Aadi Amavasya
Aadi New Moon
Katha saarāmsham · Premise: A widow performs the forbidden amavasya ritual — by dawn her reflection is still asking questions back to her.
Setting: Riverbank, Adilabad (Adilabad).
In English: Aadi New Moon. A Lighted Tales original Telugu horror story, written in Romanized Telugu (Tenglish) with Telangana dialect.
Setting: Riverbank, Adilabad (Adilabad).
In English: Aadi New Moon. A Lighted Tales original Telugu horror story, written in Romanized Telugu (Tenglish) with Telangana dialect.
Aadi New Moon
Adilabad District Police Station (Rural) · General Diary Entry Date: 2023-08-18 · Time: 09:14 AM · GD Entry No. 442/2023 Reporting officer: SI B. Nagender Rao Subject: Welfare check , Smt. Subbalakshmi (68), resident of Bokkalagutta village, follow-up from family complaint received 2023-08-17 evening "Received complaint 17 August 2023, 18:40 hours, by one Narayanamma (41), daughter of the subject, resident Hyderabad Uppal. Complaint substance: Smt. Subbalakshmi, a widow aged 68 years, resident alone in her ancestral home in Bokkalagutta village (Adilabad rural mandal), last voice-contact with her daughter 2023-08-16 evening telephone call. Daughter reports subject's voice unusually slow, subject repeatedly referred to 'inko ammayi' present in the house who 'naa face tho matladutundi.' Daughter initially dismissed as age-onset, but next-day 2023-08-17 multiple calls unanswered, neighbor follow-up door locked internally, no response. Daughter formally filed complaint 17 August evening. Welfare check conducted this morning. Subject present, ambulatory, appeared physically sound but mentally disturbed. Subject did not recognize officer initially. House interior disturbed , multiple mirrors covered with cloth, one mirror in central hall broken with specific radial pattern, ritual items present in puja room (turmeric marks, a clay bowl with black sesame-seeds-oil mixture, a specific diagram drawn on floor with ash). Subject provided a handwritten diary maintained daily, 11 days entries from 2023-08-07 through 2023-08-17. Diary surrendered voluntarily as part of subject's own request for 'daughter to understand.' Subject transported to Adilabad District Govt Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Daughter and son-in-law contacted, arriving tomorrow 2023-08-19 morning. Diary entries attached as annexure A (14 pages, subject's own handwriting, mixed Telugu-English). Released to family with officer's countersignature on 2023-08-20 post-psychiatric assessment."
Annexure A · Personal Diary of Smt. Subbalakshmi · Extracts 2023-08-07 Monday , evening 7:42 PM Ee roju Kamalamma akka (my deceased husband's elder-sister, chanipoyaaru 2019) phone call dreaming lo aayana ni chusaa. Aayana naaku a specific ga oka vidhi cheppaaru , "Subbi, 2023 Aadi-amavasya ee month 16th ki, aa night nuvvu Penganga-vaagu riverbank ki velli oka specific ritual cheyyaali. Aa ritual 'amavasya darpana' ga called. Ancient ga maa perantaalu family lo generations ga aa practice undedhi, 1970s tharuvatha lost ga. Aa ritual lo a black-sesame oil lamp, oka chinna mirror riverbank-mud meeda placed, own reflection 7 questions thoo ask cheyyaali own life unresolved ga untundhi. Mirror answer echo ga back ga." Nenu dream ga ignore cheyyaali anukunna, kaani Kamalamma aayana ni nenu chinnappudu chaala respect chesthunne. Aayana naaku ee message ga gift ga undi maybe , 40 years widow ga ippudu nenu some answers deserve. 2023-08-08 Tuesday , morning 6:15 AM Paper-reading ga today's astrology column , "Aadi amavasya 2023 August 16 Wednesday. Pitru-tarpanam day ga. Widows specifically pitru-related rituals ki encouraged ga." Kamalamma's dream's alignment. Ok nenu prepare cheyyi. 2023-08-10 Thursday , afternoon 2:30 PM Village's elder priest Bhimaiah Sastry (74) tho nenu aa amavasya darpana ritual gurinchi adigaa. Aayana face ga immediately alarmed ga. "Subbalakshmi amma, aa ritual ni pre-1970 lo maa village lo a widow family lo conducted ga. Aa ritual's structural danger ga , 7 questions ni reflection ki ask cheyyadam , reflection's identity-integrity ga strain ga. Some practitioners ga 'reflection autonomous response' ga report , chala mandi ki post-ritual mental-dislocation ga weeks varaku. Aa ritual's ban ga village's elder council 1978 formal ga. Mee Kamalamma akka 1965 lo aa ritual conduct chesaaru own ga widow-status lo, aayana own-ga answers ki received ga , kaani aa tharuvatha aayana 4 months ga home nunchi emerge kaaru silent ga. 1978 ban ki aa incident trigger ga kuda." Bhimaiah aayana ni naaku strong ga counsel , "aa ritual ni avoid cheyyi. Amavasya-night ki temple ki visit ga, standard pitru-tarpanam, clean ga approach." Nenu home return. Kaani Kamalamma aayana dream ga kuda a direct message. Aayana trust. 2023-08-12 Saturday , evening 7 PM Nenu Kamalamma aayana dream-instruction ga aayana priest-warning ga competing ga , decision making unable ga. Naaku ee 40 years widow-life lo chala unresolved questions ga. Naa husband 1983 accident ki chanipoyaaru , aayana motorcycle accident aa time lo , naaku aayana's final words ga heard kaadu. Aayana cheppaali anukunna matter ga a specific ga accident day morning emaina untundhi. Naa life's 40 years ga aa unresolved gap. Plus naa daughter Narayanamma tho naaku 2005 nunchi specific distance ga , aayana husband's-family issue tho. Naa own choices lo aayana ki hurt ga accumulate ga. Aayana ki a direct ga address cheyyali , aa 20 years lo nenu try chesaa, kaani conversations ga bypass ga. Darpana ritual aa answers naaku bring ga. Risk ga , but worth ga. 2023-08-16 Wednesday , post-midnight 12:18 AM Ritual conducted. Penganga-vaagu riverbank, 11:40 PM ki reached. Black-sesame-oil lamp lit ga. Chinna round mirror (aa house's purse-mirror) mud lo half-embedded. Nenu lamp-glow lo aa mirror lo own reflection chusaa. Own question 1 adigaa , "naa husband's accident-day last words ga emi?" Reflection silent ga , 15 seconds. Then , aayana voice ga , own voice pitch , kaani own tone kaadu, slightly matured , reply ga , "'Subbi, naa bike ni Thimmaiah ki sell chestunna, aa money ni nee saree shop ki use cheyyi, nenu Hyderabad lo a new job start chestha.' Ee words aayana ki cheppavaalsi undi garage lo morning 6:30 ki. Accident 7:10 ki. Nuvvu aa time lo kitchen lo, aayana bye cheppaledu." Reflection a fact-specific ga answered. Nenu physical ga shock ga. Question 2 , "Narayanamma tho 2005 nunchi naa distance , nee resolution emi?" Reflection , "Narayanamma tho direct-phone conversation 2023-08-17 morning. Nee own fault-acknowledgment ga , aayana 2005 wedding lo nuvvu husband-family-side pressure tho ga aayana ki clear-support ivvaleka poyaavu. Aayana aa gap ga ippatiki carry ga. Acknowledge." Clear instruction ga. 5 more questions ga continue chesa. Each answer specific ga, useful ga, reflection own face tho, own voice tho, kaani intellect ga parallel-level ga. Ritual complete 1 AM. 2023-08-17 Thursday , morning 6:30 AM Mirror home ki tiskochaanu. Bedroom mirror lo ippudu own reflection chusaa , morning tea prep ga. Question ga naaku naa reflection ga ask chesindhi , "Subbi, raatri ritual lo nenu 7 answers ga iccha. Nuvvu 7 questions ga ippudu naa ki ask cheyyi , nee own self ga." Reflection autonomous ga speak chesindhi. Own reflection ga questions ga asked. Question 1 , "Subbi, nuvvu 1983 tharuvatha 40 years widowhood lo happy ga vunnava?" Nenu answer ga , "honest ga kaadu. Lonely ga chala time." Reflection , "OK. Question 2 , Narayanamma ki phone chesava morning?" Nenu answer , "6:30 ki plan, ippudu 6:30 already." Reflection , "Phone lift chesi call cheyyi ippudu. Naaku proof kaavali." Nenu phone dial chesa , Narayanamma ki. Call 8 rings , voicemail. Nenu silent ga dropped. Reflection , "Subbi, try again in 1 hour. Ee 7-question-chain complete aina varaku nenu nee autonomous-self ga ippudu , nenu nuvvu ki guide ga." Nenu realization , reflection separate ga standalone ga. Bhimaiah's warning correct ga. 2023-08-17 Thursday , afternoon 3 PM 5 more reflection-questions ga answered ga. Each question to a deeper corner of my life's regrets, a deeper exposure. Nenu answer-ga honest ga forced ga. 7th question , "Subbi, nuvvu naa tho merge cheyyali ippudu. Nuvvu nee body lo nenu internal-voice ga undi ga last 40 years, but nenu external ga ippudu independent. Merge ga, nee ippudu's external-body + naa internal-voice ga both ga naa control ga. Nuvvu aa transition ni accept cheyyi." Nenu aa moment ki panic ga. Aayana reflection ga merge means , naa body physically ga normal ga kaani decision-controlling-voice aayana ga. Nenu own-self ga external-life ga displaced ga possibly. Nenu mirror ki "kaadu" ani repeatedly ga answer. Reflection ga patient ga, "Subbi, 7 answers nunchi kaani 7 questions nunchi ga required ga. Ritual's symmetric-return ga required ga. Nuvvu override cheyyaleku." Nenu kitchen nunchi a hammer teesi hall mirror ki hit ga , radial-crack formed. Reflection broken ga , kaani aayana voice internal ga naa own head lo ippudu echo ga. House's all other mirrors ni cloths tho cover chesa. 17 August evening Narayanamma phone call ki nenu answer chesa. Ga, reflection-voice own voice tho overlap ga. Narayanamma ki cheppaa "inko ammayi ippudu naa face tho matladutondhi." Aayana alarmed ga , police ki next evening report. 2023-08-18 Friday , morning 8 AM Police officer arrived. Nenu diary ni voluntary ga share ga. Hospital ki transport OK ga. Naa body's external physical ga normal ga , kaani internal head lo rendu voices ippudu , own + reflection's. Ritual's 7th-question incomplete ga , reflection-voice dominant ga each day 10% ga more ga. Weeks ki naa decision-voice lost ga. Days lo Narayanamma family ki handle ga transition planning.
Police file follow-up , 2023-09-22 Subject Subbalakshmi ga Adilabad hospital ga 3 weeks admitted ga. Psychiatric assessment , "dissociative identity pattern, trigger-event post-ritual exposure , response to cognitive therapy limited ga, family-support relocation recommended." Daughter Narayanamma Hyderabad Uppal ki mother ni permanent ga shift ga September 8. Mother current status ga stable ga , daily companion + medication + family-immersion. Reflection-voice reportedly recessive ga but still ga present ga. Bokkalagutta village's elder-priest Bhimaiah Sastry ga village-council ki a formal ga directive ga , "1978 lo banned amavasya-darpana ritual 2023 ga oka widow ga attempted ga. Current outcome consistent tho 1965 Kamalamma case. Community-wide ga formal ga awareness-renewal ga. Mirrors ga amavasya-night ki household-wide covered-cloth practice ga resume ga, especially widow-households." Village council ga resolution 2023-09-15 ga passed. Amavasya-darpana ritual ga formal ga again-banned ga , village's collective ga memory ga refreshed.
Author's note
Adilabad district rural side lo widow-lineage folk-rituals generational ga multiple varieties ga documented ga. Aa specific "amavasya darpana" category ga mirror-based a reflection-dialogue ritual ga , 19th-20th century ga multiple Telangana folk anthropologies lo referenced ga , community-level ban pattern 1960s-70s ga common. Sanjana's naani's village Nirmal-side rural ga, naa ki casual ga a similar folk-ritual category ga 2024 monsoon conversation lo cheppindhi , aayana own grandmother 1960s lo aa community ki a widow's post-ritual dislocation case ga witness ga. Aa oral-history nunchi ee narrative's skeleton constructed ga , identity details fictional ga. Telangana Aadi-masam (July-August) ki rural ga pitru-tarpanam folk-practices ga common ga , standard temple-rituals safe ga , but private ga esoteric-variants ga unpredictable ga. Widow-household isolation , modern-urban migration pattern tho ga aggravated ga , loneliness-driven ga esoteric-engagement ga a concerning 2020s trend ga. Mee family lo elderly-relatives isolated ga? Regular phone-contact + visits ga critical ga. Mee comments lo share cheyyandi.
— Sai Kiran · Lighted Tales
→ Idey theme lo inka oka katha: Madhyarathri Pooja
© 2026 Sai Kiran Pandrala / Lighted Tales · https://teluguhorrorstories.blogspot.com
Original Telugu horror fiction. Folk-source material where referenced is public domain.
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Further reading · Real-world context
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