Rohan sat on the edge of his bed,
Shruti's diary open on his lap.
His fingers trembled as he turned the next page.
The handwriting was uneven,
as if written in fear.
"The orchard doesn't take people.
It takes their voices first."
Rohan frowned.
"Voices…?
But how?"
The room fell silent.
A heavy, unnatural silence,
as if someone had pressed mute on the world.
The black apple pulsed again.
THUMP.
A slow, steady rhythm
that made Rohan's hands shake.
He flipped to the next page.
This one looked darker—
not the paper,
but the feeling rising off it.
In the center, just one line:
"I heard its silence speak."
Rohan's breath froze.
Silence speaking?
How is that possible?
But before he could think further—
The window rattled.
Not loud.
Not rough.
Just enough for Rohan to look up.
Outside the window,
the orchard was completely still…
except for a single tree.
The tallest one.
Its branches weren't moving with wind—
they were moving on their own.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like breathing.
Rohan whispered:
"No… no, this isn't real—"
The diary page flipped violently
as if hit by an invisible hand.
A new sentence appeared—
fresh ink writing itself:
"DON'T LOOK AT THE HEART TREE."
Rohan snapped his head away from the window.
Heart pounding.
"Heart tree…?"
Before he could finish speaking,
Shruti's silhouette appeared again—
red, faint, trembling like a candle in stormy air.
Her presence felt weaker this time.
Her silent message hit Rohan's mind:
"…stop looking at it…
it notices when you look back…"
Rohan froze.
He felt eyes on his back—
not human eyes.
Something old.
Something patient.
He didn't dare turn around.
"Shruti… what is the heart tree?"
Her silhouette lowered her head,
as if remembering something painful.
Then—
"…that tree was the first one it claimed…"
Rohan shakily asked:
"Claimed?
What does that mean?"
Silence thickened,
pressing against his ears.
Shruti's last message came in fragments,
like her voice was being pulled away:
"…its roots…
are alive…
they feed on what we cannot hear…"
Before Rohan could ask another question—
Shruti flickered violently
and disappeared completely.
The diary snapped shut.
The black apple pulsed once more—
A long, slow heartbeat.
THUMP…
...THUMP.
And suddenly the lights went out.
Leaving Rohan standing alone
in a room filled with silence
deep enough to swallow breath itself.