When one looks at the village of Nallawanila, the first thing that comes to mind is the sun-drenched fields, the ancient structures, and the occasional street lamp. In such a dim village, it seems as if a sharp clap of thunder is heard from a deep darkness.
Teja was trying to find new news in order to submit his articles to the local newspaper. In fact, he had come to Nallawanila with the desire to write a story about the latest developments in the village. “My friends say that something special is happening in this village. There is a mystery here…” Teja said, satisfying the curiosity that had arisen in his mind and reached the village.
Teja came into a small street where everyone was bustling. There he encountered Shareen.
“Why are you going all night?” Sharin asked, laughing softly.
“I’m not going anywhere, there’s a rare death. I came today to find out something about it,” Teja replied.
Teja heard that the deceased was a man named Murali. Although the villagers say that Murali is a cheerful person, his death eventually becomes suspicious. Although no one says much, Teja receives some signals from Sareen. Along with a mysterious death, it is heard that a suspicious incident has also taken place in the village.
Teja sets out to find the truth. For years, a terrifying atmosphere has been pervading the village. The feeling that many secrets are hidden behind the silence initially disturbs his mind.
That night, Teja wanted to go to the place where Murali was murdered. Sareen also agreed to go. Then, if they crossed the Aringyavanam (a small jungle-like forest) near the village cemetery, they would reach the place where Murali’s body was found. While the street lamps cast a dim light in the distance, the gentle wind coming from the forest brought a slight shiver.
As Teja and Sareen were walking in the light, they heard a sound in the distance. A thud. A low voice screaming. It seemed like someone was two minutes away. The sound of someone running away in fear of their lives. They both looked around, trying not to be caught.
“What is it?” Teja said.
“Something seems scary, is this all normal?”
Teja nodded at those words. The two walked. In a short while, they reached the place where Murali’s body was found. The atmosphere was like it had rained. There was a smell near the old trees. In a wide area, it seemed like green flowers were blooming, but now it was dark. It seemed that when Murali’s body was taken away, death had left its remains here.
Teja knew that any small hint here would be useful to them. He took careful steps. Meanwhile, a rustling sound was heard. Both of them looked around. “Who is there?” Teja called out boldly. The answer was a blank.
At the same time, a light fell on them. Detective Yashoda appeared there. She came walking with her fine hair flying in the wind, looking intently at her companions, and spoke in her soft but powerful voice.
“I am Yashoda. It is my job to find out the cause of Murali’s death. Who are you?” she began her question.
Both Teja and Sareen gave their details. Yashoda quickly realized that these two had also come to wet the matter to some extent. A small glint of mischief appeared in her eyes. “Okay. I need to know at least once about Murali’s behavior and his circumstances. Everyone in the village is silent. I thought you could help,” she said.
Before the night was over, Teja, Sareen, and Yashoda had thoroughly examined the scene of Murali’s death. They finally found a small symbol, a piece of a small gold chain. At the end of it was a small letter engraved: “S.” None of them understood anything clearly. This was the first clue in the case.
Yashoda said: “And to see this situation from another perspective, we need some more evidence. Let us find out what this “S” means.”
The morning begins early with the sound of a clock. The illusion seems to be lurking somewhere. The truths that led to Murali’s death seem to be still damp in the darkness like a black man.
As they remained there until midnight, they felt someone walking behind them. They didn’t know who it was, and before they had taken four or five steps, they fell silent again. Everyone realized that this dark and strange event would happen again in the future.
The next day, Teja woke up early and was eager to investigate further about Murali’s death. He came to the village center in search of Yashoda. From there, he saw Sareen a short distance away and the two met. Although the weather was not yet completely warm, people had started to rush through the streets. In their eyes, there was a slight fear and some suspicion caused by Murali’s death.
At that time, Yashoda was reportedly in a residence. She was conducting interviews at the home of an old woman. Oh! Who is this old woman? What is her relationship with Murali? .
The old woman was “Gangavva”. Gangavva was about 70 years old. She said that she had witnessed many incidents that happened in Nallavanila. When Teja and Sareen entered Gangavva’s house, Yashoda was looking at old magazines and photos on the big table. “Is there any other reason behind Murali’s death?” Teja asked, standing opposite.
Yashoda looked up playfully and said, “According to Gangavva’s information, Murali did not do the things he liked and was restless for a few days. He may know many secrets…” and then looked at Gangavva again.
Gangavva spoke softly: “I met Murali a week before he died. His behavior changed a lot during those weeks. Someone called and threatened him, the voice wasn’t male, I can’t even tell what it was. But the fear was clearly visible on his face. He would say that he had given a piece of his chain to someone. But I don’t know if this was a chain. Then a seven-syllable mantra would come out of his mouth. I didn’t understand anything…”
The mantra of the seven words? “There is the letter S on this chain. Does that mean it stands for ‘seven’? Or is it the first letter of some other name?”
Teja noticed. This strange phrase, “the mantra of the seven words,” caught his attention. “No one knows what it is,” Gangavva also thought.
Suddenly, Gangavva’s voice trembled. There was an unexpected knock on the door. As Teja opened the door, Sankalp came in. Tall as a neem tree, with a hair like a scythe on his head, and a low expression on his face,
“Hello, I am the village headman. I heard that an investigation is being conducted into Murali’s death, and I have known Murali’s name from before. If you need any help, contact us,” he said officially, but Teja felt that something deceitful was in his words.
In this sequence, Yashoda, Teja, and Sareen all came up with a plan. First, they wanted to go back to the place where Murali died. They had to go there and find some more evidence, find out who Murali had met in the past few days, and if anyone was interested in his death.
That same evening, the three of them reached Aringyavanam again before the roosters could be heard crowing. This time, there was some uneasiness in the atmosphere of the village. Once again, an investigation conducted in the dark might be frightening to anyone, but for Teja, Sareen, and Yashoda, darkness is just an empty medium. Efforts must be made to uncover the real truth within it.
There was nothing around for a while except the light of the stars. Today, Murali’s photo was brought to the place where he died. In the photo, he is seen smiling and wearing a piece of gold chain in one ear. The same chain is now broken and has the letter “S”. If you look at these two images interchangeably, you can imagine some connection.
Suddenly, clouds rolled in again. When a suspicious sound was heard again, Teja turned the flashlight to the side. There were some footprints on the heavily overgrown garden soil. As Yashoda said this, Valchi stirred the soil with one hand and looked. It was unclear whether those sharp footprints were those of a man or two men and women. But there were no other signs.
Meanwhile, Teja thought he heard Murali’s voice in the pitch darkness. A detached whisper. “Sattva Mantra…I think it’s me…Sattva Mantra…” Teja looked around. No one, including Sareen and Yashoda, seemed to hear any sound.
“Did you hear anything?” Sareen asked.
“A strange voice. I think it’s Murali…” Teja said tremblingly.
Was it really Murali’s soul, or was Teja hallucinating? This question remained unanswered. Could it really be the voices of the dead?
Yashoda smiled faintly and said, “We should stop making assumptions and rely on evidence. But we can’t ignore any sound.”
“Ha, at least it should be clear. We need to know a few more in-depth details,” Teja agreed.
Another surprising thing that was known through relatives was that Murali had met a mysterious person a few days before his death. When everyone searched, a piece of paper came into Sareen’s hands: Arnav’s death wish – S’s touch will cause cremation. These words were not meaningful, but when they saw the name “Arnav”, everyone immediately shuddered. Yashoda knew—even though Arnav was in the village, he was like a shadow in the fog, never coming out. Then what was Murali’s relationship with him? What was the point of meeting him before his death? What exactly does ‘S’s touch will cause cremation’ mean?
Imaginations that are soaked in darkness disturb the human image. Teja’s mind is a battlefield. Does it seem like he heard Murali’s voice? Or is it all his delusion? What if Murali’s spirit is really coming to warn them?
While Sareen and Teja were beset by these questions, Yashoda was silently reviewing the information that had reached her. She decided to get as much information as she could about “Arnav”. “Arnav lives here, in a place that is like a small village. He spends his time in silence in the forests instead of going to many places. I have to go,” said Yashoda.
“Okay, we will come too,” Teja and Sareen responded simultaneously.
To meet Arnav, they had to go down a path on the border of the village of Nallawanila. There, after crossing the hilly paths, there was a forest road from a small temple. They took the same path. The entire way was a forest with tall trees and bushes mixed with the chirping of birds, and here and there a thick forest grew here and there. For the first time in a month, doubts had turned towards this forest in the mystery of Murali’s death. While Sareen was excitedly moving forward, Teja was walking slowly, trying to catch any small sound.
A deep silence. There was no other sound except the chirping of birds. After a few moments, a small light was seen flashing. As they got closer, it looked like an ancient house. They imagined that the same Arnav pond could be the residence nearby. Small temple-like structures were nearby, with stone inscriptions carved on the walls. A cool, fresh air. Two thorny crops.
As they approached the door of the house, the wild dogs barked a little, muh muh. Suspicious cries deep in their throats. Sareen stepped back a little. Yashoda and Teja went forward and knocked on the door. A man opened the door, and Ahalya thought she was his companion.
“Are you at Arnav’s house?” Yashoda asked.
She looked at him silently for a moment, then nodded. She led him inside. It was dark, lit only by the dim light of a lantern. A man was sitting against the wall, a shadow.
“Are you Arnav?” Teja asked.
“Who else have you come for?” It was a soft voice from behind. Arnav spoke detachedly.
When they were all seated opposite him, Yashoda started the conversation and asked: “Have you met a man named Murali? You two had spoken for some time before his death.”
Arnav’s face showed no emotion. Silence again. After staring at them for a few moments, he finally said slowly: “He gave me a chain and left. He said something like a complicated mantra. But I didn’t understand anything,” he said.
“Can you see that chain?” Sharin asked with interest.
Arnav turned his head back and forth and said, “I gave it back,” he said. “He used to call me Sankalp ji’s name and say it strangely. I didn’t understand.”
Everyone noticed Sankalp’s name as soon as they heard it. They had already made a small calculation as a suspect.
“Well, Murali had said before he died, ‘If you touch S, you will be burned’. Did you hear anything?” Teja asked.
A dark presence flashed in Arnav’s eyes. “I’ve heard of that. But I don’t understand it. Maybe, S is a tradition or a name letter. Maybe “S” stands for Sankalp, maybe something else.” The reasons Murali was giving seemed like a curse.
I was surprised by his strange behavior. I really don’t have much information to tell you. I can only tell you one thing—Murali was desperate to expose a big fraud. He came to me and said something very specific in his words: ‘They know that I know the fraud. But I must reveal the truth. Even if it means losing my life. But I am left with nothing but silence.’”
Those words struck a chord in Teja’s mind. It seemed that Murali wanted to reveal some big secret. But at the time of his death, he was unable to do so. Yashoda was lost in thought. “Hmm, after this, we should go to another place. We should meet Sankalp,” she said.
Just then, Teja, Sareen, and Yashoda came back out. When they reached the house, strange sounds were heard in the forest again. It sounded like a loud ‘gurrr’. It was like a shudder. It felt like a dictator was breaking out from the dark corners.
Sareen was scared and said, “If I go back after nightfall, I’ll get into trouble again.” But Teja’s mind was racing in a different direction. The excitement was that Murali would hear his own voice again!
As soon as Teja reached home, he went to his room, and heard an incongruous sound in the darkness… A shadow quickly disappeared as the torch fell. A small stain of blood appeared on the table. That was it, the mark of a firm seal. When Teja looked up, Murali’s photo caught his eye. He couldn’t understand how his dead photo ended up on the tea table. When was it put there? Who put it there? It comes into this story as a symbol of a deeper spell.
Although the illusions are a bit logical during the day, when night comes, the fear of the unknown comes closer again. Teja, Sareen, and Yashoda decide that for now they will have to meet Sankalp for more details. The next morning, they get permission to meet Sankalp at the main meeting of the village elders.
Sankalp’s residence looked like a palace from the outside. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden, with sculptures that seemed to come to life here and there. But inside, there was always a magical atmosphere. Since this was Teja’s first time, his heart sank a little.
There was a knock on the door. A servant came. Behind him, Sankalp boldly stepped forward. He looked at Teja, Sareen, and Yashoda with a face that felt nothing. His fluency was unusual. He had the drive to turn even a small task into a big system.
“What else, have you come about Murali’s death?” he asked calmly.
“Yes. We have some questions to ask. Do you have any grudge against Murali, did you meet him for the last time before his death?” Yashoda asked directly.
Sankalp gave a cold laugh. “They talked about very few things. They asked for some help for other reasons. I didn’t agree. I didn’t think he would die like that.”
With those words, Teja asked, “What help did Murali ask you for?”
“I won’t say anything, I won’t let it come to the silver screen,” Sankalp said in a soft, sharp voice. “Be careful. Murali has many enemies. There’s no point in suspecting me.
With those words, the servant who brought the tea also left in a strange silence, looking at them. He growled at Yashoda, “Even if there are no circumstances to directly suspect you, do you know anything about Murali’s chain? Here it is,” she said, showing a piece of the chain. Sankalp smiled slightly. “So you are suspicious. Do you think S stands for Sankalp? You are mistaken. Murali discussed his chain with some others. Why should I tell you about me? I will not even stand in your way. If you want to investigate, do so. But in the end, the truth will come out in another way,” he said, as if issuing a warning.
His words did not convince Teja at all. But there was no evidence. The three left from there. However, the result was left in confusion. Should we go back to Arnav, or should we look for other evidence ourselves? Questions were in their minds.
The night started again. Teja received a phone call. There was no name on the phone screen. The voice he heard became strange, “I am Murali, don’t leave me. Reveal the secret…”, words that made no sense. Teja shivered, before he heard it again, a whisper, “The ‘Seven-Word Mantra’ will not exist in Nishidhi then. Be careful. Danger to everyone. Don’t go to S.” The call was cut off.
Teja realized that it was not a WhatsApp call. It was not even a normal number. Teja panicked and contacted Sareen. He also told Yashoda. After hearing this call, a decision was made to find out this meaningless ‘seven-word mantra’. Everyone wondered if Gangavva would say something again.
Unfortunately, when Gangavva went home, she was very ill. After looking at it calmly for a while, she brought an old book and gave it to me. “I haven’t read much, but Murali got hold of it and gave it to me,” she said. The book contains the names of many people, strange mantras with the S word, and verses like Dahana Mantra. It seems like a traditional mantra book.
Gangavva, with some video expressions, didn’t like some of the great people because he was reading about the chain in the same book. There might be someone else, but I can’t remember. You look carefully,” she said, expressing her feelings in a pause.
There is a sentence on the last page of the book: Religion is not far from the one who has discovered the mantra of the seven verses. The meaning of S is associated with complete destruction.
Some recurring questions are breaking in Teja’s mind. Is S like a weapon, a secret relationship? Does it refer to Sankalp? Or to some other person? As soon as I read this sentence, I felt as if an impenetrable darkness had enveloped me.
That night, Shareen received an unexpected phone call. The voice, which sounded like it was drowning, said, “Shareen garu, I am Murali’s friend. I have some evidence. Come to the factory warehouse this midnight.” Shareen was scared, but they all told Teja and Yashoda to go. In the middle of the night, the three of them quietly entered an old warehouse in Nallawanila. It was pitch dark. The lights were dim like waves. Silence.
As soon as they were completely inside, they heard noises. Sankalp was there! With him were some bodyguards. Teja knocked. “We brought you here by making a fake call,” Sankalp said. “Here are the answers you need,” he said, and tapped the wire shelf on the wall. There was a small safe there. Yashoda was still shocked when she opened it. There was a diary related to the dead Murali, some documents, and evidence of a big scam. If they were to come out, a large-scale political fraud would be exposed. Although Sankalp appeared to be a good person on the outside, it turned out that he was involved in some huge irregularities. Considering Murali as an enemy, he tried to make a silent compromise. Murali did not agree. Did he threaten Murali with a dangerous spell? Or was he going to kill Murali who had gotten in the way?
A look of terror spread across Sankalp’s face. “Don’t look at the S in the mantra. Remember one thing, if you touch me, I will burn you,” he said, as if he was squinting in the darkness. His companions threatened the three of them and brought guns. The threat to their lives became a headache. Meanwhile, a shadow slowly fell from the wall. It looked like someone who had never been seen before—it was Arnav. He showed a phone he was holding. It was recording a live video. Sankalp’s true form was clearly visible to all four of them!
Suddenly, Yashoda cleverly went around the corner and took out her gun. Teja and Sareen escaped by going through the wall. Sankalp must have come forward to kill them! Teja and Sareen fought for a while, shouting and pushing something, when Yashoda warned them with the gun. Arnav was broadcasting the live stream on some social media. Sankalp had no chance of escaping. He realized that the public place that had become his sure obstacle was becoming a public place.
The gunshots were heard one after another. Finally, a bullet hit Tej, who was about to turn around, but he was not seriously injured. Yashoda immediately arrested Sankalp, and everyone found out that these irregularities were the real reason for Murali’s death. The mantra, “If you touch the S, you will be burned,” was like their threat code. A tactic to scare Murali into silence.
Murali, the wise man, eventually died. But his soul did not leave the path. With the help of Teja, Shareen, and Yashoda, it was revealed.
While the police arrested Yashoda Sankalp, Arnav escaped. With Teja and Sharin’s wonderful cooperation, Murali’s soul felt that injustice had not been done. Dark slums never disappear, but if honesty is etched in the heart, any illusion can be solved.
This black man started with a suspicious death in the village and eventually exposed the frauds related to big politics and irregularities. Although Murali finally got justice, his life did not return. But we can believe that his spirit will always guide those who face the truth. The only anti-religious power that can dispel the darkness is honesty and courage. To protect the unchallenged dharma, it is enough to convince the light even in the darkness. Ultimately, this is the mystery that the story wants to tell.
