The Horror of Nandighati

Return to The Past

From that day forward, Ashudev's life spiraled downward. Each night, he was plagued by the same haunting dream, and with each passing day, the toll on his health became evident. His mother, noticing his deteriorating condition, grew increasingly worried. She attributed his malaise to the stress of preparing for college exams. Concerned for his well-being, she took him to a doctor, who advised him to avoid overworking and handed him medication to alleviate his stress. Yet, nothing worked; the dreams persisted, tormenting him night after night.

Determined not to alarm his mother further, Ashudev masked his suffering behind a façade of normalcy. Yet, internally, he was crumbling. The only person who seemed to grasp the extent of his turmoil was his grandmother, but she remained silent in front of his mother, fearing that her words would only add to the distress.

Then came a day when everything changed-a day that plunged Ashudev into a deeper abyss. He was searching for something crucial, a small item that seemed to have vanished. In desperation, he rummaged through his old wardrobe, a repository of worn-out belongings. Amidst the clutter, he discovered what he was looking for, but he also unearthed an old briefcase cloaked in dust. Intrigued, he cleaned it off before opening it.

Inside, he found a photo album and a diary. As he flipped through the pages of the album, he was struck by horror; the images captured a place eerily similar to the one haunting his dreams. His heart raced as he recognized the faces of people from the photos-those same figures that appeared in his nightmares. Stunned, he felt a wave of disbelief wash over him, struggling to comprehend whether what he saw was real. He checked again, only to be numbed by the horrifying realization that it was indeed the same place and the same people.

Horrified and bewildered, he closed the album and opened the diary, hoping for answers. The diary revealed the name of the village-Nandighati-a place reputed to be the epicenter of black magic. A map of the village accompanied the entries, igniting an insatiable curiosity within him.

From that moment, Ashudev's life grew darker, shrouded in despair. One day, while taking the bus to college, he sensed that someone was following him. He turned to see a boy at the back of the bus, whispering, "Come back..." before disappearing into thin air. Panic surged within him, and his blood ran cold. The fear that had been building for weeks now erupted into a full-blown terror.

From that day forward, he began seeing the spirits of those in the photos-people who had died decades ago-haunting him for an unknown, forbidden reason. They followed him wherever he went, whispering, "Come back." The lifeless faces filled him with dread, leading him into a spiral of panic and anxiety. His mother, witnessing his erratic behavior, grew more concerned, fearing he was experiencing hallucinations. She took him to the doctor again, but no answers emerged from his consultations.

One fateful day, when his mother was out of the house, Ashudev was once more confronted by those spectral figures. Trembling in fear, he ran to his grandmother, seeking solace. "Some lifeless beings are following me again!" he exclaimed, his voice shaky.

In that moment, his grandmother, with a grave expression, approached him. "I think it's time for you to know something, my child," she said softly.

Ashudev frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's the history and the cause of all the problems plaguing you now, dear," she replied, her voice steady yet filled with sorrow.

"Why didn't you tell me before, Grandma? I'm terrified! I feel like I'm on the verge of dying from fear!" Ashudev's voice cracked.

His grandmother took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Ashu, but there's a right time for everything. All of this begins with a small village named Nandighati, said to be the epicenter of black magic. My father was from that village. Before we moved to the city, we lived there, but something dreadful happened to him-something that led to a catastrophic event."

Ashudev's heart raced. "D-do you mean that whatever dreams came to me are real? Oh no, how do you know that, Granny?"

"Because that is why I lost my son, Ashu, and you lost your father. This is the reason I lost my husband, too, dear." She began to weep but quickly regained her composure. "All of this is because of a curse that will never end until you go to Nandighati. You are now the one who can end what my father began."

Ashudev's mind raced as he processed her words. The urgency of his situation became glaringly clear-he needed to solve the mystery or risk becoming the next victim of this family curse. Determined, he began to research Nandighati online, confirming his grandmother's claims. It was indeed a place steeped in dark magic and ancient rituals. How had he not known this until now?

Nandighati was located in Purmak, far from his hometown, but he felt an inexplicable pull to go there. One day, he told his mother he was going on a vacation to alleviate his stress. Given his recent struggles, she readily agreed, hoping the change of scenery would help him.

The day finally arrived. Ashudev packed his belongings, a sense of urgency propelling him forward. At the airport, he hugged his mother tightly, an ache in his heart as he contemplated whether this might be the last time he would see her. As he embraced her, he caught a glimpse of vague faces grinning at him from behind, whispering, "Welcome back..."

As he boarded the plane and ascended into the sky, his thoughts spiraled into the depths of his family's history. Were any of his ancestors still in Nandighati? He opened the diary's first page to reread it, gradually succumbing to sleep, only to find himself face-to-face with those forbidden faces again.

Back at home, his grandmother spoke to herself with a strange smile. "There's nothing that can be done about it until HIS sacrifice is complete." She gripped a knife tightly, waiting for Ashudev's mother to return. When she finally opened the kitchen door, the old lady stabbed her from behind. The house echoed with her anguished screams. After taking her life, the grandmother cried out, her voice breaking, "Let the world face your wrath with the last sacrifice being that-"

And with that, the darkness deepened, entwining Ashudev's fate with a legacy of horror that he could no longer escape.