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    T H E  W A R E H O U S E 's  L O C K clinked open at the creak of dawn. The first rays of sun grazed the ground with new vigor in the air for the people, who were also quite surprised to have seen the only dukaan in the mohalla open at its earliest.

    Her fingertips smeared the mitti apart, cupping a bit in her palm to hew out the face. Running a finger under the lines of the eye sockets, she cast a faint valley for the nose and the nostrils. Clear and enrapt, Aaina's gaze never maundered away from the sculpture in front of her. She was in a song, a moment taken out of time. She forgot time when she sat with her idols. No regard of where she was and how long she'd been sitting there. Her eyes were fixated at the work afore her, and that was it. The idol was almost ready to be painted.

    The hands worked and chiseled until they perfected the engraves. Anyone else would not have been able to notice the subtle flaws she strived to mend. An idol had to be flawless in every sense. It was to be a god, after all.

    She gave it a form, embellished it, and reminisced in the joy of its beauty. The solitude in her mind shifted when a knock reverberated behind her. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck bristled in a spark,  the surroundings suddenly returning to her frame of vision. She opened the dukaan at five in the morning, and now the sun was overhead, or she believed so. Apparently, the sunlight did find ways to creep in, unlike yesterday. It was rather warm in the morning, but she never believed she'd have to go through the last cold night that way.

    Never in her most petrifying dreams did she expect to have felt the daunting chills so early in the morning. Last night had absolutely sparked an unknown thought. The entire town had been a home all her life, but in reality, not everything could be trusted. The man, the hill, and his twisted speech.  

    She brushed the chatter out of her mind and got back to the last touch-ups of the idol. Her mind chanted good things about the world, taking deep breaths to pacify the cynical thoughts, but regardless, her focus was utterly wrecked. 

   
    Stop it now, Aaina, "she repeated in her conscious. It was just an unusual day of bad luck and nothing else. It passed in the night, and there was no need to reiterate it on a fresh morning. But what made him say that? Wasn't Chakradhan Hill a protected area? What was he doing there?

    Do I really want to know? He was just an unfortunate block in her path, after all. The answers to the questions she was seeking were beyond him. It would be a waste of time to worry about it. 

    "What are you doing here alone?"

    Aaina screamed on top of her lungs, holding her palms to her ears. At that, the woman who entered the warehouse rolled her eyes rather stiffly. Her saheli was definitely demented.

    "Is your paayal not working, Shashi? When did you come here?" She asked, her breath still out.

    "I came on time like I do, every day. Why are you so lost?"

    Aaina shook her head. "Haay, I was scared to death!"

    Shashibala's gaze scrutinized her co-worker from top to bottom. "Have you been here since yesterday?"

    Apparently so, yes. The half-open, tousled hair and a very worn-out dupatta being evidence. She had slept in the warehouse, with nowhere else to go. Going back to Hira Ghar was not the best option out there, and the warehouse could very fondly be called her second home. She spent most of her time there.

    "Yes. Don't ask why"

    Shashi smirked. "Great."

    There were a few unspoken words between the two, a sort of understanding. Shashibala, though the same age, behaved like a sister to Aaina, who knew all her shenanigans yet made her feel alright about them, but sometimes, the only one that could scold her was Shashi. It had not even been a year since she had gotten married to a mathematics professor of the same town, quite renowned for his ideals and books. Yet they hadn't lost each other.

    Both the sahelis coupled up to run the day's errands and finish their tasks. Shashi sat beside Aaina with her set of mud and geared up to finish the last piece of the batch. They were too keen towards vyapaar. Kaki had reduced her visits as well as her interest in the matters, which led to the girls upholding it on their shoulders. And god did they love it.

    Aaina had almost finished painting her idol. She turned towards Shashi with a bright smile that faded as soon as she noticed something on her arms.

    "Hey, what's that on your hand?"

     Shashi's eyes darted towards her arm, and after a second, she chuckled. "Hot coals, I tell you. It gets so cold in the night, and I can't sleep without a fire. "

    "Be careful, Shashi. I will have to warn Ranmal to take better care of you. "

     "He does," she gave her a smile. "He does. Wait, did you eat at all last night?"

    "There was some leftover dal in the cabinet Durgam had forgotten to take back," Aaina sighed, but she knew her stomach could never suffice in only a small bowl of dal

    To that, her friend feigned a shocked expression. "Sachhi? Aaina Purohit ate leftovers?"

    She rolled her peacock eyes. Of course, her sweet pride had to be taken care of. She could not go back to Hira Ghar.

    "I don't think you have to worry anymore. I'm sure they'll be some very palatable dishes today at the havan"

    "Havan?"

    Shashi gave her a confused nod. "The one at your house today?"

     Again? It rose annoyance more than interest. She debated between yelling on top of the lungs or smashing her fist on the wet mud on Shashi's table. Or she was probably just tired. Too many things happening in too little time. She needed rest. Sleep was dear to her. It came as a wave of clarity, a powerful blanket of nothingness coating the imaginary riots in her mind.

    "I don't feel like going,"

    Her kaki hosted numerous impromptu poojas and havans earlier. It was always the same. It wouldn't even matter to her if she went, right? Why not catch up on lost hours of sweet sleep in the mean time.

    "Are you sure? But why does she keep having so many havans anyway?"

    Aaina scoffed. "Trying to ease the troubles of life that she caused but will blame it on the buri nazars"

    Both of them broke in chortles of laughter.

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g l o s s a r y

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dukaan - a shop

saheli - female friend

buri nazar - evil eye

paayal - anklet

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