Mystery of the creaky house

Ananya was very excited on Saturday afternoon. Her best friend Mili had invited her to a birthday party at her new house. She wore her favourite pink dress with pink sandals, matching pink clips in her hair. With a gift for Mili, wrapped in colourful paper, she set out for the party.

On the way

On the way, she thought of taking a shortcut, which would help her reach her friend’s house faster, even if the path was uneven and zigzag. As she skipped along, dark clouds gathered in the sky, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. Soon, rain began to fall. With no umbrella in hand, Ananya decided to take shelter in a house nearby.

“It looks scary,” she thought, looking at the cracked walls and faded paintings. “But it is raining heavily. So let me go in.”

When no one answered the doorbell, she pushed the door. It swung open with a creak.

“Hello! Is anyone there?” she called. But there was no reply. So, she went further into the room and heard a bubbling sound. She followed the noise and reached the kitchen.

A lady dressed in black was at the stove, stirring a pot that seemed to contain soup.

“Hi. I am Ananya,” she introduced herself.

Strange encounter

The lady turned around, and Ananya almost fainted. She had a sharp nose, her eyes twinkled like black diamonds, and her smile was eerie.

“What a beautiful little girl we have here. Welcome to my home! I am Wincy-Winny Witch,” she said in a cackle

“I am sorry to bother you. I will leave once the rain stops,” said Ananya.

“Do you want me to turn you into a frog so that you can hop to your friend’s party in the rain?” asked the witch.

Scared, Ananya decided to leave. But, as soon as she stood up, the witch said, “You are my guest. You can’t leave without tasting my magic soup.”

She poured some soup into a bowl and gave it to the little girl. It was tasty, and Ananya finished the bowl. “It was yummy,” she said.

The witch smiled, waved her wand, and chanted a few words. Ananya was horrified to find herself turned into a beautiful bird. The witch put her into a cage and went away.

“I should not have used the shortcut,” Ananya wept. As she wondered what to do, a black cat wandered in. Spotting the bird, it tried to put its paws through the bars. Ananya flapped her wings and fluttered around trying to escape. The cage swung wildly, and the door burst open. Seeing her chance, Ananya flew out just as the cat lunged at her. But it missed and tumbled onto the pot, spilling the soup.

“Oh! You naughty cat! You spilt my magic potion,” shouted the witch angrily.

Seeing her chance, Ananya zipped out of the open window and flew away. She did not stop until she was far away from the strange house. Then she sat on a rock to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and counted to three.

“Are you still asleep? Wake up and get ready,” called someone. Ananya opened her eyes to see her mother looking at her. “Hrithik called to say he’s coming in 15 minutes.”

Ananya looked around to find that she was on her bed. On her table was a book titled The Wincy Winny Witch. “Phew! It was only a dream!”

On the way to the party, she told Hrithik about her dream. He just smirked and said, “How silly!” But Ananya silently vowed that she would never ever look for shelter in a strange house, no matter what happened.

Published – February 06, 2026 09:00 am IST