Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2020 (Judge's Choice) in the New Adult category.
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"The lights are cheeky, you can't live without them, and yet if you get too close, they'll blind you. Darkness? Well it doesn't cheat. It's cool and soothing. It's r...
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Sleep eluded Madhu.
Nakul had left for his room—Raghu Kaka's old quarters next to the cow shed—before she got a chance to stutter an embarrassed apology.
The rough sheets felt irritating against her legs. Her back ached from the thin mattress that barely made her bed better than the floor. The night was too dark, too quiet. Back home she had learned to fall asleep with faint sounds of distant traffic and glow of lit up buildings peeping from the windows; here, the crickets sounded unnaturally loud as they chirped against the background of dead silence.
It was stifling to be back in her old room. Her mother used to sing lullabies to her on this very bed. She used to fall asleep before Madhu, allowing her daughter to sneak out almost every single night.
She pushed the sheets away and got up, swaying slightly from the head-rush. Bare feet slipped into pink slippers before she walked out of the room.
The moon was shining bright above the central courtyard as she made her way to the dining room. Her growling stomach directing her to the table where Nakoo had left a casserole. She opened it to find cold paranthas there, and almost immediately regretted not eating them when they were still hot.
She had just taken one bite of her rolled parantha when something caught her eye. It was a shadow, moving quickly and leaping over the open low-framed window.
Ckikki.
She followed him. In all likelihood, he was only looking for a spot to pee, but she couldn't leave him alone in this unfamiliar place.
Madhu stepped out of the house to the smell of fresh earth. Cold air hit her bare arms, making her shiver. Chikki barked, wagging his tail when she caught up with him, and sped off in the direction of the farm behind her house. The full moon night was devoid of any stars, even as there were no clouds blocking the view. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted into the night.
Wet blades of overgrown grass tickled the top of her feet as Madhu tried to keep up with him. The vastness of this field was unnerving. She could see why her father wanted a quaint resort here, why he thought guests would totally spend thousands of Rupees to bask in this comforting isolation. Right now, however, it was wild. This part of the land was not cultivated upon, even a city girl like her could gauge that. It was a haven for wild plants and pretty weeds.
In the distance, she could see a small bob of light floating in mid-air. Chikki barked once again and started running, prompting Madhu to do the same.
It soon became apparent that the light wasn't floating. Instead, it was coming from a small window of what looked like an abandoned granary. They stopped short in front of it.
"Kewl."
Chikki had nestled himself between Madhu's knees. Watery globes of his puppy eyes seeking her protection.
