Visions Of The King (On Hold)

6. Imeeshi

When was the last time I was all alone in this treasure? Never! Master Clue had never taken a day off which was strangely odd.

When I came in today, I found a note on my desk. Master Clue's flowing penmanship expressed an apology for leaving me alone for the day. He didn't mention any reason.

I frowned and looked at the clock. Frantically, I started planning for the unexpected free time on my hands. Few ideas circled around my mind. But as soon as I thought of just locking up the door and escaping to the nearest lake for a quick dip, a regular came in and settled himself on the wooden chair till afternoon.

Why today? Of all the years I had been working here, no customer had set foot in before ten. In the nine-day cycle, it was only ever me and Master Clue.

But today seemed to be my lucky day, this place was steadily looking as if the king was arriving at any moment. People were coming in but not going out. It looked more like a gathering. Which was again very odd. Master Clue would have been very happy to see this.

And why was I casually mentioning king in my thoughts now? The remnants of the last vision licked the sides of my brain. I closed my eyes and centered myself. The after-effects of yesterday still weighed heavy on my heart.

One day, when I wanted Master Clue to harass me with his unnecessary knowledge, he decided to take an off. Just my luck these days.

Enough of the whining. I waited for the crowd to disperse so that I could call it a day. My feet were killing me and I was mentally tired.

                                   * * *

I took a long cold bath and arrived at the treasury on time the next day. But it was locked yet again. I frowned and unlocked it with my set of keys.

Inside, the familiar woody scent welcomed me and promised to take away my recent memories. I sighed. There was no note today. Master Clue had taken another day off. Concern about his well-being surged forward. And I prayed that nothing was serious and hoped he was alright.

I decided to take a round of the library to make sure everything was in its place. Walking along the bookshelves, I reached the end where the thick golden bounds were leaning on each other in a straight line.

Master Clue had never allowed me to touch these volumes. Said these were not meant for the general, only marked could open them which was technically correct but very unfair.

I asked him one day out of curiosity, what was written in them? He smiled and replied, "Past, Present, and Future." Okay! That was everything. Who needed to know that much? Not me.

I forgot about it after that. But now, my hands twitched to open them. If there was really a future inside it, maybe I could understand the reason behind my visions. I slowly put my hand on one and surprisingly, it glowed.

I caressed it to realize that the patterns were a little raised. Somehow, it felt like it was caressing me in return and that creeped me out. I snatched my hand back and immediately it stopped glowing. Well, I was not that much interested in the future after all.

It was only eleven in the morning. I decided to move fast today. I locked the door and made my way to the tea shop. I stopped in surprise when I saw the single street so busy. All the shops were already opened and the helpers were decorating their front doors with lights and beads.

Someone bumped into me from behind and I turned. "Excuse me, if you would just get going, I need to sweep this place," a handsome young man smiled with a broom in his hand. I nodded and walked again.

The street was bustling with people and activity. It was unusual. The energy spoke for itself. It felt like a big event was going to take place. It was rare to see this much excitement but I simply shrugged and moved on.

Reaching my destination, I waited for the lady at the front door to give me way who was busy hanging the orange crystal beads. She smiled and opened the door for me.

Inclining my head, I stepped inside. My brows raised at the assortment of sweet and creamy breads. Ignoring the chief cook who was too jittery while explaining to his assistants what else needed to be cooked, I calmly gave an order of my usual pink tea to the very beautiful lady who was clearly overdressed at this hour.

Minding my own business further, I claimed the window seat and enjoyed watching people. The energy was contagious, no doubt.

But what event... I straightened up when the royal guards passed my window. Okay. I needed to know what was happening now. Leaving my tea, I again walked over to the counter with a smile and asked, "Can I get one diamond of sugar?"

"Sure," she came with two and there was my opening, "Why two, what's the occasion?" I asked in surprise.

She smiled and replied, "Don't you know King Fizayer is gracing the Sitaria today."

I froze. The visions that I carefully suppressed till now bombarded my mind for one hot moment. I blinked and smiled, "Why? He never ventures this side of the province."

"Yes, that's why it's so exciting. Yesterday late at night, the royal orator announced his visit. I'm not sure the purpose of his visit though. Didn't you listen?" She asked me excitedly.

"No, I slept early. Didn't watch the news," I answered her distractedly. "You look pretty by the way." I complimented her and she beamed.

Walking fast, I stepped out of the claustrophobic shop and blended in the animated crowd. The cool breeze was the only relief but my face was heating up by the minute.

When silly gossips spread like wildfires then why such big news remained a hush-hush event? But everybody knew.

It was only me who was more busy running away from my mind instead of staying alert. Stupid Imeeshi. Now, what you're going to do? I didn't even know if it was all related to me. Maybe I was thinking too highly of myself here. But it couldn't be a coincidence.

I unlocked the treasury door and shut it behind me. Breathing heavily, I started worrying. I paced in circles and snatched the bottle of water from my messy desk. Gulping down the cool liquid, I pressed it against my forehead.

I paced some more and made a decision to return to my home instead. I again locked the door but this time my hands trembled and I had to concentrate on getting the key into the hole. Picking up my pace at the impending urgency, I more or less ran to my house and quickly covered the windows.

As soon as I did that, a royal gong resounded and my breath caught. The arrival of the king was met by happy shouts and a sudden increase in noise traveled to my isolated house. I fell down on my sofa and dread fell on me.

The beats of my heart matched my heavy breathing. I stared at my nearly empty center table except for the beautiful facsimile of Ohnah's blue sun. It shined brightly and I was arrested by yet another vision.

Joyful people clinked their silver glasses, free laughter echoed and a spread of food graced the round table. Heavy orange drapes created a beautiful spiral and covered the whole white ceiling and it was perfectly reflected on the glass floor down below. Amidst the happy crowd, a stunning lady in front, dressed in a pale shimmer gown was looking ahead all teary with quivering lips. My breath caught when I saw the striking king standing on the dais. He was gazing intensely at the lady beside him. She was adorned in royal stones from head to toe but her delicate blue crown glinted proudly. Her ice-blue eyes stared at the king in return with love.

This time, the vision tenderly pushed me out. The breath whooshed out of my lungs.

"That was me? The crown rested on top of my head? Am I.... Am I... going to be the queen?" I whispered the last bit.

Unbelievable! I just sat there in shock. The implication of everything sunk in.

A loud knock broke my stupor. "Imeeshi, are you there?" Master Clue's voice further shocked me. My eyes widened and my heart latched onto my throat. I swallowed.

What am I going to do now?

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