The Mourning Moon

Chapter 31

The woman stood there in front of him, a small smile playing on her lips as she stared at Ansh.

"Mom!," exclaimed Shreshth before rushing to her side and engulfing her in a tight hug.

The woman laughed heartily as she returned the hug.

"How are you, Shreshth?," she asked after breaking the hug.

"I am fine, Mom. What about you?"

"Now that you are here, I am doing amazing."

Shreshth laughed before hugging her once again. He then broke the hug and turned to Ansh.

"Ansh, this is my second mother, Sama. Mom, this is Ansh, my friend."

"N-Namaste, Ma'am," Ansh stuttered.

"Namaste, Ansh. Why are you standing there? Come on in," Sama said.

Ansh nodded and entered the house. He looked around the house. The house was similar to that of Shreshth's and was decorated in the same way. The only difference was the colour of the walls which was white and there were more house plants in here than at Shreshth's. They went to sit on the couch and sofa chair that was placed near a huge window. Sama sat on the couch while Ansh sat in the sofa chair. Astha went to place the Lilies in a vase and she took Shreshth with herself as well to help her in preparing snacks and beverages for all of them. So in the living room there were only Sama and Ansh accompanied by Gibbles, Trinity and an awkward silence.

Ansh was nervous. If he looked to his right, there was Trinity, looking at him as if he was some kind of treat. To his left was Gibbles, judging him as if he had committed sin. Then, in the front, was the woman, Sama, whom he had met in the bus who said some really weird stuff that day.

The said woman was staring at him. A secretive smile playing on her lips.

"So, Ansh," Sama started, "you are a Geology major like Shreshth."

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Ansh nodded.

"I see. Why choose Geology though?"

"I-I love crystals, ma'am."

Sama raised an amused eyebrow at the answer.

"I see. I wonder why though."

Ansh looked up at Sama and there it was, the same mysterious smile that she had when they first met.

"Ansh, life brings many hardships and obstacles. Whether you overcome them or succumb to them, is your choice. Life forces you to make your decisions. Whether you make the right one or the wrong one, is again your choice and you have to face the consequences for that, doesn't matter whether you like it or not. Remember that," Sama said, the smile never faltering.

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It was late at night. Ansh was lying down on his bed, holding the Citrine and Tanzanite flower close to his chest. Today's meeting was successful and a little bit stressful as well. He enjoyed himself at Shreshth's parents' house, though in the beginning, he was a little unsettled. The conversation he had with Shreshth's mom was weird but after the conversation was over, everything went on smoothly. He had lunch with them and enjoyed the time he spent with them. When they were leaving, Shreshth's mom hugged them both. Though what Sama whispered to him confused him.

"Be ready," Sama had whispered.

'Be ready'? Be ready for what exactly?

Ansh sighed and went to sleep.

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"The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?," a male voice whispered.

"Yes, they are," replied a female voice.

"They have aligned."

"Mmhmm."

"I can't wait for tomorrow night. It will be New Moon. We failed then. We will not fail this time."

The woman smiled gently before kissing her lover.