Dusky Moonlight (Part-II)

Days passed one after the other, Kayanangai didn’t have any nightmares after that and she felt no signs of Nakan around her, though it gave her relief, she knew it must be here somewhere and watching her every move. That’s not the only strange thing that’s happening in her life, Aathiyan is acting differently these days. He’s not talking to her like he used to be. When she was sad he would ask her, if she was in a problem he would treat that problem as his but now she’s sad and lonely all the time but he doesn’t seem to care at all. He just spends time with his son and not once asked what she’s doing. Kayanangai was too guilty to ask him. She thought if he had married someone else, he would have had a wonderful life. All she brought was misery to this family. His silence told her one thing: that he’s so upset that she has betrayed him because Kayanangai now contemplated that Aathiyan has been in contact with the witch all these times. He has lied to her on ma

43. Kayanangai shuddered when she heard Aathiyan’s voice, it’s not him as he had already left the palace and this Kingdom. It’s the Devil. “He’s not asleep?” he asked, looking at Arulvarman in the cradle. “Do you want me to put him to sleep?” Kayanangai turned and said, “No, I will take care of him,” But he didn’t ask her permission and took her son in his arms. She watched him dread. “He’s a cute child,” “Give him to me,” Kayanangai demanded. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t do anything. If I want to hurt him, then I would have done it long back,” Nakan said. Kayanangai got calm and she didn’t expect that her son would fall asleep in this Devil’s arms. “See, even Aathiyan can’t do this simply like me,” She didn’t answer because he’s right. Nakan placed her son back on the cradle and came closer to her. She walked back only to stumble on the bed. “What do you want?” she muttered. “What e

"Can you hear it?" Kayanangai asked as she couldn't believe what he just said."Yes, I could hear our child's heartbeat," Nakan said, leaning against her stomach.He lifted his head and met Kayanangai's face. She couldn't look at those pair of eyes, it belongs to only Aathiyan and now seeing it on this devil is confusing her.Kayanangai awkwardly turned to the other side; Nakan sat straight and looked at her."You don't have to feel this way, you know why I want to look like Aathiyan? It's for you," Nakan said."You love him more than anyone and I know there's no other way I could get close to you. If I look like him then you wouldn't think about anything when you are around him. You have blind trust in Aathiyan,""Then why did you say such a thing the other day? You know I love him but why did you bring those words from me? I regret everything that happened that day and now we have stopped talking to each other," she said and ha

46Kayanangai stood at the deck and watched the skies. It looked much different than the usual sky she sees in the palace. She never saw the skies so close, as she could almost touch them and they were grey and gloomy. It will rain anytime soon.The strange thing is there’s no sound of seagulls or anything and dead silence in the particular place.It’s been three days since they left the palace and traveling in this ocean under Nakan’s instructions.The eerie feeling in her heart grows more and more as she looks at the ocean every day. The tides were always high and every place is damp which makes them so depressed. She has no hope that she will return to the palace alive. Her heart is throbbing loudly as it’s going to meet its end and her mind keeps thinking about the ways she will die.“Do you want some tea?” Shakunthala asked. Kumaran and Shakunthala came to be with them at this tough time and to look after Ar

Aathiyan found himself standing in the fog. He couldn’t guess where he was. And the breeze guided him to Kayanangai.She’s standing at a distance and facing the other side.“Kayanangai,” he called her and she turned to him, holding Arulvarman. She smiled and reached out her hands for him.Aathiyan scurried there to hold her hand with a smile, and he felt a relief which he has never felt before like he has escaped from everything. The happiness he felt at that moment is unexplainable.“At last, you are here,” she said. “What took you so long?”“Forgive me, I won’t leave you ever again,” he promised.“But you have already left us with the devil, have you forgotten?” Kayanangai asks. The truth struck him hard and they start to disappear from there as they don’t belong in this spirit world.Aathiyan felt remorseful; it made him cry and the Devil’s la