Shadows - Chapter 7

Story so far:

Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1


Padmini walked towards the drawing room. She passed the children's room and noticed that the door was open. She peeped inside and found Swapnil sleeping on the bed. There was no sign of Sapna.

Panicked, she increased her pace and moved towards the place where she had served supper to the children. The light from the candle still reflected on the walls around. She looked everywhere, trying to find traces of any unnatural events.

There were none. Everything seemed to be normal. Almost everthing. Almost.

Except that her shadow looked smaller than usual. The reflection of her on the opposite wall was diferent from her normal physique, giving an unrecognizable form to her shadow. She came closer to the wall, the shadow stayed still.

And then she realized what had gone wrong. The shadow was not her. Instead, it belonged to Sapna.

Infact, it was Sapna.

The same hair, the same height, the same form, this was not just a shadow. This was Sapna, now transformed as a shadow. Her worst fear had come true. Sapna was now a part of the shadowy maze that had haunted the house since the time of the curse.

She had warned the kids not to play with shadows, but as the nature of children are, they do what they are supposed not to. And now, the suffering had come upon Sapna. Was there a way to get her out of this? Can she again see the light of the day?

The solution came to her instantly, like a flash of light. It was now time to act. The only way to help Sapna was by sacrificing. Sacrificing herself. The curse had befallen becaue of her. The curse would no longer prevail if she didn't exist.

She had to find a way for the sacrifice. It had to be held in the midst of rituals and chants, and the only person present in the house, apart from her, was Swapnil. Can he perform the act?

She turned back and ran towards his bedroom. Every minute was precious.



What happens next:

Chapter 8
Chapter 9