Chapter 4: The Transformation
The Confession
At school, Suman’s classmates, Ramesh and Suresh, immediately crowded around him.
“What happened yesterday?” Suresh demanded.
“I walked home bravely,” Suman declared, putting on a show of courage.
“Weren’t you scared at all?” Ramesh asked.
“No. I’m a very brave boy. I walked home with courage.”
“Great! Today, we have a game with Prakash’s team. Are you going to play?”
Suman was playing hide-and-seek with his friends during their break. He was counting, his voice echoing loudly. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!”
He opened his eyes, but instead of the schoolyard, he was surrounded by a forest. The woods were unnaturally silent and deserted.
Confusion washed over him. “Ramesh… Suresh… Ramu… Chandu… Divya… Where are you all hiding? How did I get here?”
He began to walk hesitantly, checking behind trees. The fear crept up on him. He realized he was utterly alone. “Ramesh… Suresh… Divya… Ramu… Chandu! Please come out! I’m scared!”
A sudden, overwhelming wave of panic hit him, and he turned and ran, desperate to escape the forest. He spotted a dark cave in the distance. As he approached it, frightening, deep sounds began to emanate from the opening, growing closer and louder.
He clapped his hands over his ears, backing away, his heart pounding.
He spun to run away, but was immediately confronted by a face—a human face dominated by a single, massive eye—staring directly into his.
Suman screamed.
He bolted upright in bed, breathing hard, drenched in sweat.
The school nurse, a children’s doctor, quickly rushed to him. “It’s alright, it’s alright. You just fell while you were playing. I’ve bandaged your leg. Just rest a little, and you’ll be fine.”
Suman looked down at his left leg, bandaged from a cut he didn’t remember getting. Still confused, he tried to piece together how he had been injured.
A little while later, he limped back to his classroom. “May I come in, Teacher?”
The teacher looked at him with concern. “Where is Ramesh?”
“I don’t know, Ma’am.”
Ramesh’s voice suddenly rang out from the school bathroom, where he was still hiding. “Suman! When are you going to come out and find me?”
The final bell rang. Everyone headed home. Suman was sitting on the bus next to Ramesh, who was glaring at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you got hurt and the game was called off?” Ramesh complained.
Suman tried to butter him up. “I couldn’t find you, that’s how well you played! No one can play hide-and-seek better than you.”
Ramesh melted a little under the praise. “Thank you, thank you. But I’m still angry. Bring me a big chocolate tomorrow, and I’ll forgive you.” Ramesh turned his face away dramatically.
Suman got off the bus. Ruchi was waiting for him, and with her was the new dog.
The dog spotted Suman and bounded over excitedly, licking his hands. Suman hugged the dog, petting it gently.
“You are a good boy,” Suman murmured. “From now on, your name is Luna.”
Luna seemed to leap with joy at the sound of her new name. Boy and dog walked side-by-side down the forest road.
It was late autumn, a time of cold winds and dry, fallen leaves. The wind sighed through the trees, rustling the remaining foliage. The road was utterly empty save for them.
From the dark density of the trees, a voice—unseen and unheard by Suman—called out his name. Suman continued walking, oblivious.
But Luna’s ears twitched. She stopped, her head snapping toward the trees, her body going instantly alert. She scanned the shadows, growling softly.
Suman noticed her intensity. “What is it, Luna? What do you see?”
He looked where she was staring, but saw nothing.
It was midnight. Prasad was driving home, the road deserted. The chill wind made the trees sway, and he felt the cold seeping into the car. He quickly rolled up his window.
He steered onto the jungle road, slowing down, scanning the darkness. Priya said she saw a deer here. I still haven't seen one, he thought.
He saw a faint movement in the trees and slowed the car further, rolling his window down slightly to peer into the gloom. He could not make out anything in the dark.
Unseen by Prasad, on the opposite side of the road, a shadowed silhouette stood and watched him pass.
Prasad arrived home. The house lights were off. “Priya? Where are you?”
He thought she might be in the kitchen and walked in. She was sitting at the table, her head in her hands. He gently touched her shoulder.
Priya woke up with a start. “Oh, you’re home!”
“Were you sleeping here? I was calling you.”
“Yes, I was a little tired. I fell asleep waiting for you.”
Prasad, concerned, asked, “What’s wrong? Did Suman bother you again?”
“I don’t know, dear. I’ve felt strange ever since Luna arrived.”
Prasad placed a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. His expression changed to one of shock. “Priya, why is your body so cold?”
His eyes flickered to the kitchen window. A shadowy figure was staring in at him.
“Priya, there’s something by the window!” he whispered, turning back to his wife.
He gasped, stumbling backward and falling to the floor.
Priya’s face was dissolving. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were gone, replaced by a smooth, black, liquid surface. Her face was melting, running down her chin in thick, dark rivulets. As he crawled back in horror, a drop of the black liquid landed on his face.
He looked up at the ceiling. A grotesque, dark figure was crouched there, and it launched itself directly at him.
Prasad woke up, screaming, bolting upright in bed.
He was drenched in cold sweat, breathing in deep, ragged gasps. His hands were shaking violently. Beside him, Priya was sleeping soundly.
He reached for the water bottle on the nightstand and took a long, calming drink. As he placed his feet on the floor beside the bed, he felt a sticky substance adhere to his sole.
He looked down. On the wooden floor was a patch of the black, viscous liquid, shaped like a large, distorted footprint.
The sheer terror of the dream was now physical and real. He slowly looked toward the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar. He realized with a sickening certainty that something had been standing in their room.
The next morning, Prasad sat at the dining table, staring blankly at his untouched breakfast, lost in thought. Priya rushed around him, frantically trying to get Suman ready for school. Ruchi stood silently nearby, watching the chaos unfold.
Priya rushed past Ruchi. “Instead of standing there, you could help me!”
She suddenly slipped, falling to the floor with a loud crash. Prasad was instantly by her side.
“What happened, Priya? How did you fall?” he asked, helping her up.
“I don’t know, dear. I think I slipped on some dirt.”
Prasad looked down at the floor where she had fallen. He saw it again. The black, sticky liquid.
His panic returned instantly, his mind racing. His forehead broke out in a heavy, cold sweat. He hyperventilated, trying to keep his composure.
Priya noticed his sudden distress. “What is it, dear? Why are you suddenly so pale?”
Prasad, shaking his head, forced the words out. “N-nothing.”
The Confession
It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Suman's classroom was loud, chaotic with the energy of children at the end of the day. A teacher entered, trying to restore order, and announced a drawing competition to keep them busy.
“We’ll have a little competition,” she said, smiling. “Whoever draws the best picture will get a big chocolate bar tomorrow!”
The promise of chocolate instantly quieted the room. Pencils, paper, and crayons spilled across the desks as the children dove into their work.
The teacher moved slowly through the room, observing the various creations. She paused behind Suman.
He was scribbling furiously, his pen digging into the paper. The teacher leaned in to see what he was drawing. Suman had violently scrawled the single, desperate word: HELP. The teacher was startled.
Suman suddenly stopped his frantic drawing and turned to face her, his gaze unsettlingly vacant.
Feeling a cold dread, the teacher quickly reached out and pulled the papers from under his hand. She flipped through them, her face draining of color with each page. Sweat prickled her skin.
Suman had drawn a shadowy, monstrous human figure accompanied by a dog and a lady. The same figure appeared in multiple drawings—peering from the woods near his house, behind the school, and lurking close to the road. On one page, he had drawn a room filled with lifeless bodies. The final sheet was covered with the word “HELP ME” written over and over in large, terrified script.
“H-help?” the teacher stammered, fear tightening her throat. “Who needs help, Suman?”
Suman only stared back at her, his eyes blank and distant. He did not speak.
The Call of the Void
It was 4:30 PM. Suman was on the school bus, staring out the window at the passing hills, trees, and people. Ramesh and Suresh leaned over the seat behind him.
“Suman, why were you fighting with Kiran’s group?” Suresh asked.
“We never get along with them, you know that,” Ramesh added.
Suman ignored them, his attention focused solely on the world outside. They repeated their questions, but he remained silent.
His stop arrived. Suman stood, turned back to his friends, and offered a strange, slow smile before leaving. Ramesh and Suresh exchanged confused looks, their faces mirroring the same silent question mark.
Outside, Ruchi and Luna were waiting. Suman immediately scooped Luna into his arms.
As the three walked along the forest road, the silence was broken again by the soft, echoing voice that called: “Suman… Suman…”
This time, Ruchi, Suman, and Luna all heard it. Ruchi froze. Suman gently put Luna down and, drawn by an irresistible impulse, began to walk toward the woods.
“Suman!” Priya’s voice, sharp with panic, sliced through the air.
Suman stopped.
In the car, heading home, Priya asked, “Suman, you know you shouldn’t walk into the woods, don’t you?” He didn’t answer. She turned to Ruchi. “He was walking into the trees. What were you doing?” Ruchi remained silent, her expression unreadable.
Priya’s strained moment of confusion was interrupted by a call from Prasad.
“I’m coming home early tonight,” he announced.
Priya’s face lit up, and she glanced at Suman. “See? Something special is happening tonight! Your daddy is coming home early. I think he’s planned a surprise for you.”
Suman turned and gave his mother a small, meaningful smile.
The Birthday and the Bond
At six o’clock, the front door burst open. Prasad stood there, arms loaded with balloons, gifts, and a cake box, singing a loud, happy birthday song.
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