Aljhiyeko raat A bad dream woke her up. Short August night had already matured but dawn was still far away. She could hear light rain was falling outside. It was raining since last evening. "ajhai paani pari ra re chha" she said to herself. Her son, Anil, was a nightmare for her. Anil in his pursuit of being a feared boy of the neighborhood was picking up all the actions she deeply detested. Throwing an inclusive look at the darkness-seized ceiling she wandered on her thoughts for a few moments then got up. She gloomily wondered if Anil is still in his room or already sneaked out for the night venture. *Sadhe tin baje ta paani aaucha* this routine, although uncalled for, quickly crossed her mind. She, then, came down to check the status of her notorious son. There was a small horizontal window above Anilýs room and when she casually peeked through there she encountered something that almost challenged her consciousness. There was a deadly and extremely violent looking skeleton dancing on the wall. The fierce looking skeleton appeared to have been snatching some flesh from its blood-soaked hands, and blood also seemed to be dripping from its glowing red eyes. Luckily, it was not looking at her. Then she saw another terror- provoking skeleton-faced creature calmly sleeping just next to her son, Anil. She completely froze in fear. Before she could recollect herself to scream or move, the skeleton, which was sleeping with her son, moved. She ran up to her bedroom as soon as and as quietly as she could. She wildly shook her husband, who was vacationing in his dreamland after a day of hard work. "shhhhhhh" vertically holding her index finger over her trembling lips, she whispered "launa!---Anilko kothama bhittama ragatpachhe bhako narakankal nachira chha ani arko chai sutirachha Anil sanga---" Anilko ba, also known as Mukundai, lai masta sanga nidayera sapanama oodira belama jhanglyang jhunglung garera oothako patakkai man pareko thiyena tyasmathi pani narakankal ko kura. Kolte ferdai he said, "timile sapanama dekhya hola---la la suta---ke ko narakankal aauchhan yaha ghar ma---tyo pani daju bhai nai chhan rey? " "aafu chai dar le pasina pasina bhai sake---hajur chai---chhito uthsyos" Anil's mom sounded really worried. She swore by all the handy gods and goddesses to testify what she saw was for real. She flipped on the switch on the side of their bed and a dark red zero-watt bulb lit the room. Batti takiyale chhekera arko euta kolte ferdai Mukundai said, " feri narakankal sangai sutnelai dar lagya chhaina, timilai chai ke ko dar ta?" Alarmed by total silence challenged only by his wife's accelerated breathing Mukundai turned around to his wife only to meet her anger and fear raged eyes. Mukundai ko man ma ni aba halka chiso pasyo. He saw his wife badly shaken. Just then a loud bang tearing the silence of the night claimed the power. The room plunged into darkness. Narakankal rey? Mukundai did not like the sound of that word a bit. Daraye pani srimatiko agadi nadarako jasto gardai torch light bokera man man ma gayatri mantra japdai mukundai orliye bharyang. Anil ko kothako dhokamathi ko sano jhyal bata bhitra herya ta Anil eklai fwa fwa sutirako re chha--- narakankal ko atto patto thiyena. *** After a long day of trivial ups and downs, Naresh entered his house at the wrong moment. "dinbhar kaha baraliyera aako huh ta?" his uncle asked. The question was so vague and regular that Naresh did not feel like answering but almost immediately his uncle threw another order at him "chini sakiyo, Bisne went all over the place but couldn't find even a pau---go get some sugar from somewhere.." Naresh rannna bho ris le. "Din bhar hallera thakera bharkhar ta gharma aaudai chhu---" Naresh wanted to hose down the sugar-fetching order but then he thought what's the point? Without saying a word he went upstairs. His mom repeated the same question about his whereabouts the whole day and restated that chini lyaune order albeit in much sweeter tone compare to that of his uncle. This time, Naresh sensing the moment vulnerable enough for compromise, expressed his consideration as a bargain "euta ledar ko jyaket kindinuna bhanda chai sunya nasunei garni ahile yo aadha raata ma chini sini khojna jana sakdina ma". Aadha raat ta tyastai ustai ho--the evening was gradually making room for descending night to settle in. kramasa: