"Hello", a manly voice called on her left as the girls were en route to the library. Adhira looked at the man, surprised, while Shilpi narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you doing here, Vasanth?" Shilpi crossed her hands over her chest as she enquired him and Aadhira sighed at her defensive state.

"Nothing. I saw you both passing by. So stopped to say hello" Vasanth shrugged his shoulders, looking deep into Shilpi's eyes. Shilpi averted her gaze for a split second and resumed her defensive mode.

"But we met today in college. So, you were the one who was looking at us for the past 10 minutes", Shilpi fumed, taking a step forward towards him. Aadhira held her hand and pulled her back, locking her arms with hers. Vasanth fumbled a few steps back, "No... No, It wasn't me", he shook his head.

"Yes, it wasn't him", Aadhira said as she noticed Cheziyan and Sushil standing outside, discussing something serious. Shilpi peeped through her side and watched the boys standing beside a tree.

"You're mean, Shilpi", an annoyed Vasanth gritted, raising his brows at her. Scratching her head, she smiled sheepishly and mouthed a 'sorry.' The corner of his lips quirked into a small smile as he saw her fidgeting with her hairs in embarrassment. But, Aadhira scrutinized her gaze at Chezhiyan and caught him glancing at her. And, before she could react, he left, tagging his friend along.

"Okay. Let's catch up later. Bye", Vasanth took his leave, not before glancing at an embarrassed Shilpi. The girls entered the library, but Aadhira's gaze stood unwavering from the boys until their figures disappeared.

"He looks quite serious about you", Shilpi grinned as she walked to grab some books. Aadhira looked at her in annoyance.

She is mad.

She mused as she strode to her usual place and stared at the sky through the railings of the window. Her thoughts drifted back to the letter and symbol carved on the collection of natural elements she got. The blended colours of black and purple spread across the horizon, leaving a few chunks of red in the sky.

What does the symbol mean? Or was it just a random design?

She unpacked her notes, her eyes focusing on the sheets of paper scrambled on the table before.

But it doesn't seem to be random. It was carved on almost everything.

She pushed the notes away and leaned back on the chair. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at nothing in particular.

What is anything does it have with me? Is it something mystical? Am I being followed by a magical creature?

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no, I am cursed in my previous life", she banged her hands on the table.

"What?" a confused Shilpi, who returned fetching the books, asked her.

"Yes, I am cursed. I will be killed by a demon in this life", she yelled in terror.

"What nonsense are you speaking, Aadhira?" Shilpi swatted her shoulders.

"Huh?" Aadhira's eyes snapped at her.

"You were blabbering", Shilpi scrunched her nose.

"Shush", an old lady glared at them as Aadhira cast a look around, puzzled.

Aandava! What is wrong with me?

She sighed loudly. Pinching the brim of her nose, she pulled her confused self to concentrate on the books. Her honey-brown eyes darted across the books, reading their names in succession.

'The longing - Romance at the green lands by Ilangovendan'

She ran her fingers on the bold golden coloured letters of the title. Her heart drummed faster than before. Pushing aside the other books, she placed the one in her hand on the table and scrolled the pages.

The coarse heart of his,
Bleeds with longing,
With his fierce emerald eyes,
He scavenges across the world.

She who marked as his,
Lurks behind the shadow of the browns,
The odes of love rang in her ears,

That he sings from miles away.

Smouldering fire of war brews at a distance,
And the caged demons are set free.
The worlds are about to collapse,
And, here they are, wanting to live.

"Adhi", Shilpi noticed her stoic face.

Her eyes were glued to the page, her gaze unwavering from the words. She sat frozen as her insides wrung painfully, and he almond eyes brewed with unknown terror.

"Aadhira", she yanked her hands.

Aadhira stared at Shilpi, her mind clogged with illusions. Standing up abruptly, she dumped her notes into her bag.

"I have to leave", she walked off hurriedly, hanging the bag on her shoulders as Shilpi watched her, disappearing in the dark.

'The longing- Romance at the green lands.'

The deep brown eyes of Shilpi dilated as she read the title of the book, Aadhira was reading minutes ago.

The crescent hid behind the scattered clouds of the inky sky. The pitch darkness and the whirling hoot of the winds made Aadhira uncomfortable as she waited for her pick up.

'Love a lucid dream. The emotions a vivid illusion.'

The words rung in her ears. She shut her eyes, her breath jagged as her heart twitched uncomfortably.

'The odes of love rang in her ears, That he sings miles away.'

An obscure vision of emerald eyes flashed on her mind. Blazing with gentle love the eyes pierced through her soul, and her breath ragged as the air got scented with the minty petrichor. The loud horn from her behind made her open her slacked eyelids. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she sniffed the air, trying to smell the fragrance that hit her nostrils a few seconds ago. Under the off-white coloured street light, she cast around, as she felt an intense gaze on her.

"Madam, how long to wait?" the agitated voice of the taxi driver made her jump.

"Uh, sorry. Sorry, Anna", she got into the car, her hands trembling.

"Don't be here at this time, madam. This is one among the worst neighbourhoods we have in our city", the driver looked at her, through the front mirror, and she nodded slightly.

Aadhira leaned onto the plush, grey coloured cushion seat of the car trying to rein over her erratic heartbeats. Letting out a choked breath, she rested her head on the headrest. As she made herself comfortable, she felt something poking the sides of her hip. Moving a bit aside, he buried her hand into the gap between the seats and pulled out a post cover.

Sealed cover? Who would have left it?

She flipped the cover and saw it was addressed as, 'To, K.'

That's it? No address, no postage! What is in it?

She peeped at the front and noticed that the driver was busy. Holding the middle of the cover, she tore the pinned end and tilted the cover emptying the contents in her hand.

What are these?

There was an advertisement about the opening of an art gallery, owned by the famous artist Kuzhalvendan and two tickets for attending the inauguration function.

Whoa, gallery! I'm going for sure. Let's drag Shilpi along.

Aadhira's eyes gleamed in joy, as she pushed the tickets and the advertisement into the envelope. Stuffing the cover into her bag, she peeped out at the sky. The sky was void of any clouds with the yellow crescent shining dimly and, the stars twinkled merrily.

"Madam, we have reached", the car pulled off at her residence. 

"Thanks, Anna", she paid him and entered her house, locking the front door. Tossing her bag on the tea table, she stretched herself on the couch. The day's incidents flashed through her eyes, as she breathed out a tensed sigh.

'Hope you reached home safe. Whatsoever the issue, remember, in the ship called life, strong anchors and gusty winds are inevitable for the ship to keep moving. Good night.'

Her phone pinged with Shilpi's message. 

"She can be a hard puzzle to crack, sometimes", she tossed her phone. Changing into her nightwear, she headed to the bed. Straightening the crumpled blue coloured sheets, she jumped on the bed, pulling the soft woollen blanket over her. As she held her hand out to turn off the lamp on her table, she noticed the dried albizia flower, resting near it.

The winds should have brought it inside.

Pushing the button on the lamp, she pulled the blanket to her neck, slipping into a deep slumber. A gentle breeze flew past the windows, caressing her head softly as she smiled in her sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miles away in a dense jungle, deep inside a dimly lit cave, an old man with a well-chiselled body, opened his calm emerald eyes. His gaze meeting with the curious eyes of the people before him. 

"The time has come", he smiled at them, stroking his long dark beard.

"Aaha!"
"Mahadevi.... Mahadevi",

The joyous hoots of people reverberated across the place. They all gathered around a teal coloured pond, that shone brightly, lighting up the place. A few men blew the emerald coloured conch and a few drummed the percussion instruments like thavil.  A coral coloured water lily bud rose from the celestial pond. 

"Velongi nirkum komagale,

Nin karunaiyin vizhigalal yemmai kaakum, Mahadeviye,

Theen aadum nin adharangalin vazhi neeril, varalarnthongum em kulam thazhaithonga,

Endrum thunai nirkum, Aranyani deviye, ninnai thozhukindrom."

The old man praised the goddess, folding his hands above his head.

"Amma, Aranyani Devi", the crowd bowed, their heads touching the land in respect and devotion.

The bud emitted a golden glow, pierced through the prevailing darkness around, radiating across the jungle. The fauna dwelling in the forests cried from a distance. The trumpets of the elephants, the hoots, hisses, roars and crickets of the animals reverberated through the jungle. As the mystery land rejoiced, an owl flew away from the forest, flying towards the towns and cities.

-----------------------------------

Note:

Anna- Brother
Amma- Mother
Aranyani- The goddess of nature according to the ancient mythologies.
Mahadevi- The superior of the goddess.
Thavil - A type of drum used in Tamilnadu

The Tamil verses used in the chapter are my own creation. Resemblance to any other Tamil poems or songs is purely a coincidence.

Pronunciation:

Anna- Pronounced as, 'An-ah'

Amma- Pronounced as, 'Am-ah'
Aranyani - Pronounced as, 'Are-an-yeah-e'
Thavil- Pronounced as, 'Tha-we-ill'

Translation:

"Velongi nirkum komagale,
Nin karunaiyin vizhigalal yemmai kaakum, Mahadeviye,

Theen aadum nin adharangalin vazhi neeril, varalarnthongum em kulam, thazhaithonga,

Endrum thunai nirkum, Aranyani deviye, ninnai thozhukindrom."

Oh, queen, the one who holds the victory weapon,
You protect us with your merciful eyes, Mahadevi,
Under the spittle of your honey brewed lips, our lineage prospers and thrives,
We bow before you in reverence, as you stand by our side, goddess Aranyani.

P.S: I tried my level best to translate the meaning of the verses into Tamil. Any suggestions to improve the translation are welcomed.