Thathayya Tharigina Naluguru
Grandfather's Four
Setting: Karimnagar ancestral home (Karimnagar).
In English: Grandfather's Four. A Lighted Tales original Telugu horror story, written in Romanized Telugu (Tenglish) with Telangana dialect.
Grandfather's Four
Shantha: "Koduka, nenu last night rendu saarlu lechi chusaanu , kitchen lo 12 plates laid out ga unnaayi. Memu 8 mandhi matrame unnam ee intlo. Naalugu extra plates ekkada nunchi?"
Kartik: "Amma, maybe Sushma pinni pre-arrange chesindhi morning kosam. Velli padukoo."
Shantha: "Kartik, plates lopala annam kuda pettindhi. Ice cold ga. Plate meedha oka chitti finger print , index finger , wet, damp ga undi. Four plates, four different finger prints. Nenu photo teesaa. Choodu."
Kartik: "Amma, ippudu 3:14 AM. Morning lo chuddaam. Full family council pettudaam. Meeru rest teesukondi."
Shantha: "Rest kaadu. Inka oka visthaayam , aa plates meedha oka specific arrangement. Right-to-left. Small plate first, small plate second, slightly larger third, largest fourth. Nee Nanna chanipoyina rendu days mundhu oka conversation annadu , 'Shantha, naalugu mandhi nannu cheppamanthaanu, cheppaalsindi cheppalekapothundhi.' Aa sentence complete cheyyadaaniki aayanaki time raledu. Ippudu naaku anipisthondi , aayana chepelni aa naluguru ikkadiki vacchaaru."
Ee conversation 2023 April 27 thelavarujamu 3:14 AM ki jarigindhi — Karimnagar town lo maa ancestral home lo. Location clarify cheyyali: town's old quarter, Manair Dam road nunchi Kothapet side branching, a narrow lane named Balaji Beedhi, corner plot. Haveli kaadu, but oka large Telangana-style joint family home , 1952 lo first built, 1978 lo expanded, 2001 lo renovated once. 7 bedrooms, central hall, attached kitchen, backyard lo oka small cow shed (empty since 2010), front lo oka verandah tho chinna pandal.
Shantha, 62, maa family elder — recently widowed. Aayana bhartha Venkaiah, 68, chanipoyaaru 2023 April 18 ki — heart attack, aspatri ki reach cheyyakundaa intlone, sudden. Ippudu cremation, 11th-day ceremony, 12th-day samaradhana — all completed by April 29. Antima samskaram rituals schedule intact. Andharam ancestral intlo ga stayed — daughters, son, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandkids. Total occupants aa week lo 8 mandhi: Shantha (62, widow), her son Kartik (35, IT consultant, Hyderabad Gachibowli based, oka fintech firm), his wife Vidya (33), their daughter Meghana (6), Shantha's daughter Sushma (38, schoolteacher Karimnagar government school), her husband Naresh (41, agricultural supplies dealer), their son Varun (12), plus Shantha's youngest daughter Keerthi (29, newly married, husband traveling for work, she alone visiting).
Venkaiah Karimnagar town lo oka small cooperative bank retired manager. 2019 lo retirement. Aayana native of this lane, entire 68 years lifetime ee house lo spent. Father Rangaiah 1952 builder, mother Parvathamma. Venkaiah's siblings — four brothers, aayana including — grew up here. Brothers naluguru specific ga — oldest Shekaraiah (died 1978), second Narsimha (died 1983), third Suryam (died 1991), fourth Prabhakar (died 2004). Venkaiah fifth and youngest, the survivor. Aayana naluguru annalani oka unresolved grief ga carry chesaaru. Aayana prathi sari "annalu naluguru nannu chuddaam ani vasthaaru" ani oka casual remark chestundevaaru — family members ki superstition ga interpret chesaaru, nobody took literally.
April 22 ki (Venkaiah cremation 4 days tarwatha), Shantha midnight ki lechi kitchen lo plates mutti mutti observe chesindhi. First night: 4 extra plates on dining table, arranged right-to-left, cold rice on each. Shantha aa moment lo thought — "Kartik or Vidya joke kosam cheyyi pettaru." Asked morning , andharam denied. Nobody cooked extra.
April 23 night: Shantha aa time stayed awake monitoring kitchen. 2:17 AM ki lights off, silent. 3:02 AM ki Shantha kitchen ki velli check — 4 plates again, same arrangement, cold rice, wet finger prints on plate rims. Aa night Shantha photo teesindhi Kartik ki show cheyyadaaniki.
April 24 night: Shantha kitchen door lock chesindhi bayata nunchi, key aayana sarees lo dachindhi. 3:05 AM ki rendu saarlu lechi check — kitchen door still locked, key intact. Shantha lock open chesi bhaavam ga velli chusindhi — 4 plates, same arrangement, slightly warmer rice this time. Locked kitchen lo 4 plates ni ekkada serve chesaaru?
April 25: Shantha aa roju Sushma and Kartik ki family meeting called. Andharu skeptical, but Shantha's photos clear ga undhi — 4 plates, wet fingerprints, consistent arrangement.
Sushma: "Amma, meeru maybe grief lo confused ga undi. Naanna recently chanipoyaaru, mind naturally oka continued presence search chesthundhi. Maybe meeru sleep-walk ga aa plates set chesthundochu."
Shantha: "Sushma, nenu 62 years lo sleep-walk ekkado cheyaledhu. Plus oka plate's fingerprint naa finger kaadu , nenu exact compare chesaanu. Smaller finger, gents hand. Intlo male hand ikkada only Kartik, Naresh, Varun. Nene check chesaanu , vaalla none match. Four different men's prints, small to large."
Kartik: Kartik aa observation ki rational explanation aduguthundhi. "Amma, maybe oka hidden family member , maybe dog, cat, bird , naluguru kakapotheyy."
Shantha: "Naluguru , Shekaraiah, Narsimha, Suryam, Prabhakar. Nee Nanna annalu. Vaalla chithralu intlo kitchen lo hang ga unnaayi oka single frame lo. Check chey."
Kitchen wall lo oka framed photograph ga, 1974 taken, Venkaiah's five brothers including him, in their early ages. Kartik aa frame ni teesi plates tho compare chesaadu. Plates' arrangement — small to large — brothers' oldest-to-youngest order inversely mirror chesindhi. Oldest Shekaraiah's photo-position fourth (largest plate), youngest Prabhakar first (smallest). Venkaiah fifth brother own plate — kitchen lo aayana regular plate , wall side shelf meedha separate ga undi, kitchen table meedha kaadu.
Kartik: "Amma, idhi , idhi accurate ga visualized. Nalugu plates , nalugu annalu. Vaallu vacchi Nanna ni welcome cheyyadaaniki , or Nanna vaallani rappinchaaru?"
Shantha: "Venkaiah prathi sari annadu , 'Annalu naluguru nannu chuddaam ani vasthaaru.' Aayana chanipoyinnadam tho aa rendezvous possible aipoyindhi. Kaani vaallu inka ekkadaaku vasthunnaaru matrame , inka edho unfinished unnadi."
Kartik aa roju Karimnagar town lo oka senior purohit ni consult chesaadu — Brahmavihari Sastry, 71 years age, family ki purohit 30+ years ga. Aayana intlo vacchaaru, family ni interview chesaaru, Venkaiah's photo ki pooja room lo namaskaram chesaaru. Aayana silent ga 20 minutes observed.
[BRAHMAVIHARI SASTRY] "Kartik, meeru aa naluguru mamala ki peru peru ga pitru tarpanam offer chesaara annual ga?"
Kartik: "Gurugaaru, nenu Hyderabad lo ga distant ga unnaa. Nanna solo ga prathi year Mahalaya amavasya ki tarpanam offer chestundevaaru. Aayana chanipoyinnadam tho ee ragnam naa responsibility ippudu. Nenu inka start cheyyaledhu."
[BRAHMAVIHARI SASTRY] "Ante pitru loka lo aa naluguru mamalaki annual pindu offering tho aayana tarwatha continuity undaali. Aayana inka pass aipoyinappati maatrame 15 days kind aipoyindhi , aayana soul tarpita kaadu, pitru line lo merge kaaledu inka. Plus aa naluguru oka specific pre-existing grievance tho Venkaiah gurinchi oka family-internal unresolved matter undhi."
→ Idey theme lo inka oka katha: Penalu Mooyani Gadi
Shantha: "Em unresolved, gurugaaru?"
[BRAHMAVIHARI SASTRY] "Family legacy , inheritance, or apology , naa intuition cheptundi oka specific property disputation undhi. Meeru elder family members ni consult cheyyali. Aa four brothers oka specific thing Venkaiah nunchi wait chesthunnaaru."
Kartik aa evening Venkaiah's elder cousins ni call chesaadu — Rangarao (74, Hyderabad senior retired citizen, first-cousin of Venkaiah through uncle's side). Aayana tho phone lo 40 minutes interview.
Rangarao: "Kartik, nee thaata Rangaiah 1974 lo aa intini legally will chesaaru , five equal shares to five sons. Kaani 1980 lo aa will amendment chesaaru , Venkaiah sole inheritor, remaining four brothers' shares to Venkaiah directly. Reason , brothers naluguru adulthood ki reach avvadam mundhu health issues had shown up , elder Shekaraiah TB, Narsimha congenital heart, Suryam accident injuries, Prabhakar alcoholism early signs. Rangaiah's calculation , 'Venkaiah responsible custodian, long-term family home preserve cheyyadaaniki only reliable heir.' Legal ga sound. Kaani moral ga, brothers' direct consent aa amendment ki takkuva ga document aipoyindhi. Shekaraiah 1978 lo died without knowing. Narsimha 1983 lo confusedly aware, signed under family pressure without independent counsel. Suryam 1991 lo similar. Prabhakar 2004 lo alcoholic late-stage, couldn't contest. Ante aa naluguru formal ga object cheyyaledu, but nobody truly consented freely. Venkaiah entire house ni inherited 2008 ki , Rangaiah's 2008 death tarwatha. Legal dispute kaadu ever, kaani moral-emotional weight aayana entire life carry chesaaru."
Kartik: "Ante aa naluguru shares , vaalla descendants ki ivvaledu?"
Rangarao: "Shekaraiah ki no descendants, died bachelor. Narsimha's wife Kamala 2020 lo chanipoyaaru, Narsimha's son Ravi 60 years ippudu, Kothagudem lo small hardware shop owner. Suryam's daughter Divya 48, Hyderabad Vidyanagar, govt school teacher. Prabhakar's son Naveen 35, Nirmal lo real estate agent. Muggulu alive, vaalla vaalla lives ga. Property share vaallaki ever aaa mandhi ivvaledu , Venkaiah annual ga chinna gifts , Diwali, Sankranti , money transfers, maybe total 50,000 rupees per cousin per year , kaani property share proper ga kaadu."
Kartik family council lo ee information present chesaadu. Shantha silent ga vinindi.
Shantha: "Naa bhartha ee bhaaram tho lived 19 years aayana father chanipoyina tarwatha. Aayana prathi sari annadu , 'annalu chuddaaniki vasthaaru' , naaku literal ga undaa ani ippudu maatrame realized. Vaallaki equitable settlement naa responsibility ippudu."
Kartik, Sushma, and Shantha formal ga decided to do a property-restitution. Aa haveli current valuation approximately 2.4 crore. Four cousin-families ki proper share compute — mother's brothers' descendants ki respective 1/5th share each. Ravi (Narsimha son), Divya (Suryam daughter), Naveen (Prabhakar son) — three living heir-lines. Shekaraiah line extinct, aa 1/5th share ni community welfare ga — Karimnagar town's senior citizen home (a real category institution, unnamed specific) ki donation ga assign.
Calculation: 2.4 crore total. 1/5th = 48 lakh each. Shantha-Kartik-Sushma's own family retains 1/5th (Venkaiah's legitimate share) plus the physical ancestral house as occupant-custodian, but pays cash-equivalent to three cousins + community donation = 4 × 48 lakh = 1.92 crore. Family liquid assets — Venkaiah's bank deposits (65 lakh), Shantha's own savings (15 lakh), Sushma's household contribution (10 lakh), Kartik's available liquidity (40 lakh) = 1.3 crore. Remaining 62 lakh — Kartik commits a 10-year home loan, Hyderabad apartment ni collateral ga.
Plan finalized May 2, 2023. Ravi, Divya, Naveen ki Karimnagar ki formally invited. Brahmavihari Sastry presiding. Formal family meeting May 7.
Aa meeting lo Kartik Venkaiah's behalf ga, Shantha's signature ga, formal apology read cheyyadam. Legal paperwork preparation 2 weeks tarwatha. Payment transfer aa month end ki complete.
Kartik: "Ravi mamayya, Divya pinni, Naveen anna , maa thaata 1980 lo family ni protect cheyyadaaniki oka decision teesukunnaaru , aayana good intention, kaani consequences mee families ki shares denied ayiinda. Ee house lo 43 years ga mee equity unacknowledged ga. Naa father ee bhaaram carry chesaaru life-long. Ippudu maaku restitution chesaali. Full shares legal ga transfer chesthunnam. House intact preserve aavaali , maa immediate family ippudu custodian, kaani 4/5th ownership legally-financially meeku."
Ravi: "Kartik, memu asalu expectation ledu inka. Venkaiah mama prathi Diwali gift ilage ga family connection sustain chesaaru. Ee amount kaavaala manaki , kaani spirit ga accept chestaamu. Vaalla nana Narsimha ki peace ga untundi."
Divya: "Suryam nanna ki aa acknowledge-ment enough. Money ni nenu accept chestaa , naa daughter's engineering college fees ki use chestaa."
Naveen: "Prabhakar nanna ki late justice. Nenu accept chestaa. Nirmal real-estate lo oka expansion lo re-invest chesthaa."
Meeting tarwatha Brahmavihari Sastry oka specific ritual conducted — a family pitru-tarpanam with all descendants present, specific invocation of four brothers' names, formal handover statement read by Shantha, proxy for Venkaiah. Ritual duration 2.5 hours. Temple oil lamps lit, brothers' wall-photograph garlanded, rice offerings made in four small plates , this time formally offered as pindam, not spectral manifestation.
Aa rathri , May 7 ki — first silent night. No extra plates. No wet fingerprints. Kitchen calm.
Next morning: Shantha kitchen lo enter aiyindhi, breath holding. Plates all in cupboard, clean. Oka small thing matrame — table meedha oka single saare flower , rose , fresh, from nowhere. Shantha aa flower ni teesi, Venkaiah's photo kinda petti, silent ga tears.
Shantha: "Nee annalu ippudu peace ga unnaaru. Nuvvu kuda peace ga undu."
Aa haveli ippatiki family ancestral home , ippudu officially 4/5th owned by cousin families (Ravi, Divya, Naveen registered shareholders + community trust for Shekaraiah line) with Shantha-Kartik-Sushma as custodian occupants. Annual ga Mahalaya amavasya ki formal pitru-tarpanam conducted — all brothers' names invoked. Kartik ippudu Hyderabad nunchi prathi amavasya cycle ki Karimnagar ki velthaadu, continuity maintain cheyyadaaniki.
Kartik's Hyderabad loan 2025 ki 3 years paid down , 7 more years. Aayana aa bhaaram ni intentional ga carry chestaaru. "Naa thaata's 1980 decision ki interest ippudu nenu pay chestaa , moral interest. Aayana intention protective ga, kaani execution incomplete. Execution complete cheyyadam naa generation's responsibility."
→ Pakkana ee story kuda chadavandi: Purathana Illu
Haveli ippudu family gatherings ki, festivals ki center. Aa kitchen lo plates ippudu only regular meals ki. Wall photograph lo naluguru brothers frame tho, ippudu fifth brother Venkaiah's separate frame added next to it, equal size, adjacent.
Shantha 2024 Sankranti morning Kartik ki annadhi — "Kartik, mee thaata aa 1980 decision ni aa time's best option ga think chesaaru. Mee thaatamma Parvathamma ki aayana ki oka private conversation undhi , vaallu skeptical ga, kaani silent. Aa silent agreement oka family debt ga accumulated. Nuvvu clear chesaavu. Naa bhartha peace ga untaaru ippudu."
Brahmavihari Sastry family ki 2025 ki kuda purohit ga. Aayana observed — aa restitution-based prayaschittam-clearing model chaala rare ga, kaani effective ga. Aayana Karimnagar purohit-council meetings lo ee case ni case-study ga reference chestaaru anonymized ga — inherited property disputations ki ancestral-duty resolution frameworks.
Kartik 2026 ki ekkada 48 years age target ga, Hyderabad IT career nunchi partial transition to family-real-estate custodianship role plan chestaaru. Aayana Sanjana — wife, separate character unrelated to author — 2024 lo aa commitment ki support icchindhi. Vidya aa evolution ni family's natural trajectory ga accept chesindhi.
Aa Karimnagar haveli ippatiki stand avuthondhi, maa family's Balaji Beedhi corner plot. 2023 April tarwatha aa kitchen lo 4 extra plates ever ee appear avvaledu. Aa naluguru annalu , proper ga acknowledged , peace ga vaalla pitru loka ki merged.
Author's note
Real-world context: Wikipedia — Telangana
Maa swagrama Karimnagar side lo inti-inheritance lo ilanti complicated multi-brother legacies chaala families lo untaayi. Maa thaata side lo kuda oka similar unresolved share-dispute undhi 1960s lo , maa amma ki memory vastundi aa conversations mama-pedananna gallu chesevaaru aayana childhood lo. 2024 Dussehra ki Karimnagar trip lo Balaji Beedhi lane ni nenu photograph chesaanu , ilaantha-style 1950s-era Telangana joint family homes ippatiki standing, kaani inheritance disputations tho maintenance intermittent ga. Ee story fictional , Shantha, Kartik, Venkaiah, brothers all invented , kaani family's 5-brother inheritance structure tho 1 surviving brother scenario Telangana rural lo 1980s common pattern. Sanjana tho weekend brunch discussions lo ee moral-interest concept , "ancestors' incomplete decisions accrue to descendants" , chaala saarlu discussed chesaam. Ee story aayana perspective inspired ga kuda. Mee family lo ilanti multi-generation property-legacy tensions unnaayaa? Comments lo , full privacy protected — name, location dispense cheyyavachu — share cheyyandi.
— Sai Kiran · Lighted Tales
© 2026 Sai Kiran Pandrala / Lighted Tales · https://teluguhorrorstories.blogspot.com
Original Telugu horror fiction. Folk-source material where referenced is public domain.
Modern characters, apartments, companies, and phone numbers are fictional.
Any resemblance to real persons, businesses, or events is coincidental.
Audio version: youtube.com/@Lightedtales
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