Short Story: The Witness by Giti Tyagi

This short story by Dr. Giti Tyagi is nostalgic with the perfect dose of suspense, mystery, and intrigue.

I always had a strange curiosity, an urge to peep into the verandah of the house just outside the huge wooden gates of my in-laws’ house, on the corner of the crossroads every time I crossed that house. The huge gates of our house, or rather the haveli, that squeak the moment they are opened, have a fascinating tale to tell. 

They were built so high so as to allow the mahout of the elephant to sit upright even while crossing the gate. Well, in which era that elephant lived and adorned the haveli, I have absolutely no knowledge of that because I never heard any legends related to it. Whether there was even an elephant or simply a tale to inflate the pride of the residents of the haveli, it’s hard to justify. But, yes, the stories were passed on from generation to generation and that helped the swollen pride to continue.