Away from Bloggerland

That's what I have been forced to do - Stay Away From Bloggerland.

With my Personal Computer playing cruel tricks with me, rendering itself useless time and again, my hopes rest on an alternate system that I have managed for the time-being. However, this machine is a low end device and hence fails to serve all my purposes. I try to write now and then, as I did today, but with the sick net connection and the weird behavior of this machine, I can't go far. I am not able to view other blogs, and read the stories and haikus that my dear friends have posted in their spaces.

In a nutshell, I feel like a creature on the brink of extinction, with no company around.

I hope my PC gets back into life really soon, 'cause I am lacking the life that I so enjoyed on blogger.

Till then, trying to live my life the best way I can, playing guitar, reading books, and yes, office is always there to keep me occupied throughout the week :-)

Be in touch. I will be back soon (sooner than soon I hope).

Take care and keep blogging !!!

Shadows - Chapter 8

Story so far:

Chapter 7
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1


Padmini felt sick and tired with the happenings of the day. Things were really getting worse with each passing moment. She wanted to run away from the house, go to some far away land where she would not be haunted by the curse; the curse that was a result of her own misdeeds.


Repentance was the only deed left for her to perform. The sacrifice that seemed such a noble act then, suddenly brought back feelings of hatred and disgust in her. Why did she even think of doing it? She always wanted to use her powers for the good of man. Why did she commit such an evil act?

She stood before the kids’ bedroom, and then thought gravely. Was this the end of her? Didn’t she deserve to live longer? There must be another way out of this misery. There had to be an alternative step that will lead her to Sapna and her safety.

Padmini turned, and walked back to the drawing room. The shadow of Sapna was no longer there. She looked around. The hall looked as clean as ever. The candle burnt dimly, flickering and trying to gain its strength every now and then. How small its size had become. It started tall, but now limped like a tired soul, just like her. Soon, it will fade away and die.

So will life. Everyone starts afresh, but the burden of the world leads to drooping shoulders, causing the entities to fade away, some in oblivion, some carving their names in gold, but fade everyone had to.

Truth of life. Truth of existence. Truth of death.

Padmini knelt beside the candle. She closed her eyes. Warm tears flowed out of them. Tears of grief and guilt, of selfishness and malice, of hatred and repentance. She had to do something. But first, she had to make sure Swapnil was fine.

She went to his room, opened the door a little, and saw Swapnil sitting with his back towards her. She forced some more weight on the door, and it split wide open.

And along with the door, her eyes stayed wide open too, as if her eyelids had forgotten to blink.

Swapnil was not only sitting on the bed, he was talking animatedly with someone. Someone.



What happens next:

Chapter 9




 
 

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

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

Shadows - Chapter 5

Story so far:

Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1



The children were back in their bedroom after finishing the meal. They were quite infuriated with this sudden change in Aunt Padmini's behavior. She was behaving extremely friendly with them when they arrived. However, since the time Sapna told her about those red eyes, there had been a drastic change in her attitude. The softness in her manner was no more visible. It was now replaced by a brashness which they didn't expect from her.

True, Aunt Padmini had behaved in unusual fashions a few times that they had met earlier. Once, at their own residence, in the middle of the night, Aunt had suddenly started uttering rhythmic chants while asleep, which sounded oh-so-ghostly. Sapna, who was sleeping besides her at that time, had shaken her up until she was awake. However, when confronted by Sapna, she avoided the question by saying it was a usual prayer that she speaks out loud before going to sleep.

Sapna didn't believe her then, 'cause she had clearly heard a few words of the chants, which sounded like "death", "blood", "skull" and "Satan." How could these be parts of a prayer?

Sapna tried to rid these thoughts out of her mind. They were negative thoughts, and wouldn't help them in any way. They had to stay positive now, and try to unravel what was going in this house. Perhaps, Aunt was trying to hide something from them. What that something was, she had to find out.

She looked beside her. Swapnil was already deep asleep. Probably, Aunt Padmini too had slept. This was the right opportunity when she could go out of her room and search for clues for the reasons for Aunt's ill-manners. She got out of bed, wore her slippers, and then kept it aside, as slippers would make noise on the ground. Instead, she walked with barren feet, opened the door of her room, and trudged out in a tip-toed manner.

The drawing room was still devoid of electricity, a long candle fought wearily, radiating the area around. Everything seemed to be in place, but Sapna still felt a nudge of discomfort. Somewhere, something was wrong. Terribly wrong. How would she find out the missing link? Immediately, Aunt's last words resonated in her mind - "Do not play with shadows."

She now knew what could help her find the truth. It might look stupid, but it was definitely worth a try.

She went to the wall where they were making animal forms with shadows. The light was still bright, a perfect canvas for her to exhibit her skills. However, this wasn't about her skill. This was about finding the truth and the mystery surrounding this place.

She joined her fingers, and started making patterns out of them, each reflected perfectly as shadows in the wall. She made a few patterns, but nothing seemed unnatural. Everything was perfectly fine. Disheartened, she started to leave and go back to her room.

Just as she was about to depart, she heard a strange sound. It was eerie and unearthly, and she wasn't able to identify it. She tried looking all around her, but couldn't find the source of the sound.

Suddenly, her eyes darted towards the ceiling, and what she saw froze every part of her body. Her heart stopped beating, and her skin suddenly felt cold. She wanted to run, but couldn't. Her legs gained weight, fixing her to the ground, rendering her immobile.

Her eyes traced the dark shadows that were crawling in the ceilings. To her shock and horror, these were the same forms she had created - dog, fish, rabbit and cat. Each of these forms had now combined together to form one big mass of cloud, spreading across the ceiling.

Sapna tried to scream, but no voice came out. She opened her mouth again, giving her full strength, when suddenly the shadows came out of the ceiling like a thick bunch of clouds, and dived straight into Sapna's open mouth.

What happens next:

Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Shadows - Chapter 4

Story so far:

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Aunt Padmini went to her room and closed the door. She looked towards the ceiling, the fan was running at full speed. The three blades rotated in such a fashion that they gave the impression of forming a circle around the central hub.

And yet, she felt as if she was inside a heater. It was suffocating, and her mind seemed to have fallen numb after the events that happened today. True, she had tried her best, but somehow things had started to fall apart. She had to be extra careful now. She had to make sure a repeat doesn't happen.

She looked around. Her room was shaded in grey, with specks of black at several places on the walls and ceilings. She recognized them as ash stains. She switched off the light and sat on the bed. She had to hurry, she had to do something quickly.

Things had progressed quicker than expected. She either had to slow them up, or take a stand and make the harshest of decisions - a decision she knew she might had to take, but feared.

Sapna was in her room, still under the shock of what happened in the evening. Her brother sat silently, looking at her.

You had big, red eyes.

Sapna had checked her face in the mirror. Nothing seemed to have changed, except the lack of smile and gleeful expression that was always there in her features. She didn't have big, red eyes now. But did she ever have them?

She was still in this dilemma when Aunt Padmini called them for supper. "Come on children. You need to eat something. Have your supper."

Sapna and Swapnil went to the drawing room and sat on the dining table. Their meal of cornflakes and fruits were ready, vapor emanating from the hot bowl. A glass of milk stood smartly on the table, inviting with its sweet aroma of chocolate flakes that were dipped into it. However, the electric bulb in the drawing room was switched off, and a large candle was glowing on the table, shining and illuminating the room with its radiance.

"The bulb fused. This is a common problem here. Don't worry, we have the candles," Aunt Padmini said.

The children sat on the chairs and started eating their meals. Swapnil, always a restless child, looked at the wall emanated with the candle light. He stood up from his chair, walked towards the wall, and meticulously joined his fingers in such a combination that the shadow which was formed replicated the shape of a dog. He showed it to Sapna and she giggled. She remembered how they used to make shadows in the wall using candle light back at home.

Sapna got up from her chair and went to the wall too. She twisted her fingers to form an image of a fish, and the shadow appeared on the wall, depicting the structure of the fish. Soon, they were busy making forms and features of several animals and birds on the wall.

They were quite engrossed in their game, unaware of the figure that was lurking from behind. Suddenly, cold hands brushed against their skin and a tight grip found way through each of their shoulders. The kids turned around and found Aunt Padmini behind. She let out a scream of rage, and shouted - "DO NOT PLAY WITH SHADOWS, YOU FOOLS!!!"

What happens next:

Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Support - Haiku

The Mother supports,

Carries burden, patiently,

Nurturing with love.

Humans destroy, crush,

Satisfy own selfish needs,

Bleeds Mother Nature.

                                                                                                  
                                                                                  (Image Courtesy: www.scenicreflections.com)


This Haiku is written for Haiku Heights and the Prompt is Support.

Shadows - Chapter 3

Story so far:

Chapter 2
Chapter 1


And then there was light. The room flooded with a pale yellowish glow, with the light bulb shining with its full fury. The darkness paved way to a brighter enclosure, a scene that was in place just a few minutes ago.

And, just as abrupt the appearance of the eyes was, they disappeared briskly.

Sapna was still gasping for breath, sweating profusely, her vision still fixed towards the direction of those eyes, which just a few minutes ago looked so prominent, but now had vanished without leaving a trace of its presence.

"What happened girl, Are you okay?" Aunt Padmini asked, holding her hands.

Sapna was still shocked to speak. She looked around for Swapnil, but he was no where to be seen.

"Where is Swapnil?" she asked, finding her breath.

Aunt Padmini moved her fingers through Sapna's hair, lovingly caressing her, and said, "I sent him to fetch water for you. He was the one who knocked at my door when the lights went out, asking me to come. When I came, I saw you lying unconsciously on this bed, shivering. Did you see a bad dream?"

Sapna was shocked to hear this. Was she dreaming? Were the eyes a mere prop in a nightmare?

But no, she wasn't dreaming, she was quite awake and in control of her senses when she was talking to Swapnil and the lights went off, before the horrendous view came into place. How could it be that she was lying unconscious and yet seeing things that were more than real?

She looked at Aunt Padmini. She was around thirty five years of age, with long black hair that sometimes swept the ground. She had a face that personified beauty and elegance, and a charm that idolized calm and poise.

"I don't know Aunty. It looked so real," Sapna tried to comprehend the situation, "there was someone, something over here, right behind me. I wasn't dreaming. I am sure."

Aunt's eyes grew narrower. The softness in her face changed to a feeling of hatred and resentment. She looked sharply at Sapna, and asked, "What did you see, girl?"

Sapna was frightened with this sudden change in Aunt's behavior. She, however, replied in a slow, measured tone, "I... I saw a pair of big red eyes."

Swapnil returned with the water. Aunt handed the glass to Sapna, and with a sharp defiant voice, said, "Now look girl. Do not make up stories that will frighten your brother. I do not want these nonsense in my house. So stay quiet about these stupid stuffs, and do not fill your brother's brain with stories that are so unreal." Saying thus she left the room.

Sapna was disheartened with Aunt's reaction. She drank the water slowly, sip by sip, until the glass was half empty. Keeping aside the glass on the table, she asked Swapnil to come and sit besides her.

"Tell me bro," she asked softly, so that Aunt couldn't hear her from the other room, "didn't you see any red eyes?"

Swapnil shook his head in agreement, and said, "Yes. I saw. You looked at the wall."

Sapna was encouraged to know that Swapnil noticed the events too, and asked again, "That's what I am saying. I saw two red eyes towards that direction. Did you notice whose eyes they were?"

Swapnil lowered his head and said, "No eyes on the wall. I saw your eyes. They were big and red. You had big, red eyes."


What happens next :

Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Shadows - Chapter 2

Story so far:

Chapter 1

Now Read Ahead:


Aunt Padmini's house was a decent sized two room affair. It was a single-storied apartment, with a roof above. The external of the house was painted in shades of green, complimenting the wide expanse of garden that lay surrounding the house. The interior was beautifully colored too. The drawing room was an amalgamation of light blue and cream, while the room allotted to the kids had a pinkish tinge to it. Aunt Padmini's room, well, let's leave that for later.

"How was your day? What did you learn?" Sapna asked her brother, as they sat on their bed, munching popcorn. They had a good lunch. The meal of rice, lentils and fish was delicious.

It was 5 in the evening now. The sun was preparing to set behind the Pahari Hills. However, she couldn't savor this beautiful scene, that Sapna had so often read in story books. The reason, there were no windows in the room.

Aunt Padmini had retired to her room. She was probably having a nap.

"Day good. Teacher bad," Swapnil tried to conclude in his limited array of words.

Sapna loved her brother. His cheeks were so soft, delicate. Sometimes, she measured the size of his legs and fingers; they looked so minuscule in comparison to her. As such, she was over protective of her sibling.

"Why dear? What happened?" Sapna asked curiously. She loved talking to her brother.

"Teacher scolded," he replied with a sad expression.

"You must have done something wrong, didn't you?" Sapna inquired, teasing.

"No. Rahul's cake.I ate that. he cried. Teacher scolded me."

Sapna laughed her heart out. Swapnil had a sweet tooth. He loved eating all things sweet, toffees, chocolates, cakes, pastries. As such, it must have been difficult to resist when he saw some one else opening his lunch box to unravel a piece of cake. She pressed his cheeks playfully.

Just then, the lights went off. Everything went dark. Pitch black.

There was no window or ventilation, there was no way they could get some light inside. Sapna and Swapnil hated dark places, like all kids do. They feared darkness, and they shouted in restless fear.

"Aunty. Where are you?"

There was no response. They waited for the sound of her door to open, which would mean Aunt had woken up from her sleep and was now coming towards their room. They craned their ears, but couldn't hear any sound.

"Thud!!!" A sharp noise came from somewhere behind them. Yes, in their own room itself. "What was that?" After several moments of indecision, Sapna looked behind, and her eyes met terror.

Staring at her were two red eyes, ferocious and large. Sapna wanted to shout, but her voice disobeyed. The eyes kept staring, unflinchingly, pulling her towards its dreadful reach.


What happens next:

Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Shadows - Chapter 1

The school bell rang. It was time to go home.

"Bye Sapna. See you tomorrow," her friends waved and bid her farewell.

The first day of school didn't go as bad as she had feared. The teachers were supportive, she got acquainted with a few girls with whom, she thought, she could be good friends. They shared similar likes and were warm and cordial towards her instantly.

What more, she noticed a few boys looking at her from the corner of their eyes, stealing sideway glances when possible. One of the guys even came up to her during the Geometry class, but couldn't say anything more than "Can I borrow the compass, please?" She had giggled silently thinking about it in the girls' restroom, but the boy was sort of cute.

Anyways, all in all she had a good first day in Sacred Learning Private School, Javena. Javena is a small hill station located towards the Eastern side of the country. Many who live in the other parts of the country had never even heard of this place, and thus it was saved from any harmful interference by outsiders. There were hardly any tourists, lending the place its quiet and serene nature.

Sapna had started loving this place since she came here with her younger brother, Swapnil, a couple of days ago. The reason, their parents had to fly off to the States for a few months due to some business conference. Though the kids, aged 12 and 5, would have preferred staying back at their Delhi residence, their mom was skeptical about leaving them alone. That was when she dialled up Aunt Padmini's number.

Aunt Padmini was mom's best friend. She was divorced, and had no kids of her own. As such, she had a liking for both Sapna and Swapnil. The kids, though, couldn't tolerate some of Aunt's seemingly unnatural behavior; but then, they couldn't refuse their parents commands.

They had to oblige.

Sapna hopped back home. Her brother must have had also returned home from the school where he was admitted. She hummed one of her favorite tunes and walked along the mountain road, lined with coniferous and pine trees.


What happens next:

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9