The Mourning Moon

Chapter 32

This was boring. So boring. Sitting in the lab in front of the computer, typing in instructions their professor asked them to write. Ugh! So Boring! It was infuriating as well. That Prof. Dinesh Khurrana. The way the professor would stare at Shreshth was just so so so...unprofessional . Yes. That's the word. It was not creepy. No. It was....sad and dejected. Why would he stare at someone like that? Someone whom he did not know... Well, it does not matter. Ansh did not like it one bit and he did not like their new computer professor. But he was still better than the cafeteria lady, Jaya Dewan, who stared at Shreshth like he was some piece of meat. Shreshth was always uncomfortable whenever she was present which was most of the time. She would find a reason to talk to him or touch him without his consent. Ansh would interrupt whenever he was present. But what about when he wasn't? What then? Why can't people keep their hands to themselves? Was it so hard? Ansh closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes and staring at the glaring computer screen. He needs to calm down.

"Is everything ok, Ansh?," came that infuriating nasal voice of the professor.

Ansh looked at the professor with a forced smile, "Yes, sir."

The professor looked at him with a critical eye before leaving.

Ansh let out a deep sigh as he focused on his work. He can't wait for this class to be over.

Once the class was over, Ansh, Shreshth and Ishita walked over to their last class of the day. As they neared the Geology department, Ansh suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. He stopped walking. Shreshth and Ishita stopped as well when they noticed that Ansh was not walking with them. They turned around and saw Ansh standing a few feet behind them, frowning.

"Ansh, come on. We'll be late for our class," Ishita hurried him.

"Huh. Yeah," Ansh said before joining Ishita and Shreshth as the went to their class. The rest of the day went without a hitch.

Now, Ansh was home, the sense of foreboding still present. Today, for some reason, Ansh did not want to leave Shreshth's side. He wanted to stay by his side. But he can't do that. Not without a valid reason, at least. So they had to part ways and Ansh did not like that. He groaned. What should he do? He did not like this feeling at all. He needed to distract himself. But how? Should he call Shreshth? Yes, he should. Without second guessing himself, Ansh picked up his phone and dialed Shreshth's number.

"Hi, Ansh," Shreshth answered.

"Hi. Did I disturb you?," asked Ansh, a bit apprehensively.

"Nope."

"Good. What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just painting."

Ansh was surprised.

"You paint?," he asked.

"Yep. Sometimes."

"That's so awesome. And what are you painting, right now?"

"Who knows?"

"Oh, come on! Tell me, please, please, please."

"Nope. If you want to know, you have to come here and see for yourself."

"Please, don't tempt me."

Shreshth chuckled before asking, "What were you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just lying down on my bed."

Ansh and Shreshth talked for about two hours before hanging up. The calm and happiness that Ansh felt after talking with Shreshth was everything. Ansh turned around to lay on his side, sighing happily, when his eyes landed on his mother's book 'The Love Of The Sun', sitting in his book shelf. He got up and picked the book before lying down on his bed and started reading it.

"It was so surreal. The sound of the laughter. Anshuman looked at his beautiful wife who was playing with their children. She looked so happy. He wished that her happiness would stay the way it is.

'Anshuman,' his wife called. 'Come play with us.'

Anshuman chuckled at his wife's childishness before joining his family at the playground.

'What are we playing?,' he asked.

'We are playing Seek the Hidden,' his eldest answered, merrily...."

The book fell down on Ansh's lap as he fell asleep. When he woke up it was already 7:30 p.m. He yawned and got up from his bed while stretching his back and went downstairs to the living room.

"Had a nice nap?," his dad asked, who was sitting down on the couch watching a comedy movie with Anshika and Ananya.

"Mhmm," Ansh answered. "I am going to make myself some tea. Does anyone want some?"

"No, thanks," came the reply in chorus.

"Okay." With that Ansh made his way to the kitchen.

Anshika suddenly had a evil thought come up in her mind and she sneakily followed Ansh to the kitchen. Ansh was standing in front of the gas stove. He lit up the stove. But before he could put on the kettle a loud 'BOO' startled him causing him to accidently place his hand on the fire. He looked behind him and found his sister cackling madly while holding her stomach.

"You brat," Ansh cursed, "I am going to kill you today."

Anshika ran out of the kitchen. Ansh also followed her before remembering that he left the stove open. He went back and turned off the unlit stove before once again chasing after his monster of a sister. None of the sibling noticed that Ansh's hand landed on the lit stove and that his hand was unscathed even though it landed directly on fire.

It was New Moon tonight. So nobody realized that the moon had turned. Blood. Red.