Kanchipuram.
At Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Asha and her two friends were savoring Mysore Pak with spoons.
"Hey Asha... when do you have to join?" asked Kanmani.
"There are still two months left, duo. For now, the offer is confirmed. That’s all."
Asha, smiling, was in her early twenties. She had a fair complexion and a charming, radiant face. Wherever she went, those who saw her once would invariably steal a second look.
"What are you thinking about?" Asha asked Vanitha, who seemed lost in thought.
"We’ve been together for so long. School, college—everything was together. Now it’s time to part ways... that’s why."
"Vanitha... what is this? Like a little child... Bangalore is right here. If I leave at night, I’ll be there by morning. That’s all it is," Asha said, making Vanitha smile.
The three of them stepped outside.
"Shall we go to the temple?" Kanmani asked.
"Now?" Asha checked her watch; it was nearing 4:00 PM.
"Alright, come on. Let’s go to the Varadaraja Perumal Temple," Asha said, hailing an auto-rickshaw. As the others climbed in, the auto sped away.
Ten minutes later, they reached the temple.
"The doors won't be open yet. Let's wait," Kanmani said, and the others nodded.
As they approached the temple premises, a man drew near. He wore a red dhoti and strings of rudraksha beads. His gaze was fixed intently on Asha. He closed his eyes, murmuring something to himself. When he opened them, they were filled with visible terror.
"No... don't... poor thing..." Looking directly at Asha, he said, "Go away somewhere, girl... It won't leave you."
Asha stood stunned. 'What is he saying?' she wondered, confused.
The man almost began to run. As he ran, he shouted back: "The time for It is now... Run away!"
***
"Ma..." Hearing Varsha’s voice, Karthika came in smiling.
"What is it, dear? What’s the problem?"
"He keeps waking me up. He won't let me sleep," Varsha complained with a pout.
"Where are you, son?" Karthika looked for him.
With a loud "Boom!", Vijay jumped out and stood before her, grinning. Karthika laughed at his charming smile.
"What is this, Vijay? Still picking fights with her like a little kid."
"As if she’s a baby! She’s in her first year of college," Vijay countered.
Thinking they would never change, Karthika headed to the kitchen. Her hometown was Namakkal. Her husband, Sekar, had been an artist. After his passing, she moved to Chennai with her two children to live near her brother in the MMDA colony; it had been years now. Her son, Vijay, worked at a software firm in Guindy, and her daughter, Varsha, was a first-year B.Com student.
"Vijay..."
"Amma."
"Come eat."
Vijay sat down as she placed a plate of semiya and chutney before him. He began to eat. 'He's still so mischievous... I wonder who is going to get stuck with him,' Karthika thought.
Vijay laughed. "It’ll be a good girl, Ma."
"How do you know?" Karthika chuckled.
"Just like that," he said, before asking, "What should I pick up from the market?"
"Varsha likes prawns. Get those."
"Oh my god," he teased.
Karthika laughed. "I'll make rasam and potato podimas for you."
"Carry on then!" he said, grabbing a bag and heading out.
Just as he stepped out, Karthika suddenly felt a sharp shortness of breath.
"Vi...ja...y..." The voice that struggled to come out didn't reach his ears. He had already started walking down the street.
"Va...r...sha..." Karthika collapsed. She tried desperately to call for her daughter, but her strength failed. She slumped to the floor.
***
Asha’s mind was entirely occupied by what the holy man had said. After finishing their darshan at the temple, her friends had bid her goodbye. When she returned home, her father, Ekambaram, noticed her troubled expression.
"What is it, dear? Any problem?"
"No, Pa... just a headache," she replied, retreating to her room where she drifted into a deep sleep.
When she checked the time, it was 10:00 PM. 'Have I been sleeping this long?' she wondered. She walked out to find her father watching TV and gave him a small smile.
"Have you eaten, Pa?"
"Yes, Ma. I've kept dosas in the hot box for you. Go ahead and eat."
"Okay, Pa."
Asha was born and raised in Kanchipuram. Their house was near Rangasamy Kulam. Her room was upstairs, while her father’s room was below. Her mother had passed away when Asha was only four. From that day on, her father had been everything to her—father, mother, and mentor. When she first worried about leaving him for her job, he had told her:
"Asha ... no one can be a companion to anyone forever. Today I am with you. Tomorrow your friends will be. Then you'll get married, and your husband's family will be there. But whether someone is there or not, we must never lose our individuality."
That was why she had accepted the job.
After eating, she saw her father sleeping in his room and went up to hers. Since she had slept well in the evening, she wasn't tired now. She picked up an English novel titled Shadow and began to read.
She became absorbed in the book. As time slipped away, she glanced at the clock—it was 11:30 PM. She got up to close the window before bed.
Looking out, the darkness felt unusually heavy, bringing an eerie sensation. As she moved to shut the window, she froze. 'What are those red spots... like two glowing points?'
An inexplicable fear churned in her stomach. She slammed the window shut. As she lay on the bed, those two red spots haunted her mind. Could it have been a beetle or something flying by? she tried to rationalize.
Then, she heard it.
Thud. The sound of someone—or something—jumping over the compound wall.
To be continued
At Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Asha and her two friends were savoring Mysore Pak with spoons.
"Hey Asha... when do you have to join?" asked Kanmani.
"There are still two months left, duo. For now, the offer is confirmed. That’s all."
Asha, smiling, was in her early twenties. She had a fair complexion and a charming, radiant face. Wherever she went, those who saw her once would invariably steal a second look.
"What are you thinking about?" Asha asked Vanitha, who seemed lost in thought.
"We’ve been together for so long. School, college—everything was together. Now it’s time to part ways... that’s why."
"Vanitha... what is this? Like a little child... Bangalore is right here. If I leave at night, I’ll be there by morning. That’s all it is," Asha said, making Vanitha smile.
The three of them stepped outside.
"Shall we go to the temple?" Kanmani asked.
"Now?" Asha checked her watch; it was nearing 4:00 PM.
"Alright, come on. Let’s go to the Varadaraja Perumal Temple," Asha said, hailing an auto-rickshaw. As the others climbed in, the auto sped away.
Ten minutes later, they reached the temple.
"The doors won't be open yet. Let's wait," Kanmani said, and the others nodded.
As they approached the temple premises, a man drew near. He wore a red dhoti and strings of rudraksha beads. His gaze was fixed intently on Asha. He closed his eyes, murmuring something to himself. When he opened them, they were filled with visible terror.
"No... don't... poor thing..." Looking directly at Asha, he said, "Go away somewhere, girl... It won't leave you."
Asha stood stunned. 'What is he saying?' she wondered, confused.
The man almost began to run. As he ran, he shouted back: "The time for It is now... Run away!"
***
"Ma..." Hearing Varsha’s voice, Karthika came in smiling.
"What is it, dear? What’s the problem?"
"He keeps waking me up. He won't let me sleep," Varsha complained with a pout.
"Where are you, son?" Karthika looked for him.
With a loud "Boom!", Vijay jumped out and stood before her, grinning. Karthika laughed at his charming smile.
"What is this, Vijay? Still picking fights with her like a little kid."
"As if she’s a baby! She’s in her first year of college," Vijay countered.
Thinking they would never change, Karthika headed to the kitchen. Her hometown was Namakkal. Her husband, Sekar, had been an artist. After his passing, she moved to Chennai with her two children to live near her brother in the MMDA colony; it had been years now. Her son, Vijay, worked at a software firm in Guindy, and her daughter, Varsha, was a first-year B.Com student.
"Vijay..."
"Amma."
"Come eat."
Vijay sat down as she placed a plate of semiya and chutney before him. He began to eat. 'He's still so mischievous... I wonder who is going to get stuck with him,' Karthika thought.
Vijay laughed. "It’ll be a good girl, Ma."
"How do you know?" Karthika chuckled.
"Just like that," he said, before asking, "What should I pick up from the market?"
"Varsha likes prawns. Get those."
"Oh my god," he teased.
Karthika laughed. "I'll make rasam and potato podimas for you."
"Carry on then!" he said, grabbing a bag and heading out.
Just as he stepped out, Karthika suddenly felt a sharp shortness of breath.
"Vi...ja...y..." The voice that struggled to come out didn't reach his ears. He had already started walking down the street.
"Va...r...sha..." Karthika collapsed. She tried desperately to call for her daughter, but her strength failed. She slumped to the floor.
***
Asha’s mind was entirely occupied by what the holy man had said. After finishing their darshan at the temple, her friends had bid her goodbye. When she returned home, her father, Ekambaram, noticed her troubled expression.
"What is it, dear? Any problem?"
"No, Pa... just a headache," she replied, retreating to her room where she drifted into a deep sleep.
When she checked the time, it was 10:00 PM. 'Have I been sleeping this long?' she wondered. She walked out to find her father watching TV and gave him a small smile.
"Have you eaten, Pa?"
"Yes, Ma. I've kept dosas in the hot box for you. Go ahead and eat."
"Okay, Pa."
Asha was born and raised in Kanchipuram. Their house was near Rangasamy Kulam. Her room was upstairs, while her father’s room was below. Her mother had passed away when Asha was only four. From that day on, her father had been everything to her—father, mother, and mentor. When she first worried about leaving him for her job, he had told her:
"Asha ... no one can be a companion to anyone forever. Today I am with you. Tomorrow your friends will be. Then you'll get married, and your husband's family will be there. But whether someone is there or not, we must never lose our individuality."
That was why she had accepted the job.
After eating, she saw her father sleeping in his room and went up to hers. Since she had slept well in the evening, she wasn't tired now. She picked up an English novel titled Shadow and began to read.
She became absorbed in the book. As time slipped away, she glanced at the clock—it was 11:30 PM. She got up to close the window before bed.
Looking out, the darkness felt unusually heavy, bringing an eerie sensation. As she moved to shut the window, she froze. 'What are those red spots... like two glowing points?'
An inexplicable fear churned in her stomach. She slammed the window shut. As she lay on the bed, those two red spots haunted her mind. Could it have been a beetle or something flying by? she tried to rationalize.
Then, she heard it.
Thud. The sound of someone—or something—jumping over the compound wall.
To be continued
Author: gavudham
Article Title: Beware 1
Source URL: Gk Tamil Novels-https://gktamilnovels.com
Quote & Share Rules: Short quotations can be made from the article provided that the source is included, but the entire article cannot be copied to another site or published elsewhere without permission of the author.
Article Title: Beware 1
Source URL: Gk Tamil Novels-https://gktamilnovels.com
Quote & Share Rules: Short quotations can be made from the article provided that the source is included, but the entire article cannot be copied to another site or published elsewhere without permission of the author.