Shailendra worked in a multinational company. Life was hectic, full of hustle and bustle. Due to work commitments, he often had to travel. His wife, Aradhana, also worked in the same company. They had first met there, and their conversations gradually turned into friendship and eventually into marriage. Often, they traveled together for work. Work would get done, and they would enjoy some sightseeing as well. Both husband and wife were extremely ambitious about their careers. They aspired to reach the highest positions as quickly as possible and worked very hard to achieve that. To avoid any disruption in their career growth, they decided to delay having a child for eight or nine years after marriage. In the meantime, both rose to high positions in the company. But the desire to climb further never ceased.
In the tenth year of their marriage, they were blessed with a son. The mother took nearly four months off from work during childbirth and then hired a maid to look after the child during the day before they return from the office. The child gradually began to grow. They named him Deepankar. The parents took great care of his comfort and needs. They tried their best to please him with various electronic toys, clothes, chocolates etc. They attempted to compensate for their lack of time with gifts and chocolates.
As the child grew old enough to go to school, the parents made the best arrangements for his education. They got him admitted into a reputed school. A home tutor and online classes through the internet were also arranged. The parents were satisfied with the education their son was receiving. Time passed. The child studied with the help of the internet, computers, and tutors. Meanwhile, the parents advanced in their careers. The rush increased. The time they could give to their son kept decreasing, though their money increased. They were confident they could arrange the best for their son with the help of money. The child was mostly alone, immersed in computers, mobile phones, and the internet.
It was night in December. Cold winds blew outside. People stayed huddled in their homes. It seemed the icy wind could pierce even the thickest of clothing. Fog covered everything; nothing was visible outside. Silence prevailed all around. The child was studying in the upstairs room, and the parents were in the room downstairs. Suddenly, the child started screaming loudly. Hearing the noise, the parents rushed upstairs. The child was curled up at one end of the bed, crying out. The pillow had fallen on the floor, and the bed was in disarray. The mother ran and hugged him. The child pointed to the door, saying in a frightened voice, “There’s someone at the door.” He was trembling in fear and held his mother tightly, as if trying to hide in her arms. The father went to the door and looked around, but there was no one there. After looking for a while, he came back and sat on the bed next to the child. They consoled the child, who then calmed down and said, “I heard some scary sound near the door.” Again, he cried, “There’s someone at the door, Mom!” The parents comforted him, and eventually, he fell asleep in his mother’s arms. They thought he might have had a nightmare.
A few days passed. The parents dismissed it as a dream and returned to their routine. Everything seemed normal. One afternoon, while the mother was at the office, her phone rang. It was the maid. Curious, she picked up the call. The maid said, “Ma'am, please come. The child is shouting about a ghost at the door of his room.” Startled, the mother immediately left for home, calling the maid periodically on the way. When she reached home after half an hour, she found the child curled up in a corner of the bed. The sheets were messy, the pillow had fallen, and the maid was trying unsuccessfully to calm him. The mother rushed to him, and the child clung to her with all his strength, whispering, “He’s at the door again.” The mother comforted him, and he slowly calmed down and fell asleep again. Lying beside him, the mother called her husband.
Wife -It happened again today. He started screaming.
Husband –Again!
Wife-Yes, the maid called me, so I rushed home.
Husband-How is he now?
Wife-He’s sleeping.
That evening, when the father returned, both started discussing what could be causing their son to cry out like this. Perhaps another nightmare! But now, the child would scream almost every day saying, "There is someone at the door." The parents grew anxious. Neighbors started gossiping— “That boy next door is haunted.” Out of fear, the maid had already quit her job. Now people began suggesting remedies: call a priest, a tantric, a maulana. Shailendra had no choice but to try something.
They invited an astrologer, who said it was due to planetary issues and recommended donations and rituals. Shailendra did everything—donated to priests, distributed food, donated clothes—but the stubborn ghost didn’t go away. The child kept crying out every few days. Then they brought a tantric. He lit incense, placed chillies at the door, burned fire—but still, the “ghost” didn’t leave. In despair, they called a maulana, who gave amulets, whispered prayers, performed rituals, but again, nothing changed. The ghost still didn’t leave; he continued to appear at the door, just as before.
In this way, the days were passing in trouble. One day, the child's grandfather arrived from the village. By now, he had also become familiar with the ghost's cruelty. Sitting on a chair, he was deep in thought. In front of him, the child's father, Shailendra, kept giving an account of the efforts he had made so far to drive away the ghost. Grandfather sat silently, listening to his words, deep in thought. After a while, he asked, "Can I meet to that maid?"
Shailendra- Yes, she lives just across the street.
Grandfather-Alright, I’ll meet her tomorrow morning.
In the morning, after Shailendra left for the office, Grandfather went to meet the maid. After a half-hour meeting, he returned home and began playing with his grandson. The grandfather and grandson played a lot. Then Grandfather took out a book and read a poem from it to his grandson. He also sang a song. In the evening, when Shailendra returned, Grandfather said with confidence, “Give me a week’s time. I’ll teach that ghost a lesson. Let’s see how it doesn’t run away.” Hearing Grandfather’s confident words, some hope awakened in Shailendra too. The sparkle returned to his eyes and he said, “Yes, Father! Do you really think that ghost will go away?” Grandfather -Not just the ghost, even its grandmother will run away.
Now Grandfather stayed with the child all the time. They played together, sang together, and ate together. He would tell him stories and poems, plant saplings outside, and sit with him to study. It felt as if the child had found a true companion. The child laughed, played joyfully, and made loving mischief. It was as if a withered plant had finally been watered.
One week passed like this, then two, then an entire month went by, but that ghost never appeared at the door again. Meanwhile, the child showed many other signs of improvement: he focused more on his studies, sang songs, and played happily. It was as if real childhood had begun to bloom in all its charm. Now, nearly two months had passed, and that cruel ghost had still not returned. When everyone gradually became assured that the ghost would not return, grandfather prepared to go back to the village. While leaving, he said to his son, “Son, that cruel ghost will not come again.”
“But how, Father! Where did that ghost go after all? Shailendra asked in astonishment. Hearing the conversation, the child’s mother also entered the room. Now Grandfather sat on the chair and began to explain to them, there never was a ghost. Shailendra, “What do you mean? Who kept coming at the door?
Grandfather- When I met the maid, she told me that during the day, she would show the child YouTube videos to keep him entertained. One day, she showed him a ghost video as a joke, and the child fell asleep. After that, she would always make him sleep by showing ghost videos—this way, she too got rid of the task of entertaining the child. Now, since YouTube uses artificial intelligence, it keeps recommending similar videos again and again based on what we search for and how much time we spend on certain types of videos. As a result, YouTube kept showing the child the same kind of ghost videos. The child already had internet and a mobile phone for online classes, so naturally, he stayed glued to it. YouTube kept recommending those kinds of videos, and the child kept watching them. You both were busy with your office work, so the lonely child got more and more entangled in it. Gradually, the child's mind began to truly believe in the ghost. When he was alone, he felt as if a real ghost was calling at the door and when he said this, your attention would turn to him—you would spend time with him, and that lonely childhood would feel a sense of connection; he would find comfort. When I started playing, singing, reading, and going out with him, that loneliness faded away. His heart found support. His withered childhood began to bloom again. Shailendra and his wife finally understood everything. The grandfather smiled and picked up his bag to leave, but Shailendra held his hand and said, “Father, please stay with us.”
Grandfather-But son, what about the farming in the village?
Shailendra-We’ll manage it.
Just then, the child came and hugged his grandfather, calling out, “Grandpa, Grandpa!” The grandfather’s bag slipped from his hand, and he lovingly lifted the child in his arms.
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