The Cursed Reunion

I remember the initial days in the Orphanage when I was brought there at 4, a small, scared child with a worn-out doll. My brother, Raghav, was six. They told me he was a handful, always getting into trouble, always trying to run away. But to me, he was just my brother, my only link to a past I couldn’t remember. He was my protector, the one who would sneak me extra biscuits at dinner and tell me stories of a world outside the orphanage walls.

He had promised me he would come back for me. Every night, before I went to sleep, I would whisper a prayer to whatever god would listen, hoping he would keep his promise. After a few months, he was adopted by a wealthy family, and I was left behind.

Life went on. I grew up, finished my studies, and found a job as a graphic designer. I moved into a small apartment, adopted a stray cat, and built a life for myself. But a part of me always felt incomplete, like a puzzle with a missing piece. I was always searching for him, my brother. I spent my free time searching the internet, looking for any trace of him.

One day, I got a call from an unknown number. "Anjali?" a voice said on the other end. "It's me, Raghav." My heart stopped. He had found me. We talked for hours. He told me about his new life, his family, and his business. He invited me to come and live with him. It felt like a dream.

His house was a big mansion and had a huge swimming pool. His wife, Lakshmi, was a beautiful, elegant woman. She welcomed me with a warm hug. It felt like I had finally found my family. The missing piece of the puzzle had been found.

Life was so perfect at that point of time for me, or so I thought. I noticed a few strange things around the house. The servants would leave a bowl of rice and flowers at the doorstep every morning, and Lakshmi would sprinkle a strange powder around the house. I asked her about it, and she just smiled, telling me it was a family tradition to ward off evil spirits.

Then, there were the dreams. I would dream of a dark, shadowy figure, with red eyes and a menacing grin. It would chase me through a dense forest, its laughter echoing through the trees. I would wake up in a cold sweat, my heart pounding in my chest.

One day, I stumbled upon a hidden room in the house. It was a small, dark room, with no windows. The walls were covered in strange symbols, and in the center of the room, there was a small table. On the table, there was a statue of a goddess with multiple arms, her face had a mask of rage.

Later that day, I confronted Raghav. "What is this?" I asked, my voice trembling. He looked at me, his eyes cold and emotionless. He didn't answer right away. He just looked at me, a blank expression on his face. "This is our family's secret, Anjali," he said finally. "We have been chosen by the goddess. We are her chosen ones."

He told me about a dark and ancient cult that his family belonged to. They practiced a form of tantra, a dark art that involved human sacrifices and black magic. They believed that by sacrificing a pure soul, they could gain immense power and wealth.

"You are the pure soul, Anjali," he said, his voice a low whisper. "You are the key to our family's power." My world came crashing down. The brother I had longed for my whole life, the one I had prayed for, was a monster. He was the one who had been chasing me in my dreams.

I wanted to run, to scream, but at that moment I could not move my legs. I felt like I was in a trance, my body refusing to obey my mind. He smiled. "Don't worry, little sister," he said, reaching out to touch my face. "It'll all be over soon."

I wasn't sure if I believed in God anymore. Not after this. But I knew one thing, I wasn't going anywhere. I had to fight. I had to save myself. I had to break free from this nightmare. I had to reclaim my life, even if it meant I had to lose the only family I had ever known.

Suddenly, I woke up with a gasp, my heart pounding in my chest. I sat up in my bed, looking around the familiar room. The morning sun streamed through the window, and the scent of jasmine filled the air. It was just a dream, a horrible, terrifying dream. But as I reached for my phone, I saw a text message from an unknown number: "I've found you, little sister. See you soon."