A Sew Through Time [Bandbudh And Budbak]

6: Budh and Badri's dinner buffet

Flight after flight of stairs turned into an endless saga for Saira and Myra. They reached the untouched corners of the castle where the air thinned into silence. Marble floors gleamed faintly under yellow strip lights, clattered by the hairdresser's heels.

A metal door with a brass handle glinted behind the flickering light.

"RUKO!"

The guard checked their cards and asked their names. Saira and Myra gulped the uneasiness down.

"Why are you three here?"

"Oh mister~" thr hairdresser leaned on his shoulder, "I lost my way to the bathroom-"

"But the ladies toilet is in the other-!"

"Then do me a favour naaaa~" She traced his chin, "Call a woman servant here for me"

Steam flew out of his ears.

"Please~?"

"O-of course! Wait here and I'll be right back, I mean, I'll bring her here!"

The moment the guard left, Saira turned the brass handle and pulled her friend inside. Mist stirred from her breathe.

They watched the strange woman pick up cardboard rolls. Dark monitor screens reflected her saree.

"How did you find us out?" Saira asked.

Taking out a piece of paper, she placed it into a xerox machine and turned it on.

"Did someone else find out?"

The thin band of green light ran past her nosebridge.

Myra held her friend's shoulder and glared on.

"You're not from this period of time"

"Liar" Myra said.

She took out the paper from the xerox machine and flipped it to the other side, "He got you too?"

"Who are you?" Myra asked, "And if you don't answer, I may proceed with utmost torturing"

The hairdresser folded the xerox several times and tossed it.

Saira caught instantly.

"Keep that with you"

Opening it, Saira discovered the diagram of the castle's entire floor plan. It looked like some organic chemical structure.

"Why're you... helping us?" Myra asked.

"I want you to do what I couldn't. To stop him"

They looked at each other, then at her.

"My husband was a journalist. I worked in a call center. We got married a few years ago and had a daughter" she turned back, "Apna Nagar's where our home was"

Saira wanted to tell her they lived there too. But her friend squeezed her hand and rebuked,

"What does that got to do with all this?"

"One day, my husband discovered some articles about monetary funds going missing. He studied them and decided to investigate the events that happened. One night, when we were returning from our vacation, we were murdered in our Nano near the hill" she looked around the room, chuckling to herself, "Now I know where those funds went to"

"He took your family away" Saira said, "He had taken away our little sister too. That's why we're here"

"Of course you are. The powerful bicker on paper and the weak are dragged to wars. If not you, then who will protect our children?"