Destiny

CHAPTER 5

For ten long minutes I have been walking through this corridor. Its wall decorated with thousands of pictures. Observing them closely made me realize that these must be the pictures of couples who were brought to this organization before us. For how long have they been doing this? I speculated. Although I had accepted my fate, it doesn't mean I wanted a happy ending with Evan, like these people whose pictures adorned the walls of the corridor.

As expressed by Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese Philosopher and Writer- "Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." So I too had determined to let the course of action of life decide my fate.

We halted in front of a huge door, sculpted with intricate pattern with quotes engraved in between, in a language which was unacquainted with me.

Mrs. X stepped forward, and murmured something intangible. The sound of a loud click resonated throughout the corridor and the door stood wide open before us, she beckoned us to follow her inside, before disappearing into the dark of the room.

Crossing the peculiar door, I arrived inside a medium sized chamber, which had an antiquated look. The walls and floor were covered in obscure drawings and enchantments, the atmosphere inside the chamber seemed spine-chilling. The chamber was empty except for a chest kept in the middle, which was glowing. How strange! As an adolescent I was constantly fascinated by anything remotely related to magic, mystery, but standing here and experiencing it first-hand I was not quite sure if I wanted to know where all this was heading.

The bizarreness of this set of circumstances was, I wasn't anxious, as I constantly felt comforted by the presence standing beside me. Even though I hardly knew Evan his mere presence had a soothing effect on my incoherent nerves.

God works in a mysterious way!

And this sure was a mystery to me. This strange yet intense, strong as a rock feeling, which kept coming at me like strong ocean waves, almost crushing my heart in its wake, yet giving me hope. Hope to fall in love again!

~~

My thoughts were disrupted when X signalled me to step forward, which I did, and perceived, the shackles which held captive my wrist had been taken off.

Had I been this engrossed in my thought? I better start observing my surroundings. I reprimanded myself.

She then proceeds by opening the chest, a brilliant light materializes from it. Magic in the 21st century! Wow!

Taking hold of my wrist in her firm grasp, she instructs me to step forward. Following her lead I start to walk, stepping inside the bright light. Cool breeze grazes my skin, as we keep strolling inside the glowing passage. Few seconds later I arrive to the other side, or a whole another world. The sun was high in the sky, indicating the noon time, but the cool breeze kept the atmosphere comforting. Situated in the middle was the cabin for the next five days I presume. The sound of birds from the forest surrounding the cabin was prominent.

Staying here for next five days won't be that awful!

I had lived in New York all my life but by heart I was a country girl. I could easily stay in this place forever, far from the hustling-bustling life of big cities.

Turning around I watched Evan taking in his surrounding, judging by his arctic facial expressions, he was displeased to say the least.

X turned towards us, awarding us with a heartfelt smile. Well that's a first!

"Come on, let's go and see your cabin", she says and starts sauntering towards the cabin.

There is a saying- Don't judge a book by its cover!

Which is apt for this cabin, it was stunning from outside, with polished wood, carved with striking designs and quotes, a swing set aside on the porch, but the insides were monotonous, with a small kitchen on the far left, a small cot set up against a window, on my right. A couch kept beside it. One more door, which i presume was a washroom. The outside appearance was a deception.

"So before going I want to give you a few heads up. The only outlet of this place is the portal through which you entered, so you can forget about escaping. And you will be provided with all the necessities required for surviving. See you after five days." X says and walks out, the guards following after her.

I moved towards the window sill and watched as the portal along with X and the guards vanished into thin air.

I was suddenly conscious of the fact that I was alone in a cabin far from the world, with Evan, a guy I hardly knew but still harboured strange feelings for.