Chapter 7: New Experiences
Everyone was exhausted. The village head, Sarpanch, showed everyone to their rooms. Dr. Sanket and Dr. Yash's families were given separate rooms. The rest of the men were accommodated in a large hall, while the girls were given a separate room. The Sarpanch had prepared a traditional village meal. Everyone ate heartily and was satisfied.
After dinner, everyone sat on the porch of the Sarpanch's mansion. The Sarpanch offered them betel leaves to chew. After a while, he briefly talked about the plan for the next day's expedition. The group discussed the journey.
"The mansion is grand," remarked Dr. Sanket. The Sarpanch smiled and replied, "This mansion was built by our ancestors. Many generations have lived here."
"The accommodation here is excellent," Dr. Yash said. "But today's journey was very tiring."
"Yes, the road through the forest is very rough," said the Sarpanch. "But you are welcome here. Tomorrow morning, we will prepare for the expedition."
Meera, Jayesh, and Supriya were listening to the conversation. Meera was disturbed by the memories of the dark house. She felt there was some mystery about that house.
"Mahesh Kaka (the Sarpanch), can you tell us something about the Kalasgiri temple?" Meera asked eagerly.
(Meera called the Sarpanch by his name, Mahesh Kaka.)
"The temple of Lord Narasimha is very sacred," the Sarpanch said. "Many devotees come there. But there are some mysteries in this area. There are some stories that create fear in this village."
"What kind of stories?" Jayesh asked.
The Sarpanch sighed and said, "I'll tell you those stories tomorrow. Now, everyone should rest. You have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
Everyone went to their rooms. Meera, Supriya, and the other girls went to their room to sleep. Meera was deep in thought. She wanted to unravel the mystery of that dark house.
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Chapter 8: Mysterious Thoughts
Everyone went to sleep, but Meera couldn’t sleep. She was looking out of her window, lost in her thoughts. The memories of the dark house were haunting her. She felt there was something mysterious about that house. It was a bit far from the Sarpanch’s mansion, surrounded by some fields.
Meera started thinking, "What could be around that house? Why was the door of that house closed, and why did it look so old and mysterious?"
She had countless thoughts running through her mind. She thought of waking up Supriya, but then realized that she had to figure out these thoughts on her own.
"If I wake up Supriya, she'll get scared," Meera said to herself. "I’ll talk to the Sarpanch about that house tomorrow."
Her restless thoughts kept her awake. She continued to look out of the window towards the house but couldn’t see anything in the dark.
"I must start unravelling this mystery tomorrow," Meera decided.
As she was thinking, she remembered the stories her grandmother used to tell her, which also had some mysterious elements. Her grandmother had said that the power of the gods was the greatest and could face any danger.
"With the blessings of the gods, we can uncover this mystery," Meera said to herself.
Finally, she went to bed, but the thoughts of the mystery and the house kept her awake. She closed her eyes and tried to prepare for the next day. Her mind was filled with numerous thoughts, but she was determined to unravel the mystery.
That night, Meera was deeply engrossed in her thoughts, but she knew that tomorrow she would get some answers to her questions. She fell asleep, lost in her thoughts, with only one thing on her mind – uncovering the mystery of the mysterious house of Kalasgiri.
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Chapter 9: Terrifying Truth
Morning arrived, bringing a buzz of activity to Kalasgiri village. Sarpanch Mahesh, Shyam, and the team of doctors were busy setting up a camp in the village. The villagers were preparing the school for the camp, which was located right in front of the Sarpanch's mansion. The Sarpanch's mansion was the first house near the village entrance. On both sides of the road, small farms added to the village's serene and picturesque view.
After the villagers completed the preparations, tea and breakfast were served. Meera, Supriya, Apoorva, and Anvi were helping Sarpanch’s wife, Neelima, and their daughter, Sayali, with the cooking. The kitchen was bustling, but Meera’s mind was continuously occupied with thoughts of the old, terrifying house. She wanted to ask Sarpanch Mahesh Kaka about it, but she was a bit scared.
Sayali was talking to Supriya when Meera approached them and sat down. She finally decided to voice her thoughts.
"Sayali, do you know anything about that old house?" Meera asked hesitantly.
Sayali’s hands stopped, and she paused for a moment. "That house? Meera, they say it’s haunted. The villagers are forbidden from going there. People are afraid to go near it even during the day."
"Why is that?" Meera asked curiously.
Sayali shivered slightly and continued, "Two years ago, we were playing with some friends. One of the boys in our group, Vivek, went near that house. He just crossed the door and saw something horrifying. His health deteriorated for a month. He had a fever and chills. His condition became so bad that..."
Sayali's mother, Neelima, interrupted from behind, "Sayali, give me the basket of vegetables. I need to make curry."
Sayali quickly changed the subject and handed her mother the vegetable basket. Meera's mind was now filled with more doubts and fears. She decided she had to learn more about the house.
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