Whispers Beneath the Banyan Tree
Genre: Horror | Supernatural | Psychological
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Chapter 1: The Road That Led Nowhere
The village of Kharpaada did not appear on any map.
Aarav realized this only after his phone lost signal and the road thinned into a cracked ribbon of mud. The banyan tree stood at the village entrance, its roots like frozen serpents clawing the earth. Someone had tied red threads around its trunk—hundreds of them.
Aarav felt a strange pressure in his ears, as if the tree was listening.
A wooden board hung crookedly:
Do not stay after sunset.
He laughed.
That was his first mistake.
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Chapter 2: Houses with Closed Eyes
Every house in Kharpaada had shut windows. No smoke. No voices. Yet Aarav felt watched.
An old woman finally appeared, her eyes milky white.
"You should leave," she whispered. "The banyan wakes at night."
Before he could ask more, she slammed the door.
From the tree behind him came a sound—a slow, human breath.
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Chapter 3: The First Whisper
That night, Aarav stayed in the abandoned school.
At exactly 12:13 a.m., whispers crawled through the walls.
"Aarav…"
His blood turned cold.
He had never told anyone in the village his name.
The whispers grew louder, repeating memories he had buried—his mother's death, his guilt, his lies.
And then the voice said:
"Come to the roots."
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Chapter 4: Beneath the Tree
Moonlight revealed something horrifying.
Human faces were trapped inside the banyan's bark—mouths frozen mid-scream. Their eyes moved.
The roots shifted, opening a narrow passage downward.
Against his will, Aarav descended.
The smell of rot and incense filled the air.
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Chapter 5: The Heart of the Banyan
At the center lay a beating heart, tangled in roots.
The old woman stood there.
"The tree feeds on regret," she said. "We offer it sinners so the village survives."
Aarav tried to run.
The roots wrapped around his legs.
"You came because you were called," she smiled. "You belong here."
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Chapter 6: The Truth
The whispers weren't ghosts.
They were memories of the sacrificed, absorbed by the tree.
Aarav screamed as the roots pierced his skin.
The heart beat faster.
The tree was hungry.
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Chapter 7: Sunrise
At dawn, the banyan was silent.
A new face appeared on its trunk.
Aarav's eyes stared outward, mouth open in eternal terror.
The villagers stepped out of their homes, relieved.
For another year, they were safe.
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Epilogue: The Warning
A traveler approached the village.
The board creaked in the wind:
Do not stay after sunset.
The banyan tree whispered softly.
It was waiting.
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THE END