A deadly Challenge 🎃👻

There were 3 friends - Amal, Sid, and Deep, who were inseparable. They had been close since kindergarten, shared every memory from elementary school, and even enrolled in the same high school. To everyone around them, they were like three bodies with one soul, doing everything together - from studying to playing cricket, riding bicycles, and enjoying their favorite hobbies.

But as they grew older, they developed a curious fascination with paranormal stories and Spirits. Ghost stories became their new obsession, and they often debated the existence of spirits. Amal was a staunch believer, claiming all the time that ghosts were real, while Sid and Deep were skeptics, always dismissing supernatural tales as figments of wild imaginations.

One evening, during one of their endless debates, Sid and Deep started teasing Amal about his firm belief in ghosts. “If you are so convinced,” Sid taunted, “why don’t you go prove it?”

Amal, growing frustrated, snapped back. “And why do you guys keep reading all these ghost stories if you don’t believe in them? Go read your school books if you’re so logical!”

Sid rolled his eyes. “We read them for fun, Amal. Science has not proven ghosts exist - there is no evidence for it. And until I see a ghost with my own eyes, I will keep thinking it’s all nonsense.”

Suddenly, Amal’s face lit up with an idea. “Fine, Sid. You trust only what you can see and prove, right? I challenge you to go to the cemetery tonight - at midnight, by only yourself. Stay there until dawn, take a selfie, and write your name on a tombstone as proof. If you come back without experiencing anything strange, I will admit I am wrong, and I will never talk about ghosts again.”

Sid laughed, waving off the idea. “My parents would never let me sneak out in the middle of the night. And besides, only someone truly scared would issue such a desperate challenge.” But Amal kept pushing, saying Sid was “all talk and no action.” Finally, after much taunting, Sid agreed.

“Fine,” he said, “I’ll go. Just a torch, my phone, and a marker to sign my name. If I come back leaving my proofs and if I don't see anything paranormal which I know I won't for sure, promise that you will apologize to me in front of the whole school and admit that ghosts don’t exist.”

Amal agreed, the two of them bristling with nerves and excitement. At exactly midnight, Sid would sneak out, go to the cemetery, and prove once and for all who was right. Sid even promised to take a selfie in the cemetery and mark his name on a tombstone for proof.

That evening, Sid prepared quietly, finishing dinner early and telling his parents he felt unwell and wanted to sleep without interruptions. At 11:45 p.m. sharp, he slipped out of the house, taking a torch, his phone, and a marker. Before heading to the cemetery, he messaged Amal and Deep, who could not believe he was actually going through with it. Sid took a quick selfie in front of his house, and after some final words of bravado, he signed off, heading into the eerie silence of the night.

The next morning, both Amal and Deep woke up early filled with excitement and a touch of dread. They checked their phones, but Sid had not messaged since he left last night. Worried, they called and messaged him, but there was no reply. Just when they started to fear the worst, Sid suddenly called, his voice filled with urgency.

“Trick or treat!” he said while coming out of nowhere behind them two. He continued breathlessly, “I did it guys, I stayed at the cemetery the whole night, and... to be honest Amal, I felt something. Come see me at the park nearby, ASAP.”

Amal and Deep met Sid at a park near the cemetery, where he sat on a bench, looking strangely pale with a hollow smile. “Well, I didn’t actually see anything, but I felt... something,” he whispered, his voice shaking slightly. He described the unnatural silence, the chilling sensation of leaves rustling without wind, and the eerie feeling of footsteps behind him. “I swear, I felt a breath on my neck, and when I turned, no one was there.”

He showed them his selfie as proof, and then, almost eerily calm, he led them to the cemetery to see his name written on the tombstone.

Amal and Deep were shaken. Amal stammered an apology for his behavior last night and in return, Sid also said he was sorry for doubting him and admitting he was wrong. Sid smiled and said softly, "Guys, my disbelief was shaken completely last night. I was wrong Amal. Ghosts and spirits, it seems there is some truth in them." Both Amal and Deep remain speechless after hearing this from Sid. After moments of awkward silence, Sid said, " Anyway, now it’s time for me to go. I have had a wonderful life with you both, but I must start a new journey. Remember me, and... I hope we meet again.”

Amal and Deep exchanged nervous laughs, thinking Sid was just playing up his “newly converted believer” role. As they left, they saw Sid wander back towards the cemetery. Deep said, "He must have forgotten to take his Torch, now Let's go home Amal, I am not feeling so well right now" and they left.

Later that morning, around 9 a.m., Amal received an unexpected call from Sid’s parents. They had not seen him since last night. Terrified, Amal told them everything about Sid’s midnight challenge, and soon, both families were rushing to the cemetery.

What they found left everyone paralyzed with horror..

Sid was lying lifeless on the same tombstone where he had written his name, his face frozen in an expression of pure terror. A doctor who examined the body confirmed that Sid had died around midnight, nearly 8 hours before Amal and Deep had spoken to him in the park.

A chill spread over them all as Amal and Deep recalled Sid’s haunting final words - “Remember me... and I hope we meet again.”