The Mughal's Magician (On Hold)

The Fort

     "THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!" Momin exclaimed as his cousin sped through traffic on his motorcycle. Momin had decided to hitch a ride with his cousin, Taimoor, to the fort in Lahore. His family had been in Lahore for a mere three days and he was already enjoying the spontaneous lifestyle the local Lahoris had. The rest of Momin's family had decided to ride with his other cousins and their parents, but Momin wanted to enjoy the fresh air, even if it was hotter than the deepest pit of hell. Momin smiled at the cars that were left in their trail of dust as they zoomed past a massive wall of red bricks. He couldn't help but stare at the marvel the was in front of him.

     The fort loomed into view as Taimoor sped towards the entrance. To claim it was massive would be an understatement. The first thing Momin noticed was that there was a walkway, big enough for an elephant to easily roam on, that disappeared underneath the front entrance of the mammoth structure. He wondered where that led, but had to reign in his curiosity once Taimoor parked the motorcycle. He hopped off to get a better look and noticed that the walkway was roped off. He decided to ask his cousin about it later and instead focused on the entrance. He reached into his pocket for the e-book on Mughal history that he had purchased the day before on his phone. The origins of the fort were unknown, but many people had used it for strategic military placement, including the Mughals.

     They met up with his family and hired a tour guide for the better part of the morning. Momin loved hearing about the Mughals and how each emperor added something new to the fort and the mosque across from the fort, the Badshahi Mosque. He marveled at the hot bath located near the Sheesh Mahal or mirrored palace. The mirrored palace was known to be built by later Mughal emperors for the harem of women located within the fort. The entire area was covered in mirrors and restoration work was in progress. Momin watched as a restoration worker carved a piece of glass and placed it in a facet on the wall. With current day technology and blades, restoration was a piece of cake, but he wondered how the architects of the Mughals had managed to build such an amazing palace.

    "Momin, you're going to be left behind if you keep straying from the crowd," Warda called out to Momin.

    "I'm coming. Just want to get another picture of this place. It's so amazing," Momin whispered before pulling out his phone and taking a picture. He frowned once he looked at the picture. There was a purple line that ran through the center of the picture. Momin looked up and and noticed that there was no stray rays of the sun in the area and couldn't understand why a purple line had ruined his picture. He tried taking another picture, but this time the entire picture came out purple. He looked at the restoration workers and noticed nothing our of the ordinary. Thinking that there may be some electrical interference in the area, he decided to just buy a postcard of the palace instead of taking a picture.

    "Mom! Did you guys manage to get a picture of the mirrored palace?" Momin called out to his mother. He looked at her as she steered his father towards a parked canon. He smiled at the way his mother led the patriarch to the next destination.

     "Momin you-," Warda began, but something strange happened. Momin rubbed his eyes as his mother seemed to flicker. One second she was in front of him and the next, a large plain of grass was in front of him. He quickened his speed as the flickering continued and reached out to his mother just as the scene in front of him flickered again. His hand closed around nothing but air. Momin felt his heart race as he twirled around where he stood. The fort. The fort had changed. The courtyard, the cannons, even the mirrored palace were all gone. Instead, all he saw was grass as far as the eye could see.

    "What? What's happening?" Momin whispered in panic. He rubbed his eyes and pulled out his phone, dialing his mother's cell phone number. He frowned as his phone beeped and the call dropped. He stared at the phone's screen and cried out in frustration once he noticed that he had no signal. He tried his sister's number and began breathing erratically once he realized that the phone wasn't going to connect. Where was he? What had just happened in front of him? Where did the fort go? Maybe I fell and hit my head. This is all a dream, Momin thought.

     He took a step forward, reaching out with his hand in hopes of maybe finding his family. He sighed in frustration as his hands closed around nothing once again. Where did they go? Momin thought. He looked around for the fort's entrance and realized that he couldn't see it anywhere. Where was he? Well, standing here isn't going to make anything better. I need to look around, Momin thought to himself. He noticed a structure in the distance and believed that to be his best bet. He was a prepper. He was ready for anything. Or so he thought.