I remember your voice

part 17

"You doubt his existence being ignorant of the fact that enormous shadows couldn't even graze you, because of him being your impeccable shield".
_dear Mahadev

I can't recall the last time I heard birds outside my window chirping and singing in a truly magnificent symphony.I couldn't tell if it was real or if my delusional heart was tricking me, but it seemed like our old family home.
When I opened my eyes, Meera was still sound asleep on an adjacent bed.

I turn my attention to the window, where several sparrows were crooning for their eggs in the next tree so they might see them soon. I wore my pyjamas and exited the room, my feet became frozen to the ground, When I noticed my father making tea It was definitely our hometown home

'Oh, you're up. Devika, go brush your teeth and sip tea".

He stopped pouring tea into the cups and looked at me, his eyes drooping a little as he adjusted his glasses. It was the same sound and warmth.

"don't say you want to drink it before brushing your teeth, ok come quickly"

"what is it?"

I turn to see my mother standing with a water spray bottle in one hand and another hand wiping her face., She just returned from tending to her plants and flowers.

"Before sipping tea, she doesn't want to wash her teeth".

I saw as she put the bottle aside and walked towards me, patting my shoulder, as he continued to pour tea.

'So what, is it wrong to enjoy your father's tea?"

I was pushed towards a small table my grandfather had built for my grandma as she remarked, smiling. Grandmother enjoyed conversing with my grandfather as they drank tea, and my grandfather loved to read books., Additionally, they possessed a library with two sections for the granny and grandfather, who read the summaries of original Indian literature while the grandmother studied the actual works because she had earned a postgraduate degree in Hindi as her major.

It was feeling so real, is it even true?

They were conversing and joking like old friends when I felt another hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at Meera, who was grinning at me.

But the moment she begins mumbling, it goes away.

"It's time to take a bath, highness, so you better get up."

And my eyes shut open as soon as I heard conch shells blow somewhere near the courtyard
I was dissatisfied because Maii was standing close to me but the other dasis were more distant. However, this was not the first time I had experienced this; everything that makes me miss their warmth and contact while I'm sleeping causes me to dream about them.

I'm puzzled as to how I can easily forget some things, yet when it comes to them, I remember everything—from the warmth in their voice to the expression they used to have when they looked at me.

"what is it?"

I asked miaa

"you must bathe, highness" The sun has already risen, and you must also get ready for puja.

I don't know what to do, so last night I made a deal with myself to follow them covertly until I can think of a way to return to the twenty-first century.

I stealthily pursue to say that the palace was large would be an understatement because it contained more than I read As a child in fairy tales, the early morning light gave the scene the appearance of a fairy palace and make it more captivating than any Disney film

They took me to a location where two female guards were posted outside. When they opened the curtain and I stepped inside, it resembled a swimming pool at a high-end restaurant. The entire room, which was larger than our apartment, was used for washing, and it had a single enormous tub. I couldn't help but laugh as they handed me a cotton robe and instructed me to undress.

"I can't take a bath with everyone here, therefore I want you all to leave".

"Everyone here is a woman like you, and you did it before too; you can't handle things on your own," she said.

"I want everyone to leave; I'll call you in when I need help getting dressed, and I'm not a kid who can't handle things on my own,"

Maii hesitated a little, but after giving a nod, she instructed the dasis holding a heavy towel and a plate of sandalwood soap to set them down close by.

and tell everyone to leave the room. After a sigh of relief, I take off my clothes and slowly make my way over to the marble bathtub. At first, I was afraid I would die from the cold water, but instead, it was warm and comfortable. I closed my eyes and let the dim light from the curtains fall on my face. It was surprisingly relaxing; I never imagined something in this place could be so soothing.

I was in such a relaxed state that I lost track of time.

"highness are you done?"

That was maii's voice
They assisted me in getting ready, and even though I didn't want to, I found myself standing in front of the statue of the Lord of the Three Worlds. As soon as my eyes met his, something inside of me began to sink in; I felt a weight on my left side, my throat became dry, and my emotion, anger, began to flow out of me and wet my cheeks.

"I can't do this"

I give Maii the arti plate and leave the mandir, more like run away from it since I know that if I stay any longer, I will do something against my better judgement.

"Why can't you do it"

I was halted by someone whose identity I was unsure of; he was wearing the same attire as that vaid ji and was toting a nearly identical bag, with the exception of the tripundra on his head and the different glow on his face.

"Prohit Ji's associate is here to check on you because Prohit Ji is out of town".

Maharanisaa was the one to formally introduce himself.

third person pov

"What about her, specifically, leads you to think that she is a victim of bhott badha and is under the influence of an evil spirit? It could simply be a momentary memory loss; many people have seen it happen before".

The majority of the dasis think the young man is uneducated and unqualified to serve as a Hindu priest, but Mahranisaa decided to have faith in him.

"When she woke up after being unconscious yesterday, she mumbled something in a different language"

One of the very few dasis who were summoned to the mahranisaa chamber started explaining to him

"then she start running and went to the temple alone" she added

"But if she is possessed by a spirit, how can she go to the temple?"

"she never enters the temple"

When the same maid who showed Devika Temple spoke, everyone turned to face her.

"She continued acting strangely at the entrance but never entered, and today was no different. She also didn't perform arti of the deity as she always did".

"If everything you're saying is accurate and even a small percentage of what I'm suspecting is true, I'll have to check the queen and every other royal palace official".

"But why everyone"

Mahranisaa asked

The priest issues a command for everyone to leave the room and places Mahranisaa's hand on the small black doll.
"I'm afraid your daughter-in-law is a victim of witchcraft; someone from outside the palace can't have done this; it has to be someone the queen knows, I found this outside the queen's chamber".

'Ohhhh my shiva"

In amusement, Mahranisaa gulped and grabbed her head.

"Will queen be ok?"

she sounded worried

"I'm unsure of the extent of her injuries, but this witchcraft is not typical; only residents of the (fictitious) nayonng village are capable of using this magic".

"But the residents of the adjacent countryside burned down the entire village many years ago".

"Yes, but after seeing this doll in person, I think it's true that no one can completely banish evil,"