He rushed to wake his grandfather, who was delirious but coherent enough to understand. They both stood by the top of the staircase, staring down at the monstrous intruder. “What could it have eaten?” his grandfather whispered, voice trembling.
Aditya shook his head, unable to answer. They watched in tense silence as the snake struggled, the water swirling lazily around its massive body. Whatever it had swallowed, it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And neither were they.