Chapter 1
I got up panting heavily, all sweaty and let out a sigh.
My mother asked “Had a bad dream again?”
Before I could respond, I started sobbing. Mother sat beside me and hugged me.
“I am scared Maa. I can’t sleep peacefully anymore. The same things happens almost everyday now.
Should I go to a doctor?”
“If its troubling you so much, you should. Let me book an appointment.”
In the evening, I dressed up and visited our family doctor.
“Are you stressing much on anything? Or watching dark movies? This is normal in this generation now. I will write some medicines that will help you sleep.”
I nodded. I was relieved that I can sleep now.
This started since my 25th birthday. I started getting nightmares every time I sleep. The weird thing was I see incidents always around the same place. A huge Haveli having a huge lake behind where sometimes I see people bathing, children playing. I remember a little girl holding my hand and pulling me along.
I couldn’t see if I was little too. Was she my friend l?
Then I see her jumping into the lake and never getting out. Has she drowned? Does she knows how to swim? Is she okay? Why can’t I run and help her?
In one dream, I saw myself in a huge room inside the Haveli, but couldn’t see how I look. I see a beautiful lady sitting infront of the mirror and doing her hair. When I entered she smiled at me. That smile seems precious until minutes later I see her dead on the ground in a pool of blood.
Then I see an old man on wheel chair and a woman along with him who helps him move around. And then one day, I saw him falling down the cliff along with the wheelchair.
These dreams in the same place started going on in loops and kept me up most of the days. So much that I scared to sleep. What if I sleep and the visuals appear again.
After I bought the medicines from the store, I was relieved that maybe I could sleep peacefully today.
It worked. Dreams stopped. At least that's what I thought until the next week when many other visuals started flashing.
I got up next morning again drenched in sweat.
I heard mom talking to Dad “Lets go for a vacation. I think Shivanshi needs a break. She has been going through a lot these days. Dr. Mishra said this happens when person is stressed enough. What do you say?”
“Lets go then. I will see when and where. ”
