Prithvi... [Vol 1] (Ongoing) (Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2019)

Chapter 1

November 22 - There was a pooja in Nandini's house today. It was well attended. The last of the guests left a couple of hours ago, and the house had turned peaceful again. Nandini, her brother, mother and grandfather cleared up the items of worship. All of them were tired after a long and hectic day. They were about to enjoy a hard-earned rest when there was a power- cut. But it is winter, and Shamli has a pleasant climate all around the year.

At the moment, Nandini's grandfather and brother are trying to amuse themselves in the absence of TV, her mother is preparing tea, and Nandini is standing at the window in the drawing room, admiring the beautiful night.

The darkness was lit only by the light of the full moon, and Nandini didn't know she was smiling as she gazed out of the window. It was a beautiful night and there was a sweet, untraceable fragrance in the air.

The house wasn't in the heart of the town, and here, apart from a few affluent households that could afford generators, houses were submerged in darkness with only lamps and candles shining here and there like little stars. It was just late evening, but like all other small towns, Shamli's day had come to an end. All had retired to their homes for the night and the streets were empty.

Still dressed in the dark red ghagra choli she had worn for the pooja, Nandini turned away from the window and saw the very round outline of her grandfather walking around the house with a bell in one hand and an incense stick in the other and muttering something under his breath. She was quite sure she knew what he was doing, brandishing the incense stick like a sword. She smiled. Her adorable grandfather was decidedly ghost hunting with all the seriousness of a veteran. But she knew he would love to be asked the complexities of the 'procedure'.

"What are you doing, grandpa?" she asked while walking towards him, trying very hard not to grin.

Bhoothnath stopped in his tracks, and with a pompous and grave look, answered, "I am ensuring the protection of this house tonight."

"Why, grandpa?" she asked, amused and still trying not to chuckle at the thought of the superstitious tale she was about to hear.

"You had to ask, didn't you?" her little brother Prakash, who had been playing with his own shadow on the wall, asked gloomily. "Now he'll tell us how all the demons from the underworld are coming up through the drains tonight to destroy the earth."

Nandini silenced her brother with a look.

"Be quiet, boy," Bhoothnath said, offended. "I have been a temple priest for many decades now. We have been priests for generations! I know all there is to know about the other realms. You are just nine years old. What do you know about spirits, and ghosts and demons?"

"I know they don't exist," Prakash retorted.

"Hmph! All this modern knowledge has spoilt your head. What I say is true. This is no ordinary night," her grandfather declared, "This is a very special night. A night that only comes once in many decades. A night when demigods come down to earth and play their mischief on ordinary mortals. Many things will happen this night, destinies will be met, and so many lives will change forever. Yes...there is some strange magic in the air tonight," his voice faltered into silence and he seemed to have lost himself in his dire predictions.

Nandini and Prakash, who had years of experience with their grandfather's rock solid belief in sometimes cute, sometimes bizarre, but always funny superstitions, heard this speech in silence. Then Prakash burst out laughing and the smile Nandini had been fighting for so long finally won.

"You scorn my knowledge, do you? Children these days...no respect for their elders. Just you two wait and watch. Tomorrow, we will hear of all the strange things that happened tonight," Bhoothnath said indignantly and went off to sulk in a corner.