Perceptive Old Lady

Are you telling me that three trees occasionally materialize out of thin air? Moreover, you can identify that these are not ordinary trees?" Prayog inquired.

Upon hearing this, Vibhav swiftly pulled his chair closer to the young girl. His eyes sparkled with excitement. This new conversation had piqued his interest.

"Yes, but my mom never believed it," Nishika calmly replied.

"Wait, what?" Vibhav felt his excitement crumbling.

"Yes, my mom said they don't just appear out of nowhere. She believed they are always here in the forest, within us. They wander around, traveling throughout the village. But it's when they form a specific structure that they become visible," she explained.

Prayog remained unfazed, listening as intently as before. However, Vibhav finally let out a sigh of relief. He seemed genuinely fascinated by this discussion.

"But I have a question: why is he so excited? Just a minute ago, he was looking at me with anger in his eyes. And now, he suddenly appears so invested in our conversation," Nishika asked.

"As I mentioned earlier, it's like his first day interacting with people. How else would you expect him to react? Besides, when you speak with such elegance and grace, who wouldn't be enchanted by your words?" Prayog replied, with a touch of flattery.

Though the little girl tried to conceal it, she seemed genuinely pleased by the compliment.

"Please, tell us more," he requested.

"I wish I could. But if you're truly interested, you can join me at my home. All the research my mom had done is in the basement," she offered.

Needless to say, both listeners agreed instantly. Soon, they were walking along the road toward her house, which, according to her, was situated in the middle of the left village line. That's how the villagers named it.

"When you enter from the market, the same way you came from, the houses on the left side of the road are called the left village line, while the houses on the right side are called the right village line. There are 30 houses on the right village line and 20 on the left village line," she explained. "However, the houses on the left line have more distance between them, which is why the left village line is the longer one."

"And they are called 'line' because they are situated alongside a straight road, resembling a line. Am I right?" Prayog chimed in.

"Yep, you're absolutely right," she replied with a gleeful tone.

As the trio walked, they felt the penetrating gazes of the other villagers, amazed to see these two befriending a little girl.

"Is it just me, or do the people here seem even more surprised to see us with you?" Vibhav asked Nishika, to which she simply replied, "Yes, that's true. Most people in this village say that they can't stand me."

"I can relate to them," he chuckled.

"Well, this village appears quite comfortable to me. There is a school, a clinic, and shops for your daily needs," Prayog remarked.

"Well, there are actually two clinics, and yes, since this village is situated a long distance from the neighboring villages and the market, the people in our village have made it as self-sufficient as possible," she said, pride evident in her voice.

"Why does the road seem so empty? It looks like there are barely any people around here," Prayog questioned.

"That's because everybody is at work, either in the fields or in the market. The point is, everything is situated far from here, so..." Nishika was interrupted

As the trio walked along the road, they felt the penetrating stares from the villagers they passed, surprised to see them befriending a little girl.

"Is it just me, or do people here seem even more surprised to see us with you?" Vibhav asked Nishika. She simply replied, "Yes, that's true. Most people in this village say they can't stand me."

"I can relate to them," he chuckled.

"Well, this village looks quite comfortable to me. It has a school, a clinic, and shops for your daily needs," Prayog commented.

"Well, there are actually two clinics, and yes, since this village is located far from neighboring villages and the market, the people here have made it as self-sufficient as possible," she said proudly.

"Why does the road seem empty? It looks like there are hardly any people around," Prayog remarked.

"That's because everyone is either working in the fields or in the market. Everything is situated far from here," Nishika began explaining before Vibhav interrupted.

"And those who are walking seem to be doing one thing only—staring at us. It feels creepy," Vibhav sighed. "But what did I expect?"

"Here we are," said the young girl, pointing to a house.

The house was painted in white and red, unlike the others, without a separate hut or 'chhappar.'

They stopped at the door while their new guide went straight inside, calling for her grandma. Soon, a woman in her 70s emerged from the house.

She wore a blue saree, a blouse of the same color, and a pair of slippers. Although her clothes were old, they were decently cleaned, giving the impression of a well-organized woman. Her white hair indicated her age.

She looked at the two guests and said, "Oh, aren't you guys the new residents of our village?"

"Yes, we are!" replied Prayog.

"Out of all the people in the village, I'm surprised to see you guys befriending her," she said.

"I'm surprised too," Vibhav quickly responded, catching the young girl's fiery gaze.

"Why don't you two come inside and have a seat? We can talk then," she invited them.

She brought water and sweets and placed them on the table. "You didn't have to trouble yourself with that. We are already full," Vibhav said when he saw her bringing the refreshments.

"What's the trouble in this? It's the least I can do for two guests," the old lady replied.

"Well, thanks a lot!" Prayog said.

Soon, the four of them settled on two 'charpayis' facing each other. After introductions and exchanging pleasantries, the old woman asked, "So I take it that you're not here for the meet-up and get-together. So, what can I help you with?" The old lady got straight to the point, surprising the guests.

"Well, you see, Dadi, these two people are going to open a supernatural detective agency, and I'm their first client," Nishika said with excitement. "They promised that they're going to bring my mom back."

Prayog and Vibhav looked nervous. They didn't want to start off on the wrong foot, so Prayog interrupted, "Well, you see, we are just interested, and... umm. Also, it's not like we charge money or anything like that. Instead, we've asked her to be our guide to the village... as you can see..." Prayog did his best not to ruin this opportunity.

Well, Dadi, these two individuals are planning to open a supernatural detective agency, and I am their first client," Nishika said with excitement. "They have promised to bring back my mother." Prayog and Vibhav looked nervous.

They didn't want to start off on the wrong foot, so Prayog interrupted, "You see, we are merely interested, and... umm. We don't charge any money or anything like that. Instead, we have asked Nishika to be our guide to the village... as you can see..." Prayog tried his best not to ruin this opportunity.

However, the old woman's response was unexpected. She turned to Prayog and asked, "How old are you?"

"Pardon me?" Prayog couldn't think of an answer to the question.

"I asked about your age. You wear clinical gloves, there is a burn mark on your body, and you're dressed in traditional clothes. It's quite unusual for someone of your age, if you ask me!" she clarified her question.

"Well, you see... I am a bit older than I look. You're quite perceptive to notice that. But I feel like there's more to it than meets the eye," Prayog explained, surprising his companion.

"It's your eyes. They look much older than the rest of your body. There are several other things as well. Judging by your appearance, I assume you know about this village and its history. Otherwise, someone like you, who could afford a good house in a more convenient location like the city or elsewhere, wouldn't choose to buy a rundown house here."

"Additionally, I'm pretty sure my grandchild must have spoken to you about her mom and said things that might be dismissed as a child's nonsense since she desperately wants her mother to return. Yet, you two not only took those things seriously but also came here to investigate."

The old woman continued her acurate explanation. "Based on these observations, I'm fairly certain that you're not the so-called 'normal' people who came here seeking a happy life. If you want my help, you'll have to share something about yourselves as well," the old woman explained clearly.

"She's even better than you, boss!" Vibhav couldn't help but admire the old woman sitting in front of them.

Prayog started to feel the tension in the air and attempted to ease things a bit. He said, "Well, you see, we have experienced this type of phenomenon before, which is why we believed Nishika. And yes, you're right, we are here to investigate some things for ourselves in this village. Vibhav is the only friend I have, as you can see." "

"I can tell that you're still not telling me everything I need to know, but I won't pry anymore. There's one more thing I want to know—can you really bring her back to us?" the old woman asked.

"I won't lie, and I don't want to give you false hope. All I can say is that I will do my best, and you won't find anyone better suited for this job than us. Furthermore, we now have our own reasons to bring her back alive," Prayog assured the old woman.

"Oh, and what would those reasons be?" she inquired.

"Well, your daughter seemed to know things that we'd also like to know. So, it would be of great help if we could somehow bring her back alive," Prayog explained to the old lady.

"Fair enough. It's not like I have a choice anyway. Even if I were to decline your request, you would still search for her," the old woman said as she got up from her seat.

"Follow me!" she exclaimed, leading the two guests into another room. "This is her room, but you won't find anything here. She didn't conduct any of her research in this room," the old woman explained.

"What kind of research did she do?" Prayog inquired.

"She researched the supernatural occurrences that usually happen around this area. All of her work was done in the basement."

They glanced around the missing woman's room, realizing there was nothing of importance there. As expected, they decided to make their way to the basement.

The basement was well maintained, and its organized and tidy state indicated that the old woman cleaned it daily.

"Here we are. Everything remains exactly as it was on the day she went missing. Take a look around and see if you find anything," she instructed.

There didn't seem to be much to explore aside from some drawers embedded in the walls. A table and chair occupied the center of the basement, with a picture of the missing woman, the old lady, and a little girl.

"I am sorry," Prayog said politely. " For your daughter."

"Oh, it's nothing. And you're making it sound as if she's already dead," she replied, attempting a funny face. "She's actually my daughter-in-law, but she meant more to me than a daughter."

"I see. Well, in any case, we will do our best to search for her," Vibhav assured her, but the old lady didn't wait for his response.

She had already rushed out of the room, wiping away her tears. The little girl remained, fixated on the picture of her mother.

"She's my mom. She's the best mom in the entire world," she said.

"She certainly is," Vibhav murmured, still captivated by the picture hanging on the wall.

/Next chapters- The basement, The stranger and finally A First Hand Experiance/