'I think Ma and Pa are stressing themselves out,' the tiny boy spoke as he swept his dark brown hair across his forehead with his hands, 'Dada told me that he will be fine in a few days.'

He pursed his lips as he watched his parents pace in the dining room. They had sent him out for obvious reasons. It was annoying- the fact that they didn't want him around when they were discussing 'important' things. They shoved him off saying he was too young to understand- but he knew better.

His grandfather had always told him that he was too bright for his age.

No matter how hard he tried to be a part of those serious conversations, his mother's glare would win and he would find himself sitting outside the house.

The neighbourhood didn't have many kids if he didn't count the nasty bully and his little sister that lived next door.

He did not want to play with either of them.

He made sure his parents didn't know he was a lonely kid. He didn't want them to worry. Someone at school had told him that parents who know their children are lonely worry too much; and if they worry too much, they die sooner. That was the last thing the boy wanted. He had already assumed that his parents were ageing a lot faster than normal because of Dada's health.

So he made up an imaginary friend.

This 'imaginary' friend didn't have a name as the boy never had to call him. He was always there. This friend was a little older than him. He was as strong as the bully next door (maybe stronger) and a very pleasant person to talk to.

'And I believe Dada. He would never lie to me.' The boy paused to look at his imaginary friend, 'He does not lie.'

His friend nodded.

The boy was glad that his friend was taking the conversation seriously.

He tried not to think about the times when his Dada would cough continuously till he spat out blood or when he would sleep for hours together with a needle sticking into his flesh.

It used to scare the boy.

A scary word always caught his attention. Cancer.

Thinking about all of that, he spoke again, 'He will be fine. Am I right?'

The friend nodded again.

The boy opened his mouth but the words died in his throat.

Something caught the boy's attention- or rather someone.

A tall man in hideous clothes, like the ones that he had seen on TV shows with poor CGI effects, was walking toward them. The man wore a black dhoti with golden borders. He had a big moustache that curled around his cheeks.

The boy watched the man as he marched confidently toward the house. He found it strange that the man was not walking toward the door. Instead, he was steadily marching toward a wall.

The boy quickly realized that it was the wall that separated the outside world from his Dada's room.

The boy wanted to warn the man but his friend told him otherwise.

The man walked into the wall and simply vanished.

The boy was amazed.

This man is fantastic for he can walk through walls!

The boy decided he wanted to know how the man did it. The child's curious mind demanded the secret.

So despite his parents' orders, he went inside. He passed the dining room where his parents were shouting at each other.

He peeked inside Dada's room, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

The boy was going to learn how to walk through walls.

***

The little girl could care less about the boy that lived next door. Her brother told her to stay away from him because he believed that the boy was mad. She agreed she would not talk to him and steer clear of him- but she couldn't quench her curiosity.

To her, mad people were extremely ugly and known for their offensive speeches.

The boy next door was nothing like that. He was quiet and mostly kept to himself. Some might even say that he was shy.

She couldn't understand why her brother did not want her talking to him and thus, there were often times when she would observe him from afar.

She found out something strange about him.

Sometimes, the boy would talk to himself.

She was playing with her dolls when she noticed the boy sitting on the porch talking to himself again. He usually smiled when he talked to himself but that day, he looked worried. He looked so nervous and upset.

She sighed as she got to her feet. Maybe it was time to talk to him. There was nothing wrong in being his friend because everybody needed a friend.

Walking toward him, she told herself that her brother would understand.

The boy wasn't mad.

He was just lonely.

Before she could move past the gate of her house, her eyes fell on a man who was walking toward the boy's house. She was sure he had come out of nowhere.

He wore a black dhoti with golden borders. His chest was bare and hairy. She gagged at that sight. He was ghostly pale. His face was round, with a black moustache running across it like a chord.

The man looked so out of place.

She moved closer, stealthily, trying not to draw attention to herself. In a few moments, she realized that the boy had noticed his presence too.

She expected him to scream. Instead, he continued to look at the man with... curiosity.

What on earth is he thinking?

Her mind raced. She was scared. As a reflex, she rushed inside to find her brother. She found him in his room, playing with his new X-box. Not caring for his 'oh-so-important' game, she pushed him off the bean bag, 'There's a scary man next door!'

Her brother took a moment to straighten himself. He blinked a few times. Clearly, she had taken him by surprise. Under different circumstances, she would have been proud.

He scowled, 'What are you saying?'

Trying to hide her annoyance, she repeated her words, 'There is a scary man next door.'

She was utterly shocked when he started laughing, 'Now you're becoming like those nosey aunties, huh?' He playfully tugged her nose, 'It's good to know that the neighbourhood is in safe hands.'

She swatted his hand away and steered him toward the window. He didn't protest. From the window, she could see the man was still walking. He was too close to the house. 'Do you not see that man?' She whisper-yelled.

Her brother looked confused. 'There is no man.'

'He's there!' She pointed.

He fixed his gaze in the direction, 'There's no one there.'

'He's-'

To her horror, the man had disappeared and the boy was heading inside. 'He's not there anymore.'

'Little sister, there is no scary man there,' Her brother lovingly put his arm around her and steered her away from the window. 'Are you hungry?'

She wasn't truly hungry but she forced a smile and nodded.

Later that day, her brother told her that the boy would never bother them again. She was confused until she heard her mother whispering about how unfortunate the people next door were for they had lost a son and a parent.

***

Years later

Of course, her brother wouldn't want her there, she should've known.

She stared at her phone. Her brother had yelled at her that she should stay away from them.

It hurt her.

He had told her that none of them needed her.

His words came at her like icy daggers.

She swallowed the bile that crawled up her throat. She emptied the coffee in the paper cup and crushed it.

Sitting inside her car in the crowded parking space of the local hospital, she had never felt so alone.

However, she had a reason to be there.

Their mother was admitted earlier that morning when she fainted in the local store. She wasn't going to sit there and do nothing. She would meet with their mother and they would talk. It was something she was looking forward to. The least she could do was try.

She got out of the car and stopped at the reception to inquire about her mother's wardroom.

This isn't going to be easy, she told herself when she spotted her brother and his wife outside the room. His wife was a nice woman. She forced a smile when she saw her. Her brother, however, was a different story. He froze midstep when he saw her. He didn't even bother to mask his hatred. His handsome face turned grotesque as rage shadowed it.

He marched toward her furiously, 'I told you, you're not welcome here.'

She tried her best not to flinch at his harsh tone. 'I have a reason to be here.' She's my mother too, she wanted to say but she was smarter than that.

'What your brother means is that you shouldn't be here. He doesn't want you stressing about all of this,' his wife piped in before he could reply. She even offered a sad smile, 'It is not the best thing for you.'

Her brother must have told his wife that he had a sister who was delusional and mentally sick.

That one incident had everything. She had told her parents about the strange man. She had suspected that the man had killed them but the surveillance cameras had picked up nothing.

She still believed it was the truth. The man had killed the boy and the old man in that house.

After that, her brother began to treat her like he had treated the boy. Her parents sent her to multiple psychiatrists to get her treated and shoved the medication down her throat whenever she protested. They did all of that hoping she would stop believing that the man was real.

She didn't talk about it but never had she stopped believing in it.

When she found a job for herself at a firm, she moved out of the house and lived on her own. She shut herself off from all the possible relationships.

She had only one relationship- it was with her job.

It was so lonely.

Was it karma?

'I will not leave without meeting her, bhabhiji,' She spoke, firmly.

If she could turn back time, she would go back and coax her younger self to talk to the boy.

Maybe that would've saved him.

'Ma doesn't want you here!' Her brother almost yelled. A few heads turned their way. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry but there was no time to be weak. She held herself together, 'I'll leave if she tells me to.'

He turned to his wife and sneered, 'Tell her to get lost or it won't be pleasant for her!'

She folded her arms in defiance and faced his wife, 'I'm not going anywhere. I will stay here till Ma wakes up and I will meet her.' She tried to keep her voice steady as she continued, 'And if she tells me to leave, I will.'

Her brother stormed off. His wife followed him after giving her a tight smile.

She didn't let her walls crumble just yet. She had to meet her mother too and if she told her to leave, her walls would be ready to take the hit.

An hour passed. Her mother was still asleep. She got herself a cup of coffee as she waited for her to wake up.

No one had briefed her about anything.

She tried to catch hold of the nurse who was tending to her mother but the nurse only gave her a nervous smile and shuffled away.

She understood that her brother was pushing her away again.

Feeling dejected, she sat on a chair.

It happened all of a sudden.

Her surroundings become cold. Her senses had heightened. Goosebumps trailed down her arms as she looked up, unable to understand what was going on.

Then she saw him.

A man that looked exactly like the one that had ruined her life. He still wore the black dhoti with golden borders. He didn't look old at all. It was as if time had stopped for him, keeping him immortal. His moustache was the same. Their eyes didn't connect but she was sure she had never seen anyone's eyes look so bland and hollow. His long hair was braided and tucked under a helmet that was made of gold. Layers of gold jewellery covered his hairy chest.

He looked like Lord Yama, the God of Death- either that or he loved playing dress-up.

Her blood ran cold. She turned to her brother, but he wasn't looking at her. She looked around to see if anyone else could see the strange man.

It was just her, again.

She followed him, determined but scared.

She was prepared to prove to her brother that she was right all along.

That she wasn't mad.

She didn't deserve those pills.

She didn't deserve any of the insults.

She was never mad.

Following him with utmost care to conceal herself, she tried to understand what he was doing there.

If fate allowed it, she would attack him and demand some answers.

***

It was black. She found it strangely comforting like she could sink deeper into it and find bliss. She felt the dark personify. Thick and warm arms wrapped around her, engulfing her. She felt so peaceful.

Something told her that she wasn't used to this feeling.

But it didn't last long. She heard some whispers. They didn't belong the dark. The dark was soft and dreamy but those whispers, they were urgent and serious.

They were frantic.

She wished they would just shut up and let her be.

It took no less than a few moments for her to realize that she couldn't understand the language they spoke in. It didn't sound like any language she had ever heard. It was so graceful but even the grace couldn't keep the tension off the harsh tones.

It wasn't supposed to be so.

She felt the darkness abandoning her. Slipping back into her consciousness, a part of her screamed that it wasn't a great idea.

It would be ugly, it told her but it was too late. The darkness had abandoned her.

She opened her eyes. There was no bright light waiting for her. The walls were gleaming in the low light that seeped through the window. In a corner, mats were rolled and stacked. It was similar to her one that was under her.

Nothing could hide the gloomy atmosphere that prevailed.

Waking up there could come close to a nightmare.

It was later that she noticed two people sitting in front of her. A woman and a boy. She had never seen them before. Even if she knew them, her mind was so fuzzy that she wouldn't be able to recognize them. She told herself that she would wait till it clears.

She was wearing a grey kurta paired with trousers of the same colour. She frowned knowing that it was not her choice of clothing. Sitting up, she observed the strangers.

The boy seemed to be of her age. He was clothed in the same fashion. The woman, on the other hand, wore a haunting white sari.

'Greetings,' The old woman spoke first.

She noticed that she could understand the graceful language. She tried not to smile.

They looked so fragile but something told her that she'd be a fool to believe that.

She nodded in reply because she didn't trust herself with words.

'How are you feeling, child?' the woman asked.

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

She realized she couldn't remember anything. She panicked.

What would these two do if they realized she couldn't even remember her name? She tried to keep her feelings locked away. They could not know.

She opened her mouth again, determined to steer the conversation in her favor, 'Why am I here?' She was surprised that she spoke their language.

Amusement shone in the woman's hollow eyes while the boy looked offended. His pretty face twisted with annoyance. 'Just answer the question,' he snapped.

She was startled by his rudeness. Wanting to go back to the refuge of the dark, she found herself pressed deep into the mat. She wanted the it to swallow her.

'There's no need to be so rude, Dhurya,' the woman said as she placed her thin hand on his shoulder. He sealed his mouth shut but it didn't do much to curb his aggressive demeanour.

The boy was good looking and she would have found him attractive if she had stayed unfazed by his nature toward her.

His nose wrinkled with distaste. She was sure it was directed toward her. She decided it then and there, that he wasn't the kind of a person she would want to know.

'I am Rohini,' The woman gave her a warm smile which threw her off guard. The old woman gestured at the boy, 'He is Dhurya. Forgive him for his aggression. He's not accustomed to visitors. Neither am I.'

Visitors? The girl furrowed her brows in confusion. Something about being a visitor didn't seem right. She fixed her eyes on the boy. He was still the scary predator. She wanted to curl up and sleep. Waking up in some other world would be preferable.

'Do you know why you're here? You must have been briefed by Lord Chitragupt,' the woman got to her feet. It was in one soft and swift movement. The platform she was sitting on didn't even move.

'Lord who?'

What was the woman talking about?

'Oh, dear child,' she chuckled, 'I know you mustn't speak of your life on the Prithvilok but you're taking it too far. All of us can admit that we have met the Lord of Judgement.'

Lord of Judgement?

The girl's forehead was marred with creases. 'What do you mean?'

The woman's demeanour shifted. 'Lord Chitragupt didn't brief you?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

The old woman was taken aback. She examined the strange girl, tilting her head to one side before she shared a look with Dhurya.

The boy was just as surprised as she was.

The girl wasn't lying.

***