𝐕 𝐄 𝐄 𝐑

Year:2019

"Veer bhaiya!" vanya, my sister shouted from back. As I turned back she just run towards me. "Veer bhaiya.." she said while panting. "Take a breath first." I said while looking at a fort. "Bhaiya, vihaan was saying that the palace a little distance from here is haunted, so should we go there Please?" She said while pleading. "What, Vanya, are you a child, taking part in Vihaan's nonsense."

"Bhai, it's not nonsense I'm telling you the truth that fort is actually haunted." Vihaan my younger brother comes out from nowhere. "Bhaiya I know he is nonsense Squirm but it's look fun let's go na please." She said while laughing. "What did you say you ugly Squirm?" Vihaan said while teasing her. "Bhai see he is calling me an ugly Squirm." She cried.

"That's what you are an ugly Squirm." He added while laughing hard. She going to hit him as he move quickly. "Catch me if you can and whoever lose will do anything said by winner for next 24 hours." Vihaan said. "Even if I didn't catch you and only call papa you'll carry my things and follow me like a big brother guard." She chuckle. She is actually right. As she is two years younger than vihaan, four years younger than me and only girl in the family so she is on the eyes of everyone.

"Okay let's get back to the topic, bhai let's go to that haunted house na please." Vihaan said. "I already said no." I said while looking at my watch. "and also arthav is not here with us and Arjun is sacred always." Vanya comes closer to me and whispers "bhaiya this plan is made by Arjun only." She said. "What? Really?" I asked. "Yes our lil' bru grown up bhaiya." She exclaimed. "Well still it's no from my side. Mom, grandma and all will find us and I don't want them to wait for us." I said.

"Bhai please Bhai-" vihaan pleadings got interrupted by Vanya. She whisper something in his ears. "Wow, that's a outstanding plan vannie." Vihaan said after hearing her whispers. "What are you guys going to do?" I asked because they can get in trouble being crazy. "We're going to do nothing Bhai just wait here." Vihaan said with evil smile and joining him in that was Vanya. "Guys tell me what are your dumb plannings and stop acting like Squirms." I said in serious tone.

"Bhai seriously we are going to do nothing." They smiled at me and ran towards the direction where grandma and mom was standing. After a few minutes they were coming back to my direction and with them there was grandma. "Veer beta sun toh." Dadi said as I looked at her.

("Veer son, listen!")

"Haan dadi bolo." I said while holding her hands. "Why aren't you taking them to that fort?" She said in serious tone. "But dadi-" I got cut off by grandma. "No buts you're taking them to that fort understood." She said in demanding tone. "Okay" I said in calm voice. "Let's go." I said to them.

("Yes, grandma say.")

"Yay yay! Grandma you are the only resort to convince veer bhaiya for anything. Love you!" Vanya exclaimed joyfully and hugged dadi. "Are you coming before I change my mind?" I said being so done with them. "No no we are coming Bhai. Chal na Vanya jaldi." Vihaan said and pull Vanya. "Call Arjun also." Vihaan said to Vanya. "He's already there, see."

("come on vanya quickly.")

Now we reached to that fort which is so called as haunted. "Ooh this is sOo spooky." Vanya said weirdly and ran towards it so as Arjun ran behind her. "Bhai aren't you coming in?" Vihaan asked. "I'll be there in few minutes after talking with Yash." I said looking at my phone. Vihaan hummed in response and gone inside. After I talked to Yash, I decided to go inside that fort.

It was all silent as i was alone. Only few street light was lightened. As I was about to go, I heard few girls laughing and running. All I could hear a sound of laughing, the gingles of anklet and the sound of bangles tinkling. As I tried to follow the sound. I saw a girl standing, back facing me she was wearing a light green Colour dress with her hairs open and she started to running to other direction. I don't know what took but I walk after her but just found no evidence of her.

As I was about to go I found a piece of paper and a bangle lie on the floor. It was the sliver diamond bangle like a big one. With the green emrald stone in between of it. It was so shiny. And that paper it was an old paper with the minimal drawings on it and something written in different language.

I got called by vihaan and Vanya so i kept that bangle and paper in my pocket don't know why but I kept it and walked inside. "Bhaiya where are you!!" Vanya shouted and her voice echoes in the fort. It was all Darken in the fort at that time. "Stop shouting Vanya, I'm already scared." Arjun said. I on the flashlight of my phone. All I got to see that vanya was scaring Arjun that he sat on side with his ear closed and vihaan cracking up on him.

"What are you guys doing?" I said as all of them stood straight looking at me. "O--h-- bh--ai--" Vanya Stuttering while saying. "Veer bhaiya see vanya is scaring me!" Arjun came and hugged me in fear. "Did I brought you here for this?" I said while looking at vanya and vihaan. "I'm sorry bhaiya" Vanya said with a sad face. "Let's go inside now Bhai came na." Vihaan said breaking our attention to him. As we all on our phone flashes. Arjun was walking we me.

"It's so dark here right." Vanya said while looking sacred. "See guys if you are sacred we should leave from here." I said firmly. "No we are nOT sacred!" They all said. Then we continue to walk after looking at fort. All of sudden the lights of fort switched on. They all them get stunned. As the fort was all dusty and dull, even the lamps were covered with dust. The photo frames of late kings were there but something was unusual.

"Finally I can see something clearly." Vanya said. "But who switched on them?" Arjun asked being scared.

"Maybe the light went off and now it's back on." Vihaan said and we I agree with him so we start moving further. We get to see the drawings and scriptures on wall but it was unusual.

"The scriptures are scary!" Arjun said being horrified. Furthermore we saw a room but that room wasn't like other rooms, dusty. It was all clean and polished. "Why this room is so cleaned and not uncleaned like other rooms." Vihaan questioned. Does someone stays there? All of sudden the lights got cut off. Vanya grabbed my hand and Arjun screamed.

"Aaltu jalaaltu aayi bala ko taal tu!²"

(Aaltu jalaaltu, you avoid/destroy the trouble has come.)

"Arjun what the nonsense are you saying." Vihaan said. "Guys we should go back it's already so late and I think you saw enough of the fort." I said looking at them. "Yes bhaiya we should, let's go." Vanya said. We start to head back. As we reached at the entrance of the fort from where we started, we saw a woman, she was an old and look like a penniless woman. She was wearing scarf on her face.

She come towards us and stand with the support of stick. She murmured something underneath. "Amma, kya hua, kuch chahiye aapko?" Vanya asked her being kind. She again murmured something.

("Amma, what happened, do you want anything?")

"Hum aapko sun nahi paa rhe hai aap thoda jor se boliye please." Vanya said going closer to her so she can able to listen what she was saying. The next moment arjun stop her and sign her to not go close to her, she step back.

("We can't hear you, please speak a little louder.")

"Dadi Amma dekhiye itni raat ho rhi hai agar aapko kuch kaam hai humse toh bataiye, kya hum aapko aapke Ghar chod de?" I asked her politely.

("Grandma Amma, look, it's getting late, if you have some work, tell us, should we drop you to your home?")

she said something again in very low tone. So I go close to her to hear.

"kisse puch kar tumlog andar gye!!?" She suddenly shouted as Her scarf slips off, revealing a face etched with haunting wisdom. We all flinched hard. Vanya pulled me back. That women has scars and dust on her face but her eyes sparks. She was looking at us with anger range.

("Whom did you ask before going inside!!?")

"Yaha jaane ke liye kisi se kya puchna, yahan toh koi bhi aa Jaa sakta hai na.?" Vihaan said looking at her. That old woman were softly chanting the ancient verses. "What is she even saying, bhaiya let's go from here she looks scary." Vanya said.

("Why do you need to ask anyone to go here, anyone can go here, right?")

"Tum."(you) she said while pointing at me. I gazed at her. She sign me to come towards her. So as I did. Now we both are standing in distance with Arjun,Vanya and vihaan. She whispers "Rajkumar tumhari Jaan ko khatra hai ek esa khatra joh bhot bhayanak hai. jo kaafi saalo se badle ki aag me sanjoh raha hai. Tum sab uske gulaam hoge. jaldi kisi ko nhi chodega woh. kisi ko nahi." she laughed an loud evil laugh and walked away while laughing. While walking she said "tumse tumhari saari pyaari or keetmati cheeze cheen lega woh aur tum kuch nhi kar paaoge." After hearing this I feel, uneasy, feels the weight of impending retribution in the old woman's words.

("Rajkumar, there is a threat to your life which is very terrible. Who has been worrying about the day of revenge for countless years. You will all be his slaves. He will not fuck anyone quickly. nobody.)

("He will take away all your precious things from you and you will not be able to do anything.")

As she gone they all came towards me. "Bhai what she said and why was she laughing?" Vihaan asked. The old woman's words hung in the air like a haunting melody, casting an eerie shadow over my senses. My throat tightened, and a cold sweat formed on my forehead. Goosebumps crawled up my arms as I stood there, frozen in the aftermath of her warning.

They all were throwing questions on me. Yet, I remained silent, my voice caught in the grip of the old woman's cryptic warnings. My gaze lingered on the spot where she had stood, as if expecting her to reappear with answers that could unravel the ominous mystery she had woven.

Vihaan again asked "Bhai what happened? Do you know her? And what she meant by those words?" I was still unable to articulate a response, shook my head in disbelief. The weight of the old woman's words bore down on me, leaving me grappling with a newfound sense of vulnerability and a fear that crept beneath the surface of his stoic exterior.

After few seconds I finally utter a word "let's go home guys." As they followed me. The whole ride towards home was silent. Vanya started to draw something, Arjun sleeps and vihaan was glancing at me while I was driving.

After we reach home I meet dadi and then head to my room. My mind were recalling the words that said by that old woman. My head was just bursting out. I took off my blazer and then my attention went to that bangle and that piece of paper which I had picked up from in front of the fort, I don't know why. I took it out and stare at bangle for few minutes and then took that paper and I tried to translate the words written in that strange language in Google.

It was a poetry in Urdu language which says:

You who look up to the sky,

Does anyone live in the sky?

Why don't I feel at ease with this?

There is only one special place where what in me?

And then I translate it into Hindi.

"यू जो तकता है आसमान को तू,

कोई रहता है आसमान में क्या

ये मुझे चैन क्यों नहीं पड़ता,

एक ही खास है जहां में क्या?"

That poetry make me feel something strange. I am not that fond of poetry but this made me feel like something different. I put that bangle and paper in my safe. This poetry made me forgot about that old woman and her words.

"𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈."

ᴀ ᴜ ᴛ ʜ ᴏ ʀ' s ɴ ᴏ ᴛ ᴇ

Here's the prologue of veer, if you like it don't forgot to vote and comment me your favourite part.

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