A haunting horror tale by Debatri Dey Class of VI about a gifted young girl, a mysterious black rose, and a restless spirit seeking justice for a love she never received.
It was midnight. In a hospital, a woman named Radhika gave birth to a baby girl. Her mother-in-law was not happy because she had wanted a baby boy.
However, Radhika loved her daughter from the very first moment she held her in her arms. She named her Ekta.
As a baby, Ekta was cheerful and also very curious. When she was one year old, she took her first steps toward her mother. Radhika still remembered how Ekta stumbled, fell, and then stood up again with a big smile on her face.
Everyone in the family clapped for her except her grandmother, she only sat there quietly.
A few months later, Ekta spoke her first word.
“Maa.”
Radhika was very happy and hugged her tightly. As Ekta grew older, she filled the house with laughter and questions.
She loved drawing, singing, and making friends. Her father often carried her on his shoulders while she pointed at the stars and asked endless questions.
Years passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, Ekta had become a bright and talented ten-year-old girl.
She especially loved Bharatanatyam. At first, she struggled to balance herself during practice, but she worked hard every day.
Once, during a competition, she forgot a dance step in the middle of her performance. Instead of giving up, she calmly continued dancing and finished beautifully.
Her confidence impressed everyone, and she won her first trophy that day.
From that day onwards there was no looking back, she won many medals and trophies. Her parents were proud of her achievements, but her grandmother still secretly wished she had been born a boy.
One day, Ekta had a dance performance at school. Her mother, father, and grandmother came to watch. Radhika noticed that her daughter looked nervous but still encouraged her with a smile.
Before the performance, while getting ready backstage, some alta accidentally spilled onto Ekta’s white Bharatanatyam dress. Her teacher quickly told her to go to the dressing room and get another costume.
As Ekta hurried through the school corridors, she got confused because construction work was going on nearby. By mistake, she walked into the construction area.
Suddenly, a weak brick wall collapsed.
Ekta did not survive.
The school was thrown into chaos. Teachers cried, students stood frozen in shock, and the performance was cancelled immediately. Her closest friends could not stop crying. The dance teacher blamed herself for sending Ekta away alone.
When Radhika heard the news, she rushed to the scene and collapsed in tears. Her father could not believe what had happened. Back at home, Ekta’s medals, trophies, and dance costumes became painful reminders of the little girl they had lost.
The house that had once echoed with her laughter became silent.
Only her grandmother seemed strangely unmoved.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, but Radhika never forgot her daughter.
Every day she placed a fresh red rose beside Ekta’s photograph.
One day, Radhika asked her mother-in-law to place a rose on Ekta’s photo. The old woman hesitated.
Deep inside, she knew she had never truly loved her granddaughter. Finally, she placed the rose beside the photograph.
To everyone’s horror, the red rose slowly turned black.
Nobody could explain it.
Years passed.
Then, Radhika gave birth to a baby boy. This time, her mother-in-law was overjoyed. The boy was named Sunil. She gave him extra attention and showered him with affection.
Sunil was given Ekta’s old room.
At first, everything seemed normal.
But after a few weeks, Sunil began talking about a girl who visited him at night.
“She sits near the window,” he told his grandmother.
Everyone assumed he had an imaginary friend.
One stormy night, Sunil suddenly called out in fear.
“Grandma! Grandma!”
Hearing his voice, she rushed to his room.
The door slowly opened.
Sunil lay motionless on the bed. In his cold hand was a black rose.
The grandmother screamed.
As she stepped backward in terror, she noticed a dark shadow reflected in the mirror behind her.
The shadow slowly took the form of a young girl.
It was Ekta.
The figure stared directly at her.
“You never loved me, Grandma,” she whispered. “So I will not love you either.”
The lights flickered violently, and the room went dark.
The next morning, the grandmother was found dead in Ekta’s room.
Clutched tightly in her hand was a black rose.
From that day onward, nobody entered the room again. Yet on quiet nights, neighbors claimed they could see a little girl standing by the window, holding a black rose and staring into the darkness.
