Coral and Renee were best friends. They lived in the same neighbourhood and would regularly have a slumber party at each other’s place. One weekend, Renee’s cousins were visiting her. So, she thought of inviting Coral also for a sleepover at her place. “You can meet my cousins and we can have a jolly good time,” said Renee. After a heavy dinner, the girls played some board games. When they became bored with it, they decided to have a story-telling session. All the girls sat in a circle and took turns narrating tales. Finally, it was Renee’s turn to tell a story. “I think you two should go to bed,” she said to her little cousins, “I am going to narrate a ghost story and I don’t want you two to get scared.” Her two cousins started sulking, as they too wanted to be part of the big girls’ gang.
Lara and Lena
The two little girls shook their heads and refused to go. “Why can’t we listen to your story?” they cried out in chorus, “We promise we won’t get scared.” “If you listen to my story, the ghost of a girl will visit you at night. Do you want that to happen?” asked Renee. “No, we don’t want that,” said the two little ones, and they scampered off to their room. After the girls had gone, the older ones sat up all alert and eager to hear what Renee had to tell. “Renee, I hope your story is not so scary that it will give us sleepless nights, too,” said another cousin jokingly. Renee then began her story: “Many years ago, a couple lived in this house. They had two daughters and they were called Lara and Lena.” As Renee continued with her tale, her cousins and Coral listened wide-eyed.
Lara is Punished
“They were a happy and contented family. The sisters went to a nearby school. In the evening, after finishing their homework, they would play with their toys. However, Lena was the younger one, so she was pampered a lot. One day, the girls were playing with their toys when they got into a fight. In a fit of rage, Lara started throwing Lena’s things around. When Lena started crying, their parents came and scolded Lara. They then asked her to apologise to Lena and locked her up in a room. Lara cried herself to sleep and soon started dreaming. She saw that Lena was playing with beautiful toys and her parents were buying her more. Lara opened her eyes and sat on her bed. She almost screamed because a strange girl was sitting on her bed next to her. ‘What do you want?’ asked Lara. ‘I can help you get Lena’s toys. Consider me your friend,’ said the girl.
Lara’s Friend
Renee continued the story: “Lara was happy to hear this and she started following the girl’s instructions. The girl took Lara to Lena’s room and asked her to steal the toys. Lara did as she was told. Soon, Lena noticed that one by one her toys went missing. She complained to her parents and they decided to find out what was happening. That night, they stood outside Lara’s room. They were surprised to hear strange voices coming from the room. So, very quietly, they peeped into the room and were shocked. They realised that Lara was talking to somebody. ‘What’s happening, Lara?’ they asked. By then, the strange girl had disappeared. Lara told them about her new friend. The parents were so scared that they moved out of the house immediately. So, whenever I am naughty, my parents tell me the strange girl will appear,” said Renee, and she ended her tale, as her cousins and Coral sat speechless.
