Dusky Moonlight

Chapter- 14(1)

"Do I look like my mother?" Rathi asked resting her chin on her elbows.

"Yes. You look like your mother and also your father," Masumi replied folding her worn-out saree.

Rathi nodded since she knew it. Shankari once blurted out that Rathi looks like a mixture of her mother and father.

Some thirteen years later after Aadhavan's birth, Masumi miraculously got pregnant with Rathi's mom. Her husband doesn't believe it's his child since he's too ill at that time, even Masumi too. She doesn't know how it happened. But Aadhiyan's great grandfather asked her to keep the child as he knows the reason behind it-- she recalled the memories and said it to Rathi.

"Revathi, that's your mother's name,"

"She's like a ray of sunshine, bright, beautiful, and intelligent woman; I raised her giving all my strength." Masumi with her shaky voice said putting her daughter's images at front of her eyes.

"But... her fate. She died," Masumi cried and Rathi becomes sad. Rathi tries to ask about how her parents died but Masumi refused to open up.

"Why you're not saying the truth to me. Why no woman survives here?" Rathi asked.

"Somethings are better to remain in the heart. Their times ends so they left this world and you'll know the truth if the gods want you to know," Masumi puzzled her.

Rathi rolled her eyes in frustration. "Do you at least have any pictures of my parents?"

Masumi took a leisure moment to say, "Aadhavan has your parent's photo,"

"Then tomorrow morning I'll ask my father-in-law," Rathi, at last, had the hope that she could see her parents.

Aadhiyan watched them from the window. His face possessed a kind of sinister annoyance. He gritted hearing Rathi's wish to know about her parents and about their death.

"You can't let her know that your father killed her father," the voice whispered against his ears.

"What should I do. If she keeps pestering my grandma, then one day she'll tell the truth." Aadhiyan replied and looked himself in the mirror. The demon stood right behind him. Its eyes glowed in the lights, it's flesh is rotting and pitch black. Aadhiyan looked at it with a fear assorted respect.

"Then kill the person who gives the chance for it," the voice decreed him. Aadhiyan eyes widened in horror about what it means. He hesitated to kill his own grandmother but the Demon held his shoulders,

"You've to or you won't get your Price," it said and Aadhiyan still couldn't take it.

"No I can't do it," Aadhiyan nodded.

"You can do it, I'll tell you how to," the demon cackled and the lamp went off suddenly turning the room totally dark.

When the flame again went on, Aadhiyan opened his eyes and it glowed like the demon's eyes thus being fully possessed by the demon now.

Today the sky is devoid of the moon and it's completely dark outside.

The night was eerie and soundless, the wailing sound of the owl is heard from the far end. The chill oozing wind made Rathi close the door tight and she fell asleep comfortably under the bedsheets unaware of the horror that's going to happen to her grandmother.

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The next day Rathi opened her eyes when someone knocked on the door, she got and opened the door to see her father in law. She's confused when he saw tears in his eyes. He held her hand and guided her to Masumi's room.