Sai's small home was quiet when he arrived, the late afternoon sun casting warm patterns on the cracked walls. The house was old but sturdy, like many in Nehru Nagar.
The wooden cot in Sai's room was worn from years of use, a hand-me-down from his father's childhood. It creaked softly as Sai sat down, feeling the familiar weight of home and responsibility.
As the eldest son, Sai carried the quiet burden of helping his family. His father worked long hours as a clerk, his mother managed the house and their small vegetable patch, and his three younger siblings were still in school, depending on Sai's efforts.
Before parting ways at the Ramkatha Marg, Veer, always the lively one, with a restless energy that couldn't be contained, had clapped Sai on the shoulder.
"Take it easy, man. Don't let all this Starcode talk mess with your head."
Veer had a habit of talking quickly, jumping from topic to topic, often mixing jokes with strangely sharp observations. Despite his carefree way, Sai knew Veer was the kind who cared deeply.
Sai had nodded quietly. "I'll try."
Now, sitting alone, Sai thought about everything, the app warnings, Mrs. Mishra's fear, Meena sir's advice, the strange notification on his phone.
He wasn't ready to tell his friends what he was feeling. This app was making him feel paranoid. He was questioning whether he was thinking too much or if this app could really predict the future. It was easier to keep this to himself for now.
After a long pause, Sai pulled out his phone and opened the Starcode AI app.
The registration screen glowed softly. He hesitated, fingers trembling slightly, then tapped to sign up. It felt like stepping into an unknown world.
The app asked for his birth date, time, and place. Sai entered the details carefully, remembering his mother's stories about how these things shaped one's fate.
After submitting, the app searched, its screen flickering with stars and maps.
A message finally appeared:
"Welcome, Sai. The stars have begun to whisper."
Sai sat back, heart pounding.
Sitting motionless, he stared at the glowing screen of his phone. The app's polished interface showed a slowly moving star map, tracing constellations in gentle arcs.
The soothing colors and smooth animations almost made him forget how unsettled he felt. On the surface, Starcode AI seemed harmless, even scientific, carefully blending ancient astrology with modern data analytics, promising "insight grounded in research and patterns beyond human reach."
Yet the notifications it sent were another matter entirely: cryptic, vague, and ominous enough to tug at the edges of Sai's calm.
A quiet shuffling sound interrupted his thoughts. Turning, he saw his mother standing in the doorway, wiping her hands on the edge of her sari. Her eyes flicked to the phone in his hand, then softened.
"Your father was late again yesterday," she said almost absentmindedly, her voice carrying the tired weight of worry. "He's been working hard, but no rest. I pray this job and life don't break him."
Sai nodded quietly. His mother had the built-in resilience of someone who'd carried her family through many struggles, but even she was worn thin by the family not getting enough time together.
She looked closely at the phone screen. "Are you still playing with your mobile? Turn your mind to more productive things, beta."
Sai shrugged, unsure. "I wasn't playing. There's this new astrology app that I was trying. It says it uses star charts and AI. They say it's all data-driven, scientific... but sometimes the messages feel like warnings. I don't know, I just felt a little creeped out.."
His mother sighed and sat down on the floor near the door. "If only we could see what's coming, that way, we could prepare, or avoid pain. But the future is never certain. That's life and in order to prepare, you need to make sure you don't bunk your classes, okay? This should be the last time I see you bunking classes and coming home early."
Sai nodded at his mother and returned his attention to the phone. Just then, a new notification appeared:
"A shift approaches. Be alert."
The short message made his stomach tighten, like cold fingers gripping his insides. What shift? And where?
He tried to shake off the feeling. The app's tone was always cryptic, almost poetic, like riddles for the anxious mind. Yet it tugged at his curiosity like a quiet beckoning.
Sai's fingers hovered over the screen, wanting to explore more, but wary of what he might find.
He clicked on the notification to see what pops up but it disappeared after that, like it was nothing and just like that, he remained there, waiting for a response, waiting for a vague shift in something.
Suddenly, he felt a little sleepy.
…
Outside, the sounds of Vishrampur settled into the muted rhythm of early evening. The distant chatter of neighbors winding down, the occasional stray dog barking, and bicycle wheels spinning on dusty lanes filled the background.
His mother called softly from the kitchen, breaking his reverie. "Don't stare at that thing too long. It'll give you a headache."
He smiled weakly, grateful for the normalcy.
But inside, his thoughts raced. The app's promise of "whispers from the stars" felt less like comfort and more like a summons. It hinted at a pattern beneath the surface of ordinary life, a hidden current he couldn't yet understand.
Sai opened the app again, slightly more confident now since nothing happened and scrolled cautiously through the initial pages: there were daily predictions based on his birth details, personality insights, compatibility scores, even recommended auspicious times for certain actions. It all seemed harmless, even helpful.
Yet the notification warnings, vague, foreboding, settled uneasily against this glossy exterior.
He remembered Mrs. Mishra's trembling hands, the agitated bull in the street, and SI Meena's sober warning about not getting caught in superstitions and fear.
Was it coincidence? Or something deeper?
His phone buzzed again. Another message.
"Watch the unexpected. The shift is huge. Trust your senses."
Sai's heart hammered.
He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply to steady himself.
The corners of the room darkened as evening shadows lengthened. The chanting from a nearby temple drifted faintly through the open window, a reminder of traditions that had anchored Vishrampur for generations.
Yet, despite the calm voices and familiar smells of home, a new tension hummed beneath it all, an unseen current flowing quietly through the town, pulling at its edges.
As Sai lay back on his cot, eyes on the ceiling, he wondered: Was he merely chasing shadows, or had something truly begun to stir?
Outside, the stars slowly blinked awake.