Daughters of Kalika

১২. vanilla and bluebells

The past holds the secrets.

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He carried crumbled hopes inside of him. She had carried the torch in his life, coming at a time when he desperately needed to feel needed as a father. And then she left.

This time, Aadi Babu would ensure the mistake was never repeated. Catherine was too curious about the murders and became a victim herself. Aadi Babu wouldn't let Maya dive into the abyss too.

Trudging towards the balcony, he saw Maya sitting there with a face painted in dried tears and eyes burning with rage. A spear pierced his heart.

"I am sorry, beta. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Maya craned her neck to the side. Without speaking a word she shifted and made room for Aadi Babu to sit. He took the gesture as a cue to continue and sat beside her. His voice was quaking; his entire existence felt threatened by this night. It was so dark and quiet, as if it was hiding some atrocity that was taking place at the very moment.

Aadi Babu touched Maya's palm. Her skin was soft and delicate and her features were well sculpted like that of a goddess. He wouldn't want someone so precious like her to end up in the way Catherine did.

"There are monsters in Devipuram who wish to inflict wounds upon the vessels of the Goddess. You need to be careful, Maya."

"I am grown up and can handle myself."

"It isn't really your job to mingle in the affairs of our village, but in this little time, I have grown close to you. You remind me of my daughter who has gone far away..."

Maya matched her gaze with him. Her lips trembled a little, her beautiful eyes shimmering under a sheen of moisture.

"Since you have become a part of my house and the village, I cannot really stop you from knowing what goes on here. I also cannot stop you, because as you said, you are an adult capable of making your own decisions."

"If you have any advice for me, I will listen to it."

Aadi Babu smiled. "As a father figure, I can only ask you to be careful. The murderer lives amongst us. He or she knows you very well." Aadi Babu rubbed his chin in a calculated pause. "Though the murderer being a girl isn't impossible, I personally feel it's a man."

"Women can kill too," Maya reminded with a bitter smile.

"But in today's society, whether you accept it or not, monsters grow more from men than you all. Women end up more as victims. All women were killed till now."

"I assure you, the next victim will be the murderer himself."

Aadi Babu raised his hands in the air. "It's good to take upon yourself the duty of protecting others, carry the burden of greatness, but be sure you are really capable of it. Young hot blood like yours often does things in haste."

"At least I am not sitting idle like you all!" Maya thundered. "I am not waiting for Hrishav to find the murderer. I am not playing a blame game. I am not saying it's the hand of the paranormal. Yeah, who knows, maybe it is the other world participating in the blood and gore, but we need to find the puppet of the devil, don't we?"

"The puppet of the devil has the power to outdo the devil himself. His hunger is far greater, he is far more desperate. His needs"–Aadi Babu clenched his fists, vacant eyes looking at the blackened sky–"are diabolical."

Maya looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Aadi Babu leaned back, wrapping his arms around his body. His eyes were afraid of looking at the woman, of telling her about his fears.