I Love You Monster

THE CURSE WITHIN

दिल की गहराइयों में कोई राज़ छुपा है,
एक अंजानी परछाई का एहसास बसा है।
उसके छूने से जैसे बिजली सी कड़क जाती है,
एक पुरानी दास्तां दिल और दिमाग पर छा जाती है।

ख्वाबों में हर रात वही अजनबी चेहरा आता है,
सिर्फ उसकी एक छुअन से सब कुछ बिखर जाता है।
किस्मत का खेल है या किसी का दिया हुआ श्राप,
इस दिल के दर्द का शायद अब न कोई हिसाब।

Abhimanyu had always felt a strange sense of excitement when he thought about his first day of school. It was a new beginning, a chance to make new friends, and to learn new things. As the sun rose on that fateful day, he woke up with a mixture of excitement and nervousness bubbling in his chest. He quickly got ready, grabbed his bag, and set off for school.

The school building loomed large as he approached, and as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a cacophony of voices, laughter, and the hustle and bustle of students rushing to their classes. Abhimanyu had received his timetable the day before, and to his surprise, his first class was a free period. A wave of relief washed over him; this gave him some time to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves.

He wandered into an empty classroom, choosing a seat by the window where sunlight streamed in, casting warm golden beams on his desk. Taking out his sketchbook and pencils, he began to draw, allowing his mind to drift away from the newness of the environment around him. Drawing had always been his escape, a way to channel his thoughts and feelings onto paper.

He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice someone approaching until he heard a soft voice beside him. "Wow, you like sketching?"

Startled, Abhimanyu looked up to see a girl standing next to him, her eyes wide with curiosity. She had an air of confidence about her, the kind that made her seem at ease even in this new environment.

"Yeah," Abhimanyu replied, a little shyly. "It's something I do to relax."

"Can I see them?" she asked, her tone friendly and genuine.

Abhimanyu hesitated for a moment but then nodded, handing her the sketchbook. As soon as she touched it, something strange happened. A jolt of energy surged through his body, almost like an electric shock. It wasn't painful, but it was intense, and it left him feeling disoriented. His heart began to race, and suddenly, his brain felt like it was being squeezed from all sides.

Images started flashing in his mind, fragmented and incoherent, but all centered around one thing—a curse. A girl's voice echoed in his head, warning him of a terrible fate. His thoughts became muddled, and he could feel a dark presence lingering in the back of his mind, as if someone or something was trying to take control.

The girl in front of him seemed to sense that something was wrong. She looked at him with concern. "Are you okay? You suddenly look pale and you're sweating."

Abhimanyu blinked rapidly, trying to shake off the strange sensation. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," he stammered, forcing a smile. "Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

She handed the sketchbook back to him, still looking a bit worried. "Alright, if you're sure..."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he repeated, this time more firmly. He didn't want to worry her, and he definitely didn't want to think about whatever had just happened. It was probably just his imagination running wild, right?

The bell rang, signaling the end of the free period, and the girl smiled at him one last time before heading off to her class. Abhimanyu quickly packed up his things, trying to put the strange incident out of his mind.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur of introductions, lessons, and meeting new people. Abhimanyu found himself enjoying the day more than he had expected. He made a few friends, laughed at some jokes, and even participated in class discussions. By the time school ended, the strange experience from the morning seemed like a distant memory.

When he got home that evening, he was exhausted but happy. He had survived his first day, and it had gone better than he could have hoped. After dinner, he went to bed early, looking forward to the next day.

But that night, his sleep was far from peaceful.

The dream started off normally enough, with him wandering through a forest. The trees were tall and dark, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands. As he walked deeper into the forest, a heavy fog began to roll in, making it difficult to see. He heard whispers all around him, soft at first, but growing louder with each step.

Then, out of the mist, a figure appeared. It was a girl, her face hidden by a hood. She stretched out her hand toward him, and as she did, Abhimanyu felt that same electric shock from earlier, but this time it was stronger, more painful. His head throbbed, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible force.

The whispers grew louder, more urgent, and he could make out fragments of words—curse, danger, doom. The girl in the hood took another step closer, and Abhimanyu felt paralyzed, unable to move or speak. Her hand reached out to touch his chest, and as soon as she made contact, his vision went white, and a sharp pain shot through his entire body.

He woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. The room was dark, and for a moment, he had no idea where he was. But as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized he was in his bedroom, safe at home. The dream had felt so real, so vivid, that it took him a few minutes to calm down and convince himself it was just a nightmare.

But as he lay there in the dark, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream. The pain, the whispers, the girl in the hood—it all felt too real to be a simple figment of his imagination.

The next morning, Abhimanyu tried to push the memory of the dream aside. He told himself it was just his nerves, a reaction to the stress of starting a new school. But deep down, a small part of him couldn't let it go.

As he got ready for school, he couldn't help but wonder—was the dream connected to what had happened when that girl touched his sketchbook? And if it was, what did it mean?

Abhimanyu knew one thing for sure: the curse, whether real or imagined, was not something he could ignore. As he headed off to school, a sense of unease settled over him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that his life was about to change in ways he couldn't yet understand.