MOUNTAIN-FACE PART 2

Dear Readers and Listeners,

I hope this message finds you well. It's with great excitement and a hint of mystery that I reach out to you today. Our journey into the world of the paranormal continues, and it's about to take a spine-tingling turn.

In the upcoming episode of OBSCURUS, we delve deeper into the enigmatic tale of "Mountain-Face." Part 2 of this chilling story will leave you questioning reality and legend as we explore the mysteries hidden within the Veer Royale hotel's walls.

But before we embark on this eerie adventure, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to each one of you. Your support and enthusiasm drive OBSCURUS, and I can't thank you enough for joining me on this paranormal journey.

As we move forward, I'd like to share an important update. OBSCURUS will soon be available on Patreon and other platforms, offering you an opportunity to become an even more integral part of our community. Your financial support on Patreon, YouTube, and other forums would mean the world to us and help us continue creating captivating paranormal content.

Your contributions enable us to explore new stories, enhance production quality, and provide you with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. It's your support that keeps our stories alive and our investigations thriving.

Stay tuned as we prepare to unveil "Mountain-Face Part 2." The line between myth and reality is about to blur once again, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Sincerely,

Biswajit Banerjee

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INTRO 00:00:00

Welcome to OBSCURUS, your weekly dose of paranormal fiction. Every Wednesday OBSCURUS features new short stories and serialized novels written by novelist, screenwriter, and voice-over artist Biswajit Banerjee. The realm of the paranormal stretches far beyond the usual horror story. So, while you will get to listen to lots of ghost stories on this podcast, there will also be many tales of lesser-known paranormal themes. To get us started, here's your host Biswajit Banerjee.

HOST TALK 00:00:47

Hello, and welcome back to OBSCURUS, the gateway to the unknown and the unexplained. I'm Biswajit Banerjee, your host, ready to guide you further into the mysterious tale of "Mountain-Face." We explore this enigmatic story's second and final part in today's episode. Previously, we left Mr. Prasun Mishra in the luxurious yet unsettling confines of room 509 at the Veer Royale, grappling with the chilling legend of the Mountain-Face.

As we venture deeper into Part 2, the narrative turns darker. Mishra's skepticism and curiosity intertwine as the night progresses, leading to unforeseen and spine-chilling developments. The eerie whispers of the past and the ominous presence of the Mountain-Face test the boundaries of reality and legend.

Before we dive into this compelling conclusion, I encourage you to visit my website, biswajitbanerjee.com, for a deeper dive into my world of storytelling. Remember also to check out obscurus.buzzsprout.com, where you can access all episodes of OBSCURUS, along with detailed transcripts and special features.

Your engagement and support are what keep our stories alive. Stay tuned for our upcoming presence on Patreon, where you can play a crucial role in our journey. Remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel for the latest updates and content.

Now, let's continue our journey with "Mountain-Face Part 2." What will the night reveal to Mr. Mishra? How will the haunting saga of the Mountain-Face unfold? Join me as we delve into the heart of this haunting narrative, where the line between myth and reality blurs. Let the story begin.

MOUNTAIN-FACE PART 2 00:03:52

Written and Performed by Biswajit Banerjee

Can Prasun work his way out of trouble?

00:04:23

Fear had gripped my spine by now, but I tried my best not to show it.

"Do you expect me to believe your story, Prabhu? You could be a good fiction writer."

"Whether to believe me or not is your problem, Sir. But God knows, I am telling the truth."

"Are you suggesting that I should vacate this room immediately?"

"If you do that, the reception desk officials will suspect me of telling you about the hill ghost."

"So, you want me to stay here and die so that your job is safe."

"No, Sir. All I ask of you is to keep the door locked after 11 p.m. The locals believe that the evil powers of the Mountain Face are active only around midnight. And these powers continue to be strong till the first rays of the Sun are seen."

"I will be safe if I do not open the veranda door after 11 p.m.?"

"Yes, Sir. The 'Mountain-Face' can suck your soul only if you gaze at its eyes for too long after midnight or you willingly establish a connection with it through some other means."

"What do you mean by 'establish a connection with it through some other means?'"

"I am not sure of what locals mean by that expression. Probably, it means inviting the evil consciousness of the 'Mountain-Face' to come over and suck your soul. I am sure you will not do anything such as that, Sir. For all practical reasons, you are safe if you keep the door locked."

"Well, in that case, I will lock up the door right now and not open it till the end of my stay. In any case, it is just a one-night stay for me in this city. Tomorrow, I shall check out."

"That sounds like a good idea. Should I lock the door, Sir?"

I nodded.

Prabhu locked the door and left.

00:07:04

While my rationality mocked me for attaching weight to the old man's story, my survival instincts kept telling me that I should immediately vacate the room. However, I decided to spend the night in the room. It would be unkind of me to rob the job of the old man who tried to save my life. All I needed to do was to keep the door to the veranda locked.

Did I believe an evil spirit named 'Mountain Ghost' was outside my room? Well, yes and no. It would be foolhardy to ignore the evidence at hand. Eight occupants of this room died. Well, I couldn't be sure that they all died because of the 'Mountain Ghost,' but the probability of the evil force being responsible for the deaths, however minuscule it was, could not be ignored. Could there be some other cause for the deaths? Well, I couldn't see why anyone should die in that room. Also, I wasn't sure the old man was telling the truth. Maybe his motive was to make me vacate the room or simply frighten me. But my heart said that the old man was telling the truth. Regardless of whether this place was haunted by the 'Mountain-Ghost' or not, the thought that eight of this room's occupants had been found murdered was also too terrible a fact for my comfort. But wait a minute – did anyone die in this room? I wasn't even sure of that. I reached for the intercom, but my heart resented a confirmation because if the old man's story was true, even my inquiries about whether or not anyone died in this room could lead to the same result – the sacking of the old man.

I looked at the wall clock right over the door that led to the veranda. It was close to 6.50 p.m., and the conditions outside were already dark. The best thing to do was to have an early dinner and catch up with some television show till I fell asleep.

I followed my plan and ate my dinner early. Then I switched on the large television in the room and slipped into the bed. The comedy series I watched banished all the fears from my system, and I didn't even know when I fell asleep.

***

00:10:08

Strange noises woke me up, and I found the door that led to the veranda ajar. The clock over the door showed it was nine minutes past midnight. I saw strange dark shadows in the light moving in through the door. How could the door open? Did the old man lock it correctly? Though fear had gripped me badly, my limbs were moving. I knew that the door had to be locked again. If I let these strange beings enter the room, I would probably become one of them. Like a spring, I jumped off the bed and reached the door. But before I could shut it, my eyes fell on the large hill before me. Its eyes were red, bright with fury. The forts that served as its eyes were no longer forts. They now looked like real eyes. The depression and the yellow patch shone in the light emanating from the eyes. Oh! I had never seen anything more evil than the expression of the 'Mountain-Face.' Despite my best efforts, I couldn't take my eyes off those evil eyes. I am not sure how long I gazed at the 'Mountain-Face.' Suddenly, a force pushed me to the floor, and the door shut with a bang. In less than half a minute, I lost consciousness.

***

00:12:02

The next thing I knew was the warm rays of the Sun. Oh! How comforting those rays were! They soothed me to the core, and all my fatigue disappeared. The comfort didn't last long. Someone pressed the calling bell. But whoever it was didn't stop at the calling bell. He also knocked hard at the door. I heard people speaking outside my room. Before I could move to the door, it opened with a bang, and two policemen barged in with Prabhu and Ankita. At that moment, I realized I was watching them from the veranda. But I hadn't moved to the veranda. How did I get there? I had no clues. Then I realized I was not on the veranda. I was far away from it because I could see the railing of the veranda and the frontal part of the 'Veer Royale.' Where was I? Suspended in mid-air? Again, I had no clues.

The distance from the room into which I had moved in the early evening did not impede my witnessing what was happening inside the room; I could even hear the voices of those inside with clarity.

"Another murder in this room!" One policeman said.

"The body is lying in the same posture, Ms. Pradhan. This ghastly act is the ninth such crime that has happened in this room." The other policeman commented.

My eyes now fell on my body that lay on its back on the floor, motionless and with its eyes open.

"Well, Officer, this room is perfectly safe for the occupants. These deaths are not murders; I guess they are heart attacks. Even for the eight others who died in this room, you didn't detect any foul play, did you?"

"You are right, Ms. Pradhan. Technically, we can't call any of these deaths as murders. Yet, they all look like murders." The first officer responded.

"These deaths are certainly more than heart attacks, Sir," Prabhu said.

"Look here, Prabhu, will you shut your mouth up? Do not mislead the investigating officers." Ankita said.

"Well, Prabhu says the same thing every time we find an occupant dead in this room. To tell you the truth, Ms. Pradhan, I find merit in his statement. But the evidence at hand is insufficient to call this death a murder. Probably, yet again, we will have to satisfy ourselves with the inference that this man, too, died of a heart attack and that the fact that nine people have died in this room with their corpses lying in the same posture on the same spot of the floor is nothing more than a coincidence." The second officer said.

"Well, Officer, we will facilitate the investigations in every way possible. I understand a team of forensic professionals will be here in the afternoon. That's why we have canceled all the meetings scheduled in 'Veer Royale' today, including the meeting this man was supposed to attend." Ankita said, pointing at my body.

"The team of forensics will be here for sure, but they are unlikely to find anything concrete to suggest that this death was a murder." The first officer said.

As I watched the goings-on in the room, I realized that though I was in mid-air, I wasn't free. It was a kind of an open prison. Like an animal tethered to a post, I was tethered to something invisible that would never let me escape. There were countless other beings like me tethered to the same thing. Since I was new to this arrangement, I was trying to break free of the bondage. Others who had died long before me weren't trying to go anywhere as they knew no escape was possible. Besides, each of these beings seemed to have lost its identity. Each had become an integral part of the overall consciousness of the 'Mountain-Face.'

But how could 'Mountain-Face' enter the hotel room, I wondered. The door was locked, after all. It wasn't long before a crucial part of the exchanges that I had with Prabhu Singh echoed in my mind –

"Yes, Sir. The 'Mountain-Face' can suck your soul only if you gaze at its eyes for too long after midnight or you willingly establish a connection with it through some other means."

"What do you mean by 'establish a connection with it through some other means?'"

"I am not sure of what locals mean by that expression. Probably, it means inviting the evil consciousness of the 'Mountain-Face' to come over and suck your soul. I am sure you will not do anything such as that, Sir. For all practical reasons, you are safe if you keep the door locked."

Did I invite the evil consciousness? Probably, yes. I established a connection with it when I clicked a selfie with the hill in the background. Maybe that connection served the purpose of an invitation.

It didn't matter anymore what happened and how it happened. My fate was now unalterable. Soon, I would cease to be PraSUNd Mishra. Instead, I, too, would be an inseparable part of the consciousness of the 'Mountain Face.' The 'Mountain-Face' grew more in consciousness last night as it sucked my soul!

OUTRO 00:19:46

Thanks for listening to OBSCURUS. If you like what you heard, please subscribe and visit biswajitbanerjee.com for more information about Biswajit's books, movies, documentaries, and other creative pursuits. We shall see you next Wednesday with another episode of OBSCURUS. Till then, take care!