AASHI SHARMA

Chapter 3_Karan

7:29 pm on the same day.....

Karan, Where are you going? Asked Druv.

To aunt's house, he replied folding his shirt.

Druv did not stop him since he knew the reason. It is the same day Karan's parents died. He gave Karan a friendly hug and Karan went to his Aunt's house. She knows that he is not okay, But she didn't say a word until Karan and her kids finished eating. She sent her kids to sleep and came out of their room. Karan was standing outdoors in the garden. She looked sympathetically at her Nephew thinking of the past.

Karan's aunt came out and stood beside him and patted on his back. Karan forced a smile at her and resumed looking at the bushes far away.

How long will you torture yourself like this Karan? his aunt asked.

He didn't answer her question. Just smiled without looking into her eyes. His aunt could not stop herself from noticing his dimples and pinched his cheeks. She always did that since he was a kid, even on the day his parents got killed. She told him not to stay out for too long and went inside. Karan fell asleep in the cradle in the garden looking at the bushes.

Karan wakes up from sleep and looked at his hand watch which was beeping at 12:00 am. He pressed the off button and tried to sleep again. He turned sides and tried to continue his sleep for another 15 minutes. Now he knew that he can no longer sleep. So he woke up and sat looking at the sky. The stars were bright, just like the day ten years ago. He was playing hide and seek with his parents and aunt near the lake. One moment, he was laughing as he caught his Mom and she was covered in blood at the other moment. He can still remember her Mom moaning in pain. His Dad handed him to his aunt and asked her to run. He clearly saw his parents being killed brutally even from a distance. 

Karan stood up and started walking towards the bushes for some unknown reason. Maybe his instinct said him to do so. He crossed the bushes and reached the lake. He took a deep breath and looked at the other end of the lake. He was shocked to see someone sitting there, his wrist tightened automatically at that sight but he immediately calmed himself noticing that the person is a girl.

He was confused at his sight. It isn't a place someone would visit for a picnic. And definitely not a place for a girl to come alone at midnight since its in the city outskirts. There isn't any house or hotel nearby accept for his parent's mansion in which her aunt is staying now. Then why the hell is she here? Or is he dreaming? For a moment, he thought he was dreaming about his mother. He rubbed his eyes and pinched himself to confirm he is not dreaming.

Karan stepped forward and slowly approached her from the back. As he got near to her, he noticed that the hands of her t-shirt are ripped as it was cut with a blade. He can see the clotted blood through the cuts in the dim moonlight. As he got a little nearer, he saw her face from the right side. She is looking into her reflection in the water. 

He focused mobile torch at her, She immediately covered her face with her scarf such that only her eyes are visible and looked at him. He did notice a mole on her cheek in that split second. Her eyes were filled in fear and a teardrop fell from her eyes as it was held there for a long while.