The Strange Street to the Wrinkled Memories

Quest and Hiest

He washed his dishes and then he walked out to his back yard. Shravya went behind him, he sat on the grass and Shravya followed. He replied, "My name is Adwait Arjun. Everyone who saw me once, then calls me only Adwait. All others named me the wizard scientist. I haven't yet found my profession, I write and read books, draw what comes in my mind. Learns other culture, heritage, tradition and history. I research many things from my knowledge. I help those who are needy."
"You are a wizard scientist," Shravya said.
He continued, "I had no family and friends, I was left here in this house and so I grew  alone. I am an orphan. I live in here because I was left here from my youngest age."
Shravya nodded, "And!" he concluded, "I don't need a company. I having been living in solitude for years and I am still happy."
Shravya calmed, "I just said so... You know... I meant," she rose to shake her hands, "Friends?"
He walked into the house and she walked behind him. He sat on the table and asked, "So you want to know who you are, then you will leave?"
"Sure," Shravya answered hopefully.
He was recollecting the points, "So you want to know who you are. You are from Aahan Mitrapura but you said to someone that you were a Natya Rajyan, maybe it came out accidentally. We will go to Aahan Mitrapura and I will find your past for you."
Shravya asked, "Why would you find for me?"
He looked at her and she ended her statement, "You will help me, that's it."
He nodded, keeping his hands in his head.
She asked, "So will I have to pay you anything?"
He went in a deep thought, then calculated something roughly in air and he slightly nodded. Shravya struck, "What is it?"
He said, "Till now I haven't taken anything from anyone for any help I did, but you asked me and that's why you will pay me. Not anything from you that is so highly precious, I just need your help. A small help."
Shravya looked at him helplessly.
He said, "It's not mandatory. Still! If you need my help, you will have to do it. You are the only one who can do it for me."
Shravya rose her eyebrow, "For you? No! Not for you. I will do it for me, because only then you will help me."
He suggested, "You have an option, go alone to Aahan Mitrapura and find yourself."
She cried, "But Aahan Mitrapura is such a large village, just like Natya Rajya. Then where will I go in Aahan Mitrapura?"
He asked, "So you need my help?"
She nodded and he asked boldly, "Yes or no?"
She agreed, "Yes!"
"So you will help me indeed?"
"Yes!"
"So sure about this? After asking you the help, you can't leave the house."
"Conditions, huh? Yes, sure!"
"You will help me tonight and from tomorrow we begin your heist."
"You will steal me? I am already stolen and I want you find to me back, let me know my past..."
"Ya! I meant the quest."
"Heist or quest, whatever it is, I don't mind. I help you and you help me."
"Tit for tat."
"Whatever! I need you to help me before the coming full moon night."
"Why?"
"Because from what I heard, I came here searching for the royal members including the lost prince. So on the full moon night if the prince gets back to the palace and if I get back my memory. I can go meet them for what I had come before."
"Huh? Oh... Yes! I see."
"Okay! Maybe you didn't get it, leave that. So tell me! How can I help you?"
"Simple. Just walk into the royal palace, mm... I will be accompanying you till there. Then the royal room in the long open walkway, that's on the right side of the court hall. Go in there and get me what is in there."
"So, we walk to the royal palace. Oh! I will get to see my dream castle. Then after the security check-in, we go to that royal room. Then?"
"Let me make it clear. We wouldn't be going for a security check in. We will sneak in."
"Aw! Sneak in... Into the palace."
"Yes! And you go into that royal room without being caught in anyone's sight."
"Fishy! I smell something."
"Then you get in and take the thing there, and jump down through that room window. I will be waiting down that window."
"What is the thing? Is there bomb or stuffs, should I take it to you to save Natya Rajya? Anything for an act of bravery."
"Woah! Not too brave. Just steal a book."
"A book?"
"The book of Elixir."
"No! I amn't..."
"Listen to me first! The guardian of the book is believed to be long-disappeared prince of Natya Rajya but no one knows where he is. Usually there used to be attacks on the full moon night and so I am pretty sure intruders will be in for the book. We take the original one and replace it with an original-looking duplicate."
"If the prince isn't there, then how was the book guarded these many years?"
"I got an anonymous letter yesterday, it said that it was the prince and he was going to Aahan Mitrapura for some undefined reason. He told me to take care of the book and I can only do it with your help."
"Robbery! No, I won't do that. I even haven't played the role of a robber in the game, police and thief. You are a thief. Why some people call you wizard scientist? You are a wicked strategist."
"I asked you, if you were sure of helping me and you did agree."
"Yes! But I didn't know it was a help to heist."
"It is not a heist. It is a quest, you must help me. Only you can do this. I promise, due to this act no Natya Rajyan, not single individual will be wounded. No one will be in danger, neither you."
"A Natya Rajyan never breaks his promise."
"I do know."
"So I guess I am right."
"Huh?"
"I heard you were the prince's spy? I now know it's true."
He rolled his eyes at her, but confused.
"I meant... I strongly suspect. But why me, into the palace? You are such a high ranked person in your society, you could do it alone."
At that particular stop, he wasn't a wayward. He replied, "A person from the village cannot do this. His life in the village will then be destroyed."
"What if I get caught?" She folded her arms and tapped her foot on the floor, looking at him.
"I will help you out. I promise."
"I guess on the full moon night, the queen will read the book of Elixir. What if she finds out it's a duplicate one?"
"She nor others know which is the original one. Only the prince who lettered me and the Majesty Shakti Rup knew it."
"The intruders will only be in this village at the full moon night, right? So when will you put back the original book."
"Two-three days after the full moon night, when I go to the palace. I will somehow put it back, that you need not worry."
"Why would you go to the palace?"
"With approval, I will go in the designation of scholar. After the full moon night, there will be a scholars meeting in the court hall to check on everyone's last year writings and findings. The one whose is the best will get a dinner night with the royal members. So time for dinner would be so long, within that time the original book will reach in its place."
"How come you are sure that you will get the dinner night?"
"Because last year I wrote more books than anyone else. So while voting on all my books together, at final I will be favoured. I will receive more votes."
"Never mind! Whatever it is, you will keep back the original book later. You promised this heist will do no harm to anyone, just remember that."
"Of course, I remember. And you please do remember, it's not a heist. We are doing a good and right thing but using a wrong method. And that's actually a typical quality of my character."
Shravya took in breath and smiled.
He said, "Tonight, operation Elixir."
"No, it's actually a mission of finding me. It's my strange route to finding my lost memories."
"Mm... Your journey is completely different, from whomever I have helped. But we will make it up."
"We wasn't having track of time. It's tea time! Wait, so what should I do tonight?" Shravya stood up and walked to make tea as Adwait replied slowly, "The plan for the quest and heist will be..." he was planning for operation Elixir.

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Surya_SK