Legend of the singing nun

Three mischievous friends plan to uncover the mystery of the singing nun at their residential convent school.

When Maimoona, Manju and Maya returned from their holidays, they were pleasantly surprised to find that, in the senior dorm, their cubicles were close together. Known as the ‘The Terrible Ms’, they had been together since Std. I and were incorrigible, always playing pranks on teachers and classmates and, sometimes, even on the nuns.

The residential convent school stood on top of a hill commanding a magnificent view of the town. A high stone wall surrounded the school and the only entrance and exit were the sturdy iron gates manned by a watchman.

The story of the singing nun was a popular myth that seniors revelled in telling. The junior girls would listen goggle eyed and were suitably frightened. It had always been on the agenda of the three friends to find out if the story was true. Now, in the senior dorm with less supervision, they thought they could bring their plan to fruition.

According to legend, the singing nun would appear at the grotto on moonless nights. The sound of her mournful singing would fill the dark night and anyone who heard her song or tried to find her could become dumb or blind or even mad.

The next moonless night was soon approaching and the three friends made plans to visit the grotto at night. On the day of the planned escapade, they were preoccupied in class and the teachers were surprised that they did not disrupt the class. During meal times, they sat together and had whispered conversations. As soon as evening prep was over, they walked up to their dorms quickly, not lingering over saying “good night” or “good bye”, as they usually did.

A couple of hours after lights out, the three friends sneaked out and tiptoed out of the dorm. They were dressed in black and carried torches. Downstairs, they opened a window and jumped out.

Quietly, they made their way to the grotto, finding their way in the dark, not daring to switch on their torches. Around the grotto, the school gardener had planted big flowering bushes. It was a beautiful sight to behold, especially during the long summer days when the whole place was a riot of colour. They found comfortable places between the bushes and waited. They dozed off and were woken by the midnight chimes of the town clock.