Ramesh loved pretending to be brave, but the truth was that he was terribly afraid of the dark. One day, his friends challenged him. “If you really want to prove you’re brave, go watch a horror movie alone at night,” they said teasingly.
In a burst of enthusiasm, Ramesh declared, “I’ll go by myself!”
But deep inside, his heart was pounding wildly.
That night, Ramesh arrived alone at the cinema hall to watch the horror film. As soon as the movie began, eerie sounds filled the theater. On the screen appeared a ghostly woman dressed in white, slowly creeping up behind the hero. Ramesh squeezed his eyes shut in fear and silently began praying. Just then, someone lightly tapped his shoulder.
His scream almost burst out.
Trembling, he turned around — only to find a small boy standing there holding a box of popcorn. Ramesh let out a long sigh of relief and tried to focus on the movie again.
But when the ghost on the screen suddenly let out a loud, terrifying laugh, Ramesh was convinced she might jump out of the screen at any moment. He clutched his glass of water tightly, as if it were a weapon.
Suddenly, the lights in the hall flickered and the screen went black. People began murmuring in confusion. A cleaner soon walked in and announced, “There’s a power cut. Please remain calm for five minutes.”
Ramesh’s imagination ran wild. What if it’s not a power cut? What if the ghost has attacked? His heart truly felt as though it had leapt into his mouth.
After a few minutes, the electricity returned and the film resumed. By now, however, Ramesh was less frightened by the ghost and more amused at his own reactions.
When the movie finally ended, he walked out pretending to be fearless.
But once he reached home, he made a firm decision — next time, he would only watch a comedy film.
RAJEEV VERMA 