Karan is an ordinary boy living in Brooklyn, New York. Life is as normal as normal can be.
On his 17th birthday, his father surprises him and says that they are moving back to their roots, in India. A land of spiritualism, faith, and most importantl...
I was still buzzing with adrenaline as I rolled down my window and let the rain droplets fall on my face. The sky was dark but there was no thunder or lightning. The rain was falling in a slight drizzle. My body felt a bit feverish but I hadn't told them yet. The three of us were in no mood to talk anyway. In the meantime, the rain helped cool me down somewhat. The cool breeze felt comforting.
We were in a car, an i20 maybe, and were driving down the highway towards Delhi. Aasha was driving. I had blacked out and she had carried both me and Arun into the car by herself somehow. After I got up I didn't ask anything nor did she look like she wanted to talk anyway. She looked earnest and I felt that Arun and her might've had a fight when I was asleep. Technically she was kidnapping us but somewhere in my mind I was thrilled to be in the same car as my crush but at the same time I was ashamed for being thrilled.
I sank backward into my seat and then looked at the piece of cloth on my lap, charred at the edges. The only remaining piece of my school uniform. As I looked at the fabric I started thinking about what had just happened. Or had been happening for the past year.
As soon as I arrived here I had been seeing a ghost every new moon. And today I saw the ghost at my school. To top it off my classmates were possessed by something or someone and had started talking in unison. Then my classroom exploded in flames.
I wanted to believe that it was all a dream. In fact, I could've almost convinced myself. But the bruise on my forehead was real, the burns on my back were real and the fear in my mind was very real.
"Stop the car"
Both Aasha and Arun looked back. Their faces changed from seriousness to worry.
"Karan you look terrible," Aasha said. "We need to get you some sunlight"
"What do you even mean by that? Just stop the car"
"I'm sorry Karan but I really don't think we should stop now"
"JUST STOP THE FUCKING CAR!"
The car came to a stop.
"We need to turn back," I said as I took a deep breath. My chest hurt for some reason. Did breathing always hurt?
"I don't know where we are going but I can't just go somewhere without at least informing my father. He'll worry himself to death."
She just looked at me with worried eyes.
"I'm sorry but I can't let you go>"
"Well if you won't drive me back I guess I'll just walk"
I opened the door and I stepped out. My feet felt wobbly as I struggled to stay on my feet. I walked to the edge of the road and I vomited. I hadn't had anything to eat after breakfast so only a little bit of water came out but I felt horrible. My breathing felt more labored with each breath. But that shouldn't be happening. Right? Mustering the strength I had left I took a step forward which was a bad idea as I immediately saw spots in my vision. Another step and my knees buckled for a moment. Then another. Then another. And then I twisted my ankle. I fell face-first into the wet road but just as I was about to hit the ground a hand stopped me. I couldn't even turn around because for some reason I was blacking out again. Just before I lost consciousness I could hear some steps behind me and Aasha's voice saying I'm sorry.
Then I passed out. Again.
*****
"Where am I?" I asked as I tried to sit up.
I was laying on the ground on a small bed a few inches above the ground. The mattress was soft and comfortable. I was in a small room that looked like it was made of wood. There was a small circular table next to the bed on top of which sat a small jug of water along with a cup to drink from. There was no one else in the room and there was no noise in the surroundings. Just the sound of a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. Being a city boy, the absence of the sound of traffic surprised me but the most bizarre thing in the room was actually the fact that there was no roof. Instead, the top of the room was open and was letting sunlight in.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As I was processing all the information I tried getting off the bed. I was surprised to find that I felt great. My breathing no longer hurt my chest and I didn't feel dizzy as I took a step. I put a hand on my forehead and to my surprise there was no swelling nor did it hurt anymore. I looked around the room for a mirror and to my surprise there was no bruise on my head. Even the burn marks around the back of my arms had disappeared.
Where the hell am I?
"So you've finally woken up"
I turned around and saw Aasha standing at the doorway. She was wearing a plain white sari with a small gold necklace around her neck. Her long black hair which she usually allowed to flow freely was tied in a neat ponytail behind her back revealing her beautiful face. She was wearing a bit of kajal on her eyes and a small nose ring. She had small earrings and a bangle on her left arm. As she stood at the doorway with the sunlight behind her, she looked like a literal goddess.
I must have been staring pretty hard because she started smiling awkwardly and looked around the room. It took a few seconds to collect my thoughts.
"Yeah, I just... um... yeah"
I guess she found that funny because she giggled and the awkwardness in the room seemed to settle a bit. Was it just me or did the room get brighter when she smiled?
"I guess you're fine now," She said. "It's about time. Follow me."
She turned around and I immediately started following her before I stopped myself.
What the hell man are you a dog? I thought as I kicked myself in the butt mentally.
"Wait. Where to?" I asked.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions and unfortunately I don't have all the answers. So I'm taking you to someone who does."
"And who would that be?"
"The person who told me to bring you here," She said smiling. "We're going to meet Guruji"
