Damini: Unraveling Fates Across Centuries

7. Shadows beneath the water

I tucked the journal under my shawl, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. The words inside could unveil secrets buried for years, or worse, stir the vengeful spirit that haunted this place. I had to be cautious.

Back in my room, I bolted the door and settled onto the floor, placing the journal on my lap. I opened it slowly, my fingers brushing against the delicate, yellowed pages. The first few entries seemed ordinary, filled with mundane accounts of daily life, chores, and festivities. But as I flipped through, the tone shifted, turning darker and more frantic.

28 October 1906

"Today, the priest came again. He warned of bad omens. Father dismissed him, saying the family has nothing to fear with our lineage and our lands. But I’ve seen them, the shadows in the corners of my room, whispering my name. I can feel them watching me, waiting."

I paused, my fingers tightening around the edge of the page. It was becoming clear that Kala Aunt's descent into madness wasn't sudden. She had sensed something sinister long before she pushed Janabai.

The entries grew more disturbing as I read on. She wrote about strange dreams, a voice whispering to her in the night, telling her she was cursed. It claimed that the family was doomed because of sins committed generations ago. She described seeing a man with a burnt face in her dreams, standing at the edge of the well, beckoning her.

My pulse quickened. The apparition I saw matched her description exactly. Was this the same entity haunting the house? Was this burnt man linked to the deaths and strange occurrences? He knew i was from future. 

I continued reading, desperate for answers. One of the last entries caught my eye:

"I have seen her. She looks like me but isn’t. She laughs like a demon, her voice echoing in my head. When I look in the mirror, it’s her face staring back at me, not mine. She wants something from me, but I don’t know what. I tried telling Father, but he didn’t believe me. They think I’m mad. But I know the truth . she’s coming for me, and when she does, it will be the end."

The entry was dated just a week before her death in November 1906.

I closed the journal, my heart pounding in my chest. Aunt Kala was haunted by a doppelganger, a shadow of herself. Perhaps it was not a mere ghost but a part of her, a manifestation of her deepest fears and guilt.

I needed more information, but I couldn’t risk anyone finding out that I had taken the journal. I wrapped it in a piece of cloth and hid it beneath the floorboards. I would come back to it later, once I had processed everything I’d read.

As I lay back, my mind raced. Why did Sati Asra sent me here? I asked them to send me to my loved ones. Except Grandma Neelambari, everybody was a stranger. I need to find Ramesh Kudalkar's direct ancestor instead i am playing haunting with these ghosts.

I knew one thing for sure, the well held answers. It had witnessed too many tragedies . Kala Aunt’s death, the apparition, and perhaps even the beginning of the haunting itself. I had to go back there, no matter how terrifying the thought was.

The next day, I made my way to the well. The sun was high, and the courtyard was deserted. I took a deep breath and peered into the dark, murky depths. The water reflected the sky above, showing me my own face staring back. But as I leaned closer, the image twisted and changed.

For a brief moment, I saw her , a young woman with wild hair, her face pale and eyes hollow. She looked just like me, but her expression was one of pure malice. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, a hand, charred and burned, reached up from the water, grasping at the air.