Short Story: Moonlit Metamorphosis- Moti’s Story by Nalin Verma

In this short story, Nalin Verma narrates the story of Moti, his greed and desire, and how the power of the unknown changes his life, forever.

Moti Ahir was a happy-go-lucky cowboy. Once, under the moonlit night, he dared to lay his hands on a female figure adorned with resplendent gold, silver, and diamond jewelry. The swift and vengeful spirit seized him, and his life changed forever.

On the eastern outskirts of the village, there was a Peepul tree with its thick branches and leaves standing alone in a barren field covered with prickly brambles and acacia bushes. Its roots were stuck in a trench of mud and grey water. While the snakes and frogs frolicked in the mud, ravens and owls lived in the foliage above.

Earthen pitchers hung in its branches.  On the death of a person, his or her family members suspended a pitcher through a rope. The pitcher had white cotton loosely wrapped around it. It was covered with a bowl with a small hole in the middle. The male member of the deceased’s family would pour water in the pitcher for twelve days to quench the thirst of the departed soul.