Episode 1

Baviya: "Macha, look! This is it. This is the place from the listing!"

Monika: "Whoa... Baviya, it’s huge. It looks exactly like those old movies. Are you sure about this? It looks way too grand to be 'free' for employees."

Baviya: "Stop overthinking! We just finished our MCA, we’ve got these new jobs, and we need to save every rupee. Plus, look at that Kerala architecture. It's beautiful!"

(An old grandmother walking nearby stops and stares at them, her voice trembling.)

Grandma: "Daughters... stop. Do not step across that threshold. This place... it is haunted. The soul of this house is not at peace."

Monika: (Flinching) "Oh! Uh, hello, Grandma. Haunted? What do you mean?"

Baviya: (Leaning in, grinning) "Macha, don't listen to her. Grandma, we love horror movies! We’ve seen them all. Why should we be scared? We’re going to stay here and enjoy the palace life!"

Monika: (Nervously) "Yeah... Grandma, please don't worry. We are just poor students from Bangalore starting our first jobs. We need a place to stay to be happy and save up. We'll be fine."

Grandma: (Sighing) "Happiness is a dream in a house that remembers too much. If you hear the sound of anklets... do not follow them."

Baviya: (Laughing) "Anklets? Maybe it’s just the wind, Grandma! Come on, Monika, let's get our bags. I want to see the view from that top balcony!"

Monika: "Wait for me! And Baviya... if I hear anything that sounds like 'Nagavalli,' we are leaving, okay?"

Baviya: "Deal! Now let’s go explore our new home!"

(They push the heavy doors open. A cloud of thick, grey dust explodes into the air, making them both cough violently.)

Monika: (Waving her hand in front of her face) "Ugh! Baviya, it’s disgusting in here! Look at the floor... you can’t even see the wood under all this dust. It’s so uncomfortable."

Baviya: (Rubbing her nose) "Achoo! God, you’re right. How are we even going to clean this? It’s a palace, not a 1BHK in Marathahalli! We’ll need a month just to find the floor."

Monika: (Looking around nervously) "I don't know if I can sleep here tonight with all this—"

(Suddenly, a massive, dark lizard—the size of a small crocodile—scuttles across the wall right next to Monika's head.)

Monika: "AHHH! BAVIYA! LOOK!"

Baviya: (Jumping back, nearly falling over their suitcases) "OH MY GOD! What is that?! Is that a lizard or a dinosaur?!"

Monika: (Backing away toward the door) "Macha, come! Let’s go out! Right now!"

Baviya: (Scrambling out behind her) "I’m right behind you! I can’t do lizards, Monika. Anything but that!"

Monika: (Standing outside in the yard, breathless) "Seriously! I told that grandma I'm fine if I see a ghost, but why this big lizard? I’d rather face Nagavalli than that thing!"

Baviya: (Shivering) "Me too! My heart is literally racing. Someone has to clean this mess and get rid of those monsters first. We can't go inside like this."

Monika: "Yeah... we need to find some help. But who would even come into a 'haunted' house to clean?"

Baviya: "Okay, seriously, Monika. We are staying in a palace, not a zoo. We need a professional deep cleaning crew, and we need them now."

Monika: "Exactly! I don't care about ghosts, but I’m not sharing a room with a lizard that looks like it could eat my suitcase. Let’s head into the village and see if we can find anyone."

(They walk down the dusty lane until they reach a small cluster of shops. A group of local men are sitting on a stone bench under a massive Banyan tree.)

Baviya: "Excuse me! Hi... do you know anyone who can help us clean the Alummoottil Meda? We just moved in for our new jobs."

(The men stop talking instantly. They look at each other, then back at the girls with wide eyes.)

Shopkeeper: "You... you want to clean the Meda? Children, that house has been empty for a long time. People here don't even like to walk past those gates after sunset."

Monika: "We know, we heard the stories from a grandma. But we're just poor students, and we really need a place to stay. It's just too much dust... and, well, huge lizards."

Shopkeeper: (Shaking his head) "It’s not just the dust you should worry about. The Alummoottil family was very powerful once, but after the tragedy in 1921, the prosperity vanished. The history of that house is soaked in secrets." Wikipedia +2

Baviya: "Sir, we really just need help. Is there anyone brave enough? We'll pay!"

Shopkeeper: (Hesitating) "Well... there is one crew, BK Clear Touch, they do deep cleaning in the area. And there's another team called Clean Kerala in nearby Thiruvalla. But I warn you... they might work fast to get out before dark."

Monika: (To Baviya) "See? Professionals! Macha, let's call them. If they can handle a hospital, they can handle our 'haunted' palace."

Baviya: "Deal. But let's tell them to bring extra-strong lizard repellent. And maybe some incense... you know, just for the 'vibes'.

(They call the cleaning crew and head back toward the palace gates, waiting in the fading afternoon light.)

Monika: "The shopkeeper looked like he’d seen a ghost just because we mentioned the name. Do you think that 1921 tragedy he talked about is why the grandma was so scared?"

Baviya: "Macha, it's just village talk. Every old house in Kerala has a 'tragedy' to make it sound cool for tourists. Once those cleaners get the dust and those dinosaurs I mean, lizards out, it’ll be a five-star stay for free!"

Monika: "I hope so. But did you see the way the shopkeeper said they’d 'work fast to get out before dark'? Even the pros are scared of this place."

Baviya: "They just want to get to the toddy shop early, trust me. Oh, look! There’s the van!"

(A white van pulls up, and three men get out. They look at the palace and then at each other, looking very uneasy. The lead cleaner, Rajan, walks up to them.)

Rajan: "You are the ones who called? You want us to go... inside there? Today?"

Monika: "Yes, please! We have our bags and everything. We just need the main hall and one bedroom cleaned so we can sleep tonight."

Rajan: (Wiping sweat from his forehead) "We will work until the sun touches the trees. After that, we leave. No matter how much you pay. Understood?"

Baviya: (Whispering to Monika) "See? Dramatic. Okay, Rajan, deal. Just start with the lizards, please!"

(As the cleaners enter with their mops and buckets, the sound of their footsteps echoes loudly through the empty halls. Suddenly, from deep within the house, a faint, rhythmic sound starts... clink, clink, clink... like metal hitting stone.)

Monika: (Freezing) "Baviya... did you hear that? It sounds like... anklets."

Baviya: (Gulping) "It’s... it’s probably just Rajan dropping a bucket. Right? Yeah. A bucket. Let’s go inside and watch them work."

Monika: (Laughing nervously) "Hey, Baviya, sorry! I totally made you scared. It’s just my imagination playing tricks because of what that Grandma said. There are no anklets!"

Baviya: "Macha, don't do that! My heart almost stopped. Let’s just focus on the cleaning."

Rajan (Lead Cleaner): "Wait, you girls haven't had lunch yet, have you?"

Monika & Baviya: (In unison) "No, sir. We came straight here."

Rajan: "Look, to deep clean this palace and get all this dust out, it will take at least 3 hours. Go find a small hotel in the village and have some food. I’ll call you the moment we are finished."

Baviya: "Can we just wait inside? Maybe in the courtyard?"

Rajan: "You can stay if you want, but the dust will be everywhere once we start the machines."

Monika: "No way! We are both still terrified of those big, big lizards. If one jumps on us while you're cleaning, we’ll die! We're going out. You have Baviya’s number, right? Just call us when the monsters—I mean, the lizards and the dust are gone."

Rajan: (Nodding solemnly) "Go. Enjoy your lunch. We will call you. But remember... try to be back before the sun goes down completely."

Baviya: "Don't worry, Rajan! We’ll be back soon. Let's go, Monika, I'm starving!"

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