A Few Years Have Passed
Years have slipped by since that incident. Riya no longer speaks, but there is an eerie calm in her eyes now. The villagers whisper that Manik's shadow has entered her. During the day she seems normal enough, but as soon as night falls, she begins walking toward the mango grove. Her feet move on their own—straight toward the well.
One day a new family arrived in the village. Their name was Dilip. Dilip came from the city with his wife Seema and their seven-year-old son Arnab. He had returned to sell off some old family land and make quick money. They rented a small house right next to Radharani's crumbling home. From the very first day, Radharani looked at Arnab and smiled—that smile which never reaches her eyes.
Arnab was a mischievous child. He loved wandering into the mango grove to play. One evening at dusk, he sat down right at the edge of the well. From deep inside came a voice—a small boy's voice:
"Brother… will you play? I'm alone… so very alone…"
Arnab wasn't afraid. He thought some other child was hiding down there. He leaned over the rim and called, "Who are you? Come up!"
Suddenly a cold hand gripped his wrist and pulled. Arnab opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. From the darkness of the well rose Manik's shadow—a small boy, but with empty hollows where eyes should be, and a red thread coiled tightly around his mouth. He whispered:
"You'll stay with me now… Mother said so… we'll play… forever…"
At that moment Radharani stood at the doorway of her house, watching. In her hand was a new wooden doll—this one shaped like Arnab. She was smiling.
Seema came searching for her son and found him sitting alone by the well, as though talking to someone invisible. She ran to him and pulled him into her arms. Arnab looked up at her—his voice had returned, but it sounded wrong, strangely hollow:
"Mother… I'm cold… the well is so deep… come, let's go down…"
Seema trembled with terror. She carried Arnab back home. But that night he sat up in his sleep. His eyes glowed red in the darkness. He began whispering:
"Manik brother… I'm coming… Mother is waiting…"
On the next full-moon night, the villagers saw three shadows standing at the well's edge: Radharani, Manik… and now Arnab. All three had red threads tied around their necks. They stood hand in hand. And from inside the well rose yet another new voice—Arnab's voice:
"Come more… we're not alone anymore… the game will go on…"
Dilip and Seema fled the village in panic. But they could not take Arnab with them. In the morning his bed was empty. All that remained was a small wooden doll lying on the pillow—made to look exactly like Arnab, with a red thread knotted around its neck.
Now the villagers say the curse is growing stronger. With every full moon, one more shadow appears at the well. And anyone new who comes to the village will eventually hear the whisper:
"Come… we are waiting… it's your turn now."
Radharani is still alive. The darkness in her eyes has deepened. She knows—one day the well will be full. Then everyone will play together… forever.