Divya 
The first time journalist Meera Deshmukh stepped into D’Souza Chawl, she felt a wave of unease. It wasn’t just the dimly lit corridors or the eerie silence that hung in the air, it was the way the air itself seemed heavier, as if burdened by secrets of the past. Meera had covered crime and politics before, but this was her first real dive into the supernatural. The legend of the Woman in White had fascinated her since childhood, but now she was here to separate fact from fiction.
The First Clue
The chawl residents were reluctant to talk. Some avoided her gaze, others mumbled vague warnings. But an old man named Ravi, a former schoolteacher, finally broke his silence. “She wasn’t always a ghost, you know,” he whispered. “She was one of us.” Ravi led Meera to a dusty old room, where he unearthed a rusted tin box filled with yellowed newspaper clippings and a fragile leather-bound diary.
As Meera flipped through the brittle pages, her fingers trembled. The diary belonged to a woman named Maria D’Souza, written decades ago. The words were desperate, frantic even. Maria wrote about feeling trapped, about fearing for her life, about a secret she would take to her grave. The last entry sent a chill down Meera’s spine:
“They think I don’t know, but I do. The well isn’t cursed. It’s a tomb. And soon, I will join them.”
A Darker History
The newspaper clippings painted an even darker picture. While most believed Maria had accidentally fallen into the well, one report suggested foul play. It mentioned a string of missing people over the years, workers, vagrants, even a priest, all vanishing without a trace near the chawl. No investigations, no arrests. It was as if the ground had swallowed them whole.
Determined to dig deeper, Meera sought out a retired police officer, Inspector Joshi, who had investigated a case at the chawl in the late 1980s. When she mentioned Maria’s diary, his face turned pale. “You should leave this alone,” he warned. “That place has buried more than just memories.”
The Haunting Intensifies
That night, Meera decided to stay in the chawl, hoping to document the paranormal activities firsthand. At exactly 3:12 AM, she heard it—a soft, sorrowful sobbing echoing through the corridor. Camera in hand, she stepped out of her room, following the sound. The air grew thick, her breath visible in the unnatural cold.
Then, she saw her.
A woman in a white sari stood near the well, her back to Meera. Her long, tangled hair swayed as if caught in an invisible breeze. Meera’s instincts screamed at her to run, but she forced herself to stay. “Maria?” she whispered.
The figure stiffened. Slowly, it began to turn. Just as Meera caught a glimpse of hollow, sorrowful eyes, her camera malfunctioned. The screen glitched, static filling the air. The sobbing turned into a low, guttural growl.
And then, silence.
The woman was gone.
The Bigger Mystery
Terrified but resolute, Meera replayed the footage. Though her camera had glitched, the audio remained intact. Amidst the static, a single, chilling phrase could be heard:
“Find them… before they take more.”
Realization dawned on Meera. Maria wasn’t haunting D’Souza Chawl because of her death. She was trying to warn them.
But of what?
With new resolve, Meera knew she had to uncover the truth before it was too late.
Stay tuned and keep reading Dip Dives for Episode 4
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