C9 Days of despair

"Change is the only constant," once a Greek philosopher, Heraclitus said. That change is now visible to me also, thought Aastha.

"Who knew that this was short-lived? The Change. Who knew that my happiness would be short-lived?"

Aastha began the day on a positive note. She took two classes and solved some problems for the students when the receptionist called her.

"Mam, Keshav Sir wants to meet you in his cabin?" smiled Leena, the new receptionist at Learner"s Institute. Upon receiving the information, Aastha rushed through the door and reached Sir"s cabin.

"Yes. Sir, did you call me?"

Aastha sounded a little serious and nervous. "Sir never calls anyone suddenly. There must be something serious to be discussed," she worried.

Inside the cabin, Keshav Sir looked at Aastha angrily. He began instantly -

"Aastha, I have received some complaints about you from the students. They say you don"t use the board while teaching. Students find it difficult to understand the concepts. Please keep this in mind. And, he added, "This should not be repeated"

Before Aastha could speak, Parth entered the room. He could not understand what was going around but sensed some tension in the surroundings. He wanted to say something but was interrupted by Keshav Sir.

Keshav Sir began scolding Aastha in the presence of Parth and two others in the cabin. "Consider this as my last warning to you. Now get back to your work," saying so, he turned his head towards Parth.

She left the room with teary eyes.

After Holi, things changed drastically for her. Rumors became the order of the day. At one end, she heard Parth was a manipulative person who was using her to fulfill his interests while on the other she heard from another source that he cast black magic spells on her as he had used black magic (Vashikaran) on females. The food that he shares often is no ordinary food, said one of the persons in the Institute. It is given for some reason.

He then added–"You must have heard about Vashikaran. It is a ritual and a type of mantra used to gain control of someone, a situation, a person's soul, or even an animal. Although an ancient practice in Indian religious traditions, today it is most associated with attracting love and is often used in Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), or even in the occult. Vashikaran may also be described as a love spell. The term comes from the Sanskrit, vashikara, meaning "subjugating" or "making someone subject to one's will." There is no single vashikaran mantra, but many mantras that fit this category, also referred to as captivation mantras. Depending on the tradition, the ritual may involve just reciting the mantra a specified number of times for a specified number of days, or it may involve bringing food and objects of worship for the deity associated with the mantra. It may also involve bringing some object belonging to the desired person, such as an article of clothing or a lock of hair. Parth uses food to cast black magic spells.

The guy warned Aastha to stay away from Parth Sir. "He is no ordinary person," he said.

She smiled at the thought, "Everyone is giving me warnings these days".

She discarded all the rumors.

She felt drawn towards Parth even more than before. A strange attraction drove her crazy for him. She wanted to see him every day. It became difficult for her to imagine her life without him. This was a turbulent phase for her. She could no longer concentrate on her studies. Daydreaming about Parth became usual. At the Institute, she would take turns to look at Parth whenever she could take out time.

He, however, remained unconcerned. Aastha yearned to be with Parth while he started neglecting her. He showed coldness and detachment towards Aastha, who could no longer be at peace with herself. She needed Parth in her life. There was nothing warm about this love. It was the strongest attraction she had ever felt till now. Her mind was drifting away from God. She wanted to express her feelings when Parth invited her for a new turn of events.

The day arrived when she chose to express her feelings. It was Parth's birthday. He invited all his friends, including Aastha, to a dinner party. They enjoyed his party, while Aastha wanted an opportunity to say that she has romantic feelings for him.

He introduced his friends to her, knowing that she will not like their company. She wanted to be alone with him. After some time, the party got over. While some friends left for their homes, some of them stayed back for more enjoyment. Gossiping with friends was one of his favorite pastimes. Many girls surrounded him, one of which he said was his girlfriend. Her name was Jyoti. She was beautiful, stylish, and enigmatic. Lustful as he was towards her and beautiful as she looked, both looked at each other as if nothing mattered to them more than each other.

He took her by her arms and brought her closer bringing his lips closer to hers. While he wanted to kiss her, Jyoti understood somebody was watching them surreptitiously. It was Aastha.

Knowing that they have got disturbed, Aastha turned her head and started looking at the opposite side. She couldn't bear the sight of Parth romancing someone else. They revealed to everyone that they will get married soon. To celebrate this event, he treated all his friends with ice cream. Aastha didn't know how to react to the news and stood alone in the company of everyone. She felt like running away from the crowd.

"Here, have an ice cream," Parth insisted.

"I don't want to eat anything," Aastha replied.

Parth persisted and shared an ice cream with her. She liked the idea of sharing the ice cream with him and felt as if time would stop at that moment. However, the moment was short-lived. It was not too long when Parth asked Jyoti to take care of Aastha for the night.