The morning light came through the thin curtains as Ram slowly woke up. His eyes opened, and he could hear the noises outside mixed with the quiet of the house. Suddenly, his mother’s voice broke the silence, “It’s 8 o’clock already!” she shouted. She sounded both worried and annoyed.

Ram blinked a few times and felt a heavy feeling in his chest. He knew he was late again. He pushed his blanket away and felt the cold air touch his skin, making him shiver as he sat up. His mother’s footsteps were loud as she moved around the house. It reminded him that time was running out.

“She must be thinking, ‘Ram is late again,’” he thought, feeling a little guilty. It was true—he was often slow in the morning, and everyone knew it. He wished he could be different, especially on cold mornings when staying in bed felt so nice.

Ram quickly put on his clothes, his cold fingers making it hard to button his shirt. He grabbed his schoolbag and walked to the front door, looking for his father. He looked out the window, hoping to see him outside, but the yard was empty.

Ram guessed his father must have gone to the farm very early. The morning air was cold, and he could smell the damp earth and smoke from nearby fires. He pulled his scarf tight around his neck, took one last look at the house, and stepped outside. The frost under his shoes made a soft crunch, marking the start of another day.

Ram picked up his bicycle and started riding to school. The school was outside the village, surrounded by tall trees and touched by the gentle morning sunshine. The road was quiet, with only the sounds of birds singing and the cool breeze rustling the leave

After a while, Ram stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath and looked around at the beauty of the place. The trees stood tall and proud, and the soft light made everything glow. He felt a sense of peace looking at nature’s work

Ram is happy seeing his both friends Pavan and avi waiting for him outside the school.gate infact they always wait for him doesn't matter the day

Their school time went by very fast, filled with laughing and joking in every period. It represented the carefree and innocent days of childhood. It is strange how, as we grow up and gain knowledge, the ability to be happy in the moment is lost.

Ram and his friends sat outside the school near a large banyan tree that afternoon. Everything around them was silent, and the warm sun cast long shadows on the ground. They opened their tiffin boxes and started eating lunch, sharing jokes and stories between bites. For them, there was no better feeling than these simple moments together.

Suddenly, Avi leaned in, his voice low and serious. “Hey guys, have you ever heard of Kali Pahadi?” he asked, his eyes wide with a hint of mystery. Ram and the others paused, the laughter fading from their faces.

“No,” they replied in unison, curiosity mixed with a slight chill that ran down their spines. The wind seemed to whisper through the banyan leaves, and the air grew colder as if the mention of Kali Pahadi had disturbed something unseen.

After hearing about the kali pahadi ram got very curious and told avi and Pavan that we should go there and check the place hearing this pavan said what you are saying you gettin mad or what it is very far away from the village and what if there is something dangerous up there

ram told why are you so scared there is no such bullshit thing about ghost and spirits so don't get scared we have holiday for 2 days so this will be the best adventure for us to do hearing this avi agreed and said c'mon pavan we should really go pavan had no chance of arguing and said ok both ram and avi jumped with joy but when pavan asked them umm thinking about a sec ram replied we will go at noon so it will be easy to checkout the place and we will come back before sunset both agreed to this idea and they went home talking about their tomorrow's adventure

ram could not sleep that as he was the most interested in searching the place that other people are scared of at late at night Ram's father has arrived his clothes were full of

soil because he was a hardworking farmer

ram hugged his father telling him how much he missed him Ram's mother also came and greeted her husband and the night went peacefully.

Ram was ready for adventure he was waiting for his freinds soon pavan and avi arrived at their meeting place and they left for the pahadi the kaali pahadi was set to be made up of black rocks giving it name of the kali pahadi it was very far away but they covered the distance to the place very fast reaching upon the place they saw black looking mountain not much of elevated they thought yes this is the one but strange thing was there was no human being nearby at the visible distance this made pavan very anxious he was very sensitive in noticing this changes in the surroundings ram and avi started to climb the pahadi reaching upon top they shouted in very loud voices if somebody is there come and face us and they laughed very hard but pavan was not laughing he was standing at the bottom of the pahadi looking at a tree he stared to walk towards the tree seeing this ram and avi came running down and catched him and asked where is he going pavan said some one is behind the tree what ram told no there is no one

no there is someone behind.it as you guys shouted he took a peek from the tree seriously

ram said how tall he was pavan replied he was not clearly visible ok let's go we will check avi replied you both go I will guard our bycycles

ok

it was a good idea they both went towards the tree a very silence atmosphere with a calm wind was there they searched nearby the tree but there was no one not even a bird or living being

ram said i told you there is no one here and they started to go back reaching upon the place where they their bycycles avi was not there pavan shouted where are you avi there was not a reply they searched nearby the bushes and trees he was not there but his cycle was standing at the same position

what just happened

Ram’s hands trembled as he slapped and shook Pavan, trying to bring him back to his senses. “Wake up, Pavan! Snap out of it!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the eerie silence of the night. Pavan blinked, his wild eyes darting around as if he’d just emerged from a nightmare.

Suddenly, his legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground. “Pavan!” Ram knelt beside him, shaking his shoulders. “Get up! What’s wrong? We need to leave this place!”

Pavan’s voice was barely a whisper as he mumbled, “Where… where is Avi? Ram, where is he?” His eyes filled with terror as he added, “Someone is watching us, Ram.”

“Who?!” Ram asked, his heart pounding.

“I don’t know… but we need to get out of here. Now.”

Summoning all his strength, Pavan staggered to his feet, and the two of them began running, their breaths loud and uneven in the still air. The forest surrounding the cliff seemed darker than before, the shadows moving in unnatural ways. Every step they took was filled with dread.

As they quickened their pace, they could hear it. Footsteps. Not theirs, but something—or someone—was running too, matching their speed. Ram’s chest tightened. He dared to glance back, but the path behind them was empty. Nothing but the swaying trees and the faint rustle of leaves.

“Ram!” Pavan’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Don’t stop! Keep running!”

They reached the edge of the forest and found their bicycles lying where they had left them. With shaking hands, they climbed on and pedaled as fast as they could, leaving the cursed place behind. But the fear followed them, clinging to their backs like a shadow.

Pavan’s sobs broke the silence as they rode. “Avi is gone, Ram. He’s gone. What if we never find him? What if…” His voice cracked.

Ram didn’t reply. He couldn’t. The image of Avi, his laughter from earlier that day, was burned into his mind, and now it felt like a cruel memory.

When they finally reached the village, the familiar streets seemed strange, as if tainted by the horrors of Kaali Pahadi. Pavan stopped his bike abruptly and turned to Ram. What do we do now

Ram took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. “We have to tell someone about Avi. We’ll go to his house first.”

No! Everyone will blame us,Pavan said, his voice rising in panic. They’ll think it’s our fault

That doesn’t matter, Ram said firmly, though his voice wavered. “We have to find him. That’s what’s important.

Reluctantly, Pavan nodded, and they made their way to Avi’s house. As they approached, they saw Avi’s mother sitting outside, chatting with a few women from the village. The sight of her calm face made their guilt heavier.

The moment she saw them, her expression changed. “Ram? Pavan? What’s wrong? Why do you both look like this? And where is Avi? You all were together, weren’t you?”

Ram hesitated, his throat dry. But he couldn’t hide the truth. Aunty… we… we lost him.”

Her face paled. “Lost? What do you mean, lost? Where is my son? What happened?”

Ram stammered, We… we went to Kaali Pahadi.

The moment those words left his mouth, her eyes widened in shock and fear. The women sitting nearby gasped, whispering among themselves. Avi’s mother stood abruptly, her voice shaking. “Kaali Pahadi? Are you out of your minds?!”

Before Ram could explain further, she slapped him across the face. “You fools! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Pavan, wiping his tears, tried to speak, Aunty, we didn’t

Do you even know the stories about that place? she interrupted, her voice breaking. People don’t go there for a reason. That place is cursed

Ram and Pavan exchanged a terrified glance. “But… but Avi said it was just a legend,” Ram said weakly.

“Legends,she spat, don’t make people disappear without a trace”

The air grew heavy as Avi’s mother’s words sank in. The whispers of the villagers grew louder, and Ram felt the weight of their stares. The fear they had felt on the cliff began creeping back, stronger than before.

Pavan finally asked, his voice trembling, “Aunty what happens to people who go to Kaali Pahadi?

Her lips quivered, and tears filled her eyes. “They don’t come back.”

Silence fell, broken only by the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. Ram clenched his fists, trying to summon his courage. “We’ll find him, aunty. We’ll bring him back, he said, though his voice was barely audible.

But as they walked away, Pavan noticed the look on Ram’s face. His confidence seemed to have crumbled. Ram’s hands were shaking, his breathing shallow, and his eyes were distant, clouded with fear.

Ram? Pavan whispered, worried.

Ram didn’t reply. For the first time that night, he realized he wasn’t sure if they could bring Avi back. If Avi was even alive. The terror of Kaali Pahadi had seeped into him, and his resolve was fading with every passing second.

In the back of his mind, a horrifying thought began to grow What if