The truth

Vidhi decided to discuss the matter with Mrs Sharma. She visited Mrs Sharma's home. She narrated everything right from the beginning: the knocks on the door every night after 2:00 am, confrontation with Seema, her denial, and her own fears. Vidhi was eager to find the answers, "I am afraid that someone is visiting Seema every night at the same time. I don't mind at all if it is someone she knows. But if there is someone she is trying to avoid and they still keep coming back every night then I think it is a big safety concern. I see that as a danger and I am worried all because of that. If there is a stalker then I would move to a different place. I do not feel safe where strangers can come unannounced at odd hours".

Mrs Sharma patiently listen to Vidhi's rant. Then she softly spoke, "it is not what you think. I will tell you the truth if you promise me to keep an open mind." Vidhi agreed.

"I know Seema's family even before she was born. Her mother was a naive woman from a village. Her father was an intelligent man. In 1970s he was an engineer. He was the production in charge of the nearby manufacturing facility. He would often come home around 2 am, generally after the last production batch would conclude. For his family's safety he had decided a code - he would knock on the door in a specific rhythm. He was such a progressive man", Mrs Sharma stated.

Vidhi was confused. She could not understand why her elderly neighbour was telling her the family background of Seema. Mrs Sharma noticed her expression, " I will get to the story but you need to know the background. So where was I?"
"Seema's father would return late and he had decided a code," Vidhi summarised where they had stopped.
"Oh yes. It was his routine. It had become his habit. He would knock the door in the same manner. Not only his door but everyone else's door as well. In this complex everybody knew his rhythm," Mrs Sharma smiled at herself remembering the old days. But her smile quickly faded away, "but then the tragedy struck. He met with an accident at the manufacturing facility. Seema was a teenager back then. Seema and her mother both of them shattered because of the sudden loss," Mrs Sharma wiped away her tears.

She paused before delivery a chilling ending to the story, "but that was not the end. Even after his death the knocks on the door did not stop. They continued at the same time with the same rhythm. We all heard them. It felt like he never left his family. It feels like he stayed at the door to protect his family," Mrs Sharma was shivering while narrating her own experience, "what you are hearing is not a stalker. It is a father who is protective towards his daughter even after his death. His old habit of protecting his family from outsiders is still keeping him here. Whatever you here, never answer the door. The rhythm is not meant for you. Promise me".

Vidhi promise her. She felt as if the entire room was spinning. The truth about the nightly visitor was unsettling. She finally understood the meaning of that rhythm. She had learnt two important lessons that day: old habits die hard. Not every knock comes from a living being.

- The end -