Dreams and Demons

“Ten days of fun and frolic.” Proiti skipped towards home, a smile playing on her lips. It was Durga Puja, and the city was decked up to the brim to celebrate.

- Sarvamitra

She grabbed a sandesh from the table and relished it as she contemplated which pandal to visit first. She called her friend Chitra, followed by Debjit, and then finally Shaama. Like a broken record, she heard the same answer again and again. They had left home to watch the 'pandals'.

The innocent front door bore the brunt of her anger and swayed unsteadily as Proiti made her way out to enjoy the pandals alone. But it turned out to be not too bad. She actually enjoyed the play by the theatre club. It was about how Durga defeated the shape-shifting demon, Mahisasura.

That night, Proiti tossed and turned in her bed.

A demon was attacking her with nerve-wracking sounds as a weapon. She was standing in a circular room that was made up of doors of all shapes and sizes. The room had more doors than wall space. There was a demon who was controlling the doors - open and bang. Open and bang... bang ... bang at an alarming speed that the entire room felt like a shaky jelly.

The next day at school, Proiti noticed her friends Debjit, Chitra, and Shaama standing together laughing without a care in the world. As if they hadn't abandoned her the earlier night.

"Ha-ha... Ho...ho...he...he... just blabbering and cackling all day. Nuisance all around. Is this a school or a circus?" Proiti barked as she walked past her friends.

Maybe because she hadn't slept well the previous night, Proiti slipped into a nap and soon was tangled up in a bizarre dream, yet again.