Face to Face with Rathe

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

Facing Fear: “From fear arises sorrow; when one is free from fear, sorrow ends.” — Gita 2.56

The feeling of being constantly watched is the real reason why I write every single thought as a story.It begins with Rathe covering up for her family as she blows powder into my father’s face while he followed them to a concert.

She thinks I am still living in the dark after so many years of taunting. Her mother once blessed the house I lived in, and that is why I hear and listen to so many strange noises in the house. Every sound carries meaning. Every silence feels deliberate.Rathe plays black-magic telepathy to trap this family, and she has not changed her spot until now.

The first day of prayers revealed what I could not ignore. The hex apple jade ring worn by all her siblings. The clan changed their rings to a gold-designed plate, as if sealing something away. What I say is true.

She may now be guessing that I have become their public enemy number one. She wonders how I still stand after so much humiliation and brings out the family tree as if it were proof.

This is my exit from hell.

I see only one way for myself—to bravely face my fear of telepathy and face Rathe herself. To know she is the one spreading gossip to the entire cousins’ WhatsApp group about me. I no longer fight unseen forces. I no longer blame cricket noise or whispers from the other side.

I choose an enemy with a face. I am glad I am facing Rathe and not shadows, not from telepathy from the other side. No more biting fingernails for me. I now understand that the blaming game does not work in real life.

Come to me, Rathe.The enemy I am waiting for you.

Letting Go: “One who abandons attachment, moves without hatred, and remains steady within, attains peace.” — Gita 12.15

I close this chapter by choosing distance, not confrontation.Not because I am afraid but because I am finished.

I no longer need to see them again. I no longer need their names, their circles, or their echoes. I release the weight from my body and allow my feet to return to normal grounded, calm, without swelling, without urgency.

I return to Isha practices for the rest of my life in peace. No proving. No watching. No returning.Final line:I walk away whole, and this story does not follow me.

From the collection: Stories Written to Leave Fear Behind