Episode 2

(They are sitting in a small, rustic Kerala restaurant, plates piled high with steaming fish curry and rice. Baviya is holding her phone up, moving it around for a cinematic reel.)

Baviya: "Macha, look at this light! The followers are going to love this. 'New City, New Jobs, New Palace!' Tagging you now."

Monika: (Laughing) "You and your reels! But the food is amazing. I’m finally starting to feel happy. No lizards here!"

(Monika’s phone starts buzzing. The screen shows 'Amma'.)

Monika: "Oh, it's Mom. Let me take this.""Hello, Amma? Yes, we reached safely."

Mom: "Monika! How is Kerala? Did you and Baviya find a good PG? Make sure the doors have proper locks!"

Monika: "Amma, relax! We actually found something better than a PG. It’s a huge, beautiful old palace. And the best part? The stay is free! We only have to pay the electricity and water bills."

Mom: (Voice rising in shock) "Free? Are you kidding me, Monika? Since when is anything 'free' in this world, especially a palace?"

Monika: "No, Ma, it’s true! It was empty for a long time, so they told us we could stay there since we are working nearby. We’re thinking instead of wasting thousands on a cramped PG, we can live like queens here!"

Mom: (Sounding panicked) "Monika, listen to me. An old palace, empty and free... that doesn't sound safe. My heart is uneasy. Please, go find a regular PG. I will send you the extra money myself, don't worry about the cost!"

Monika: "Ma, don't worry! We are already getting it cleaned. There are professional cleaners inside right now. It’ll be fine, I’m wearing my lucky chudidar today anyway!"

Mom: (Sighing) "You always listen to Baviya’s adventurous ideas. Fine... but stay safe, both of you. Call me the moment those cleaners leave. I am very worried about you."

Monika: "I will, Amma. Love you, bye!"

(She hangs up and looks at Baviya, who is still editing her video.)

Monika: "My mom is totally freaked out. She wants us to move to a PG."

Baviya: "Typical moms! Once she sees the photos of us on that grand staircase, she’ll change her mind. Come on, finish your lunch. Rajan should be calling any minute now."...send comic image

getting anklet sound again and again please stay here until you enjoy then you leave if you haunted thing...baviya says dont worry wait im coming now how much is the cleaning price 10,000 ok me and monika coming

(Baviya’s phone rings. She puts it on speaker so Monika can hear while they finish their tea.)

Baviya: "Hello, Rajan? Is it done? Can we come back?"

Rajan: (Voice trembling and low) "Madam... cleaning is done. Everything is shining, and the dust is gone. But... I am very scared for you girls. While we were mopping the inner courtyard, I kept hearing it. The clink-clink of anklets. Over and over, following us from room to room."

Monika: (Freezing with her tea cup halfway to her mouth) "Not the anklets again..."

Rajan: "Madam, please... stay there tonight if you must, but the moment you feel something is wrong, just leave. Don't try to be brave. This house... it doesn't want visitors."

Baviya: (Trying to sound tough) "Aiyyo Rajan, don't worry! It’s probably just the wind in the old pipes. We’re coming now. How much do we owe you for the deep clean?"

Rajan: "It is a big palace, madam. For the whole team and the chemicals, it is 10,000 rupees."

Baviya: "Okay, 10,000 is fine. Me and Monika are coming right now with the cash. Just wait for us at the gate!"

(They pay the restaurant bill and quickly walk back. As they approach the palace, the sun is just starting to dip below the horizon, turning the sky a deep, blood-red color. The palace looks beautiful but strangely lonely.)

Monika: "Baviya, 10,000 is a lot of money, but if it means no lizards, I guess it’s worth it. But did you hear his voice? He sounded like he wanted to run away."

Baviya: "He’s just a villager, Monika. They grew up on these ghost stories. We are MCA graduates! We believe in logic, not 'anklet sounds'."

(They reach the gate. Rajan and his team are standing outside the van, looking toward the top floor of the palace. They aren't looking at the girls; they are looking at a window where the curtain just moved... even though there is no wind.)

(Baviya hands the 10,000 rupees to Rajan. He takes the money quickly, nods once without making eye contact, and the cleaning van speeds away as if they were escaping a fire.)

Baviya: "Finally! Look at that floor, Monika—it’s actually shining. No dust, no dinosaurs. Now we can finally feel like the queens of this palace."

Monika: (Sighing, looking at her phone) "I hope so. I’m still thinking about what Amma said. She sounded so genuinely worried. Maybe I should have just told her we found a regular room in the city..."

(As they step across the threshold into the grand hallway, the air suddenly feels five degrees colder. Baviya stops dead in her tracks. A soft, feminine voice almost like a musical whisper drifts through the air: "Ullo va..." (Come inside...))

Baviya: (Gasping, clutching Monika’s arm) "Macha! Did you hear that? Someone just said 'Ullo va'!"

Monika: (Looking around the empty hall) "What? Who said what? I didn't hear anything, Baviya. I was just thinking about my mom’s warning. You’re just letting Rajan’s stories get into your head."

Baviya: "No, Monika! It was clear! A woman's voice... it sounded like it came from the top of the stairs. It said 'Come inside' in such a creepy way."

Monika: "Hey, don't start this now. You were the one telling me not to be scared earlier! It’s just the echo of our own footsteps or the wind. Come on, don't get scared now that we’ve paid 10,000 bucks. Let's go to the bedroom and settle in."

Baviya: (Looking nervously up at the dark wooden staircase) "I’m telling you, I heard it... but okay. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just tired from the journey."

(They walk toward the main bedroom the cleaners prepared. As Monika turns her back to close the door, Baviya sees a reflection in the dusty mirror on the wall: a shadow of a woman in a traditional Kerala dress standing right behind Monika, but when she blinks, it’s gone.)

Baviya: (Staring up at the dark wooden steps) "Macha, I’m serious. I need to know where that voice came from. It sounded so real, like someone was inviting us upstairs."

Monika: (Sighing while pulling her nighty and books out of her bag) "Hey, Baviya! Where are you going? We have so much work to do here. We have to arrange everything and keep the room in order before it gets too dark. Why are you heading for the stairs now?"

Baviya: (One foot on the first step) "I just... I'm thinking about that 'Ullo va.' If someone is up there, we shouldn't just sit here and wait for them to come down. I want to check it once."

Monika: (Rolling her eyes) "Arambichita! (She started it again!) Look at you... you were the one acting like a hero in front of the Grandma and the shopkeeper. Now why are you scared so much? It’s an old house, Baviya. Sounds travel. Just come here and help me arrange the bed."

Baviya: (Hesitating, looking at the shadows dancing at the top of the stairs) "But Monika, what if"

Monika: "No 'what ifs'! Come here. We’ll keep the lights on, play some loud music on your phone, and finish this work. Once we have our things set up, it’ll feel like our home, not a horror movie set. Come on!"

Baviya: (Slowly walking back to the room, but still glancing over her shoulder) "Fine... but we are locking this bedroom door from the inside tonight. And I’m keeping my laptop charger near me ,I can use it as a whip if 'Nagavalli' shows up."

Monika: (Laughing) "Exactly! Now help me with these sheets. This palace is ours tonight."

(Monika is already tucked into the fresh sheets, yawning and ready to drift off. Baviya is sitting bolt upright on the edge of the bed, her eyes darting toward the corner of the room.)

Monika: (Mumbling into her pillow) "Macha... why are you still sitting like a statue? Switch off the lamp and sleep, na. We have to report to the office early tomorrow."

Baviya: "Monika... I can't. My mind is just not settling. I’m telling you, ever since we stepped inside after the cleaners left, I feel like someone is watching us from the shadows."

Monika: (Sitting up and rubbing her eyes) "Aiyyo, enough, Baviya! Seriously, sleep now. It's just your imagination playing games because you're in a new place. There are no ghosts, no anklets, and the lizards are gone. Just close your eyes."

Baviya: (In a small, desperate voice) "Macha... I really need to go to the restroom. But I'm terrified to walk to that door alone. The corridor is so dark."

Monika: "Are you serious? You’re a Master of Computer Applications, and you’re scared to go to the toilet?"

Baviya: "I don't care about my degree right now! I’m getting scared just thinking about opening that door. Can you... can you please come and stand next to the door while I go?"

Monika: (Sighing loudly) "Ayo Kadavule! (Oh my God!) Fine, come. If I don't come, you'll probably sit there all night and get a kidney stone. Come on, move it.

(Monika switches on the flickering bathroom light. The old bulb hums, casting long, shaky shadows. She stands right outside the door, leaning against the wall, her face glowing from the light of her phone as she types a long message to her mom.)

Monika: (Texting) "Don't worry Ma, we are safe. The palace is clean and we are going to sleep now. Love you..."

Baviya: (Inside the toilet, freezing in place) "Macha... do you hear that?"

(Inside the small room, the air suddenly smells of jasmine. Above the sound of the dripping tap, a clear rhythm begins—Tha-ka-dhi-mi, Tha-ka-ju-nu—the unmistakable sound of heavy brass anklets performing a fierce Bharatanatyam dance on the floorboards right above her head.)

Baviya: (Screaming) "MONIKA! OPEN THE DOOR!"

(Baviya bursts out of the bathroom and throws herself at Monika, hugging her so tightly that Monika almost drops her phone.)

Monika: "Hey! Baviya! What happened? You almost broke my phone! Why are you shaking like this?"

Baviya: (Gasping for breath) "The sound! The anklets! It wasn't just walking, Monika... someone was dancing! Right above me! It was so loud, like a performance!"

Monika: (Looking up at the ceiling, then back at Baviya) "Aiyyo Baviya... I’ve been standing right here the whole time. I didn't hear any dancing. No music, no anklets, nothing. Just the sound of the wind."

Baviya: "That’s because you were busy on your mobile! You’re texting and smiling while I’m in there dying of fear! I’m telling you, someone is in this house with us!"

Monika: (Guiding her back toward the bedroom) "Look, you’re just stressed. Your brain is playing back all those horror movies we watched in the hostel. Next time, don't watch those films if you're going to behave like this. Come, let's just go and sleep. It's almost midnight."

Baviya: "I’m not imagining it, Monika... the smell of jasmine is still there..."

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