Part 30 Curse

Khushi was horror-struck. WEREWOLF? What the hell was he talking about?

"I can't believe this. If you don't like me, tell me directly... but don't lie, Arnav..."

"Why should I lie, Khushi? Why won't I like you? Why the hell do I degrade myself?" He asked painfully.

Khushi looked at his eyes which were teary.

"What curse are you talking about? Tell me, Arnav..."

"Leave it, Khushi..."

Khushi clutched his shoulder.

"I won't let you go until you tell me about it..."

Arnav shrugged her hands and walked.

"Arnaaaavvvv... I promise. I will stand here for the whole night in the chilling climate... see, I'm wearing sleeveless... I will freeze for sure..." she shouted from behind.

Arnav took a step and stopped as he could not be stubborn. He looked behind and saw Khushi standing folding her hands. He rolled his eyes helplessly and came to her.

"Khushi try to understand..."

"I will try to understand if you tell me about the curse"

"What do you want to know?"

"Truth"

Arnav closed his eyes.

"Please tell me, Arnav"

Aranv took a deep breath and said,

"I was ten years old then. All of a sudden, a wolf entered our house. I was scared to see that and ran to my father. It chased me. Taking his gun, my father shot the wolf. It died at the same place. My father took the wolf to bury it in our garden. When we came out, a man who looked like an Aghori came there."

Khushi was taken aback. Aghori? Her heartbeat raised.

"He became furious to see the dead wolf. He shouted at my dad angrily for killing the wolf. I was scared to see his wrath. I hid behind my father. My father consoled me saying, 'Nothing to be scared Arnav, Dad is here for you'. My father looked at the Aghori and said he killed the wolf because it tried to attack me. The Aghori looked at me furiously and told my dad, 'You killed MY child(wolf). You did that to save your child, right? Mark my words, you will cry for your whole life for doing such a sin because I'm going to curse your Arnav... he will become a werewolf when he hits puberty. He will transform into a werewolf every full moon day and live a painful life...!' He cursed me for the wolf killed by my father..." Arnav said sorely.

Khushi became horrified not because Arnav was a werewolf but because the story told by him seemed related to HER...! Aghori, wolf, Curse, everything seemed related to her. Was this the same curse, his grandfather spoke to her father the other day? Was the BOY Arnav? For cursing Arnav only her Granny stopped talking to her husband? Was it Arnav who was in her Granny's prayer? Khushi connected all the unconnected dots quickly and got a clear picture. She wanted to know everything clearly and immediately...! She remembered her Granny's Diary.

"I'm cursed, Khushi... that's why I stayed aloof from people. Forget me... it won't work... Go home" he gently pushed her and started walking.

Without thinking of anything, Khushi ran to her house to read her Granny's diary. Her mind didn't hink aof anything other than the diary. Arnav saw her running and thought she was scared, knowing his story. He thought she would console him but she didn't. He closed his eyes and tears rolled down his cheeks. He could not stand that. He thought he lost HIS Khushi, the only girl whom he loved from the bottom of his heart.

She was not wrong. No girl would dare put her life on the fire. Who would accept a werewolf as her husband? He sat leaning on a tree and cried his heart out. He punched the tree next to him with anger. Why his life was like this? What was his mistake? Any father would think of protecting his child if his life was in danger. His father also did the same. Then why did the Aghori curse him for a painful life? He could have even killed him instead of cursing him.

Arnav didn't know how long he sat there in the woods. He went to his house making his mind and heart that Khushi would not be in his life anymore.

SP Bungalow

Khushi came to the house and went to the store room. She pushed the stool towards the loft. With the support of the stool, she climbed on the window and looked at the loft. She found the box in which her granny's things were being kept. She pulled it putting in effort. As it was heavy, she pushed it on the floor. The box fell from the loft. Khushi jumped down and took the diary.

She didn't even think of going to her room. She flipped its pages and searched for the MAIN content. Her hand stopped at a particular incident written by her Granny.

"I went to Ooty from Coimbatore to meet my husband. I knew he was there. I was so curious to meet him after a long but, he made me feel like why I went to meet him. I saw my husband going somewhere. I followed him happily and was broken down seeing him cursing a kid. Thank God, I saw him cursing the kid. That's why I got to know how heartless my husband was. I will never forgive him for the mistake he made. I don't want him to even see my face even if I die. I'm ashamed to say he is my husband. I told him that straight on his face. How could he do that? How could he curse a small boy who was just ten years old? What's his mistake? How could my husband be heartless? Is not a boy's life important? I agree all the lives have right to live but is not it human nature to make mistakes? The boy's father killed a wolf to save his son. What's wrong with that? Any father would do the same. For that, would anyone punish a child with such a cruel curse who doesn't even know what a curse is? Hey Devi Maiya, please make the boy's life happy. Please show him a path to be happy. From today, he will be in my prayers. Please make his life better... please absolve the kid from the curse"

Khushi cried, hugging the diary. So, the boy in her granny's prayer was indeed Arnav... HER Arnie. He was cursed. The one who cursed him was none other than her grandfather. What a big curse he had given to Arnav! How cruel her grandfather was! He could have killed him instead of cursing him. She thought the same as Arnav.

Her Arnav was suffering with a painful life, transforming into a werewolf on every Full Moon day. What was she going to do now? Would she back off? Khushi wiped her tears. There was no use of crying. Her cry would not change anything. She loved Arnav without knowing anything about him... it would remain the same no matter how cruel the truth was. Khushi decided to get Arnav by hook or by crook. She was not going to give up on him. She would be there for him... forever...!

Arnav came home all distraught. Ratna was waiting for him as he was getting late. She huffed in relief, seeing him coming. Her facial expression changed as he looked gloomy. She didn't know whether she should ask him anything or not. She knew Arnav wouldn't open up anything with her even though she asked him. So, she sat on the couch silently.

As she didn't expect, Arnav rushed to her and cried burying his face in her lap.

"Chotte... Chotte, what happened? Why are you crying? Chotte..." she asked panicking.

"Why my life is so hard, Mom? Can't I be happy like others? Why I'm dying while living? What's my mistake, Mom? Why am I suffering without making any mistake while many wrongdoers live happily?"

Ratna's eyes tear up even though she didn't know the exact issue.

"Chotte, what happened? Did Khushi fight with you?"

Arnav composed himself. Ratna would try to talk to Khushi if he told her the matter. He didn't know how Khushi would respond to it. He sat straight and wiped his face.

"Chotte..."

"I just..." he went to his room and locked the door.

Ratna felt bad for him. Arnav would have thought about his painful life that made him emotional, she supposed.

Arnav fell on the bed and cried, punching the bed. He didn't know what would be his life without Khushi. He didn't know he could even live without her. She would not sit with him on his bench from tomorrow. She would not share lunch with him. She would not talk to him. She would not even see his face. How barren his life would become! He could not imagine. He didn't want to imagine his life without Khushi. He didn't know whether he could even die or not. He decided to buy a silver knife the only metal that could kill the werewolf. He was ready to kill himself with the silver knife if Khushi didn't talk to him. He decided wrongly without knowing Khushi's stand.

To be continued...