LightReader

Chapter 5 - Light In The Shadow

Karthik continued his search for the strange chant he had heard. He went to the pooja room where his mother kept a small, old cupboard. Inside, she stored all the ancient family books filled with mantras and prayers.

He opened the cupboard, revealing a stack of dusty, old books. He carefully picked one up that looked to be in good shape, but the paper had grown so fragile over the years that he knew even a little force could tear it apart. Gently, he began to read, turning each brittle page with extreme care, moving from one book to the next.

As he read, he found no trace of the chant. He couldn't even figure out what language the chant was in; it was completely different from the the languages his family used for prayers. Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was already dark outside. He decided he would have to read the rest of the books later.

Karthik ate dinner alone that night. His parents were at the temple for some evening work. After his meal, he went straight to his room and fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning, his parents were still sleeping, so he decided not to disturb them as he got ready for school. Just before leaving, he quietly went to their room.

"Appa, Amma," Karthik whispered, gently shaking their shoulders. "Bye, I'm going to school." And with that, he left.

During the school break, his friends gathered around him. The main topic of conversation was coming up with a better ending for his ghost story.

"I have an idea!" Rakesh said excitedly. "As you're running away, you suddenly get enlightened and turn around to defeat the ghost with your newfound powers!"

"No, no," Priya chimed in. "A powerful mystic should suddenly appear out of nowhere and save you!"

Everyone shared their ideas, and they finally decided that the best ending would be for a mystic to appear and help Karthik, and then they would fight and defeat the ghost together.

After the break, the rest of the school day went by as usual, and Karthik soon arrived home. He went straight back to the pooja room, opened the cupboard, and continued reading the remaining books. But even after searching through all of them, he found nothing about the chant.

That evening, his father came home with a small grin on his face. As soon as he stepped inside, he pulled Karthik over. "Karthik," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I'm going to the city on Saturday. Would you like to come with me?"

Karthik's eyes lit up. He had always wanted to visit the city. "Really, Appa? Can I come?"

"Of course," his father smiled. To no one's surprise, Karthik happily agreed.

He spent the next few days in a routine: going to school, coming home to research the mantra, and then sleeping. Soon, Saturday came. Both Karthik and his father got ready, packing a small bag for their trip. Just as they were about to leave, his mother came out with some sacred ash, vibhuti, and applied a small mark on both of their foreheads for protection. Then, they were on their way.

They took a bus from their small town to the bustling city. As soon as Karthik stepped off, he was amazed. The bus stand was a swirling sea of people, and the sounds of horns and chatter filled the air. He looked around, a huge smile on his face. "I've finally arrived," he announced proudly to himself.

His father found a quiet spot where they ate the meals their mother had packed for them. Afterwards, his father handed him some money. "Go and wander around for a bit," he said. "Buy whatever you want, but be back here in two hours."

"Okay, Appa!" Karthik said, overjoyed. He took the money and immediately set off to explore, buying some snacks and munching on them as he looked at all the shops and sights.

He wandered down some random nearby streets when a woman suddenly jumped in front of him, shouting nonsense. He was so startled that he dropped his snacks. Before he could react, a few people in plain black robes quickly and calmly took the woman by her arms and led her away. Karthik was stunned and thought she might be mentally ill, but he heard whispers from the people watching. "Another one," an old man muttered. "Possessed by a ghost."

Karthik's blood ran cold. With his own recent experience, he knew he couldn't just walk away. He had to know more. He decided to follow them.

He followed the group until they arrived at a large, old building. He saw people who looked just like the woman from the street being led inside. The entrance was decorated with dozens of holy symbols from many different religions, all mixed together. He didn't understand it.

He walked up to a man standing near the entrance. "Excuse me," Karthik asked. "What is this place? What do you do here?"

"We handle ghosts," the man replied simply. "This place is very popular here. We solve all kinds of ghost problems."

Karthik was intrigued. He looked up at the building. A large, wooden name board was hanging above the entrance. On it, painted in simple, bold letters, were the words:

"LIGHT IN THE SHADOW"

More Chapters