Avika staggered back. A yelp escaped her dry lips, and her eyes widened. Her black curls slapped her face as winds roared; a cacophony of branches snapping mixed with the wind blasted in her ears. She gulped as she could clearly see Naanai's ghost. Pinching her eyes shut, she muttered a quick prayer, hoping she was hallucinating. Slowly opening them, she cursed. Naanai's ghost was still standing in-front of her. 

She took a step back, hitting the tree she was leaning on. The shards of the trunk were sharp as glass and she could feel it through the cloak. Wetting her lips, she tried to muster some courage. Meanwhile Naanai's ghost took no notice of her. It looked just like Naanai. Short, bent, and draped in traditional but frumpy saree. Instead of being white, like everyone presumed, it was in shades of spangled tangerine. It shone against the dark backdrop of haunting trees, tar black roads, and mist filled air as it stood there, nonchalant. Naanai's lush black hair, the one thing she was proud of, was still there just orange; including her jewelries.  

As Naanai's ghost didn't do anything, not even throw a glance at Avika, so she slumped down. The ground was wet, as if it had recently rained. Small insects roamed around her; their buzzing filled the air as wind had dialed down a notch. 

Heaving a sigh, she waited for Naanai's ghost to disappear. As soon as she wished for this to happen, Naanai's ghost turned fully towards her. It's anklets jingled, taunting her of her coward decision. She blinked rapidly trying to breathe. Her Naanai's use to always smile, but its ghost was seemed angry. Tight-lipped, it stared at Avika. 

Adrenaline coursed through her body, preparing her for future. Her hands fumbled around, trying to find a stick or a branch. Avika's nails dug in the sand, but she still continued, as if it will protect her from the ghost.  Finally, she found it. A small but heavy branch lying some feet away from her. Clutching it tightly, she stared at the ghost. 

After a few seconds of deathly silence, the ghost boomed, "How dare you break your promise!" It inched forward, its bottomless eyes shinning with fury. It screamed, "Do you have any idea what you would have done if you went home? What could have happened?" Its voice increasing with each word, as fear increased in Avika's heart. She swallowed, nodding. 

The ghost slightly rose in the air, eying Avika with disgust; so unlike Naanai's always loved filled eyes. She cowered under its gaze, her lips quivering. But the ghost was not done yet. It yelled, almost bursting Avika's ear drums, "YOU COULD HAVE DESTROYED YOUR OWN TOWN."

Avika wriggled backwards. Fear danced around her face, she bit her lips tightly trying to stop tears from flowing down. She was too scared to even say something back. The ghost didn't stop. It slowly moved towards her. When it was few feet away, it gravelly said, scrunching its bottomless eyes, "You have to go to the Night Fair. You don't have an option. You made a magical promise; of course you don't remember since you were a kid, but you can't back-off your promise. Not now, not ever!"

Saying this, it touched Avika's arm. Anger and disgust had dissipated, leaving behind...concern? Avika inhaled scent of wet mud, nodding under pressure. They said, freedom always has a cost. She never thought it would be this big. Swallowing, she thought about her promise. The ghost, as if sensing her indecisive thoughts, caught her by the noose of her cloak, and said, boring its bottomless eyes into her teary eyes, "YOU CAN'T BACK OFF."

Transfixed, Avika nodded looking at its blurry form. The ghost, finally satisfied dropped her cloak, gave Avika another warning look and disappeared into thin air.

~~~~~~~~

Saree: Indian traditional wear.

Thoughts?