THE STRANGE GIRL

Note: This is a romantic-horror thriller story based on the author's fiction. It does not apply to any historical reference. It's a continuation of The Silent Forest.

FEW MONTHS LATER:

JANUARY 30, 2022:

KOLLAM, KERALA:

A few months later, Anish had been continuing his job as a photographer. Before three months he have won awards for capturing some beautiful creatures, animals and plants of Himachal Pradesh. Priya Darshini have taken him to Manali, which had been frequently visited places of North India. Many people from South India and world are visiting this place. Anish and his younger brother Krishna too had dreams to go for Manali. Currently, they have shifted their works and job to Kollam district and have bought a new house.

Unfortunately due to the semester exams, Krishna backed off from the trip of Manali. Thus, Anish and Priya alone started their journey to Manali. Through their trip, Anish and Priya's family learn that, "They are loving for more than six years since their college days." Initially, Anish's family was apprehensive of their love, citing caste related differences. However, when Anish politely criticized their hypocrisy and the impact of 1000-years maintenance of casteism, his father gets convinced. He gives him the acceptance to marry Priya Darshini, throwing away his thoughts that she is an orthodox Brahmin.

At this point of time, Krishna and Anish are planning to go for Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad district of Kerala, where there are popular places such as: Neyyar dam, Aruvikkara Dam and Meenmutty Waterfalls. Anish explained his trip plan to Krishna with the map of Kerala. When explaining about the trip to him, Priya gives a surprising visit to the house.

They hides the trip map behind and Anish gets up from his sofa. With a sort of laughter, he said: "Haa Priya. Come inside. Have a seat."

Looking at him gladly, she said: "You are so happy today. Anything special ah?" She blinked at him to which, Anish said tapping the shoulders of Krishna: "No no. Not like such. We are normal as usual." Krishna smiled at her with some sorts of fear in his mind. He said himself: "Ah ha! I don't know how sister-in-law is going to react looking at our trip plan." While having a romantic look at Anish, Priya notices the trip plan from Krishna and grabs it from him.

Looking at it, she chased Anish inside the house and have a funny fight with him by asking him: "Hey. I have came with you to Manali da. Leaving me behind, how you planned to go here da?"

Laughing Anish said: "Priyu. Don't beat me. I am sorry."

"You bastard. Go to hell da." She gives him a sound thrash. When Krishna entered inside, she was almost doing Rudra Dance. 

"Oh my god. I am not there in this game. Escape." Krishna escaped inside the kithcen room, where he accidentally hits a powder, that falls straight to his head. The same time, Anish managed to console Priya. While, Krishna came inside the room.

His face was full of white powder. Looking at him, both laughed uncontrollably. Krishna gets frustrated and asked them: "Hey brother. In your romance, am I your victim da?"

"Just cool da Krishna." He however, showed his hands and said: "I will beg into your feet. Please don't call me."

"Krishna got angry." Priya said looking at him to which, Krishna looked at her. He consoled himself and asked, "When could they go for the trip?"

"Tomorrow around 5:30 PM, we are starting our trip to Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad."

Krishna gets excited upon hearing this. However, Anish have some sort of fear for darkness, since his childhood days. It is for this reason, Anish have taken gun in his hands, while going for Thrissur along with Krishna. Whichever place he goes, he never goes without his license gun. Likewise, Anish takes his license gun and started off his trip for Neyyar Dam.

Anish feels peaceful and happy upon seeing the beauty of Neyyar Dam. In a boat, he, Priya and Krishna goes to visit the nearby Crocodile park around 12:15 PM, the next day. Aftermath of the crocodile visit, the trio goes along with few people in a van, where they witness a group of lions, looking at the sky.

A few hours later, they are dropped back to the same site of Neyyar dam, from where Priya and Anish return to the room around 7:30 PM. While, Krishna goes and enjoys the scenario of the village atmosphere with Anish's friend Stephen, who is a tourist guide to them.

Feeling lonely and boring, Anish started off a conversation with Priya, who sits awkward in her red sari. He asked him: "Priyu. How much you love me?"

She feels shy and asked him: "Hey. Is love a quotient to calculate? It's that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

Anish stared at her. Seeing this, Priya laughed and said: "Anish. You wanted to know how much I love you. Come here to the bed and take a seat. Let me show my love to you."

He said as she instructed. Looking deep into his eyes, Priya said with a smile: "Anish. I need you like a heart needs a beat. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had." She slowly kissed him in the lips. Anish feels emotional and romantic.

Looking into her eyes, he said: "Your angelic face leaves me breathless Priyu. Because you look so beautiful." By touching her arm lightly, he leaned in and asked her, "Is she comfortable?" She nods yes. Holding her gaze, he leaned in a bit more and touched her cheek. Telling her that, "She looks even more beautiful" he kissed her lips softly making sure that, it's not hard. By keeping kiss softer, he lingered and pulled away a little. Priya saw him and leaned in. Anish takes a lead to the left side of the window, followed by her. 

Priya hesitates owing to the fear in hear eyes. By letting his lips linger, Anish kissed her again. He took the lead to the bed, followed by Priya after which, he pulled her close by holding her waist without forcing the touch. He noticed her moves and body language, as she came closer to him. By holding her arms gently, he trailed a finger down her back and felt the fabric of her sari on his skin. Running his finger through her hair, he trails a finger along her jawline and holds her chin up.

By taking her in his hands, he switched off the room's light. Taking his own time, Anish lingered and kissed her more, passionately. Priya realized that, "Anish loves her madly. He wanted her right there and right then." He slowly removed her sari like sculpting a statue in order to break her mind free from stress and fear. Her body shifts right in his arms. She unbuttoned his shirt taking her own time. While, Anish never stopped kissing her and lingered on her lips. He took her hands in him and entwined his fingers. He gently stroked the nape of her head after kissing her neck. 

Now, Anish carried her in his arms and leads her to the bed. There, he layed her down and admired Priya's beauty at that moment. With every move and every touch, he never left her eyes or her lips. They both sleep together in a blanket the whole night. The next day, Priya had been crying thinking about the previous night. While, Anish wake up through her sari and said: "Why god is showing forenoon? It shouldn't be night itself ah? Hmm." Kissing Priya's shoulder, he asked: "Hey. Why are you crying Priyu?"

"We did a big mistake. This all should happen after marriage. I was in a haste." Anish consoled her and kissed her again. Blaming him to be solely responsible for the sex, she asked: "Will he marry her?" Anish joked that, "He have never loved her truly and used her just for his sexual desires and lust." Believing his antics to be true, she cried by tapping her heads. However, Anish consoled her saying: "Priya. Look at me. In love there are two things: bodies and words. You don't marry someone you can live with — you marry someone you cannot live without."

Priya becomes emotional and hugged him. After wearing back their dresses, Anish searched for Krishna, who comes around 8:30 AM. The trio makes their journey to Wayanad from where they plan to go for Meenmutty waterfalls. It's almost 45 kilometers. Reaching there by 12:00 PM, the trio enjoyed the beauty of Meenmutty falls by entering inside the forest around 1.5 kilometers.

Being a dense rainforest, there are some dangerous trees and animals. Anish crossed the eggs of Black Cobra very carefully. Coming back, a leech puts a hole on Priya's foot, which Anish noticed when returning. He asked Stephen about the solution for it, to which he asked him to go for Kallar river and put some waters inside. They go there and puts some water, after which Anish looks at a neem tree and takes a leaf from it. He ties it in her leg and consoled her. By now, it's already 3:30 PM. Since, the guys enjoyed swimming in the river and playing. 

When they are playing, Priya noticed two Crocodiles inside the river of Kallar suddenly. As it's approaching Anish and Krishna, she warned them about it's presence. They initially struggled as the crocodile trapped their leg. However, Krishna hits the crocodile hard as did by Anish. Unable to bear the pain and pressure, the two crocodiles escaped inside the river.

The guys healed their wounds and went along with Priya. Now the time is 5:30 PM already. Taking his car, Anish drived towards Wayanad road. There are only trees and plants in and around the hills. No people are there at this point of time. Everyone have alreay went inside. Since, Anish had fear for night, Priya had been driving the car. While, Anish is sitting besides her in the left side. And Krishna as usual sat at the backside of the car. 

Priya had fear in her eyes. She only focussed on driving. While, Krishna looks at a strange girl. Only her shoulders are seen by him. She is sitting across the roadside by bowing her head down. She never turned back. He informed this to Anish, who said about the same to Priya after she crossed 1.4 kilometers(she didn't listen initially). She said, "Ok. Let's go there and check out."

Now the time is 6:45 PM. It's almost dark after the sunset. Going there, she switched on her car's headlights, to which the girl doesn't appear. Amish and Priya assumed that she could have gone inside the forest. So, they turned the car towards Wayanad road and Priya continued her driving in the speed of 80 km/hr. 

They have travelled five kilometers from the forestry towards Wayanad-Thiruvananthapuram road. Still, they are travelling in the hilly road. Now, the same girl have been sitting to left side of the road in the same position. Finding this to be strange, Krishna said: "Sister-in-law. Start off the car. Let's go from here. Please." He cried to start off the car. But, Anish consoled him.

Krishna's heart start to beat faster. He closed his ears and lied down in the seats. His face sweated in fear. Being a girl, Priya feels sympathetic to that strange girl and asked Anish to open his glass window, which he does.

Looking at the girl, she asked: "Hey young girl. Are you okay? What are doing here at this night time?"

A few moments later, Priya and Anish's face sweat in fear. Their throat struggled due to anxiety. Shouting out aloud, Priya started the car and went superfast in the speed of 100 km/hr. Krishna resurfaced and asked them: "What happened?"

Around 10:45 PM, Priya stopped the car at their house in Kollam. As Anish was terribly shocked and feared, Priya turned back to Krishna and said: "That Strange girl turned back. She didn't have face, nose and anything. Only her hair was there. Instead of her....face, we saw a hole." She cried by laying in Anish's arms.

Krishna feels peaceful now. Looking at Anish he said: "We experienced this same fear when we were in Thrissur Anish." Hearing this, Priya remembered Anish, discussing about his trip as a journey in the silent forest. She realized that he had been meaning her about the ghosts present inside those kinds of reserved and secluded forest areas.

For a while, Priya cried aloud when she entered inside the house. She hugged Anish tight and said: "Anish. Each day I love you more, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."

Anish consoled her and said: "Don't worry Priya. We are safe." She wiped off her tears. While, Anish said: "Priya. You know? Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."

She laughed and hugged him. A few hours later, Krishna asked Anish: "Anish. You used to learn some lessons through your journey right. What lesson did you learn through this journey?"

Looking back at him, he replied: "Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries. It doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes our ride and journey worthwhile." 

The next day after a good sleep, Anish informed the police about the strange girl to the Wayanad police in his phone. They checked the CCTV Footage as well as the roads. It doesn't have the presence of the strange girl. Hearing this, Anish gets frozen and shocked. Fearing that he may fear for the darkness again, Krishna comes in to console him, supported by Priya.