I reached home at 11 pm. Mom was worried sick. Dad was out on some important work so I only had to deal with mom's lecture.

I told her I went to maa's (mother's) graveyard after leaving Jiya's house. I knew this excuse would work just fine.

At the south-east end of the town, there is a graveyard where my mother's ashes were buried along with some of her belongings under her tombstone, as requested by her to my father during her last moments. I try to visit her grave whenever possible.

After serving me dinner, mom went to rest. I cleaned the dishes and went upstairs myself. After a long, soothing warm shower, I landed on my queen size bed, now covered with purple sheets, and sorted out today's incidents.

It was hilarious how I had gathered so much valuable information in just one day. Thanks to the vampire and his weakness of obeying my firm commands. Though it's still unknown why I have that effect on him, on both of them?

But what if they were lying all along about my effect on them? What if they are trying to sidetrack me?

Not like it matters anymore now that I have the journal. Tomorrow I'll finish reading it and find a way to stop the evil Midnight Mistress once and for all. But first, I gotta warn Jiya against her so called new boyfriend.

Stay away from Pratham. He's the short heighted vampire from Midnight Mansion. He's trying to lure you back to the mansion to be sacrificed on the upcoming new moon. Call me as soon as possible. I typed the message and hit sent.

It would have been better if she had answered my calls. She might be asleep by now. Hope she reads my message soon.

Keeping my phone on the nightstand, I relaxed on the comfy mattress. Sleep engulfed my tired body immediately, forcing my eyelids closed.

"Mom why isn't Tuffy talking to me? What happened to him? Why is he not moving. He always moves when I tickle his neck." I asked my mother.

"Tanu, he's no more. Tuffy is dead. He died of illness. He won't move or talk to you or play with you ever again. You gotta let him go. We need to bury his body or else his soul won't rest in peace. He'll be in pain even after death. Do you want that sweetie, for him to endure long term pain?" Mother asked me.

I looked at the dead puppy in my arms. He was alive a few hours ago. Not anymore. I know that when people die, they must receive their last rites to be content and move on to another life. Mom has taught me all there is to know about life and death. Tuffy needs this. I can't be selfish.

"Fine. Take him. I can't watch. I am going inside."

I handed Tuffy's dead body to dad and ran to my room. I sat curled up in my bed for hours until mom and dad forced me out for dinner. After having dinner, which was more like mom feeding me everything there was on my plate, she and dad tucked me in bed. Mom hummed a lullaby tune to get me to sleep. Her singing wasn't at all good but she was fine at humming the tune in a same melodious manner.

I couldn't sleep. My eyelids never fell down. After sometimes, I woke up from the bed and went into the bathroom. After I came out, a cold breeze hit me. It was more chilled than on any winter night, let alone in this monsoon.

I looked at the open window. As I went to close it, my eyes fell on the newly dug grave of Tuffy in our backyard.

I didn't get to say goodbye. I was too coward to let him go. I couldn't. I still wanted him to come back to me.

I went out of my room and descended the stairs in slow, silent strides. Standing on the table nearby, I unlocked the maindoor and went towards the backyard. I sat beside Tuffy's grave scanning the wet soil with my hands.

"Come back Tuffy. I miss you so...........much. Please, God......let my Tuffy come back to life. I need him. I promise.........I'll take good care of him. Please.....return him to me. Please Tuffy, leave this........grave. Get up." I cried loudly, speaking between sobs.

I started digging out the grave with my bare hands. Halfway through, my left thumb started stinging. I stared at my thumb and noticed the leaking dark red liquid from the side of my thumbnails. The injury hurt very much, but I continued digging.

Finally, I was able to see his coffee coloured furry skin.

I pulled him out of the grave, holding him close to my heaving chest. My sobs weakened.

"Please, Tuffy. Come back to life. We'll play.......have so much fun. I'll take you to the park........daily. I'll feed you lots of biscuits. Come back Tuffy." I requested him continuously.

In between my pleading sobs, I heard a light bark from under me. Stunned at the familiar sound, I looked at the puppy coiled around me.

Unfolding my arms, I was surprised and elated to see a now mobile Tuffy. His ears were moving back and forth as he stared at me with a smile, snuggling into me.

He looked the same, except for the little cut on his back and the blood red eyes. No white background, no black middle circle, only red.

"Tanu, what are doing outside this late? Go back to your room." I heard mom shout.

She was running towards me followed by dad. I happily turned Tuffy to face them so that they could witness the miracle that just happened.

"Mom look, Tuffy came back to life. I dug him out and cried for God to give Tuffy back to me. He fulfilled my wish." I said grinning wide, holding Tuffy out for them to see my achievement.

"Oh my god! What have you done, baby?" Mom gasped out shocked. Dad looked shocked as well.

Mom moved near me, scanning me from head to toe. She spotted the injury on my right thumb, then looked around Tuffy.

"What did you do?" She asked me worried.

"I came out to bid him farewell, but instead I prayed to God to bring Tuffy to me alive. I dug his grave to hug him goodbye. But he barked. He is alive. He is fine like before, except for his eyes." I explained.

"Oh dear, what did you do? You shouldn't do this. Once someone dies, we shouldn't pray to God to bring him or her back to life for whatever reason. It's not good for the dead person or the alive one. Tuffy might have been conscious again, but he isn't alive. See the red eyes. It won't go away. If he stays like this for long, he would be in pain and in turn cause pain to others." Mom explained.

"But mom, I miss him." I complained.

"Yes, sweetie I know. But a dead must stay dead no matter what. Or else the living will pay a huge price. Many will be hurt. Tuffy's soul has left his body, only his body has come to bid you goodbye. Do the right thing. Let him rest in peace. Please, Tanu. Let him move towards a better life." Mom said.

She and dad stared at me with pleading hopeful eyes.

"Okay. I will let him move on." I was about to burst into tears again "Goodbye Tuffy." I clung close to him.

Hugging him tight, I felt his limbs become immobile, stiff, lifeless.

Mom took him from me and buried him back into his grave. I felt dizzy and my vision became dark.

In the brink of darkness, a voice spoke,"You're a special girl, Tanu. A very special one." The hooded figure of Midnight Mistress complimented smirking wide.

I woke up with a jerk. That was no ordinary dream. It was a real memory.

I went straight to the backyard, the place where Tuffy was buried. There was no sign of a grave. I went back inside, confused like never before.

Tuffy was the puppy I had as a child. long before my mother's demise, he passed away of an infectious disease. I remember burying him in our backyard, but never seen the grave after that.

The dream I had was a true memory. Except for 'Tuffy coming back to life' part. I am still confused if that part was a weird manifest content of my unconscious or the true incident.

"Dad, I need to ask you something." I sat down beside dad on the living room couch, facing him.

"Yes, dear. Tell me." He prompted.

"I want to know where we buried Tuffy's body?" I asked looking straight into his eyes for any hint of lies.

"Your mother and I buried him in the woods. Why do you ask?"

He kept his natural calm but I saw past his composure. He was bothered by my sudden curiosity.

"Are you sure? Cause I remember I buried him in our backyard. You dug his grave. I handed his body to Maa and she buried him. Then how come he moved to the woods?" I asked.

With a determined look, I kept my eyes fixed on him.

"You haven't had breakfast yet. Come." Mom said.

"Not now mom. We are in the middle of an important discussion." I replied, not removing my gaze from my father.

"You remember wrong. You weren't there. We buried him." He said.

"I remember clearly. I was there, in our backyard. I was crying. Maa asked me to let him go or his soul would be in pain. Hence, I handed him down to mom and ran inside as you two buried him." I countered.

"What is it you want me to say? That you are right. Then where is the grave? It's certainly not in the backyard or else I would have seen it." He replied.

"You don't wanna tell me, right? What is it that you're hiding?" I asked.

"Nothing. You're thinking too much about an unimportant event. Let it go, Tanu." That again.

"No, I won't. I won't let go this time." I stood up from the couch.

"Don't try your tantrums on me young lady. I won't tolerate such disrespect from my own daughter." Dad exclaimed in anger.

"Right, you won't. Cause you're my father, not mother. If Maa were here, she would've understood what I am going through. She would've told me the truth and not treat me like a kid." I countered.

If he's stubborn, I am super stubborn.

"Your mother is the source of this mess. She started it all and then ran away like a coward. She's no ideal mother you think she was. She was far away from what you know." He shouted.

"Please, don't." Mom tried to intervene. But Dad wasn't in the mood to be interrupted.

"Don't what, Mom? Why don't you want me to know? What's the big deal about it?" I questioned, frustrated with my parent's newfound secrets.

"You have no right to talk to her in that tone, Tanu. Arti's been everything a good mother should be. Unlike Apekshya who ran away, leaving her husband and little girl, only to be taken away from us forever by the heavens above." He huffed an angry breath.

"What do you mean she ran away and left us? Tell me Dad, when did she leave us? Why are you lying? If you don't wanna clear up my suspicions, then fine. But don't demean my Maa." I announced trying to keep my anger in check.

But his expression didn't budge. Though a little relaxed now, the look of guilt and disappointment he was giving me did nothing to negate the words he just spoke about Maa.

"Take your time dad. I'll wait." I stated decisively and went into my room.

I couldn't handle anymore. The morning was more dramatic than I could stomach.

Getting ready, I took the lunchbox mom prepared for me and went out, without a single phrase of farewell.