The FIend

Soon we reached on the outskirts of the town, the forest was just up ahead. There were not a lot of houses, and some of them looked like they had been abandoned for ages now, as we passed through the area, I could not help but notice... a Shrine... a Shrine in the middle of the trail, it looked quite new considering the base and the outer stone of it which looked centuries old, and just like the houses, the idol inside was also made of... wood. I did not think of it much at that moment, but something about it, just made it stand out in my memory.

Before I knew it, we stopped after a few more minutes of driving. The place looked eerie and silent, the forest was just ahead, and these houses were just at the entrance of the forest, I looked around the place as Karan pointed at one of the 'wooden-wonders' there "Yes, 514! That one there" I looked at the manor, it was big, it was old, I felt a weird connection to the place, even though I had never been here ever, I felt as if the place and the forest were calling for me all these years "I-I...I will go get Anu and my bag, please open the door while I do" I requested him, as he nodded and went ahead of me towards the mansion as I opened the back door of the car, Anu was still fast asleep in the back. "Anu... Anu... baby wake up.... we are here, wake up" I shook her as she slowly opened her eyes, looking at me with her big, sleepy eyes "I am up..." she said as a yawn escaped her lips "Yeah honey, we are there, now let's go," I said as I grabbed her and help her up in my arms, I grabbed my backpack and left the other bags in there.

I rushed towards the place, I could feel the moist, damp soil underneath my shoes as I rushed towards it. Karan seemed to be having trouble trying to open the door "Shit is jammed, I cannot open it for the life of me!" he complained "Wait, lets both of us try together" I put Anu and the bag down as we both pushed the door with every last drop of our strength, we banged our shoulders on it rhythmically and just before we knew it, the old wooden door flew open. The smell of Mold and dust filled our lungs with a small tinge of the smell of wild grass and old sandalwood, a cold wind flew right past us from the open door.

And just in front of us, was the magnificent work of medieval architecture, the place looked beautiful, ahead of us were the small rectangular hallways, held up by several towering stone pillars that had gone darker with age, the giant courtyard stood in the middle, with the sunlight from the open roof illuminating it like a spotlight on an opera singer, just like how my father would describe it in his stories. Anu clenched my hand, as she looked at the place, I held her hand and grabbed my backpack.

I stepped inside holding Anu's hand, the temperature shifted subtly, it was not exactly 'cold', but it was cooler than outside, I felt a weird connection to the place I looked around the courtyard, like one would feel around their parents. Karan followed us inside "Well... you are here man... do whatever you want to do now, I will take her outside" he said as he grabbed Anu's hand. "Right... I don't know why I brought her inside in the first" I said as I let her hand go, he grabbed her up in her arms as they walked outside.

I sighed, as I once again looked around me before opening my bag. I took the urn out of the bag; its mouth closed with a red cloth and the hoy thread keeping it on it, I threw the bag on my side as I opened the knot, removing the clothe from the head. As I looked at the ashes inside, I felt empty, I felt like crying... but I just couldn't, not a single tear came to my eyes, I felt sad... I felt devastated... and small... but... still... nothing... nothing at all.

I poured a handful of his ashes and threw them on the courtyard ground, the ashes coating the green and lively grass grey, mixing with the brown soil, as I threw another handful in another direction, and another... and another.... and lastly, I put a bit in one of the old gardening pots... even though they were not holding any plants in them anymore. I put the cloth back on it and tied the holy thread on it again, as I bowed in respect to the place... and my father before turning back outside, closing the door back on my way and locking the place back, forever.

I stepped back on the trail, Karan and Anu already seemed to be in the car. I approached them and opened the front door, and sat inside, "done?" Karan asked. "Yea... almost... take me to the river please" He looked frustrated "I know I said I do not have much to do, and I will help you get to the house and all, but you see I'm not your taxi?" "I-I am sorry sir, but I do not think I will catch a bus or a rikshaw to there here, I request you to please help me" He sighed at my words "Well ok, you are right, I will take you to the river but catch a rikshaw out of the town yourself then, ok?" he said as he took the car in a reverse before taking a U-turn

After another 20 minutes of driving, we reached the riverbank, it was almost sunset now, and the horizon was painted orange as the sun slowly dipped down it. I again got out of the car, with my backpack, as Karan followed with Anu in her arms, I walked down the steps of the ghat, the sound of the evening Prayers and poems chanted by the priests on the riverbank, Standing on top of some platforms, paying their respect and thanks to the river that gives them life, as a lot of villagers sit on the ground behind them, probably paying their respects in their minds.

I stepped down to the shore as I removed my shoes and took the urn out of the bag, tossing it aside as I stepped into the river, I opened the knot and put the red cloth in my pocket, as I dumped the remaining of the ashes in the river. As the ashes mixed and disappeared into the flow of the river... I felt as if a part of me had been dissolved into the water, I felt my childhood drowning in front of me, I felt as if had lost a part of my body, but still... not a single tear dropped down my eyes. Karan and Anu watched from the ghat, as I dumped the final remains of my father into the river.

I then got back up on the ghat and wiped my legs with a hand towel I had in my bag before putting my shoes on. I threw the towel back in my bag as I approached them "yea... let's go" I said to Karan before taking Anu from his hands "Yes, you need to get out of here before the Prayers end or-" Suddenly, a loud sound of people blowing sea shells filled the ghat as the sound of the prayers came to an end. Our gazes shifted to the distant crowd as the priests came down from their platforms and walked up the staircase towards the roads as the people who were previously watching followed them.

"Fuck!" Karan exclaimed "You need to get out of this town quick! Or you would not be able to leave tonight, come on, we need to rush, I will leave you there myself" He quickly ran towards the steps as I followed him, even though he was helping me, it was kind of weird to me that he was so desperate to get me out of the town today itself, but I followed him up to his car before sitting inside with Anu he quickly pressed on the gas and rushed out of there without even caring to put the seatbelt on.

He drove even more recklessly now, even though the road was basically empty and there were only a few other cars and bikes on it, I still thought we were just going to crash into somebody "S-Slow down! What are you doing we have a kid on board!" but he just ignored me. He took a sharp turn at the turn ahead which almost made my head hit the car's window "I am sorry, but you need to get out of here for your own good" he said with a neutral face, as if I just had not almost cut my head open with glass.

I looked back to see Anu, who was doing fine as I had strapped her seatbelt in if anything she looked like she was having fun, I quickly put my seatbelt on as I looked towards Karan, who did not even bother to look even at my general direction "Are you fucking crazy? You will crash!"

"It's getting dark... we are running out of time..." he muttered under his breath, ignoring me. I noticed that the sun was all the way down and it was nightfall, just why this man was so hell-bent on getting us out of this town for I thought, it couldn't only be his concern for two strangers. The car rushed past the uneven roads of the town as the night got only darker, we could hear noises of prayers and seashells coming from nearby, probably the celebration Karan was talking about

Soon we reached towards the market and the town entrance where I first came here from, but this time, it was different, the giant door was shut close and it was decorated as if it was a celebration, there was a small crowd at the gate who looked like they were doing a ritual "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! We are late! Oh lord have mercy" Karan exclaimed as he banged his hands on the steering wheel "W-what are they doing," I asked, the visual in front of me gave me chills down my spine. I did not understand what was happening it was all weird Karan sighed as he looked at me with a cold glint in his eyes, disgruntled.

"I am sorry Vikram... but..."

"You cannot leave now..."

...

....

---------> To be continued...