ShivIka/AnShi SS: The Hidden Prayer Part 1 - Page 1

Part 1

Italics- Anika's Thoughts

"Ouch!"

She looked down to see a twig half sticking out from her left foot. Stupid stupid twig...aaj hi isko meri blessings leni thi

She looked around herself and moved towards left hopping on one leg Bhala ho unn school races ka..kuch jeetaya toh nahi but hopping zaroor sikhadhi warna due to my extreme clumsiness not only my foot but my face would have also gotten blessings.

Sitting on the bench, she started to examine her wounds. Some colorful verses escaped her mouth as saw how deep that icky picky twig embedded in her foot.

"Kya bhagwanji...ab yehi baki tha, already aaj ka din kitna haseen tha..." She muttered to her herself sarcastically.

Taking a deep breath she pulled out a twig in one go

"Ow ow ow ow..." she trailed off hopping on one leg while clutching the other aaj ke baad kabhi chote packet ko underestimate nai karungi...size me chote, dhamake usse bhi bade hai

Quickly tying her scarf around the wound she started walking.

She remembered why she was here, in this situation in the first place. She Miss Anika Malhotra Psychology third year student was attending some late eve classes on her friend's insisting but she bailed out at the last minute only to attend some stupid chanting function with her boyfriend more like mouth-to-mouth chanting.

Gagging to herself, she now added with an empty stomach and newly enrolled foot injury is walking to her home which now seems to becoming far the more she walked? Ah! My awesome beddy ...I miss you at the same time her stomach growled don't worry...tumhara number line mein pehla hai saying she patted her tummy.
She looked around herself and sighed. Empty road, a forest on one side while buildings on other side. A perfect situation for making of twilight returns.

Tring...Tring

Anika jumped at sound looking here and there only to realize the sound was coming from her bag or rather her mobile phone.

"Anika sabse pehle ghar pahuchke tujhe koi achi dhinchak ringtone lagani hogi...this place and atmosphere is also making my simple and lovely ringtone sound so haunting" saying this she quickly picked the call.

"Anu baby, I'm soo sorry that I bailed out on you...I was coming to you only but at the last moment zain ka call aaya and I've to go, message kar sakti thi but sorry main bhul gyi " said Tia guilty.

"Tia...Tia calm down, it's no big deal big no very very big deal aur upar se yeh gumnam feeling, she wanted to say it out aloud but can't as she knows Tia is genuinely sorry and being a sweeet girl she was she pushed down her grey shaded Anika back in her ..I'm fine and on my way to home now, you don't worry I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Thank you so much Anu baby I was feeling so bad doing this to you...but no worries maine or Zain tumhare liye chant bhi kiya hai.." she smirked knowing when they are alone what type of chanting they'd been doing.
"And ab tumhare saath sab acha hi acha hoga" said Tia happily.

After talking for some more time they hang up. Being a Psychology student herself she didn't believe in these chanting and stuff but Tia being sometimes irritating but otherwise sweet girl she was Anika didn't have a heart to call out on her beliefs which she felt everyone is entitled to their own however weird they are though.

While she has chosen psychology as her major, Tia has liking for major in media line aka journalism. Where Anika likes to be a bit reserved Tia on the other hand shares every part of her life to media through chat, post and likes. Anika never has many friends during her almost three years of college as many of the pupils found her weird or odd or whatever. Tia is the only one who she can regard the closest in terms of friend any day. Being an orphan from early age, living in Aashiyana - a home for many orphaned children like her she intrigued by people's behavior, their expressions, their actions preceding or following, their way of thinking, interacting with other people everything about this intrigued her. From then till the age of gaining mental maturity of certain matters, she understood what path she wants to take to become what she wanted. A Psychologist not a famous one who sometimes do their job more for reputation but big enough to be remembered in difficult times. Now doing various part time jobs sometimes a tutor or as waitress in posh restaurant or as a assistant in a library which she loved as she get to be with her pehla pehla pyar aka books all the time and adding to it the money she saved since her childhood, Anika finally was able to gift a 1BHK decent flat to herself on starting of her third year.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at her watch and noted it will take about 20 more minutes for her to reach her Home Sweet Home.
Putting her hand down she noticed a shadow in front of her from the looks of it was of man with considerably short height, she reprimanded herself for getting lost in thoughts and not being aware of her surroundings which should be her first priority at the moment in addition to reach home safely. She speeded her pace as fast as she could courtesy the very stupid twig averting her eyes every now and then to short stranger lurking behind her. After walking or more like dragging herself she noticed the shadow has stopped moving. Slowing turning around she stifled a gasp at a sight before her.

There in front of her was a short, Stout, ugly looking guy laying unconscious if it means laying on a front eyes open staring in her direction and lips stretched in a creepy grin showing off his dirty yellow crooked teeth. Anika hurriedly took few steps backward wincing desperate to bring as much distance between him and her possible. She turned around this time forcing herself to walk faster away from this place. She turned back once again to check if was still there only to find gone poof!

A chilling sensation ran through her freezing every fiber of her body.

"H...how c...c...can it b.be poss...ible" she slowly muttered. Eyes wide, mouth opened she was continuously looking at the same place where once the man laid. Shaking herself out of stupor she assured herself

"Anika...tu pagal hai...pehle band aankhon se sapne dekhti thi ab khuli aankhon se dekh rahi hai, wahan koi nai tha...yeh sab bas teri super se bhi duper active creativity...please horror shows dekhna band kar de...!"

Waiting for few minutes to let the talk take its desired effect, she tried not to think about his eyes or creepy grin.

"Burgh..." Anika groaned.

Note to Self: Self assuring to self is bakwass...they don't exactly work as they are shown out in some movies whoever started this nonsense he/she will surely get it me.

I got it yeah...yeh sab uss case ki wajah se ho raha hai...jabse woh case aaya hai tabse mere dimag ke hyper active cells aur hyper ho gaye hai.

Samjhe nahi? Don't worry I'll explain

About two months back we got our big assignment for the year. It was an important one as not only will it take their rest of the year to complete it but it will also be crucial in terms of their practical knowledge of Psychology. It was termed as 'Why they did, what they did?' .Each student has to take a previously closed case (can be suicide, criminal, civil, domestic etc.) for themselves and has to analyze behavior, working and thinking, acting pattern as to what triggers it of both the counterparts. I got the case of a person committing suicide initially thought of as murdered. It's the most recent case as it was closed at time of beginning of my assignment. I was very excited for it but now that I thought of it, the twist and turns that had occurred in this case only one thought echoed in my mind

"Iss deep analysis ne, saale ne laga di Psychologist logon ki"

Trying not to think about the horror she faced, she noticed she was not far from her house which was in the next street, Anika sighed in relief Finally the most exicrutaingly longest 20 minutes of my life are about to be over. She turned into her street thinking this and suddenly two things happened the next moment not giving her time to think about it.

First: As soon as Anika turned she stumbled onto something falling hard on the ground.

Second: She found herself staring at the eyes of the man laid before her once again!