Chapter 1 whispers in the forest
"If you hear the sound of anklets, never turn back,” she heard a faint voice whisper..
Niranjana woke up suddenly from her dream, her heart pounding against her chest. For a moment, she remained still, staring at the ceiling as the voice echoed inside her mind.
Then, she reached for the phone beside her bed and froze.
5 missed calls from Vaishnavi.
Her eyes quickly shifted toward the wall clock.
6.18AM.
“Damn…” she muttered under her breath.
she rushed out of bed and pulled open the curtains. Rain clouds covered the sky above Tenkasi, and the cold morning wind carried the scent of wet earth into her room.
Today was important.
After months of waiting, Niranjana was finally leaving for the forests of Ponmudi to continue her botanical research on rare medicinal plants.
But somewhere deep inside her, the strange voice from the dream still lingered.
Never turn back.
The rain had not stopped since dawn.
Niranjana hurried through the small kitchen, stuffing her research notes, camera, and sample containers into her bag while her mother called out instructions from the other room.
“Don’t stay too long inside the forest after sunset,” her mother warned.
Niranjana let out a small laugh.
“Amma, I’m a biologist, not a child.”
But her mother didn’t laugh back.
Instead, she stood silently near the doorway, her expression uneasy.
“Ponmudi is not like the forests near Tenkasi,” she said quietly. “Some places there should not be disturbed.”
Niranjana rolled her eyes playfully and slung the bag over her shoulder.
“I’m only collecting herbs. I’ll be back in two days.”
Then, as she stepped outside the house, a sudden cold breeze rushed past her.
Her footsteps stopped.
Somewhere behind her…
Ching… Ching…
The faint sound of anklets echoed through the rain.
Niranjana slowly turned around.
But the street behind her was completely empty with fog covered till the ground
“Probably just my imagination,” she murmured.
Then, she grabbed her bag and rushed toward the college entrance where her friends were already waiting near the van.
“Finally!” Vaishnavi groaned dramatically. “Do you know how many times I called you?”
Niranjana smiled sheepishly.
“I overslept.”
“Again,” ishan laughed from the back seat.
The group quickly loaded their research equipment into the van before starting their journey toward the forests of Ponmudi.
Rain tapped softly against the windows as the roads slowly curved into the mist-covered hills. Music played quietly inside the van while everyone joked and argued over snacks.while they arrived ponmudi
But Niranjana couldn’t focus.
Her mind kept drifting back to the dream.
If you hear the sound of anklets, never turn back.
But Niranjana stayed quiet.she looked outside for relaxing herself and suddenly saw someone peeking her behind the trees
A woman.
With Long black hair covered in her face just her creepy smile was revealed as she stood motionless in the rain wearing a white saree with blood stains
And around her pale ankles,
Silver anklets.
Ching… Ching…
The sound echoed again inside Niranjana’s ears.
Sound of the unknown anklet frightened Niranjana
Suddenly a gleam of light flashed and Niranjana took a sharp look behind the tree to confirm herself what it saw but..
The woman was gone.
Only the mist remained.
Niranjana slowly leaned back against her seat, trying to calm herself.
Maybe it was just the fog.
It had to be.
Yet the strange uneasiness inside her refused to disappear.
The van finally stopped near an old forest guest house surrounded by towering trees and thick mist. Rainwater dripped from the tiled roof while the distant sound of thunder echoed through the hills.
“We’re staying here tonight?” Vaishnavi asked, staring at the isolated building.
“Only for two days,” ishan replied while unloading equipment from the van.
Niranjana stepped outside slowly, her shoes sinking slightly into the wet mud. The cold air of Ponmudi felt heavier than before.
Then she noticed it.
Near the edge of the forest path, half-hidden beneath fallen leaves, lay a small silver anklet.Her heartbeat slowed.
It looked old.
Ancient, almost.
Without thinking, Niranjana bent down and picked it up carefully.
The moment her fingers touched the cold silver—
Ching…
The anklet sound echoed loudly inside her head.
Niranjana gasped softly as a sudden sharp pain shot through her chest.
For one terrifying second, she saw flashes of something unfamiliar...
blood splattered across walls…
jasmine flowers soaked in rain…
and a woman smiling through the darkness.
“Niranjana?”
Vaishnavi’s voice suddenly pulled her back to reality.
Niranjana blinked rapidly and stepped away from the forest path, breathing heavily.
“Hey, are you okay?” Vaishnavi asked, noticing the pale look on her face.
Niranjana quickly hid the anklet inside her jacket pocket.
“Yeah… I’m fine,” she lied softly.
But she wasn’t fine.
Her hands were trembling.
That vision had felt too real to be imagination.
Then suddenly....
Her phone vibrated violently inside her bag.
Unknown Number.
Niranjana hesitated before answering the call.
“Hello?”
At first, there was only static.
Then she heard someone breathing on the other side.
Slow.
Heavy.
And then—
Ching… Ching…
The sound of anklets echoed faintly through the phone.
Niranjana’s blood ran cold.
“Who is this?” she whispered.
No answer.
Only silence.
Then the call disconnected
Niranjana slipped her phone back into her pocket and joined the others inside the guest house.
The rain outside grew heavier as everyone settled down after the long journey to Ponmudi. Bags were unpacked, research files were spread across the table, and conversations slowly filled the room.
“Tomorrow’s schedule is going to be exhausting,” Vaishnavi complained while checking the research map.
“That’s why you should’ve stayed
Niranjana closed the file and leaned back against the chair, exhaustion slowly catching up to her.
The journey from Tenkasi to Ponmudi had drained everyone.
One by one, her friends began choosing their rooms upstairs while Vaishnavi continued arguing with ishan about tomorrow’s route.
Niranjana glanced outside the window absent mindedly.
The forest looked darker now.
Endless trees.
Thick mist.
Rain falling without pause.
Then suddenly, her phone rang again.
Unknown Number.
Irritated now, Niranjana answered immediately.
“Who is this?”
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Then the call disconnected on its own.
Niranjana stared at the screen in confusion.
And at that exact moment...
Her grandmother called.
Niranjana answered the call with a small smile.
“Ammamma.”
“Have you reached safely, mole?”
her grandmother asked warmly.
“Yeah, we just reached the guest house.”
“Did you eat anything?”
Niranjana laughed softly.
“Ammamma, I came here barely ten minutes ago.”
“Still, you shouldn’t skip meals,”
her grandmother replied gently.
Niranjana leaned back against the chair as the familiar comfort in her grandmother’s voice slowly calmed her mind.
“How’s Appuppa?” she asked.
“Sleeping in front of the television as always,”
her grandmother laughed quietly.
Outside, rain continued falling over the forests of Ponmudi while her friends moved around noisily upstairs.
“You sound tired,” her grandmother noticed.
“Just a long journey.”
“Hmm… sleep early then.”
“I will.”
For a brief moment, silence settled between them comfortably.
Then her grandmother spoke again, softer this time.
“Ponmudi changes after dark, mole.”
Niranjana smiled faintly.
“Ammamma…”
“I’m serious,” she continued calmly. “Some places are better left alone, even if they look beautiful.”
Before Niranjana could reply, Vaishnavi called her loudly from upstairs.
“NIRANJANAAA! Come help us with the equipment!”
Niranjana laughed softly into the phone.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, mole. Take care.”
The call ended.
But somehow, her grandmother’s words stayed in her mind longer than they should have
