We are creatures of habit, bound by routines we repeat for years, sometimes a lifetime. They say old habits die hard. But what if the habits do not end with life? Can old habits continue live even after the death? My friend Archana (pseudonym to protect the identity) had a chilling encounter with paranormal and found the answer to the question she never asked.
Archana was working for a reputed firm in their coveted marketing team. Her role required intense travelling. She would visit from bustling metro cities to quiet remote villages. Sometimes the stay would be short while other times she needed to stay away from her home for months. Throughout her career she never felt scared while living in an unknown place - except once.
Archana had to lead an important project that demanded her to stay in an unfamiliar small town for a month. Archana had found a cosy rental apartment for herself which would be her home till the completion of her work. While she would spend most of her daytime at the office, in the late evening she would return to unwind and reset.
One day an urgent work came unannounced. It was crucial enough that Archana had to work outside her working hours. Though she got back home, she continued working till late night. She was engrossed in her work that she did not realise it had been past midnight.
While working, Archana's focus drifted because of the knock - it was not her door but her neighbour's. It was knocked in a rhythmic way - three quick knocks - pause of 2 seconds - 2 quick knocks - another pause of 2 seconds - then quick four knocks. Archana found this unusual pattern interesting. She glanced at the clock - it was 2:30. She thought to herself "maybe someone partied hard. Or maybe someone works in the nightshift. They must have decided a secret code to prevent any intrusion. Good move". Dismissing the thought, she turned back to where she stopped.
The work did not spare Archana the next night as well. Just like the previous night, at exact 2:30, she heard the same rhythmic knocks. This time they it made her believe that the neighbour had been working in the late night hours. As someone who personally did not like the forced rotational or night shifts, Archana empathized with the unknown unseen neighbour.
Then came the weekend. Archana wanted to relax after a tough week at work. She decided to binge watch a web series that had been garnering praises. The entertaining series was captivating enough to keep her awake way past her usual bedtime. While the show took an interesting turn, another twist awaited outside her door. She got startled by the knocks on the neighbour's door. The same rhythmic knocks on the weekend were suspicious. It had been a not been just a weekend but a national holiday where most offices and facilities remained closed. "What if the neighbour is a doctor? It did not matter if it was a holiday, hospitals remain open and clinicians still need to report to their duty", Archana wondered while respecting the work ethic of her unseen neighbour.
A couple of days later, Archana accidently met her neighbour, Megha. Archana was delighted to see her neighbor was a young girl, close to her age. As they spoke, Archana asked the question that curbed her curiosity for a few days, "I hear knocks on your door. Does someone work in the night shift? That does not bother me, but I was curious". Archana immediately knew she had asked a question that should have been held back. Megha's tone changed from friendly to defensive. She replied, "I live alone and I have a day job".
Archana knew that she had heard the knocks on the door, not once but 3 consecutive nights. Someone had been visiting Megha at 2:30 every night. Could it be a lover or a stalker? Sure Megha had the right to her privacy. But daily visits from a stranger at the late night hours was a recipe for the disaster. To be sure of the situation, Archana decided to speak with the friendly downstairs neighbour, an elderly woman Mrs Joshi.
Archana met Mrs Joshi and expressed her concerns, "I heard them last week. Someone visits her for sure. Honestly, I’m worried it might be a stalker—if it’s unsafe, I might need to pack my bags".
After hearing her suspicion, Mrs Joshi's expression changed from curiosity to caution. She closed her eyes before revealing the shocking truth about the knocks, "it is not what you think. It is a strange story, but I want you to believe me".
Archana agreed. Mrs Joshi continued, "I know Megha's family ever before she was born. Megha's father was a very intelligent man. He was the production head at the nearby manufacturing plant. His job would require to stay late at the facility. He would wrap up after the last batch and would generally return home around 2:30 AM. He set a secret code for his late light arrival. He used to knock in a very peculiar way as if he was playing drums. He had instructed Megha's mother to open the door only if that rhythm was played. This was an attempt to protect the family from intruders. Very progressive man, indeed. He had thought ahead of time a way to safeguard his wife and young daughter, in the age when CCTV cameras were not invented. One an accident at the facility took his life. Megha was just a teenager that time. It was difficult for her and her mother".
Mrs Joshi paused before telling the most chilling detail, "The routine did not end with his death. Even after he was gone, we kept hearing the knocks on their door. The rhythm he made for the safety of his family still remained. At the exact same hour, night after night, it came back. What you have been hearing is not a stalker but a protective father. A protective soul who loves his daughter so fiercely that not even death could break his habit of coming home to watch over her".
Archana felt the room spin. The invisible intruder she had feared as a human predator was something far outside the laws of the living. The truth did not bring peace. Seeing the terror in her eyes, Mrs Joshi warned, "promise me, you will not open the door even if you hear knocks. That rhythm isn't for you. Some doors, once opened to the past, can never be shut again. Let Megha deal with it".
Archana promised Mrs Joshi that her door would remain closed for the uninvited guest. Thankfully, Archana's project ended in a couple of days and she left that dreaded place. That experience taught Archana two lessons: some routines outlive the people who made them, and not every knock in the dark belongs to someone alive.
[Note: Above image is modified using AI].
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