Chapter 10: The Ritual and the Risk
With the address, an old sadhu gave Priya advice: find someone with strong surya energy and a hard fate to accompany Sneha to the site. Find the original owner, and at noon, dig it up and burn it clean. Break its hold and completely sever this bad entanglement.
The sadhu, his hair tied in a topknot and forehead smeared with vibhuti, was the last hope. He examined Sneha’s palm, muttered a few shlokas, and finally said, “Is bachchi ke upar kisi prachand aatma ka saaya hai. Tumhe koi aisa aadmi chahiye jo agni mein bhi na jale, paani mein bhi na doobe—koi surya pradhan purush, jiska bhaagya kathor ho.” Priya listened, desperate to believe anything that might save her daughter.
But this method was risky. If the person she found couldn’t suppress the thing, both he and Sneha might never return.
The sadhu’s words hung in the air, heavy as the smoke from his dhuni. Priya hesitated, but what choice did she have? The world had already turned its back on them.