the train and it suddenly moved a little on its track, as if it was alive.
Navika laughed.
“This isn’t spooky at all,” she said. “It’s wonderful!”
She sat down on the floor and began playing with a puzzle. But just then, she heard the whisper again. This time, it was louder.
“You should not come here…”
Navika suddenly felt scared. The puzzle pieces slipped from her hands. She looked around, but there was no one in the room.
Only the toys, sitting silently, staring at her. The whisper came again, closer and clearer.
“You should not come here…”
Navika started feeling very scared now. She stood up quickly.
Her heart was beating very fast now. She dropped the puzzle and ran towards the door. She rushed into the hallway, her torch shaking in her hand. The house suddenly felt darker and scarier. The walls seemed to move closer. The whispers followed her.
“Go away… go away…”
Navika ran as fast as she could. She didn’t stop to look back. She ran past the living room, past the broken chairs and the dusty fireplace. She ran and ran, almost out of breath. Finally, she reached the front door. She pushed it open with all her strength and burst out into the sunlight. She didn’t stop running until she was far, far away from the house.
Only when she reached the hilltop did she stop. She sat down on the grass, panting and gasping for air. Her heart was still beating fast, but slowly, she began to feel better. The sun was still shining. The sky was still blue. The birds were still singing. It felt like the house was just a bad dream. Navika looked back at the Spooky House. It sat there, silent and lonely, just like before. No whispers now. No moving doors. No running trains.
Navika took out her notebook and wrote everything down. She wrote about the whispering voice. She wrote about the toys. She wrote about the cold wind. She even drew a small picture of the house.
She smiled. She was scared, yes. But she was also proud. She had gone inside the Spooky House all by herself. And even though she was frightened, she was not going to give up with her exploration of unknown and spooky places.
Navika decided something important that day. One day, she would go back to the Spooky House. She would find out the truth. She would discover who was whispering. She would learn why the toys were left behind. And she would solve the mystery once and for all. But for now, it was time to go home.
Navika stood up, brushed the grass off her dress, and walked back down the hills, smiling to herself. The adventure had just begun.
