The Valley || ONC2023

Chapter 7

"Goooood Morning, ladies! Hope you are feeling at the top of your health!" Raghav, or as Bhairavi had taken to calling him: that boy, jogged over to the group just as everyone finished their breakfast. 

Bhairavi noticed the dark circles under his eyes and that he was wearing the same shirt he was donning the day before. Must have spent the night getting drunk! 

She had barely caught any winks the night before after seeing the dead girl walking… standing… whatever. Same difference! 

Soon after waking up, the sleep-deprived woman had handed her phone to Maithili, asking her to go through the pictures and select some she liked. Surprisingly, the girl obliged cheerfully and returned the phone to the rightful owner after 'hearting' a few of them. 

When Bhairavi had enquired if she found anything odd in them, the girl had shrugged and mouthed a casual 'Naa.' before returning to her business: prettying herself. 

'Maybe, I am the only one seeing her.' Bhairavi had concluded, and suddenly multiple possibilities had taken form in Bhairavi's consciousness:

I am losing my mind.

Borderline Schizophrenia.

Stress-induced dementia. 

Paranoia

It has to be one of the above. Right? 

It can't be real, can it: Koyal walking among us!? 

Bhairavi ran her eyes over the now-smiling women. No one seemed to have noticed Raghav's unkempt look. 

If anything, the guide's arrival sprinkled new jest into the otherwise sulking faces. "Before we officially commence our day, I want to share a few things with you all." he continued in all seriousness, "Last night, I went to Jiddal Gaon. Since I am responsible for your safety and failed Amrit Nani, I thought the least I could do was check on her and apologize."

Though the words sounded sincere, there was no compassion in the young man's eyes. In fact, if Bhairavi had to guess, she would say the boy looked relieved.

'Hadn't Raghav's mother been close to Aunty-ji?' Bhairavi contemplated. 'Had Aunty-ji exaggerating their bond?' 

"I am happy to inform you that she is stable. But due to the injuries, she and Ms. Kaur will no longer be part of this tour. In fact, they must have already reached home safely by now."

The news hit Bhairavi hard. Her mind drifted to yesterday's incident. As a doctor's daughter and wife, she could attest that even though the older woman had sustained mild burns, it was nothing that a light course of antibiotics, proper medication, waterproof dressing, and a good night's sleep couldn't fix. So why had Amrit abandoned the tour?

"So, are we ready for today's adventure?"

Bhairavi realized with a start that her absentmindedness had cost her missing the day's schedule. Not wanting to stand out like a sore thumb, she nodded and followed the group to the waiting van. 

The day passed in the blink of an eye. Their visit to the Fallen Fort, followed by lunch and a stroll through the centuries-old Medicine Garden, had proved entertaining and educational. The stressed woman, too, had forgotten the possibility of a (very) dead 'Koyal' walking among them for a few blissful moments.

Dressed in matching floral crayola-yellow salwar kurtas with braided hair twisted into a bun, the mother-daughter duo turned heads at both tourist locations, much to the group's younger women's ire. Which translated into the two being left kinda-sorta alone by the rest of the group.