Haunting Gift - PART TWO

WARNING: READ PART ONE FIRST
She froze in her spot when the monster jumped up in front of her. Her knees wobbled and her legs refused to move. A scream escaped from her throat into the dense orchard without any sound. The lunch basket escaped her hand and sat abandoned by her feet. Somehow, her feet dug up courage from the fertile ground she stood on and she started a run away from him. He chased with his long stride, grabbing with muscular arms. He pulled her delicate 14-year old body down, restraining her flailing arms and legs with his massiveness. He stuffed her mouth with a dirty rag muffling her cries for help. His bulging eyes coming down to her face was the last thing she remembered before passing out.


When she woke flies were playing an orchestra around her. The koel was calling for help in its lyrical sound. From her position flat on the ground she saw an army of red ants charging towards her. She sat up but when she tried to stand, her knees buckled. She crawled towards a tree and leaning against its trunk steadied her painful and bloody legs. Surveying around her she realized she was alone, the monster had done the damage and retreated into the wilderness. Aarti limped towards home, dragging her violated body as bruises grew darker and blood trickling down her legs began to dry. She ran the last steps towards her mother’s shocked face, fell into her arms and began bawling into an inconsolable fit. Between heaves and sobs, she related the nightmare and saw her mother’s face change from anger to fear to despair.

Aarti stayed in the security of her mother’s arms and tried to block out everything. She leaned on the older woman as they walked towards the bathroom. Her mother washed her, cleaned up all the blood, applied soothing concoctions on the bruises and cuts, consoled her and directed her to rest. Later, she made her drink a bitter brew made from herbs and roots but it did not make the nightmares to go away.

Several months passed and her body healed but the bulging eyes of the monster visited her every night. She woke drenched in sweat and grabbed at her sheets to shroud herself in them. One morning, when her mother found her in the corner of the courtyard, keeled over and emptying the contents of her stomach, Aarti was unprepared for what twist her fate had taken for her.

To be continued……