Every evening, she would play near the old banyan tree at the edge of the village. The elders often warned her not to go too close to the forest after sunset.
But children don't fear what they don't understand.
One stormy night, Rupa went missing.
The rain poured endlessly. Thunder cracked open the sky. The villagers searched everywhere—her home, the schoolyard, the muddy fields. Finally, they found her small red shoe near the banyan tree.
Her body was discovered the next morning.
No wounds. No blood. Just her pale, frozen face—eyes wide open, as if she had seen something too terrifying to describe.