In the deep stillness of the night, Junagarh Palace lay submerged in absolute silence. Upon the lofty pillars of the palace, the flames of the torches were slowly fading, and apart from the soft patter of the guards' footsteps, not a sound echoed through the halls. Yet, within the profound quiet of that midnight hour, a terrifying transformation was taking place inside Snigdha's bedchamber—a horrifying ordeal that, though invisible to the physical eye, burned like a raging fire in the deepest recesses of her mind!
Snigdha lay in a deep slumber upon her vast, silken bed. But suddenly, all the light in her world of dreams vanished, swallowed by a thick, overwhelming darkness!
In her nightmare, Snigdha found herself standing in the grand courtyard of a vast, deserted, and hauntingly desolate Junagarh Palace that resembled a silent burial ground. A strange, blood-red light was cast over the entire palace grounds. Not a soul was in sight—neither her father Aditya, nor her mother Arohi, nor Prafulla, nor Prabhasa! Even the cunning landlord Jishnu was nowhere to be found! She was alone... completely alone!
Snigdha tried to call out, but to her horror, no human voice escaped her lips! From her throat came only a grotesque, beastly, guttural snarl! Startled, she looked down at her hands, and the blood froze in her veins! Snigdha saw that her once exquisite, silk-soft hands were no longer human—they had transformed into dark, fur-covered paws with long, curved claws!
In a panic, she rushed before a grand, ornate mirror in the palace. But the reflection she beheld in the glass chilled her very soul to the core! Standing in place of the royal, lavishly attired princess was a wretched, filthy, emaciated black hound, its tail twitching frantically! Her body was scarred with raw wounds, drool trickled from her jaws, and a despicable tail wagged uncontrollably behind her!
Within the realm of her dream, Snigdha began running frantically, losing all sense of direction. She saw the landlord's son Jishnu walking in through the massive gates of the palace. Draped in grand royal attire, a smirk of absolute contempt played upon his face. Still trapped in the form of a dog, Snigdha wagged her tail, crawling frantically to Jishnu's feet, whimpering in desperation. She tried to make him understand that she was Snigdha—his beautiful bride-to-be!
However, Jishnu glared down at her with pure disgust. Hurling a foul insult, he raised his heavy boot and dealt a violent, brutal kick straight into Snigdha's stomach!
Jishnu roared, "Get away, you filthy creature! From where did such a stray come wagging its tail into my palace? Guards, bind it around the neck with a heavy iron chain and rope! Throw it into the dog pen behind the palace near the rotting ash heap! The place for such a lowly beast is not in my fine chambers!"
Guards rushed forward, coiling a rusted, thick iron chain around Snigdha's neck. The rough iron tore into her skin, drawing blood as they dragged her away. She was dragged forcefully and dumped onto a foul, reeking pile of damp ash. There, other rabid hounds leaped upon her, tearing into her flesh with sharp teeth! Snigdha howled in agony like a creature possessed, but no one listened to her cries... no one reached out a hand to save her!
Suddenly, from the depths of that darkness echoed the hideous, booming laughter of that sinister tantrik!
The tantrik's toxic voice resonated across the entire palace—"Ha ha ha! Snigdha! How does the taste of the curse feel? You are reaping the ultimate fruit of your boundless arrogance, insolence, and vile nature! Very soon, this day shall come to pass in reality! You shall never become a Queen; you shall never be the mistress of a royal palace! You shall become an accursed, wretched, tail-wagging beast! You shall spend your days eating leftover scraps and enduring the lash of the whip! This is your ultimate destiny... this is your final future!"
"NOOOOOOO!"—with a piercing scream of pure agony and terror, Snigdha bolted upright on her bed!
Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Her chest heaved like a blacksmith's bellows, and her eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets in sheer panic! She quickly stared down at her two hands... no, her hands were still human. She touched her face... she was still human.
Yet inside Snigdha's chest, a volcanic eruption of terror had been unleashed!
In a fraction of a second, she tumbled off the bed onto the floor, collapsing onto her knees. Clutching her hair frantically with both hands, she burst into bitter, helpless tears, sobbing, "Oh God! Oh Lord! What will become of me? I truly turned into a beast in my dream! Could it be... could it be that the evil tantrik's curse is truly coming to pass? That tantrik gave me this very curse as he stood in that dark cell—that I would wander this Junagarh Palace as a wretched, tail-wagging creature! Oh Lord! No, no, no, this cannot be!"
Snigdha beat her head against the floor, wailing in despair, "If I truly turn into a beast, this arrogant Jishnu won't even bear the sight of me! He will bind a tight rope and chain around my neck and throw me into some foul pen or barn! He will kick me out with utter contempt! O God! What will happen to me? I cannot bear this anymore! I want to be a Queen; I want to stand above everyone... I don't want to live the life of a beast! O God, save me!"