In the lush valleys of Manipur, every leikai (locality/ward) holds secrets. Elders often speak of the leikai eteima — the farthest edge of the settlement, where the paddy fields meet the forest. It is there, according to oral tradition, that the mathu nabagi wari (the story of stealing or hidden truth) lives. These are tales of forbidden love, clever thieves, nocturnal spirits, or ancestral warnings passed down for generations.