A writer breathes life into their characters by writing them into a story. Even after the story ends, people continue to imagine... continue to imagine... and continue to imagine them.
But when a book is abandoned before completion, remaining unfinished, the lives of those characters also remain incomplete within it, forever waiting for the ending that a writer had promised them.
A promise that will neither ever be fulfilled nor will those characters ever be remembered again.
What happens to such characters?
Where do they go?
Raghav, with black hair and chocolate-like eyes, had a similar thought.
He was too young to think so deeply, but when imaginations overflow the mind, people often start writing.
He wrote too.
But people didn't find it appealing.
"Well, boy! What a great story you've written."
The fat man standing in front of Raghav spat out his paan (betel leaf preparation) and said.
"Not a single book sold in two weeks."
Even if a chili is wrapped in jaggery and eaten, it will still taste spicy. And Sharma ji's words were wrapped in paan. How could they not sting Raghav?
"Sharma Uncle, honestly... I thought they would sell less, but not selling at all, and that too on a discount... I hadn't thought of that."
Right then, Raghav's friend burst into roaring laughter upon hearing this.
"Hahahahaha...~"
Nawal was only slightly taller than Raghav, but physically he was much sturdier than him.
"Yeah, laugh, you scoundrel. Go on and laugh."
"What am I supposed to do, man! It just came out. I told you before, write a story about the mafia or something these days. That stuff is trending. But you go and write: 'There was an old man! He was sick! He wrote a story that he couldn't publish and then he died.' Hahahahaha...~"
All friends are like this. First, they will laugh, make fun of you to their heart's content, and then they themselves will help you.
Raghav was already burning up, and this gentleman was sprinkling salt by laughing so much, so Raghav landed a couple of punches on his head.
"Bro, forgive me... forgive me!"
Sharma ji, meanwhile, just kept chuckling softly. If he laughed too loud, the paan might drip out.
Being neighborhood boys, they were completely familiar with both of them. Their friendship reminded him of his own younger days.
"Oh, oh, stop it, you two. Raghav!... Nawal is right. These days, these romantic type stories sell a lot more. And your writing style is already good. Give it a try, it will happen."
Raghav sighed.
Now everyone, even Sharma ji the book-seller, was telling him that his style was good, he just needed to choose the right direction. So, he thought, why not truly give it a try just once.
But, he didn't want to leave what he had already written incomplete. He had spent a lot of time and effort meticulously crafting every plot point. His heart wouldn't allow him to abandon it just like that.
"But Sharma Uncle, this book, 'The Old Mansion,' only has Season 1 out right now, I haven't finished the whole thing. So how can I just—"
Before Sharma ji could interrupt Raghav, Nawal cut off Sharma ji's thought that hadn't even begun.
"Listen, man! Forget all that. In this, both your time and effort will go to waste, and there will be no one to read it. Money is wasted too. Go ask Google and see what topics are trending. Write on one of those. Got it?"
Raghav merely nodded in response. He didn't have the slightest interest in writing on those subjects. But his family was already saying it, and now people in the neighborhood were saying it too, so he figured, let's try it this way just once.
And so, Nawal and Raghav walked away, gossiping about everything under the sun.
°•°•°•°•
The cold evening air was rushing with a whooshing sound, providing a lot of comfort to Raghav as he cycled. But Raghav was unaware of it.
Often, in beautiful weather, people lose themselves in their own thoughts. Half of Raghav's attention was on the road and half was elsewhere. This flow was broken by his phone's notification sound.
"Ugh...! Another day gone..!"
Raghav was a hardworking boy and excelled in reading and writing. His father was a Havaldar (Head Constable) in the police. His father believed his son would study and get a good government job, maybe even become an IAS officer... but Raghav's heart wasn't ready for that yet.
His interest in writing stories managed to get him a one-year grace period from his father.
One year...
And three months of that had already passed, but nothing had come of it.
Thankfully, his parents never stopped him from doing anything good. They were neither too lenient nor too strict. There was only one sister who, even though she was just in high school, kept him on his toes.
Raghav smiled softly and paid attention to the road.
"What excuse should I make today? I completely forgot her ice cream... Darn!"
And somewhere along that road, the leaves of old eucalyptus trees began to rustle in the distance. A misty, old mansion looked as if it were staring right at the road.
As if it were alive...
•°•°•°•°•
The house smelled of fresh paint, as if it had been whitewashed recently. And tempering was being prepared in the kitchen.
Just then, a 13-14 year old girl, wrapping a woman's saree in a royal style, was jumping from one sofa to the next. Looking at the teddy bear placed in front of her, she said loudly—
"Ha! I, the Queen of Jhansi, command you British to leave Jhansi. Do not compel me to draw my sword! Ha!"
Though her voice was a little too delicate for her character, her eyes were fixed on the cloth animal in front of her.
And just as the girl was about to step onto the battlefield to fight the British, the royal decree of the Queen Mother arrived.
"Oye! Queen of Jhansi! First, come and eat your dinner. And quietly put my new saree back exactly as it was. I'll beat you up next time if you dirty it."
The warning was clear. A mother is a mother, no matter where the queen is from. Now all the British were kicked into the bedroom, and the saree was neatly folded and put back in the box.
Dinner was set on the table, and just then, a tired man came in, looking as if the last drop of strength had been drained from his body. There was a bit of sadness in his eyes too.
"Dear, what happened? Why the long face? Is everything alright?"
The woman, wiping sweat from the kitchen, asked while handing him a glass of water. He was so tired that he gulped the entire glass of water in one go.
"Nothing, Sarla. It's just Upadhyay ji's daughter nearby, Radhika. She also went missing in that mansion case."
The Havaldar wiped his hands and face and sat on the chair, while Sarla served the food... listening to his words.
"Upadhyay ji was saying that the girls had gone for a stroll, Radhika was with them, and she went a little too far inside. Kids, you know, they see a mansion and try to find out a lot. And there has been no trace of her since."
Sarla and the little girl were both listening when a boy of about 20-21 years old returned home.
The little girl ran towards him the moment she saw him.
"Wow, you look so smart, brother. Come on, bring my ice cream!"
Raghav just scratched his head, wondering why she never forgets anything.
"Mom, tell this little mouse that if she eats too much ice cream in this weather, she'll keep coughing all over the house!"
Saying this, Raghav slipped away and, cleaning his hands and face, took his seat.
"Ragini..."
Sarla tried to reason with her, but Ragini wouldn't give up easily; after all, she was playing the role of the Queen of Jhansi in school.
"Bad brother... his hair is messy too! Huh. If you forget my ice cream tomorrow, I'll put your white shoes in a rat's hole."
Giving an open threat, Ragini sat on her chair, while Sarla and Havaldar Ramlal both laughed.
"By the way, that mansion falls within just one kilometer of Raghav's library, doesn't it, dear?"
Ramlal nodded at Sarla's words but patted the chair next to him, asking her to sit.
"Don't worry about him, Sarla. Raghav is sensible, and he's aware of the news about people going missing for the past month."
In response, Raghav gave Sarla a big smile. Still, Radhika...
She was also Raghav's math tutor and like an elder sister to him. And since it was so close, people often start thinking a little too much.
Raghav had heard the news and felt an emptiness, like that feeling when a person can't do anything even if they want to. He had even prepared a greeting card for her wedding. Radhika was getting married in two weeks.
That mansion...
It looks very blurry from the window of Raghav's library. Raghav always glances in that direction at least once.
He had occasionally gone wandering in that area. But ever since the disappearances began, the District Magistrate had imposed a ban on entering the area.
Yet, when people are curious, they break rules and regulations.
Raghav wasn't like that, though. Still, from that library window, where the beautiful view of the distant forest shines, lures, and gives peace...
That mansion seems to hide itself from everyone's eyes.
_________________________________________
To be continued...