Thoughts of Major Uncle and Aunt Leena haunted me even after returning back.

I wanted to visit the graveyard near my house, but then the odd struck me, if major uncle's grave (this was how I had started addressing him, out of subconscious affection and gratitude), was in Tehran, whose graveyard had I been visiting?

Why was the old man's shadow at that grave.. maybe there was more to it than my eyes could see for now.

Packing my usual again, I decided to visit the graveyard, ensuring by the calendar that the night wasn't moonless and my torch was functional, I headed down the path.

I realised it was not just a secluded place, it was as if someone had hidden a little grave in the midst of broken branches and fallen barren trees...

Finding nothing near the grave, I entered the vicinity that led me to a rocky, moss-filled zone.

I carefully looked around angling my torch like a detective.

I saw beads on the ground, or fruit seeds perhaps.

I bent down and picked up one to have a closer look.

They seemed like rosary beads.

They made a trail and followed it, picking each one on my way.

I reached a spot where stood a tall tree.

Underneath was a pile of husk, strange, as if put these specifically.

I looked around and searched through the pile.

I found some ancient torn yellowed pages.

I looked more deeply now, suddenly my hand went inside a hole inside the tree trunk.

It touched something...paperish...

I took it out, heavy it was, it was an ancient book.

Maybe the torn pages were part of it.

I flashed my torch around inside the tree trunk, nothing more...

I took my new-found mysterious bundle and tried to retrace my steps back. Realising that I had picked up all the rosary beads, I was lost in the midst of nothing.

After several wrong turns, I reached the grave, lit the candle near it as always, and headed back home.

I hurriedly sat cross-legged, fully prepared to decode my symbols.

I checked... the book was written in Hebrew.

It had some drawings, mantras probably and some symbols, wait I had seen one of these.

Where, where, where... I pressured my mind and it clicked it was the path the rosary had made.

Tried to Google as many symbols and writings as I could in one night,

They are all related to the path to reach the ultimate divine, the followings of the lord and alike.

Maybe the grave belonged to some old saint.

As I was about to doze off, a mail popped up...

It was from my office, telling me to join immediately or else sign my resignation.

Great timings I thought....

Realising that I had not even reached one-fourth of the book to decode and I had bills to pay I decided to call it a night.

Reminding of Bills, I had some money, the money bills, I just had to exchange them for current currency. My state of encounters with the spirit world and delving from one clue to another wasn't making me think straight.

I couldn't join the office and make a mess there too...

I wrote a mail back, cleverly pleading my physical condition and requesting for more time...

This done, I felt more relaxed, I brewed myself a cup of my favourite black coffee and sat down.

I casually reopened the scripture book, this time, from back to front...

Torn pages belonged there.

Maybe this is what I should have translated first I realised and opened my laptop again.

It talked about a parallel universe, a path that United them both and where traveling back and forth was possible.

I was intrigued now...

I searched some more, and it mentioned chantings and rituals to open some portal.

Maybe...I dropped the thought...

Maybe this all was not related, my major uncle had visited me through a sage's grave to lead me to the truth and I shouldn't be delving myself into mystic rituals and spells now!!! 

Expeditions had given me enough tour of the parallel universe...

I realised I was blabbering to myself, maybe it was my anxiety talking.

I took out the medicine box and realised, I had run out of medicines.

Breathe deep... You have to wait till the morning at least I tried to call myself...

But half an hour later, I realised my legs were shaking, my arms twitching and my heartbeat fastened...

I gushed to the money exchange store, it was closed. I knocked, hoping someone might be staying inside...

A man in his Forties opened the door yawning, seeing my condition, he understood I was in some hurry.

Checking the bills he said, "These are very old currency notes, only exchanged in Delhi, lucky man, you might get a fortune out of them, by the way, where did you get them from."

As I realised this wasn't the place my work could be done, and the man had decided to get extra chatty, I quickly wrapped the conversation, saying that I wasn't feeling too well, I'd soon update him with the whole story when I visit next.

I reached my mind, I needed medication.

I took out whatever I had in my purse hushed to 24x7 chemist...

Quickly dozing on my pills, without even water... I sat down.

The bare pills burned my intestine and food pipe, but I'd be better soon...

Just having the stock of my medication refilled made me feel lighter...

It wasn't too chilly, slow breeze was soothing... Realising not, when I dozed off on the footpath.

I woke up with the thrashing of a stick on my back and the loud voice of a policeman, "Hey, are you drunk??? You can't sleep here ....go home or else I'll have you jailed"

Realising that the medicines had worked, I humbly apologized and headed back home...

I couldn't sleep now... How would I reach Delhi...money... And plus I had never visited it again after mom died.

It was a rented house where we lived, in Delhi, it was there that she breathed her last...

Maybe my next cue.

But before I could think about it anyway, my eyes caught a symbol sort of hexagonal on the torn page of the scripture book...

I mindlessly drew it on my computer with a cursor.

Out of curiosity, I googled about it next...

The hex for money...

I printed out the paper symbol quickly and started following the instructions in the manual.

I lit a candle, poured a salt circle around it, kept the hex in the middle, and read next.

I chanted the mantras, as written...

Lastly, it directs you to put the first thing that you lay your hands on from your pocket...

I followed...it was the money bills...

No way, I wasn't burning them to fire.

I quickly blew the candle away, calling it all a sham, and went back to bed.

The next morning,  as I woke up, I saw a salt circle had spilled in all directions... maybe I hadn't realised while storming away ...

I opened my laptop and checked for any revert mail, I had been fired...

Awesome, great spell work.

I thought about my options now.

The man on exchange shop had mentioned that bills costed a fortune, but my calculations told me they were worth some twenty thousand...

I revisited the exchange shop that afternoon and tried to chat with the man, he didn't seem in yesterday's mood but offered firmly only a single gold coin of 10 grams in exchange...

I calculated mentally, that it was a deal worth.

Feeling lucky that I had not burnt my bills the previous night, I quickly sold the coin... 50k... I was sorted for a while...

I went home relaxed...

That night as I slept peacefully, I heard sounds of something crawling...

I woke up, and nothing was around, I lay back... a few minutes later the crawling and scribbling sounds started again...

I got up, switched on the light, and saw that the salt had drawn a message...

"Mother's grave is the key.."

Excellent, spirits following me, I thanked the unknown and feeling that the spell had been completed even without the last step, I went back to bed...

Occult happening around me had seemed to terrify me less now, I thought...

I even had the resources to visit Delhi now, just needed the courage to be there...

The next morning, with a firm heart, I started making arrangements for leaving.

The train was due the next day.

Before leaving the thought of cleaning the salt circle crossed my mind, but I realised it was guiding me after all. I decided to leave it as it is untouched.

That night, I heard sounds of eerie laughter, I woke up in a panic...

Quickly checking the salt shape, it read " Xs and Os, you're in foes"

Was it a warning??? 

I turned the light off again before my anxiety soared...

Sounds of eerie laughter continued the whole night ...

It was 4 in the morning when I woke up, I saw that the message had changed.

"House= bills, Spell= will"

Great more decodings!

I was exasperated... My train was due early this morning, plus the wish to evade more horrific sounds and messages, made me leave earlier than time.

Reaching the station, I realised, I had often started to forget eating food.

I installed a reminder app and headed for the confectionery shop around the tracks...

An old man stopped me in the path...

Clutching my both shoulders, with a shivering tone, he said, "Deceive them...don't leave today... deceive them..."

As I was about to ask something, the man walked away...

Thought of food had been lost again.

I sat at the station over my suitcases... What had I fallen into.

Wish I had never started that damn spell...

Confused, perplexed, and angered I sat there waiting for the train to come.

Continued in the next chapter...

.    .    .