'Sins revert to you' a saying so common
Yet remains failed to be understood by many its true depth
For deeds committed here shall be paid here
Punishments one deserves
Promises of a lifetime, even if not in one life, must both be kept.

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11th September, 2053.

Walking dreamily through the crowded streets of the newly built arcade in the busy city of Doon, her mind had been totally occupied by the beautiful pieces of jewellery hanging all about in a tidy stall, located just before her, a common among the many others present in the noisy area.

Advancing her steps towards it unknowingly, she was so lost in the beauty of the tiny stall, her beautiful eyes had just been glued to it the entire time, glittering with a joy so childlike, that the blue orbs shining with ecstasy seemed to reflect her inner soul clearly.

As she reached her destination, her unknowingly moving steps gradually came to a halt, as her hand involuntarily lifted itself, moving towards the particular object that had been the source of her attention all along, it being a pair of a simple yet elegant blue silk thread earrings.

So engrossed was she in her own world, that even her subconsciousness as well as her peripheral vision failed to take notice of a figure hustling towards her past the strange faces. As she was about to hold the object of her quest, she was suddenly pulled out of her reverie, as her hand suddenly got fixated into the air by another thin one, gripping her wrist in a strong hold.

Startled, she turned to find an old man standing only a couple of feet away from her, staring straight into her eyes with a hard and unreadable expression plastered on his face. An old blanket was wrapped around his scraggy figure, his white rough beard covering half of his neck, his almost yellow eyes seemed to be placed on dark round circles just beneath them, while his wrinkled face had been twisted into a hard undecipherable mask.

"Chances are given only once, and those who are lucky enough to have them, often fail to utilise them. A new life cannot be started if one is tied to the previous one. A new vow isn't allowed to be taken if the base of the previous one has been left shattered. All the promises and truths might be just an illusion. Illusions might entangle to create a poisonous utopia. But what you have left pierces it and comes back to you. Deeds are paid at the end of the day. Punishments are imposed by the cruel fate. Sins revert to you in every possible way." The man almost yelled, the magnitude of his strange, obscure words were intensified by the hoarseness in his voice, as she stood there staring straight at him, the eerie words sending a shiver down her spine.

"Excuse me, I don't know you! Leave my hand!" Trying her best to keep her expressions composed, she said in a bold voice, simultaneously trying to pry his hand off her wrist.

"You don't need to. I know you. Very well." He replied with the hint of a strange smirk in his now narrowed eyes, as she now felt somewhat scared of this man, who just refused to let go of her wrist as well as his gaze on her face.

"Prachi!" A voice called out to her from behind, making her head reflexively turn towards the source. The sight of the person made her feel a bit relaxed. She kept staring at him, too shocked to speak, as he approached her.

"What are you doing here alone? We were supposed to shop together." The man enquired with a slight smile on his face.

"R..I..I..This man.." She managed, turning towards the other side again. However, her senses failed to catch a glimpse of any such person standing before her. Scanning the area around suspiciously, her worried eyes rested at the other man before her, as he raised his brows at her questioningly.

"Noth... Nothing. Guess I'm just stressed by the marriage shopping now." She replied, trying to convince herself in reality, as she sighed once, tucking a loose tendril of her hair behind her ear.

"You look even more beautiful when you do that. Can't believe I'm getting married to the girl of my dreams." He said dreamily, winking at her.

"Shut up Rehaan. Stop flirting with me." Ordered Prachi.

"Fine. But what are you doing here? Want something?" He asked, looking around her.

"Yes, I.." She replied, turning to search for those earrings once again. However, her words were cut midway as her eyes caught a glimpse of something different, causing her to stare at it for a long minute with a blank mind.

".. I want that scarf." Said she, raising her hand to point her index finger at a shop nearby. Her voice, however, lacked emotions when she said that, as if she had seemingly been too lost in something, or was talking under some spell.

Rehaan followed her gaze, frowning slightly. "But you don't like red." He informed her.

"I want that scarf." She repeated, as she started to move towards the desired object in the same state.

"I want this scarf." She lifted the coveted material, caressing it gently.

"Fifty bucks." Replied the vendor. However, Prachi had already been moving away with the fabric gently clasped in her hands, while Rehaan followed her confused, after paying the seller.

"Prachi! Wait!" He called up again, almost running to her. However, her feet never bothered to stop, as she kept walking ahead blandly.

"Prachi!" Rehaan finally managed to reach her, as he shook her shoulder from behind.

Prachi reacted as if the sudden force had pulled her out of something, as she stared at him, startled.

"Are you fine? You're already making me run behind you, even before our marriage. What will happen after it, is a mystery to me." He shook his head, pretending to be shocked.

"I'm fine. Let's just go." She replied with the same tone, moving in front of him once again, as he sighed once, before obediently following her.

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Caressing the scarf gently, Prachi stared at it with an undecipherable emotion as she sat at the edge of her bed. She felt something different about it. As if the ordinary piece of clothing was trying to tell her something. As if she had felt that softness before too. As if there was something suspicious about it's red hue...

'Do you feel something?' A voice whispered close to her ear.

Too lost in her thoughts, she nodded once blandly.

'Do you remember something?' Another whisper interrogated.

"No, I don't." She replied, furrowing her brows, before turning towards the source of the voice, only to find no one before her.

Signing once, she began moving her steps towards the mirror placed at the corner of her room, never bothering to think about the voice, for it had not been the first time she had experienced it. Such whispers had always been part of her life since her childhood. Though no one ever believed her, she wasn't scared of them anymore. On the contrary, she had in it, found herself a companion to talk to, someone with whom she could share everything piled up in the deepest corners of her heart.

As she stood in front of the mirror, still lost in thoughts, she gently placed the scarf around her neck.

'Beautiful.' The voice whispered once again. However, she didn't reply this time.

Suddenly out of the blue, her eyes caught a glimpse of something strange. As soon as her eyes met the sudden sight, her body froze to its spot. In front of her, there stood someone in the mirror, standing behind her, as it reflected. The figure seemed to belong to a man, someone young, with a hard expression etched on his beautiful face, staring straight at her through the beautiful piece of glass.

As she stared into his eyes, her mind began to get clouded with sudden images, images alien to her. As a particular image flashed across her mind, she felt something gradually tightening around her neck, before all of a sudden, the scarf had been clutching her neck in a tight hold. Her hands reflexively went up to her neck, as she tried her best to get rid of the beautiful fabric almost killing her. Words failed to escape her mouth, her throat felt to be on fire, as she struggled with the tight clutches, struggling to breathe, her eyes never leaving the mirror.

The sudden creaking of the door immediately caught her attention, as she felt the grip of the cloth around her neck loosen rapidly. Breathing heavily, she whirled around, only to find her room empty once. Turning back to the mirror, her brows furrowed in confusion, as she could just see herself in it now.

"Are you fine, Prachi?" Rehaan asked, stepping towards her from the door.

"Yes... Yes I'm fine." Replied she, still staring at the mirror. "Go from here."

"But.. " He began, frowning at her strange behaviour, only to be cut off midway by her.

"I said leave." Prachi said boldly, as he left, before she bleakly went to her wardrobe. Keeping the scarf at a place deep in it, she moved towards her bed, before lying on it as she switched off the night lamp.

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12th September, 2053.

The clock struck twelve, marking the beginning of the very same day, yet again. The day which had years ago, destroyed lives, separated people, crushed hearts. The day which had separated the fates of three people, at the same time tying the three fates together through many other lives in some way in the worst possible manner. That very day of the 12th of September, was once again back, bringing with it the harbingers of the same, the connections of the past, clutches of the unknown, the clutches of the time.

Prachi who had been sleeping uncomfortably in her room, suddenly felt a touch on her skin, a cold touch caressing her cheek harshly. Frowning at the disturbance, she titled to her side. This time, she felt an even harsh touch, someone roughly caressing her waist, before she felt a sudden cold breeze near her left ear.

'Prachi! Get up!' The voice whispered from somewhere far away at that precise moment, all the things happening around her causing her to open her lids with a jerk, as she got up with a jolt, sitting upright on her bed, with sweat beaded on her forehead.

Breathing heavily, she glanced all around her room, only to find it in a highly disordered state. The dark room had been completely disarranged and messy, the frames on the wall had been lying on the ground, the curtains blew all around due to the strong wind blowing outside the window, while the only thing lighting up the room with a dim light was the moon's presence. Her wandering gaze came to an abrupt halt, as she saw a red fabric kept close to her on the bed. The strange red hue shone strangely in the moonlight, though she clearly remembered burying it deep within her closet. Her confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the whisper once again.

'Run away! Run away from here!' Startling her, the voice once again suddenly whispered close to her ear, with a somewhat alarming tone in it for the first time since twenty two years.

However, before she could reply to it or contemplate anything, another voice whispered close to her other ear. A voice different from the first one, a harsh voice, which carried a strange aura with itself, different from the first one, an aura of extreme discomfort and uncanniness, which sent chills down her spine.

'Where will you run?
Your sins will follow you everywhere.
Yous deeds will revert to you.
This time you won't be spared.'

She sat there frozen. Her heart raced in her chest, with an unknown fear cuffing it tightly, as cold sweat droplets rolled down her forehead. She had always known the other voice, it had seemed through the years as if it was a part of her, something which had been there with her everytime. She didn't know how or why, but at a point she had stopped worrying over them, for she felt as if it had gradually began to arouse a sense of a strange comfort within her.

However, this, this other voice, what was it? Who did it belong to? And why did she suddenly hear it? What did it mean? What could it mean? Sins? Which sins was it talking about? And what deeds? She didn't even remember harming an animal knowingly all her life. What was it trying to tell her? Why her? Why now?

'I said run!' The voice somewhat yelled, though still a whisper, as it showed some sense of urgency in it once again.

'Where will you run from your end? And till when? I will not spare you this time!'

'Don't listen to him, just run away from here! Far! Go!'

'Hahaha! Ignore me all you can.
The time has come to end the game.
Run, hide, cry, avoid, beg!
The saga of the end shall remain the same!'

The other voice threatened, the whisper gradually seeming to come closer to her ear with every word that it spoke, as she could feel her nape being brushed by the cold breeze, as she sat still, motionless as a mannequin.

'Run!' The other voice commanded, as she simultaneously ducked her head away from the direction of the new voice, before landing her feet on the floor, and running! Running with all her might. Running to a place unknown.
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Her legs moved with an ever increasing pace in an undefined direction, while her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. Breathing heavily, she didn't care about her destination as her fear paved her tracks. Racing through the deserted roads of the dark chilly night, her footsteps could be the only thing heard piercing the dark silence. Never bothering to look back, with tears of terror shining across her face, she kept running, determined to run away from the strange voice till her last breath.

However, dashing through the silent roads, her feet suddenly began to gradually decrease their pace, as she felt something soft brush her head all of a sudden.

Coming to a halt, she lifted her hand, holding the red fabric gently beneath her fingers, before slowly pulling it off her face. There it was again, the scarlet cloth clutched beneath her fingers once again. The sight of the similar material surrounded her with a strange feeling, as the same images began to cloud her mind once again. Various unknown images began filling her mind, while her heart began to beat at an unknown pace. It seemed as if her heart and her mind were fighting battles, unknown battles of their own.

However, this battle of theirs was interrupted by a sudden noise from beside her, that invaded the cloud of obliviousness she was seeming to be surrounded by. The noise, the sound, sound of footsteps...beside her. Startled as well as scared as she could feel the steps coming towards her, she whirled to the side, only to find a figure standing before her at a distance at the side of the road. The figure filled her inner self with a sense of a strange comfort, as it stepped forward, its face gradually becoming clearer in the angelic shimmer of the silvery moon.

As Prachi's eyes fell on its face, the familiarity of the features dawned on her. It was the same figure, the same figure that she had seen in the mirror earlier this night. The same figure that had something strange associated with it. The same figure that was a complete stranger to her, yet somewhere deep within seemed to be connected to her in some way or the other.

As her blue eyes met his brown ones after years, a strange emotion began surging through every vein of her body. She stood there still, rooted to her position, as she gradually got lost in those familiarly strange brown ones. At that precise moment, she felt as if the same images once again flashed before her eyes. However, instead of confusing her even more, this time they appeared as if they were being played before her inside a brown screen, the display being none other than his eyes.

Flashes of things she had never experienced, memories she had never made, moments she had never lived, were running before her eyes. A familiar piece of a scarlet clothing being part of her alien album of images. She could see herself there, and she could see him. The supposed stranger. She felt as if she was living all those moments right now, moments of sheer ecstasy, moments of joy, moments of bliss, before that one moment of destruction which shattered everything. Tears began to roll down her cheeks ceaselessly, as she flinched at the last memory, before staring at him with pure love and longing shining in her eyes, while his reflected the same. Maybe that was what the voice was trying to make her understand since ever, but she failed to. Or perhaps, never tried to.

Lost in each others' eyes for a long time, exchanging words unspoken and emotions undefined through their eyes, they stood there firmly to their own spots, as he slowly lifted his hands, outstretching them to her, requesting her to become his once again. The emotions swirling inside her had reached their peak, the memories no more strange to her filled her with a sense of relief, love, pain, fear and guilt, all at the same time. She couldn't move, though she wanted to close this distance between them immediately. Overpowered by her surfeit of emotions, a silent sob escaped her lips, before she spoke that word for the first time in her life. Maybe that was what the voice had been trying to remind her all along.

"Ranbir." Prachi said, with continuous tears flowing down her cheeks, as he smiled softly, his eyes glittering with love.

Slowly, she began to move towards him, with the same expressions on her face as well as the same emotions in her eyes. Reaching the middle of the wide road, she stared at him with what was longing as well as guilt spread across her features, while he just stood there, arms outstretched.

As she was about to move towards him, so engrossed was she in the world before her, that she failed to notice something coming her way from the side, with a great speed.

'The end is near.'

The eerie voice once again filled her ears, startling her all of a sudden, as she reflexively turned her head to the side, towards the source of the voice, only to find a pair of bright lights heading towards her with a great speed. Her mind couldn't make sense of anything happening then, her subconscious could only make sense of someone familiar between those sources of light, staring at her with a strange smirk spread across his features. Perhaps Rehaan?

Unable to grasp anything happening around her, she shifted her gaze back to him, who still stood there, arms outstretched. Then it all happened at an instant.

"Ranbir." She repeated staring straight at him, her voice dripping with love, before the overspeeding vehicle crashed with her with all its force, as a dark red liquid was spread all over the metalled track. It had been too quick for her to understand, to grasp, to apologise, to repent, to love, before she was sent into a different world, a world which was new, a world which was old.
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12th September, 2053.

The Doon Times.

A mysterious death has been reported in the outskirts of the city. A girl about twenty two years of age has been found dead near City Square. The reason for death may seem as a plain accident case, as her body has been badly injured, specially the hands have been totally crushed. However, what remains a mystery is that the particular portion of her hand which had apparently been covered by an old red scarf has been left totally uninjured, without any mark, while the seemingly ordinary piece of clothing hasn't been damaged in the least bit as well.

What adds to the mystery is that the car which probably hit her had shortly been bumped into a tree only feets away, however, no one could be find seated inside it. No trace of anyone driving it could be found, no fingerprints anywhere. The police have been looking into the matter, but doubts are there that the case will forever remain a mystery, like the one we possibly had years ago, and still arouses questions in the minds of people.

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It is often said that you reap what you sow. People receive what they deserve at the end. At the end of the day, sins get back to you and deeds are paid. You cannot get away from your deeds. Deeds committed on this planet, have to be paid off here too. If not in one life, then in the other. No one can escape this cycle of life and deeds without performing their part completely.

What you give, comes back to you. What is yours, returns to you. Whatever happens, happens for a reason.
'What you have left pierces everything and comes back to you. Deeds are paid at the end of the day. Punishments are imposed by the cruel fate. Sins revert to you in every possible way.'
But what is true, what is pure, shall always emerge victorious at the end. Shall always overpower everything else
For what is written in the fate is the ultimate end.

- THE END
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Some stories are better left incomplete. Though your imaginations can always complete it. I would love to read them.

Any questions or guesses in your mind? I would love to hear them too.

Writing something like this for the first time, do share your views on it.

Do tell me if like it or not, or well, if could make sense or not first. Lol.

Inspired by the works of lavenderblossoms1403 !

Thank you.