To The Moon And Back

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Five years later.

ON THE EARLY wee hours of Friday morning on November 23, 2017, Priya Malhotra was standing near the window of her bedroom, inhaling deeply of the cool damp air, and staring up at the few twinkling stars freckled across the inky canopy of the darkness of the sky. The soft rhythm of the cool air, combined with the chorus of cicadas music, hung around her. The street looked isolated, overlooking Priya's bedroom window except for a few stray dogs roaming around. Nothing changed, and nothing eased her tense nerves.

Her eyes closed shut, and a lone tear escaped from her right eye. There it was again... the shrill screams of a woman echoing in her ears. Gripping the window sill, Priya forced herself to block the voices out.

Merely a few minutes back, it felt like an explosion inside her chest, and she jerked awake out of the abysmal specter. She sat up on her bed, her chest heaving up and down and her hand flying to wipe the sweat beads on her temple that trailed down. She remembered how her fearful eyes wandered around and then slightly relaxed when she realized she was in her room. Even then, she felt suffocated. Plopping back down on the pillow, she tried to find sleep. But, she found herself standing in front of the window, counting the stars in the sky. The furious thumping of her heart didn't seem to find relief.

Everything is fine, she told herself.

It's been a while since she had this nightmare. Well, almost two years if she remembered correctly. Whenever she dreamt, she always saw and heard a helpless woman and a green-eyed man. The woman's agonized screams and cries made her cry in sorrow. Priya felt vulnerable that she couldn't do anything to help her. From that... catty-eyed man. His horrendous laugh gave chills down her spine.

It all felt real. But in reality, it wasn't. Priya thought she had overcome this nightmare a long time back. And those sleepless nights.

It looks like she hasn't. Why is it suddenly triggered? She wondered.

The alarm clock she set to wake her up echoed in the room, startling her. A deep inhale and a glance at the time made her sigh. 4:00 A.M. Too early to start the day. Then again, there was a lot in store for this particular day.

Her father's death anniversary.

Maybe. Just maybe... it's because of this reason her nerves were all frazzled up.

Running a hand through her hair, she walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. From the bottom of the drawer, she pulled out an old handmade album and sat down in the chair. The album, which held her childhood memories, felt heavy in her hands as her eyes roamed over the worn-out edges. Opening the album, she first saw the smiling faces of her family. It was the day when her mother gave birth to her little brother. Her eyes turned glassy when she looked at the happy faces of her father and mother and the excitement of having a sibling in the little Priya's eyes.

Her mother said that her father died in the hit-and-run. But... her heart says otherwise. Should she follow her heart or believe the rational proofs? Everything was a blur before and after the accident. All she remembered was her father in a blood pool.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the painful reminder.

Five Years. It has been five years since Manish Malhotra – her father – was deceased.

Exactly what happened that day? It was a question she couldn't sort out. Yet! It was like her mind completely shut that accident out.

Various emotions ran inside her as questions started to form in her mind. Frustration filtered through her as she found no answers. Her heart ached when she thought about everything she'd lost. It wasn't easy after her father died. She'd not been able to say goodbye to her father. Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer that his soul rests in peace. A few more tears rolled out the closed end of her eyes and fell on the photo.