After a lip-smacking dinner, Raghav once again called the group's attention, "Hope The Dream Weavers and our beautiful host," he smiled brightly at the old native, "could make you fall in love with the flavors of The Valley."

Voices of agreement sprinted through the group and reached him, and he bowed graciously, receiving every one of them humbly.

"Now that the first of what this wondrous place has to offer is out of the way, I was wondering if we could play a small game."

Amrit opened her mouth to protest, but Preet, a tall woman with large, deep-set eyes, interrupted, "Beta-ji, we are too exhausted to play games."

Everyone except Bhairavi, who had not been able to enjoy the flavors of The Valley due to it having walnuts, agreed.

Taking a step forward, Bhairavi turned to her companions, "I think a game sounds great, gals. It's an opportunity to rid ourselves of a few calories, what say?"

"Mrs. Chopra," Raghav called, "I don't think the game I was about to suggest would help you with that."

"Oh!" Bhairavi's enthusiasm deflated like a pierced balloon.

"So," Their guide held his hand out to Golu, the driver, who handed him a bunch of sticks. Raghav turned his back towards the women, for a moment, before turning back to them with only their tips visible. "Some of you have come in pairs," He glanced at Bhairavi and Maithili and then at Amrit and her daughter, thirty-year-old Harpreet, "And some haven't. However, from what I have noticed, you have already picked someone. That someone, if that's who you want, can be your roommate for the entirety of our stay here in the valley."

"Such a cool idea," Maithili muttered under her breath. 'I wish I had a choice in the matter' went unsaid, lest her mother hears it and makes a mountain out of a molehill.

"I know right!" Bhairavi agreed, "Still, if I had to choose, I would choose you!" she chirped, watching the other women choose their roommates. She missed the discreet defeated sigh and exasperated eye roll Maithili directed at her.

"Are you ready, girls?" The tour guide enquired; making sure everyone had paired themself with their 'favorite person' or family, he called a representative from each pair. "Every stick has a number written on it. This corresponds to the huts you will be assigned."

The word 'huts' was repeated in hushed, apprehensive, surprised tones.

"Oh. Please, girls, don't judge a book by its cover. Take a look at them, and if you think they are below your expectations, Golu and myself will escort you to Jiddal Gaon and check you into a three-star hotel.

Unexpectedly, Maithili moved forward, "I like this place, and so does my mom. I would rather stay here than at a regular hotel. I came here to experience The Valley," reaching for the sticks, she asked, "May I?"

Raghav smiled and held out the sticks to her. For some reason, that was all the persuasion the women needed.

Twenty minutes later, everyone except Maithili and Bhairavi had settled into their huts; the dwellings were rustic and equipped with everything needed to make the women's stay comfortable.

"Raghav, where is our hut?" Maithili, who had been patiently waiting for their turn, demanded.

Tips of Raghav's ears turned scarlet, "So... " he drawled, then pulling out his torchlight, began walking away from the cluster of huts that was now sleeping three pairs of warm bodies. "First of all, thank you for the vote of confidence."

Maithili shrugged, looking over her shoulder at her mother, who had chosen to walk a few steps behind them. "No problem." Then side-eyeing the guide, she jested, "Are you planning to make us sleep under a tree?"

Raghav chuckled, "No. It's just that one of the caretakers, we call them Nan or Aunty-Nan, informed me a few minutes ago that there was a wiring problem in one of the huts, so-"

"Oh my God, you are planning to make us sleep under the trees, aren't you? That too after I gave you my vote of confidence!" Maithili teased.

Raghav laughed.

Bhairavi frowned.

"I won't dare do that to my precious guests!" He defended, "If anyone was to sleep under the trees, it would be Golu and me."

Bhairavi was nauseous. It wasn't the food. She had been keeping a low profile since the 'peace talks' earlier, but seeing her only daughter flirt with an almost stranger in the thick of night was not sitting well with her. She was about to do something that would have definitely embarrassed or angered her daughter when Raghav stopped.

They stood in front of a hut similar in size and appearance to the ones they had left behind.

"One of the Nans' has fixed this one up as best she could on such short notice." The guide informed apologetically, throwing the door open.

"Why is this one so alienated from the rest?" Bhairavi demanded, narrowing her eyes at the youngster.

"Actually, this is where the guide and the driver stay. Since it's a women's tour, we built this one a little away from the rest to give the ladies privacy and a sense of security. As you may have noticed, this place is cared for by old ladies. Before we adopted this village, they were struggling to make ends meet. They are widows, you see. Lost their husbands and sons to communal riots in Jiddal Gaon a few years back. The Raina group is looking after their well-being in exchange for their services."

If Maithili was smitten before, she was in love now. The genuine concern in Raghav's eyes did not go unnoticed by Bhairavi either. Yet there was just something about the boy that was rubbing her the wrong way.

"What about medical care? These women are old. What if one of them sprains a limb or has an unfortunate accident? The nearest medical facility is like three hours away."

Confusion flickered in Raghav's eyes. It was a blink and a miss. But the next moment, he nodded, "You are right... and wrong. We do have a medic in The Valley. The facility is nothing I can boast about, but it is equipped to handle most situations."

"Ma, why don't we take a look inside, ha? I am tired." Maithili cribbed, tugging at the helm of her mother's shirt, trying to change the subject. Reprimanding her mother soundlessly: Amma, why did you start with this nonsense again? And to think you were doing so well!

Realizing the error of her ways, Bhairavi nodded. "Yes. You are right, Mia." Then taking the offered key from Raghav, the duo bid him a lukewarm farewell.

"Did you notice, Mia, this window opens on the outside?"

Pulling on her pajamas, Maithili stifled a yawn, "Amma, I wasn't lying when I said I was tired. Can't you wait till morning to investigate this place?"

Bhairavi mirrored the yawn and joined her daughter on the bed. She called her husband and filled him in on the journey so far.

As soon as all 'miss yous' and 'love yous' were done, she hung up the call; sleep tugged at her consciousness, yet, she sat up straight and closed her eyes in prayer, 'Bhagwanta, thank you for taking care of us this far. Please continue to watch over us. Do you think the women who died had anything to do with this trip?' as another yawn threatened to disrupt her time with her Lord, she decided it best to end it there for the day, 'I have so much to share, but it will have to wait till tomorrow. Please continue to watch over us, Bhagwanta. Jai Shree Ram!'

No sooner did the last of the humans fall into a deep slumber than silence engulfed the valley.

Not too far from where the women slept, unaware of the danger lurking so close to them, the operator woke. Dressed to blend into the night, they entered The Valley and handed the instructions to the hunter: Do the needful.

Without further ado, the hunter got to work.

Chapter Word Count: 1356
Word Count so far: 7825