As he turned around, he noticed a young girl standing there. He was surprised because she wasn’t there before, and he hadn’t heard her footsteps.

She was well-dressed, with long black hair hanging in front of her face. She stood silently. Sanju tried to ignore her, assuming she was also waiting for the bus.

After a few minutes, she started walking toward him. His heart began to race.

“Sir, do you know when the bus is coming?” she asked politely.
“Where are you going?” Sanju asked.
“To Pipli village,” she replied.
“Oh, I’m going there too. I think the bus is delayed,” he said.

The girl didn’t say anything further. Sanju looked at her from head to toe and asked, “Are you new to Pipli village? I’ve never seen you there before.”
“No, I live there,” she replied calmly.

Before Sanju could say anything else, a taxi stopped in front of them. The driver rolled down the window and asked, “Are you waiting for the bus to Pipli?”
“Yes,” Sanju said.
“The bus has met with an accident and won’t be coming. I’m heading that way and can take you there for a very reasonable fare,” the driver said with a smile.

Sanju decided to take the taxi and got in with the girl. Sitting next to her on the back seat felt a bit odd, but he ignored it. The taxi started moving.

As they drove through the dark roads, Sanju noticed how unusually quiet the car was. The engine made no noise, there was no music on the radio, and only the faint sound of the tires could be heard. He tried making small talk with the driver, but the driver didn’t seem interested in chatting.

The atmosphere felt strange. Sanju couldn’t understand why, but he felt uneasy. The girl kept staring at the driver, almost as if she wanted to attack him. Sanju glanced at the taxi’s dashboard and noticed there was no meter to calculate the fare. That seemed odd, but he thought maybe the driver had forgotten to turn it on.

They passed parts of the village Sanju didn’t recognize, even though he had spent his whole life there. The roads looked old, and the buildings were worn down as if they hadn’t been touched in decades. He grew more anxious. When he looked at the girl again, she was sitting quietly, her expression unreadable.

Finally, the taxi reached the village. The girl quickly paid half the fare and got out. Sanju wanted to pay the rest, but the driver stopped him.

“You don’t need to pay. Just do me a favor and deliver this small package to the shopkeeper in the morning,” the driver said.

Sanju noticed the shop was closed, but he agreed to deliver the package the next day. The taxi drove off, and when Sanju looked around, the girl had already disappeared. Feeling uneasy, he hurried to his home. He couldn’t stop thinking about the strange girl and the silent taxi all night.

The next morning, Sanju went to the shop to deliver the package. To his surprise, he saw the same girl standing near the shop. She smiled and greeted him with a polite “Namaste.” She seemed completely normal and was buying something from the shop.

When the shopkeeper opened the package, his face turned pale, and he looked confused. The package contained some money.

“Is everything okay, uncle?” Sanju asked curiously.
“Yes, but this money is from the taxi driver who died in an accident last year. He owed me this amount,” the shopkeeper said.

Sanju was shocked. “What are you saying, uncle? We traveled in his taxi last night. He’s alive!” Sanju said, pointing at the girl.

“Yes, yes, uncle! He was a very kind driver. He didn’t even overcharge us,” the girl added confidently.

The shopkeeper shook his head. “No, my child. That man was my taxi driver for many years. He died in an accident on a rainy night a few months ago. I attended his funeral myself.”

Sanju and the girl froze in shock. They realized they had traveled in a ghostly taxi the previous night.