We returned back to where we started and once we reached Pradheesh's house, we bid farewell to Pradheesh and rest all headed back to their homes. On our way back, we were both silent grieving about what happened. As we were about to reach our homes,
Me: Am not going to home now, am coming with you.
Thambran nooded.
When we were in bed, I was fully thinking about the whole incident. Infact, I was getting into an obsession of why we couldnt find the Grove ? or whether there was actually a Grove? As I was busy with so much of thoughts, didn't remember when I slipped into sleep.
When Sreeresh gotup in the morning, I was already awake, sitting and thinking.
Sree: You didn't sleep or what ?
Me: something like that only. Am badly caught up with what happened yesterday bro
Sree: What to do now ? All gone in water...
Thambran took a deep breath and continued
Sree: A wise man once said, never be too greedy...
Me: Hope you meant yourself only
By saying that I was looking at him in a disturbed way.
Sree: God may be didn't felt good about us coz we all were so badly after our wishes, didn't concentrate being true...
Me: This was all about the wishes only Sreeresh and God knows that. It's just the plan didn't work out. Now don't start blaming us or god ok...
Sreeresh maintained his silence even though he didn't liked completely what I said.
I was already made up my mind to find out the actual location of the temple. I told the same thing to Sreeresh.
Me: I wanna go there and find out where we went wrong
Sree: whats the point yaar?
Sivarathri has gone, we couldn't meet god, am doomed. Sreeresh was almost broken.
He was sad about what happened yesterday.
I didn't tried to console him. I thought let him fight it out. After sometime,
Sree: When you want to go ?
I smiled at Thambran and he smiled me back
Sree: What big deal right? I lost myself for few days, now iam ok. We will do great in exams, I know you are there to guide and teach me.
Me: That's my Thambran, so happy to hear you bro..
Get your scooter, we are going now...
Even though we were school boys, Sreeresh used to ride his father's scooter. So we headed towards the Grove in his scooter.
Just before reaching the junction from where we taken the turn,
Me: Stop, stop let's ask some of the locals here where is the exact location of Grove
Sree: what is there to ask, you saw yesterday the road we took was a dead end. It's the right one.
Still I went ahead asking about the same and surprisingly, all of them instructed the same road which we took earlier.
Myself and Sreeresh were in a dilemma.
Me: How come we missed yaar?
Sree: May be there was some inner road which we didn't notice
Me: Hhmmm, may be. Our attention alot went towards that coconut field we saw yesterday.
Sree: Exactly, the right side of the road that area, we almost ignored.
Both of us started feeling so bad too as we failed in finding the Grove.
Me: Let's park the scooter here only, we will take a walk like yesterday.
Sreeresh also agreed to that.
We parked the scooter near the junction and started walking towards the left road.
Mind was full of questions and confusions
"Where we both went wrong"
After a while on our walk, I told Sreeresh
Me: Thambran, did you noticed something
Sree: What, earlier was so dark yaar?
How come we notice something?
Me: Don't sound so stupid yaar, yesterday by this time we saw the coconut fields, you remember...
Sree: Yes, you are right
sorry yaar I didn't thought about that
Me: This is not the road we took earlier, am damn sure
Sree: How come Nipin?
We both came through this road only.
Me: That's what am also not understanding where is the field we saw and the lights?
Sreeresh was dead silent.
I became more confused and we kept moving forward.
May be we walk about few more metres and suddenly Sreeresh stopped me.
Me: What ?
Sreeresh didn't answer.
Me: Don't bloody scare me ok, tell me what happened
Sreeresh pointed his finger to a direction. When i got my attention to the direction where he pointed, me too got awestruck because of what we saw. We couldn't believe our eyes.
Me: Is that what we think it is Sreeresh?
Sreeresh had nothing to reply.
The place where we saw the hut and the old women yesterday is not there, instead we saw a Grove covered by tree branches and dead leaves everywhere.
Me: Sreeresh, what is this? I asked.
Sree: No idea man, he said.
I tried to control my breath and asked him, so if this is the Grove, then who was that old granny?
For a moment, we both looked at each other and started running back to our scooter. Not even once, we looked back.
I don't remember how fast Sreeresh rode the scooter. We reached my home, run to room and I lay down in bed. I looked at Sreeresh, he was walking in the room and looking everywhere scared.
Me: What are you looking at in between?
Thambran came so close at me and whispered
Sree: Are you sure that old lady is not with us now in this room.
For the first time, shadow of fear covered me all over. A distinct shivering and adrenaline rush I felt throughout my body. For an instance, I too looked sharply everywhere and told Sreeresh,
Me: Comeon bro, we are in our home. why are we afraid? We went to meet god, not some evil right.
Sreeresh nodded.
I couldn't control myself.
Me: Am I right Sreeresh?
Sreeresh didn't response to that.
Sreeresh was deeply disturbed. So again he just nodded.
Me: Don't keep quiet, say something yaar you are scaring the shit out of me ok, I shouted at him.
Sreeresh was sweating alot and was getting into panic mode. I realised the situation and told him to relax and take rest.
Me: Whatever happened is happened, we are done with that. There is nothing to worry about it now.
He looked at me giving an impression of little bit relaxed.
Me: You take some rest, we both need some rest, ok. I just go to kitchen, just talk to Amma and will be back, ok.
We will talk about this once we are fresh.
I went down to kitchen.
Sreeresh was trying to relax but was not able to...
After sometime, I came back to room and found Sreeresh not in the room.
Me: Thambran, where you gone buddy?
I thought may be he is in the toilet.
I lied down in the bed as I was dead tired too and within no time, I slept.
I slept for around one hour and gotup.
I looked in my room, didn't find Sreeresh. I thought he must have went back to his home. I went down sit with amma, grandma and Nandhu for tea. Then I thought to meet Sreeresh and find out how he is doing. I went to his house. His house is just few mins walk from my home only. When I reached his house gate, saw aunty watering the plants in the garden. The moment I opened the gate, she saw me.
Aunty: Jithu where were you guys, sreeresh didn't come with you, where is he ?
I felt like my heart stopped for a second and then I came to reality and replied,
Me: No aunty, he was with me only & just left my house little time back. I thought he came here only, may be he must have went to Vishnu's house.
I told this, turned and started walking towards the gate.
Aunty: Everything ok Jithu? You looks so tired...
I brought a smile in my face and said all ok aunty, it's just the tiredness coz of not sleeping properly. I thought for a while and straight away went to Vishnu's house. On reaching there found gate was locked from outside. I started feeling my heart stop beating again, I was out of breath.
I couldn't make out what's happening and what to do?
I went back to home, locked my room & sat down in the floor around a corner. As I was at the edge of busting out of fear of what must have happened to Sreeresh, somebody knocked on the door.
I thought may be I felt, as it was not so loud and clear. As I was thinking, the door knocked again. I opened the door and couldn't believe my eyes, found Sreeresh standing infront of me.
He was looking exhausted and kind of dirty. He was standing still with no emotions, looked at me for sometime and came inside the room. He sat on my bed, quiet, looking down.
Me: You look like shit man, where the hell you have been? I went everywhere looking for you, I was shouting.
He looked at me and asked
Sree: Did you look everywhere?
Me: What you mean by that bro?
I went to your house, vishnus house, I was worried and I was just about to take my bicycle and head to Pradeep's house.
I stopped and room went quiet for sometime.
Sree: You didn't look where you were supposed to look.
He really started making me afraid.
I went and sat with him and asked,
Me: Where you gone without telling me.
Sreeresh took me back to the time I went down to kitchen.
Sreeresh was lying in bed and suddenly he felt somebody calling him by his name. He gotup from the bed and looked everywhere, nobody. Suddenly, he felt somebody holding his left hand. He got so scared and looked towards his left side to see who is standing there. As he noticed there is nobody, he lost his control and started to shout. Soon he realised, he is not able to scream. He couldn't speak. He looked everywhere in panic. He heard a whisper in his ears,
" You wanted to see me Sreeresh, come to me"
Then he remembered losing his consciousness and falling down on bed.
I couldn't believe and digest what I heard. We both began to realise that things are changing around us.
Me: So, if you fell down here where have you disappeared ? I mean gone, sorry!
Sree: No, what you said first is correct...
When I woke up, I was lying just infront of the Grove.
Me: What? How's it possible?
You must have gone there by yourself..
You were frustrated, afraid and panic in the morning.
Sree: If that's the truth, why am I not remembering anything from falling down in your room to waking up in the Grove?
Answer me Nipin...
I went silent. I sat down in the bed.
Suddenly, I looked at Thambran and said
Me: The woman...
Sree: What, which woman?
Me: Old woman Sreeresh...
Sreeresh sat on the bed in surprise
Sree: What you saying, Nipin?
Me: I think she is God or some spirit...
Sree: So...
What you trying to say ?
Me: I believe she is with us...
Sreeresh paused a bit and said,
Sree: May be she took me there...
Me: Yes, it's possible
Suddenly something struck my mind, I
got up from the bed and looked over to Sreeresh and said,
Me: Do you remember what she told us when we asked her about the Grove?
Sree: She told us to go back...
Me: Not just that, she told us to get back to the others...
Sree: "others"
Me: Yes, the others...!!!
How did she know about the others, Sreeresh?
©nn_nair