Just then, I saw a slightly old man who was staring at us with wide eyes and slowly increasing his speed second by second. As if he was trying to get away from us. A second passed in which my eyes just looked at him and my mind just wondered in confusion. The next second itself I understood that he knows about mystery girl and therefore is trying to run from us. So we need to catch him...
The two seconds of realisation ended and my body shifted towards the side Sahil stood, to inform him about the man's weird behaviour. But my eyes failed to detect his presence. He was already away from my sight.
Restlessness and uncertainty grew in my mind for a split second and my eyes began to search for him everywhere.
My eyes located him, holding the person's wrist and looking at him with eyes that showed suspicion over the old man.
"So fast!!! Are you a superhuman or something?"
I exclaimed.
My eyes didn't believe the rapid and swift move of his body. It was just a matter of two seconds which brought him back in a flash with the old man. A pinch on my arm made me believe in the unbelievable reality.
He answered,
"You can't do anything without speed. You have to keep running. Because anytime even if you fall, no one from this cruel world is going to come to pick you."
गति बीन संसार न चलै
गति बीन आहार न मिलै,
गति बीन कोय तपन न बुझावै
गति बीन कोय आपन न आजमावै।
~Sia Yadav
He then turns towards the man and speaks up formally,
"We don't intend to harm you, so please, if you know anything about Mystery Girl, kindly tell us..."
The old man had silvery hair and wrinkles marked over his face. The tired dark skin that hanged over his body had began to shiver now.
His dark brown eyes looked in each direction that was possible. His yellow teeth had begun vibrating against each other. His terrified dark lips alas opened up,
"Dear, I can't say anything about her, if she hears it-..."
No more words could escape his mouth.
I respond, trying to calm him down,
"Uncle, there is absolutely no one here. Nothing bad will happen. So please, share with us all the information you have."
It didn't help in subsiding the amount of terror that ruled his experienced mind, he was still like a dry leaf that shivered in the wind, begging for a rest. He stuttered,
"She has supernatural powers. She-... She's is not a human. If she wants, she can.... s- save the world. Or else, she can also... f- finish it..."
"Do you know her?"
I asked.
"Yes... Not personally. But, that village, in the forest, not this nearby one, another far away one, feared her presence. No one dared to speak anything about her. She's a hero, but also a villan. The children who were trained by her have amazing abilities-... specifically, powers which other humans never had and can never gain them even in a thousand lives. The students think of her as the greatest Goddess and the best Guru. She has saved many lives, but also been the death of many who tried to reveal her identity to anyone."
"Do you know any of her students?"
I asked.
"Yes. But only one. Malini. She was the best student of all. I don't wish to speak anything more, or else, she will kill me."
"But how? There is no one here."
I asked.
"Anyhow. However-... she wants. Whoever went against her, or uttered anything against her, she is the 'kaal', the worst death of that person."
"How did you come to know about her?"
He replied, in a nostalgic tone and a rough old voice,
"I belonged to the settlement in the village. I stayed there when I was young.
Whenever someone speaks anything about her identity, she only kills the person who says it. It's not that she shows sympathy to the listeners. That is her fun. She tests if the listeners pass the information to others. If they do, she kills them. Please, I have begun this, don't continue the chain..."
My gaze shifted towards Sahil, and my hands gestured a sign that I still couldn't believe it.
His expression informed me that he was giving me an, "It's lame" look.
How could anyone kill a person if they don't know that someone is talking bad about them? Supernatural powers don't exist. I knew that the old man was faking it.
His voice becomes a little firm,
"You might be feeling that I'm faking it, but-... it's the truth."
His eyes moved towards every direction possible, observing with a concerned look,
"Children, now please go away, or else there will be problems for you. Come after some time to that (Points towards an old hut) house. But for now, please leave."
He went towards the small old hut. The grass kept as a ceiling was barely shading the house inside.
"What kind of a dumb thing was that?"
I asked, frustrated with this supernatural stuff.
"If time travel is possible, even this can be."
He answered casually.
We peeked back into the market with the chit. We saw Sheetal from afar, still bargaining for groceries. Sahil told me to hide the chit somewhere.
I tucked it in my blouse near my shoulder, while he looked at me with a baffled expression throughout the process.
He also blinked eight times or more than that, trying to comprehend what I was doing.
And I just chuckled with my warm red cheeks, trying to calm the butterflies that were dancing in my stomach.
"You look flustered, Sahil."
It was quite obvious that I was lying. In reality it was me who was all red like a cherry.
"Stop joking around, let's go to his house."
As he said, we went to the old man's house. We saw an old worn out wooden door with a rusted latch on it which was left open for us. His eyes informed him about our presence and he told us to listen from out of the room in which he sat. We agreed and went out. From there, I asked him,
"Do you know where is she now?"
"She was like a free bird before. People say that she was caught by a sage who had immensely great powers. The sage had spend his 20 years to gain powers against her. After he had got all the powers, he was ready to wage a war with her. After many failures, at last, he succeeded to catch her with all the powers he had. After this, she couldn't come out of the cage of powers nor anyone could go there. But, Mystery Girl assassinated the sage. Still she can't come out of the cage, but people can go to her. No one dared to go in front of her. But, her best student, Malini, went to her and promised that she will break the cage of powers. They say that she is still trying till this date, but in a secret way.
She is behind everything, in the shadows, but once Mystery Girl is out, very soon, Malini will reveal herself...
And then, History will repeat itself..."
Just after he finished this statement, a gunshot was heard. It had hit directly on his chest...
Sahil gasped,
"Don't tell me he's dead..."
•••••
What is happening?😵
Who killed the old man?
This is the introduction of Mystery Girl. A women with supernatural powers who is currently trapped by the powers of a dead sage. Malini, the best student is still searching for ways to get her teacher out of the 'cage of powers.'
That's all for today, folks!
Next chapter releases on Friday, until then,
Stay tuned! 😊💖
YOU ARE READING
The Mystery Girl
Misteri / Thriller"It was dark, darker than black. Spider webs all over, clinging down the slim lane. There stood in front of me, a grey painting of a grey Queen. Only her crown shining in vibrant colours. I looked at it, around it, and above it. As my steps reached...
