Spells

Chapter 4: Kuldhara

Inaya

Inaya peered ahead as the headlights dimly brightened the way. There were some hardly passable secondary roads, but Kuldhara was situated around just two wide main ones. Signboards supposed to lead them were rusted and unreadable. Following the earlier guidance given to her dad by the mover's company, they had taken the upper main and continued on it a short while before taking a sharp left turn at the landmarked tiny dairy shop. Their jeep nudged along a narrow path surrounded by similar two storey buildings. Most of them looked like they hadn't been lived in years, the rest of them were on the verge of looking like that. But there were lights and noises in them.

People actually live in those?

Inaya had opposed the move from the very beginning. She didn't want to leave, and if her dad HAD to, she argued he could go alone. Or they could all go and just leave her in the school hostel.

But her dad hadn't agreed, no matter how much she had tried to convince him. She (and her twin brother Prithvi) were in grade eleven, and had board examinations next to next March. She was in the running for the head-girl of the school with a really high chance of winning. All her teachers liked her, her friends liked her, and the popular boys liked her. She didn't tell her dad the last part, but it was important to her just the same. But he didn't give in. He was stubborn and kept repeating, 'The family should be all together. You would be leaving for college in a few years anyway. You could try the hostel life then.' She suspected he was afraid of them leaving him suddenly. Like their mom did. Ever since she passed away, Dad had become over-protective, wanting to spend as much time with his children as he could. She hadn't minded it... Not until now, anyway.

The jeep took another left turn and finally stopped. Ahead of them stood two buildings, both similar in structure yet different in appearance. The left one looked maintained with its shiny green paint and the clean windows reflecting back the street light. The right looked a lot dilapidated.

"We are here!" announced Vijay excitedly.

"I call dibs on the left one!" Arul joked, matching his energy.

"They aren't both ours, you moron." Abhimanyu said.

"I... is not a moron.," replied Arul, pouting and acting hurt. Abhimanyu chuckled, despite his nausea. Arul could always make him laugh.

"Ours is the right one." Vijay stated.

"Yayyyy. " Arul sarcastically celebrated.

Inaya stepped out and stood beside Prithvi. They looked closely at their new home. Her dad had paid a service to clean and ready their house, but it still didn't look welcoming. Standing at two storeys high with a sloping dull green roof (few of the shingles were missing, a lot more had huge cracks on them), walls with faint yellowish paint, and large wooden doors, it appeared neglected but a bit luxurious at the same time. A yellow bulb shone brightly over the doorstep. She could faintly hear a window of the nearby house banging in the wind. Her dad's voice boomed over the sound. "Let's go!"

And so they went.

The house inside was bright and spacious. The disproportionately large living room had most of their boxed up stuff. The larger things, like their beds, couch and refrigerator were already unpacked and in their respective positions. The walls, ceilings and the wooden floor looked spotless.

The cleaning service has done a good job!

Inaya said her goodnights and went straight to her room, the floor creaking under her weight. Touring the house could wait... Right now her body ached for some rest.

Her small room, with the ceiling much lower than she was used to, welcomed her with a gust of warm damp air. She rushed to open the window, despite her father's warnings against the mosquitoes. She stood there... Mesmerized... Watching as the sky cleared up to reveal the milky way... Feeling the cool air refreshing her sweaty face... And listening to the quiet lull of the traffic-less surroundings. For just that moment, she didn't mind living there. In fact, she kind of liked it!