Suman's hands flew to her mouth, her voice trembling. "B-Blood…" she stammered, unable to finish the thought.
Vanraj and Sanjeev exchanged worried glances. "How… how is blood coming from Arnav's photo frame?" Vanraj asked, his tone tight with disbelief.
Vedshree's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a grave whisper. "Do any of you even realize… what this means?"
Suman's voice quivered as she recalled, "Tabeezi… she had said that we would see five signs… when it returns."
Sanjeev's brow furrowed. "What… what is returning?"
Vanraj shook his head, sighing heavily. "Brother, your memory has gotten weak. You've forgotten… the warnings, the stories…"
Sanjeev pressed again, urgency creeping into his tone. "I'm asking—what is returning?"
Vedshree's gaze swept across them, eyes dark with fear. "The… Evil Eye," she said, her voice trembling, yet certain. "It is returning."
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The family's collective heartbeat seemed to echo in the stillness, each realizing that the darkness they had feared for years was stirring again.
Suman's hands shook as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tabeezi… she had said that we would see five signs when the Evil Eye returns. This… this blood oozing from Arnav's photo… it's the first sign. It means the Evil Eye is upon him."
Vedshree's lips trembled, tears spilling freely as she choked back a sob. "The second sign…" she murmured, her voice breaking. She rushed toward the wall clock, her heart pounding in her chest.
The clock's hands spun unnaturally, moving backward, a cold chill creeping up their spines.
"Look!" Vedshree's voice wavered. "The second sign… it's here."
The others hurried over, eyes wide with shock and fear. Vanraj and Sanjeev exchanged a grim glance, while Suman's face paled further.
"Yes… the second sign," she whispered again, her voice trembling as if speaking the truth aloud made it more real.
The room was suffused with a heavy, oppressive silence, each of them acutely aware that the darkness they had feared for so long had begun its subtle, creeping return.
Before anyone could gather their thoughts, a sudden shadow fell across the window. A black crow landed there, its beady eyes glinting in the sunlight.
It let out a sharp, echoing coo—once. Then again—twice. And a third time.
The sound resonated through the room, chilling them to the bone. Vedshree's hand flew to her mouth, trembling. Tears streaked her cheeks as she whispered, "The third sign… it's here…"
The crow tilted its head, cooing silently once more before taking flight, vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared.
Suman's eyes were wide with fear. "It… it cannot be happening," she murmured, her voice shaking.
Vanraj gritted his teeth, fists clenched. "The signs… all of them point to Arnav," he said, voice low and tense.
The room fell silent again, the air thick with dread, as each of them realized that the Evil Eye had truly returned—and Arnav was at the center of it.
The air inside the temple was heavy with incense and devotion. Pranati carefully circled the Thali around the idol, her ankle still throbbing with every step. Her focus, however, was unwavering, a quiet determination in her eyes as she whispered prayers for her parents, wherever they might be.
Suddenly, a marigold petal slipped from her Thali, fluttering to the ground like a tiny golden star. Both she and Arnav bent down instinctively to pick it up. Their hands brushed lightly.
Time seemed to pause. They froze for a heartbeat, eyes meeting in a lingering, unspoken connection. The world around them—the temple, the sounds, even the pain in her ankle—faded into the background.
Pranati's breath hitched slightly. Arnav's grip was careful, protective, yet firm. Their fingers intertwined as they lifted the flower together, the faint warmth of his hand seeping into hers.
For a few timeless moments, they simply looked at each other, the weight of everything—fear, guilt, and an unspoken understanding—passing silently between them.
Then, reluctantly, Pranati whispered, breaking the delicate spell, "Move, mister… I'm getting late."
Arnav's lips curved slightly, and he straightened, holding the marigold carefully, the brief connection lingering in his gaze as he followed her lead.
To be continued.....