Publish Or Perish

@Mellow_Supernova | Prompt 1 • Jul '18

A Ritual Gone Awry 

by Mellow_Supernova [published on 13-07-2018, word count: 2064]

Lila and her twin sister Anya felt a sense of peace after relocating to a new village. It was a fresh start, after their father's death. The new village was good enough. Both made some good friends... Everything went well for a few weeks, until Anya caught an illness. And of course, due to the lack of proper medication, her condition worsened.

She grew weaker and weaker, unable to even get out of bed... until she finally passed away. Lila was struck by this loss. For days, she did nothing but cry and cry. She couldn't forget, she couldn't let go.... Her mind only revolved around her beloved sister's death. Could things get any worse?

Yes, it could.

One day, her friend, Radha came to check on her, only to find her crying yet again. Lila opened the door, quickly wiping away her tears. The first thing that Radha did was hug her. Lila closed the door softly and covered her face with her hands, taking a deep breath.

'Life has lost meaning.' She murmured.

'Don't say that! You can't give up...' Radha pressed.

'I'm tired of hearing this..... First, father and then, Anya...' she broke down into painful sobs. Radha sighed. Thoughts flashed in her mind – the temple, the little pond, her father's voice.... She looked at Lila and instantly, felt guilty. How could she not share it with her?

'No, it's too dangerous.' She thought, but looking at Lila pained her. Lila deserved to get some closure.

'What if I tell you that you could talk to your sister one last time, to say your final goodbye?' she asked softly.

Lila looked up, looking confused. 'What do you mean?'

'On the outskirts of the village, within the forest of Bhir, there's an abandoned temple, over a hundred years old... It is said that the barrier between the two worlds – living and dead, is very weak there. Just beside the temple, in the clearing, lies a pond. If you scatter your sister's ashes in it, you can talk to her spirit.' Radha told Lila.

'I don't understand... How is this even possible? How do you—'

'Because I've done it myself,' Radha said with a serious expression on her face.

'You.....what?' Lila asked, utterly confused.

'My father, he died a year ago. He was the one who'd told me about all this. And when he died, I went to the temple.....I scattered his ashes in the pond. And...' she trailed off, deep in thought.

'And what?' Lila asked.

'I spoke to him.' Radha said.

'You...you heard his voice?' Lila asked her, not knowing what to think anymore.

'I saw his spirit. It rose from the pond, and it spoke to me.' Radha said softly.

'Okay....even if this is real; I don't know anything about this place, or what exactly to do. How—' Lila was cut off as Radha spoke up loudly.

'That's why I'm coming with you.'

--------

The forest wasn't exactly scary in the afternoon but they'd have to remain there till night, which according to Radha, was the only time when one could speak to the spirits of the dead. Lila was beginning to think that it would take all eternity for them to reach, when suddenly it came into view. Just like Radha had said, in the middle of a clearing, lay a dilapidated, worn out temple, with cracked walls, and covered with creepers. And indeed, there was a little pond next to it. The pond seemed quite normal, until they went closer and Lila saw that the water was... black. 'What is this?' she murmured.