Several days later, the two adventurers woke from their sleep once more. The two had been traveling for days, and their journey's end was closing in. Abhaya pulled the map from her bag once more to check their progress and find out where they were headed next.
To the deer, Abhaya said reluctantly, "We're a few days out from The Ocean of Milk, but it looks like we're going to have to go through the Land of Death today in order to reach The Ocean of Milk tomorrow."
The deer replied, "The Land of Death isn't as bad as it sounds. The main thing you will have to watch out for as a beautiful young woman are the pitrs, but I will protect you the best I can."
"What's a pitr?" Abhaya asked, puzzled.
"A pitr is an unmarried, undesirable man who hangs like a bat in The Land of the Dead. They prey upon young woman in hopes to make them their wife and to bear their children," the deer answered.
The two gathered their things and headed out of the green, flowery forest. The sky was clear as Abhaya and the deer transitioned into a very different setting. The trees had gone bare, and the sun disappeared behind the dark storm clouds that formed in the now-grey sky--the weather had changed drastically. What were once gentle, warm breezes were now the winds of a hurricane that pushed against the two travelers; the wind begged them not to go any further, yet Abhaya and the deer persisted further into The Land of the Dead.
As the two continued on the path, they grew cold and tired. With her arms crossed over her chest to keep warm from the chilling winds, Abhaya said, "The only thing dead in here are the trees. Let's find a place to rest under a blanket for a minute to get warmed up."
The deer looked leerily at Abhaya and said, "I don't think that's a good idea. It's best we get through The Land of the Dead as quick as possible to avoid the pitrs."
"I don't see anything. I think we should rest. We won't be able to get through at all if we don't keep our bodies charged," Abhaya said, as she lay out her blanket on the dirt floor of the forest.
"As your guide, I think you should listen to me. But, if you won't listen, I will leave you to rest. When you wake, I will not be here," the deer said to Abhaya sternly.
"Fine. I can get through here on my own!" Abhaya said as she covered herself up and drifted into a nap.
As the deer walked back towards the forest, wings began to flap. Although the deer knew what was coming, it did not turn back.
Down from the tree above came Aagney, a pitr who resided in The Land of the Dead. Aagney had found himself in The Land of the Dead where he preys upon women in hopes of gaining a wife and children.
Author's Note: I have chosen to continue my story of Abhaya. From my chosen readings, I watched several videos about different aspects of Hindu culture that really interested me. I learned about the pitrs and The Land of the Dead in this video. I figured these were things that would work really well in this adventure-style story, and I really like the shift it has added to my story. I wanted to add a creepier element, and I think this has successfully achieved that. Personally, I enjoy reading horror/scary stuff, so my story was seeming a little boring to me. Because of this, I decided to also add a little drama between the deer and Abhaya. I believe Abhaya's stubbornness shows her age, and brings her ability to rule into question. Lastly, I have named the pitr Aagney, as this name means "son of fire" in Hindu. To me, this meaning helps paint a picture of who Aagney is. I can't wait to add the final installments of the story soon.
Image Information: Bats flying obtained from Hamlet Hub.