Shadows - Chapter 6

Story so far:

Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1

Aunt Padmini opened her eyes. Did she hear something? Was it the sign of danger? She stood up from her meditative stance and walked towards the door.

She had always known that keeping the kids wouldn't be safe here. Yet, that was the only way out of the problem. The children could help her in warding off the evil from the house. The evil of the curse, the curse that had befallen the manor several years ago.

Padmini as a young girl was enamored towards the science of dark arts. She conducted spells and chanted verses that sounded evil, but within her heart she knew they were directed towards the greater good of mankind.

"I am fed up of you. Why can't you leave these and be like a normal girl?" her mother had asked. She was afraid her daughter might be labelled a witch if words about her practices went outside.

And so it happened. Words did not remain confine within the four walls of their house. Stories about her art spread, with several false additions, and people started perceiving her as an evil witch.

Soon, every misfortune, ailment and death in the town were being attributed to her witchcraft. There were cries and hues everywhere, requesting the Mayor to expel her from the town.

During a hard summer, a great plague hit the town. People either died, or rushed out of the place. Surprisingly Padmini survived, but her mother couldn't.

Her mother's death was a big blow for her. She had to make her come back alive. She immersed herself more into the literature of the dark arts, learning the technicalities of the process, and in turn got to know several harsh facts.

To her utter horror, she had to sacrifice a child in order to get her mother back. She was terrified, not knowing what to do. Her morals clearly said that this was an act of the devil. However, the love for her mother overpowered all other human feelings, and she went out in search for a sacrificial candidate.

A few distance away from her home, she found a young boy aged 4 or 5 years, playing all alone in the mud. She made sure no one was around, and walking silently towards the child, grabbed him from behind and placed a chloroformed piece of cloth over his face. The boy tried to shout, but couldn't. He fell unconscious. Picking him up, Padmini ran towards her home.

She started preparing for the sacrifice. The boy was mercilessly killed, and hymns and chants floated in the surrounding. However, there was no sign of her mother's soul. She kept trying and trying.

Suddenly, the boy, who was lying dead besides her, opened his eyes, bright and red, like burning flames. He said in am unheard voice, that grated and pierced her ear drums - "You are getting all wrong. Your chants are wrong. You killed me. Now I will remain here as a curse, never leaving you in peace, like a shadow". He let out a blood curdling wail and fell mute.

An eerie silence prevailed. The room suddenly turned bright, and shadows appeared on the wall, in various forms. Just as soon as they had appeared, they vanished, leaving Padmini in a mix of guilt and sorrow.

Is it the curse again? Padmini didn't know. She went out of her room, and walked towards the drawing room.



What happens next:

Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9