"WHAT ARE YOU BUSY WITH VISHESHWAR....GO WAKE HER UP. SHE'S GOING TO BE LATE..." yelled a man in his 70s. He was a lean man, quite fit for a man of his age, had his hairs dyed neatly in jet back just to hide the rudimentary signs of senility. Well it would be highly inappropriate to describe the physical features of a human but bereft you all of his name. His name was Mahesh Dhariwal and the guy he brutally screamed at was his son Visheshwar Dhariwal. It's surprising how Mahesh Dhariwal has been extra careful while naming his child considering both their names are the other names of Lord Shiva. Visheshwar, a mid-50s man, sighed tiredly. Sometimes it's just not easy being a father and a son at the same time.
"I am going father." he murmured before moving towards the stairwell. Mahesh shook his head in disappointment.
"If it weren't for me, this whole house will become lethargic and irresponsible. And irresponsibility towards my precious little girl....huh!!!! Disgraceful." he muttered indignantly before falling upon a couch. Picking up the newspaper from the small coffee table, he frowned as he realised that he had left his glasses in his room. He inwardly cursed his short term memory. The old age has certainly took a toll on his mental health if not so much on his physical health.
"Ahhhh!!!! The struggle of an old age." he whispered as he stood up and shuffled towards his room to get his glasses.

Visheshwar Dhariwal was an average looking man, a bit too lethargic and tired for his age precisely. His emaciated shoulders dropped as he lumbered towards his lovely daughter's room. Both him and his little girl shared a little on the looks but more when it came to their love for a good sleep. Visheshwar was fed up of his Monday to Saturday job as a customs officer, he needed a vacation badly and of course hours of undisturbed slumber. Reaching the door of her room, he knocked politely, yawning widely. Sometimes even a good bath and a Pooja doesn't fades away that strong urge to hop into the bed and doze off.
"Good morning Dad.....lemme guess, Nayu is still sleeping." he heard an over enthusiastic voice from his side. He inwardly rolled his eyes. But when it's your own blood, surely you can't look away even if you want to. He looked at his side tiredly.
"Why are you always so excited in the mornings!!!! Like what do you eat????" Visheshwar asked frowning. Nilima laughed, amused at her father's concern.
"Because mornings are filled with unlimited possibilities dad....but you wouldn't understand!!! You aren't philosophical..." she told him, eyes flickering with pride. Visheshwar watched her blankly.
"When you are a father to three demons all sorts of philosophy washes away into a ditch!!! Where's your stupid brother..???" he asked, knocking once again on the door.
"I am right here dad...." screamed somebody from the stairs. Visheshwar huffed.
"Breakfast is ready dad....mom's calling you downstairs. And where's Naira???? Ohhhh Shit!!!! She's still asleep.....Mom would be super angry. And what you guys are doing....get in and wake her up." and with this he pushed the door open to her little sister's room.

Nilima and Neil were twins and the firstborn of Visheshwar Dhariwal. But they were non-identical twins though they looked a bit similar. Naira was born 11 years later and it's obvious that she quickly became the heart of the family. Nilima was very protective of her while Neil was her biggest supporter and confidant. So much so that when Naira had her first period, she was so scared and confused that she only told her brother what was happening to her and Neil being a learned man quickly fetched her mother and sister for assistance. Naira felt embarrassed when she realised that she should've told her mother or sister instead of her brother. But fortunately nobody in her family made her feel any more ashamed about that since Neil calmly explained her what menstruation was and why was it necessary, so on and so forth. And quickly coming to the present, Naira was being roused up by her father and her siblings.
"Nayu look it's already 7:00, wake up baccha!!! Your friends must be waiting for you in the college." Visheshwar stroked her head as Naira slept peacefully cuddling with her warm blanket. Nilima rolled her eyes.
"I swear dad if you'll keep giving her head massages she ain't waking up until tomorrow. Step aside lemme handle this!!!" Nilima literally yelled at her father. Visheshwar gasped loudly. Was she going to shout at her little girl???
"Nayu get up, you're gonna miss your first lecture. Get up girl!!!" Nilima said loudly as she threw the blanket off of her.
"Take it easy please!!" Neil whispered as Naira groaned in her sleep. With the warmth nearly gone, poor Naira had no choice but to open her eyes and peer about.
"What time is it???" she asked yawning as she sat up on the bed. Her father placed her blanket on her lap while passing a glare at Nilima, she might've caught cold. Nilima, being the only sane person in the house, crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her seriously.
"It's 7:30 dear." she lied. Naira's eyes shot wide open. She sprang out of the bed quickly.
"Why did nobody wake me up!!!!! Oh God....I'll be late...." Naira cried nearly hysterically. She searched frantically about for her slippers.
"Easy my dear she's lying.....Nilima stop smirking.....!!!" Neil said as Naira was crying while running towards the bathroom bare feet since the slippers would take a lot of time to be found. Once Naira had shut the door of the bathroom right on their faces, they turned towards Nilima who was smiling satisfactorily. Visheshwar narrowed his eyes at her.
"Was that necessary???" he asked, sullen and agitated. Nilima looked at him blankly.
"Yes it was. Now she'll come down on her own. Let's move downstairs for breakfast." she said authoritatively and walked out of the room. Neil and Visheshwar were sulking.
"Just like her mother.....so bossy and!!!!! Huh!!! Let's go downstairs already or else your mother will start shouting." Visheshwar told Neil plaintively.

A sleek Tata Nexon SUV screeched to halt outside the gigantic gates of H.P University. A flock of students was moving into the university. Naira was still sleepy as she sat on the passenger seat, her sandwich in her hand. Neil and Nilima were sitting on the back seat busy in their phones. Visheshwar looked beside at his little girl who was slightly grumpy after being shaken up awake in a disgruntling fashion this morning. He chuckled. Naira was the prettiest girl in their entire family, even amongst their relatives she was held in high regard especially because of her beauty. She has received her milky white complexion from her father while rest of her features were given to her by her mother. Perhaps it was her childlike innocence which he adored the most. She was his precious little girl.
"Dear your college is here. C'mon your lecture is going to begin soon." he reminded her. She looked up at him with her soft brown eyes, her rose petal like lips contorted into a frown.
"I know." she answered grumpily. Neil glared at Nilima. It was all because of her. You shouldn't spoil a child's mood early in the morning especially when they've to study half of the day, it affects their concentration power.
"Nayu it's ok. At least we reached the college on time." Nilima said, eyes peering down into her phone. Perhaps she was zooming into a picture. Naira was petulant. She didn't want to talk to anybody. Therefore she opened the door of the car and stepped down.
"Bye dear!!!! Have a good day!!" her father shouted as she walked inside the college. She grumpily waved him bye and quickly strode away to her classroom.
"Huh!!!! My poor baby. College is hard I just know it." exclaimed Visheshwar. Nilima huffed.
"Wow now my boss wants me to prepare another presentation today itself......I hate this bloody job. Dad can I kill this man?? Will you hire a good lawyer to defend me once I do that!!!" Nilima shouted vehemently. Neil cowered into the door at her outburst. Visheshwar gasped loudly.
"That man is a dork!!! How is anybody supposed to prepare a full presentation in one day itself??? You look for another job dear....this job sucks!!!" he told her. Nilima muttered curses under her breath.

The lecture had ended and Naira was sitting inside the classroom with her friends. She had two friends, Kirti and Payal, both were very sweet.
"At least your brother is super supportive, mine is just a jerk. You know what, the other day that guy literally poured water on me when I wouldn't wake up. And guess what my father supported him saying that he did right. Well, technically I was sleeping till 12:00 that day and it was only necessary BUT he shouldn't have thrown water at me. This is outrageous." Kirti narrated the whole incident. Payal laughed out loudly.
"Hey!!! Forget about the water, what does jerk means???" asked Naira innocently. Kirti looked at her dumbly.
"I don't know. All I know is that it's a cuss word. I heard Rohan calling Dhruv a jerk yesterday." Kirti told them honestly. Naira scowled at her.
"Ehhh!!! Rohan is a bad boy, you should stay away from him. He smokes....." she whispered the last part as if by saying it loud she would invite demons into this world. Payal rolled her eyes.
"Most of the boys do, even the girls also smoke." Payal acquainted them to reality. Naira's eyes widened.
"Whattttt!!!!!! I never knew that. But isn't that bad. Neil bhaiya says people who drink and smoke are bad people...." Naira spoke in hushed voice. Kirti nodded in affirmation. Payal, who happened to be the only one with a logical mind, shook her head.
"Occasional drinkers and smokers are fine but not habitual ones. We don't fancy addicts after all." she told them casually. Naira looked at her suspiciously.
"How do you know Ms. I-Know-All??" she asked cutely. Payal twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
"Easy!! My boyfriend told me." Naira literally stood up with a start while Kirti's mouth hung open like a gape.
"Hawww!!! You've a boyfriend and you never told us." kirti yelled at her. Payal was their new friend, I mean they only met her in college. But still she should've told them.
"Chillax guys I am not even serious about him." she said as if it wasn't something big. For some it might be nothing but for kirti and naira it was really a big deal.
"Payal!!!!! I don't know what to say!!!" Naira said too shocked to speak. Payal looked at her blankly.
"Leave it. You were saying something about a party???" Payal tried to shift the goalpost. Naira's eyes twinkled.
"Oh yes. My neighbour's daughter is getting engaged tonight. I guess the hotel's name is Evelyn's Paradise." she said excitedly. Her excitement was primarily because of the variety of food she'll eat in the party. Kirti grinned.
"Isn't that the same hotel that is divided into two sections??? I mean as far as I know, the owner never rents the other half of the hotel." Payal spoke confidently. Naira cared less about that.
"I don't care. I am wearing my lehenga and I am eating so much food today." Naira told her. Kirti giggled.
"That sounds like fun. I wish I could join you but I can't." kirti whispered. Naira pouted.

Naira and her family reached the hotel. And surprisingly, payal was correct about this hotel. Only one portion was allotted for the function while the bigger portion was completely dark. Occasional lighting was observed in particular areas through the slightly ajar windows, rest of the edifice was completely dark.
"He had to keep the engagement here. Have all other hotels closed down!!! People don't listen nowadays." uttered Mahesh Dhariwal irate. Visheshwar huffed.
"Please father it's their choice." he said. The oldest member of the family wasn't a fool. He knew about the reputation of this hotel. Even his son did. Hanging around areas like these is positively a fool's adventure but Alas!!! Here they were, standing in front of the ruffians paradise as it should be called. Naira cared naught about the concerns of her loving grandfather. She was here for fun.
"Can we go in???" she asked excitedly. Visheshwar nodded with a smile.
"Just a small reminder nayu, don't linger about the premises without us around. Please don't start exploring anything,...you see that dark portion that's the devil's hideout. That is off limits for you. Understood!!" Neil instructed her sternly. Now she was a bit nervous. Fortunately her grandmother pitched in.
"Stop it. It's no devil's hideout Neil and you a wannabe scientist. Dear Nayu, just be around us and there's nothing to worry." her grandmother told her softly. Naira smiled.
"I hate this place anyway." mumbled her grandfather, uneasy around this curiously segregated edifice.

Naira was having the time of her life. She ate well and was actually full after eating so much. Now she was waiting for her family to finish eating and get home already. She was starting to feel bored here now. Now, out of curiosity she started looking around the hotel, in the part where the function was taking place. Suddenly she espied a cute little bunny sitting ot the foot of the door at the rear end of the lighted portion of the hotel. She loved bunnies in general. Casually she walked up to the bunny and tried to lift it up but it got scared and ran inside the door that was minutely ajar, enough for a bunny to run through. She pouted. Without thinking, she pushed the door open and ran after the bunny. This is why it is important to watch Alice in Wonderland. Rabbits can take you to far away places....sometimes not so lively and serene. She didn't know what place was she in but all she knew was that this place was desolate and gloomy in a bad way. But the love for that little bunny was so strong that she pushed that eerie feeling completely away. At first it was a narrow corridor, then she found herself in an anteroom which by the way smelled of alcohol and cigarettes but it was empty. The bunny kept speeding away, poor creature was badly terrified.

She gave zero fuck about what place was she in or which way did she came. All she wanted was that bunny and to prove it to him that she meant no harm. Finally when she had entered into a gigantic foyer that she laid her hands on the bunny and lifted it up in her little arms. The poor creature squeaked adorably.
"Aww poor bunny, I won't hurt you I promise." and she started caressing it. The bunny too was growing normal now and wasn't squeaking as if he'd just seen a butcher's knife. However when she was rubbing the belly of the bunny her eyes wandered around and that's when she started creeping out. Where was she???? That was her first question. It was a big foyer with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, floor made of a fine grade marble, big couches placed in neat rows on both sides, expensive looking glass tables, photographs of beaches and forests hanging on the walls. Everything was nice but why was it so so dark here. Slanting moonbeams illuminated the foyer to a limited extent but it wasn't helping much since windows here were few and mostly closed. She had no idea from where did she came from. She saw no door whatsoever here, just an arched passageway that was frighteningly dark. Tears started welling up into her eyes. She should've listened to her brother. How can she be so dumb???? Looking around she found nothing but darkness and melancholy. She wanted to get out of here anyhow. The bunny snuggled into her chest, terrified of the dark. As she looked up, however, she found a thin jet of yellow light escaping out of the narrow gap between the door and the floor. She sobbed.

With no second thoughts she stared climbing up the stairs to ask for help.
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Next update on Sunday. Don't forget to leave a vote if you liked it so far.