The glitter in her eyes.

The outskirts of Sindh were quite populous with people of the Kutchi dialect. Time must not have consumed more than five or six years, since partition. That was a hostile era. The concept of nuclear families was virtually obscure. Rules were deployed by the head of the family and everyone adhered to them. One of those rules was not letting children go out once the sun started settling down.

Shilpa had a contrasting outlook regarding this. She considered this as a mere guideline than an authoritative rule.  Her mother, Lata, feared that eventually, Shilpa's zeal will get the better of her as she was this 10-year-old rebellious girl, waiting to start a revolution. And one day her fear met reality.

It was kind of a taboo to step out into the woods not only for children but for the so-called grown-ups. People have been warned by the patriarchs—about the stories associated with the woods—why nobody dares to even glimpse through the shrubs, let alone the dark trunks at night. Legends had it that the experience was no less than someone crawling through your spine and tearing it up.

The sky was dark, with no shred of photons. If it weren't for the jugnoos, nobody would have guessed where the woods were. The time had come. The two threads which were holding Shilpa all these years were asleep, this time not making sure that their notorious daughter might be portraying a false state of mind. She peeked, made sure no one was looking as if there was someone to do that. She got out of her bed, silent foot, making sure her breathing doesn't disturb the pin-drop silence which surrounded her house. She was on her veranda, eyes wide open, enjoying the most thrilling moment of her life. No one to shout at her, no one to call her as she crosses a certain limit, no more being out for only a particular amount of time.

The lantern hung at quite a good height, making sure no small animal tests its brittleness. Shilpa grabbed a nearby stool, stood on top of it and gently got the lantern down. The jugnoos used to fascinate her, as she was never around them, alone, without someone's supervision. This was her chance to interact with them. One on many. Feel their illumination, time to solve the mystery. She stepped ahead, towards them, simultaneously towards the woods.

In a few steps, she reached as far as she was allowed and then there was no turning back. She hesitated, a bit, thought about her mother, her father, and what they will do to her if they find out. But has there been any glory which was achieved with fear of consequences in mind? So she moved, swiftly, still making sure no one's around her. The jugnoos dispersed as she advanced near them. The next curiosity was just a few more steps away. She never believed the lore, they were all just a means to scare kids off, she thought and in she went. The silence was getting intense. She was now able to hear the blood rushing through her own veins. She felt something which she never felt before, a feeling immensely unique to her, she felt frightened.

Somehow she couldn't stop herself from moving, she kept penetrating through the shrubs, unaware of her goal.  Not knowing what this would achieve her. She stopped, she saw something, a flicker, now, a movement. She pulled the lantern in front, squinting, following the rays, trying to form a reasonable object from the limited amount of data that she had. It was still distorted. It would need more light so she moved ahead. She trembled. The leg was tied to a trunk, the body completely devoid of any nurture. Barely moving, suddenly responsive to the crackling of the dried leaves. It was a woman's body. The long hair resembled someone, who? She couldn't figure it out. The woman was trying to drag herself, towards her, the energyless body was trying to say something, so Shilpa moved close, still unable to see her face.

As that woman slowly tilted her head up, Shilpa felt a shiver down her spine. She was taken aback. She hurried two steps behind. The mouth opened and closed releasing, only a gush of air, not able to form any consonants. The face felt like a thin cloth over a sturdy set of bones. The body felt like it was decomposing but had some life left. The face slowly glowing in the presence of the lantern, giving a sense of resemblance. That's when it struck Shilpa, it was her mother's face.

She could not believe what she saw. In complete dismay, she quivered. Mumbled something and focused. The face was asking her to approach near her. So she did. When she was close, her lips shivered, her mind screaming to run back, her mother's doppelganger's eyes opened. They were pitch black. Completely devoid of humanity. They weren't the eyes of a human. The body hastened towards Shilpa, now, trying to get a touch of her until it reached the limit of the rope which was holding her to the trunk. Shilpa screamed. Made a run for her life.

She ran towards her home, the lantern, oscillating, spreading its light left and right but centre, somehow still sticking in her hand. In a few hops, she would be almost out of the woods. She was able to see her veranda now, her home. All these years she despised going home from her veranda but this night changed everything. She ran with urgency. She wanted to look back but turning your head when you are so close to your glory line isn't the wisest thing to do, so she kept sprinting. She was on her veranda, still blue with the recent horrific encounter. The door was loosely closed but not locked, just the way she left it while leaving. She barged right in. Panting desperately, going straight for her mother's room. There she was. In a stationary position, sleeping with peace.

She rushed near her mother. Shilpa, crying profusely, her body shivering with fear. She woke her up. Embraced her, feeling relieved but unable to eradicate the flashes of the thing which she met in the woods. Her mother was completely unaware of this erratic behaviour, still not asking anything, letting her daughter get a hold of herself. After crying her lungs out, she calmed down a bit, still traumatized, she wiped her eyes and told her mother every single detail. She thought her mother would shout at her or even worse, penalize her with a red cheek. But to her surprise, she was relatively calm. "Now you understand! why the elders don't want children to visit the woods", said Lata.

Shilpa, held her mother ever so tightly, her face on Lata's chest bone, weeping, angry at her own stupid and rebellious move. She made a promise that she will never ever visit the woods. Never again. Finally finding comfort in her mother's arm. Lata, on the other hand, was now assured that her daughter understood what she wanted her to understand all these years. Lata placed the lantern beside the bed, gently caressing her daughter's hair. There was a brief appearance of what you can call a smile which soon turned into a sly smirk. Her eyes started glittering and suddenly went pitch dark.