Chapter-15 Lanterns In The Dark
621 Words
Morning came with a softer sky.
For the first time in weeks, the house didn’t feel heavy.
It felt awake.
Suresh was already at the dining table, spreading out printed documents.
Aditya joined him, calm but sharp, scanning through names, numbers, dates — every detail mattered now.
Riya and Meera cooked together again.
Small laughter returned in tiny sparks — not loud, but warm.
And Anika?
She moved quietly through the house, observing, planning, preparing.
Always steady.
Always thoughtful.
---
A Strategy is Born
Suresh tapped one particular name in the documents.
Suresh:
“This one.
Prakash Malhotra.
He’s not the biggest player — but he’s the weakest link.”
Anika nodded.
Anika:
“He never liked confrontation. If cornered, he will talk.”
Aditya leaned forward.
Aditya:
“So we start with him.”
Riya crossed her arms.
Riya:
“And how exactly do we ‘corner’ someone who has powerful lawyers and security guards?”
Suresh smiled faintly — tired, but sure.
Suresh:
“By not threatening him.
By giving him a reason to want to tell the truth.”
Anika’s eyes gleamed.
Anika:
“A guilt angle.”
Aditya nodded slowly.
They had their first target.
Their first step.
Their first move in the fight.
---
The Festival of Lights
Evening brought a local festival — nothing big, just the neighborhood decorating houses with small lanterns.
Riya opened the window and smiled softly.
Riya:
“Just for today… can we pretend everything is normal?”
Meera looked at her daughter.
The girl who had grown up too fast.
The girl who held broken pieces without complaint.
Meera:
“Yes.
Just for today.”
They stepped outside together.
Children were running with sparklers.
Women tied marigold strings to doorways.
Someone played old songs on a speaker — slightly off-tune, sweetly familiar.
Aditya lit two lanterns.
One he hung outside the gate.
The second, he handed to Meera.
Aditya:
“For him.”
She understood.
Together, they placed the lantern near the jasmine plant.
Its warm glow flickered like memory breathing again.
---
Soft Moments
Riya and Suresh laughed as she tried to teach him how to hold a sparkler “the fun way” — he failed miserably and got teased for it.
Meera and Anika arranged flowers along the railing, working in quiet harmony.
Aditya stood nearby, watching his family from a small distance.
Even in this moment of peace…
He was thinking.
Planning.
Preparing.
Anika noticed.
She walked up beside him, arms crossed.
Anika:
“You don’t have to carry all of this alone, you know.”
Aditya:
“I know.”
But he didn’t look at her.
He looked at the lantern.
Anika watched him for a few seconds more — not pushing, not asking.
Then:
Anika:
“Tomorrow.
We start the war slowly.
We don’t rush.
We take one step… and watch how they move.”
Aditya turned to her at last.
His eyes were steady.
Aditya:
“I trust you.”
Anika didn’t smile.
But her eyes softened — just a little.
Anika:
“Then we win.”
---
But Peace Has a Short Life
A breeze passed.
Lanterns flickered.
A phone vibrated.
Aditya picked it up.
Unknown Number.
He answered.
A voice spoke — smooth, calm, dangerous.
Voice:
“Nice lanterns, Aditya.
Reminds me of the one your father hung the night before everything ended.”
Aditya froze.
His blood turned to ice.
The voice laughed softly — not loud, not mocking — just cruel.
Voice:
“I see you’ve started looking for answers.
So I thought I should welcome you... properly.”
The call ended.
Aditya’s hand lowered slowly.
No fear showed on his face.
Only fire.
---
End of Chapter 15
- Writer
