Five years later.

ON THE EARLY wee hours of Friday morning on November 23, 2017, Priya Malhotra was standing near the window of her bedroom, inhaling deeply of the cool damp air, and staring up at the few twinkling stars freckled across the inky canopy of the darkness of the sky. The soft rhythm of the cool air, combined with the chorus of cicadas music, hung around her. The street looked isolated, overlooking Priya's bedroom window except for a few stray dogs roaming around. Nothing changed, and nothing eased her tense nerves.

Her eyes closed shut, and a lone tear escaped from her right eye. There it was again... the shrill screams of a woman echoing in her ears. Gripping the window sill, Priya forced herself to block the voices out.

Merely a few minutes back, it felt like an explosion inside her chest, and she jerked awake out of the abysmal specter. She sat up on her bed, her chest heaving up and down and her hand flying to wipe the sweat beads on her temple that trailed down. She remembered how her fearful eyes wandered around and then slightly relaxed when she realized she was in her room. Even then, she felt suffocated. Plopping back down on the pillow, she tried to find sleep. But, she found herself standing in front of the window, counting the stars in the sky. The furious thumping of her heart didn't seem to find relief.

Everything is fine, she told herself.

It's been a while since she had this nightmare. Well, almost two years if she remembered correctly. Whenever she dreamt, she always saw and heard a helpless woman and a green-eyed man. The woman's agonized screams and cries made her cry in sorrow. Priya felt vulnerable that she couldn't do anything to help her. From that... catty-eyed man. His horrendous laugh gave chills down her spine.

It all felt real. But in reality, it wasn't. Priya thought she had overcome this nightmare a long time back. And those sleepless nights.

It looks like she hasn't. Why is it suddenly triggered? She wondered.

The alarm clock she set to wake her up echoed in the room, startling her. A deep inhale and a glance at the time made her sigh. 4:00 A.M. Too early to start the day. Then again, there was a lot in store for this particular day.

Her father's death anniversary.

Maybe. Just maybe... it's because of this reason her nerves were all frazzled up.

Running a hand through her hair, she walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. From the bottom of the drawer, she pulled out an old handmade album and sat down in the chair. The album, which held her childhood memories, felt heavy in her hands as her eyes roamed over the worn-out edges. Opening the album, she first saw the smiling faces of her family. It was the day when her mother gave birth to her little brother. Her eyes turned glassy when she looked at the happy faces of her father and mother and the excitement of having a sibling in the little Priya's eyes.

Her mother said that her father died in the hit-and-run. But... her heart says otherwise. Should she follow her heart or believe the rational proofs? Everything was a blur before and after the accident. All she remembered was her father in a blood pool.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the painful reminder.

Five Years. It has been five years since Manish Malhotra – her father – was deceased.

Exactly what happened that day? It was a question she couldn't sort out. Yet! It was like her mind completely shut that accident out.

Various emotions ran inside her as questions started to form in her mind. Frustration filtered through her as she found no answers. Her heart ached when she thought about everything she'd lost. It wasn't easy after her father died. She'd not been able to say goodbye to her father. Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer that his soul rests in peace. A few more tears rolled out the closed end of her eyes and fell on the photo.

A face flashed in her mind, making her fingers itch. She snapped the album on the table and pulled a drawing sheet and pencil from the holder in a practiced way. Her right hand moved over the white sheet on its own accord as if it had a mind of its own. When she completed, she stared at the drawing in confusion.

The reflection of her thoughts stared back at her. It was the face of the woman she dreamt of. She was young and beautiful. A long, black velvety mane of curls almost entirely hid the woman's face. And her eyes... they seemed to expand and look right through you.

Priya smiled slightly and shook her head. She'd become paranoid, she thought sardonically.

She glanced out the window. The slight tint of orange in the sky made her aware of the time. The humming of the birds filled the air, and she knew it wouldn't last long with the buzzing Delhi traffic.

Leaving the woman's drawing on the table, she walked out of the bedroom, tying her loose hair up in a messy bun and mentally going through the day's schedule.

Usually, it was: getting her butt to the office, checking emails, scheduling meetings, sorting the issues of the troublemaker son of her boss, and whatnot; and other things like paying bills, grocery shopping, walking her dog, and there goes a long list. Today, she has to get her mother and brother to the temple for her father's saarthakarma. And she was happy this year she was able to afford Annadhan in the name of her father.

A coffee would help her ease her senses and proceed the day.

∞∞∞

A MOAN ESCAPED her lips at the dark taste of the coffee. Nothing was much better than a good coffee to start a day. Sitting on the kitchen floor and rolling the laddoos with her hands, she didn't realize she made two plates full of laddoos, and she was doing the third plate until the voice of her mother startled her.

"Priya."

"Good morning, Maa," Priya said with a smile.

Her mother, Indira, stood at the threshold of their tiny kitchen, looking at Priya dumbfounded. Priya watched as her mother narrowed her eyes.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Indira asked as she walked towards her daughter. She was in her old floral-patterned nightgown from last night, and her hair tied up in a typical tight bun.

"Yes," Priya responded as she cast her eyes down to her hands working on another laddoo. She felt her mother settle next to her and then made her look at her.

"You know," Indira said, looking deep into her daughter's eyes that spoke volumes, "You are a terrible liar."

Priya's lips curled to one side. "I tried to. But I couldn't. This..." she raised her hands, "kept me occupied," she said and looked at her mother's face. "Even you didn't," she stated.

Indira smiled sardonically, looking away, and pulled the laddoo mixture towards her. "How can I? I miss him badly," her voice croaked at the end.

Without a word, Priya engulfed her mother. She, too, wanted to cry but wouldn't.

Over the years, after her father's demise, Priya learned to put the pieces of their lives together. Initially, Priya and her brother Aditya spent a significant amount of time worrying about their mother. Priya supposed the loss of her husband, the shock of a daughter's jilted engagement, and a teenage boy who barely started to show the signs of achieving something in the world had taken a toll on her. Indira's world revolved around her husband and children, they knew. But, what happened that made their mother leave Delhi city? This question constantly nagged Priya since the time she woke up from the coma.

At the time of the accident, Priya had been with her father. One second she was talking and laughing with her father about what she wanted for her wedding, and then, she found herself in her native home to hear that her father was not there anymore. Everything was a blur before and after the accident. When she opened her eyes after one month of being in a coma, she was shattered. She didn't even have a last look at him. For a year, she was bed-ridden. She was traumatized by the accident, and the doctors told her she had 'Selective amnesia.' She had been frustrated that she didn't remember anything and refused to believe her father's death was because of a hit-and-run.

For some unknown reason, her instinct doesn't agree.

Her obsession with finding the truth either led Priya to lose consciousness or end up with a painful headache. Since then, her mother reprimanded her for talking or even thinking about Manish's death anymore. Priya thought it was for the best, taking in her mother's health condition. Because Indira had been closed up and depressed ever since Manish died and Priya's broken engagement. She lived in constant fear for her kids until Priya recovered and stood on her own feet. Taking charge of the household, she surprised everyone and even herself. Priya pushed herself. At first, it'd been difficult to move back to Delhi. On the one side, finding a job and the other side convincing her mother to let her move back to the city was on the top of the list. In the end, she succeeded and made ends meet.

Even after everything, it was still there. The desire to know the truth.

"Maa, you know Papa, right? How he'd get riled up seeing your tears. Please don't cry," Priya said, trying to comfort her mother and at the same time calming herself. "I bet he's trying to break open the heaven doors. I pity those heaven guards. Tsk!"

Indira chuckled.

She pulled back and cupped Priya's face lovingly, forgetting about her laddoo hands. "Your father would be so proud of you," she said.

Priya pulled back instinctively and groaned. "Maa!" She rubbed her smeared cheek ‒ which her mother painted with laddoo mixture ‒ over her shoulder. They both laughed. "When did he not. I am the best," she smirked, as she stared into her mother's eyes, "Even now, he's watching over us."

Indira nodded.

"Go and get ready," Indira said, pulling the ingredient plate away from Priya. "I'll do the rest."

Nodding, Priya flicked her hands in a spare vessel and stood up to wash her hands. "And..." she stopped when Indira continued. "Wake up, your brother. It takes him hours to get ready..." she added. Priya laughed.

Aditya Malhotra, Priya's brother. He was an eighteen-year-old, always booming of energy and quite handsome for his age. Why not? Unlike Priya, he was conscious of his looks and used them to his advantage. Their parents always joked that they both had been born reverse.

As Priya made her way towards her brother's room, her lips curled in a smile when she heard the sound. A second later, a giant burly form appeared out from behind the sofa. "Bobby," she called the mutt. She opened her arms as her pet dog raced towards her with its tongue hanging out. It's an Old English Sheepdog. Priya laughed as it pounced on her standing on its hind legs, but Priya managed to hold her stance. Even with Priya being five foot four, Bobby reached up to her chest.

"My boy is energetic this morning, huh," Priya ruffled its fur and chuckled when Bobby barked twice and panted as if agreeing with her. Kissing Bobby on his forehead, she said, "Come on. Let's go and wake up that kumbhakarna."

Once again, Bobby barked excitedly.

Walking into her brother Aditya's room, Priya shook her head in annoyance. Everything‒ including his clothes, medical textbooks, and even his human boneset ‒ was scattered everywhere in the room. He was studying medicine and was in his first year. "Adi..." Priya yelled as she strolled towards his sleeping form. "Get up," she pulled his blanket harshly. He just groaned and dragged a pillow over his face.

"We are going to be late for pooja. Get up and get ready," Priya tried to pull him by his arm. But damn! "He's heavy," she muttered under her breath.

Priya put her hands on her hips, annoyed when she saw Bobby moving over one of the bones ‒ a humerus, she recognized ‒ near the foot of the bed. He sniffed the bone and barked.

Priya smirked. "Darling brother," she called in a sweet tone, "Your boneset is gonna become a meal to our Bobby."

Just as she finished those words, Aditya bolted up in a sitting position and looked over where he last left his things. "Bobby," Aditya screamed while stumbling onto the floor, startling the poor doggy and pulling the boneset out of his reach.

Priya laughed at the expression of her brother when Bobby started to lick Aditya's face.

"Aargh! Di," Aditya glared at his sister. Though angry, he patted Bobby on its head lovingly. "Why did you let Bobby near my things?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. You should know where to keep things. Anyway, we are getting late. So..." she gestured up and down with her finger, "Up." As she turned to leave the room, she heard him mutter 'Devil' followed by a loud groan. Probably, Bobby once again started his lick buffet.

Priya giggled.

∞∞∞

A FEW HOURS later, Priya and Aditya were helping their mother carry the laddoos inside Lord Shiva's temple. She wore a white-colored saree, and her hair braided elegantly in a mermaid style. As it was Friday, the temple was crowded, and she caught a few people at the place where they do saarthakarma.

Seeing the crowd, she thought the ritual wouldn't be done anytime soon. Thankfully, she took a day off from work, she mused. Anyway, her mother had already talked with a pandit the day before to take care of the ritual. For this afternoon, she had paid for annadaan, which the temple treasury would take care of on behalf of the Malhotra family.

Soon Priya and her mother and brother sought God's blessings and were standing outside near the stairs. While holding her cell phone and the laddoos plate in her hands, Priya turned to Indira and said, "Maa. I'll go and circle around the temple while you talk with the pandit. Call me when it's done." Indira agreed and took Aditya with her.

Priya started circumambulation while praying for the well-being of her beloved ones. As she was walking along the backside of the temple, a feeling of nostalgia hit her.

The last time she came here was with her father, Manish. And the very same day, the accident happened. It was the day before the engagement of Priya with Manish's friend's son, and Manish was jubilant. He brought Priya to Shivaalay temple for blessings while her mother was home to receive Aditya coming from the hostel. A new life called Priya. But, everything changed with Manish's death. Only then she realized how much of a self-centered man her almost-fiancé was. He...

She shook her head.

A heavy load settled on her shoulders, trying to sink her to the ground. She refused to budge. Taking a deep breath, she blinked her misty eyes while trying to hold herself from opening the dam of feelings. If she allowed herself to feel everything, then it would be too hard to pick herself up. She's stronger than that, Priya said to herself as she did every time she felt like falling apart.

She was over at the temple backside doing the third round when a small girl ran past her, accidentally grabbing the loose end of her saree. Priya smiled but halted in her tracks when the kid fell flat on her stomach. Instinctively, Priya rushed over her just as the kid started bawling. While kneeling and placing the plate on the floor, Priya gently picked the girl up. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Priya asked, brushing her frock and looking for injuries before glancing at the kid's face. Priya's eyes shimmered with a certain warmness at the sight of the little girl in front of her.

Such an angelic face. Dressed in a puff-sleeved white frock with two pigtails, the girl must be at least five years old, Priya thought. There were tears in her eyes as the little one bawled and rubbed her eyes with a tiny fist.

Priya's heart melted. She cupped her face and thumbed her cheeks, wiping her tears. "Are you hurt?" she asked again softly.

Thankfully, the girl stopped crying. She sniffed, staring at Priya. She pouted cutely and bobbed her head as yes, making her pigtails bounce.

Priya almost cooed at how adorable she looked. "Oh no!" she exclaimed dramatically, feigning shock when smiling inside. "You are? Where?"

In reply, the girl pointed to her knees. Sure, there was a small bruise from the impact. Priya once again gasped in a dramatic way saying, "Such a big wound. Let's punish the one who caused it. What say?" Then, she gave a slap to the ground. The little one giggled and crouched down next to Priya.

Priya grinned and again repeated her action. The little one clapped her hands, laughing gleefully.

"And..." Priya playfully tapped the girl's tiny dainty nose, "That's how you smile. Never cry. Okay," she said softly, smiling.

The little one stared at Priya with eyes filled with curiosity.

"What's your name?" Priya asked.

The girl continued to stare at her. Her head tilted to one side and a smile on her face.

Priya's eyebrows shot up, and she laughed at herself. Of course, she might have looked like a creep asking her name when she doesn't even know her.

"Where is your mommy?" Priya asked. At that question, the little girl's face fell with sadness. Priya frowned.

"You must have come with someone, right?"

With hesitance, the girl bobbed her head and pointed her finger behind Priya. Before Priya could question further, an old man ‒ probably in his sixties, dressed in faded white Kurti and Dhoti ‒ walked over to them with a relieved expression.

"Gudiya! Aap idhar ho (Doll! You're here)," the old man said, lifting the little girl in his arms.

"Ramu Kaka," the little girl exclaimed, circling her hands around his neck.

Priya stood holding her plate. The old man named Ramu looked at Priya questioningly.

Before Priya could speak, the little one started babbling animatedly. "Kaka! See. I fell," she showed her knees. "This lady helped me and beat it very nicely," the last words she said in a cute excited manner, making both the elders laugh.

"Aha! She did good, right," Ramu said, looking at Priya with a small smile. "Wait. I'll also show it. Is this the one?" he asked, pointing his foot in front, and stomped on the spot. The girl laughed.

"Thank you, bitiya," Ramu said to Priya.

"Not a problem," Priya responded. As Ramu turned to leave, Priya stopped them, "Uncle wait..."

She smiled at the little one who was smiling right back at her brightly. Her eyes twinkled when Priya gave a laddoo to her. "Thank you," she exclaimed.

"You're welcome," Priya said, and then turning to Ramu, she offered him another. "Prasaad, Uncle," she said when he looked at her with uncertainty. It's natural when someone interacts with a stranger, so she wasn't offended. He accepted and thanked her before turning to leave with the little one.

The girl twisted back and waved at her, gobbling the laddoo. Priya smiled, waving back. Something tugged at her heartstrings as they disappeared around the corner.

A warm gush of air rushed through her. Something was going to happen, she thought, as her gut twisted and an eerie feeling settled inside her.

∞∞∞