Arshi Addictions

Tale of Madhyampur- 1

KHUSHI POV

WHAT DID YOU DO???!???

I DID NOT DO ANYTHING. THIS...this is not my doing. I simply came to check his coffin-like usual. But he...

BUT WHAT? But what Payal Gupta? Will you please explain to me how the hell his body vanished in thin air all of a sudden then?

Khushi I swear I did not even touch him. Trust me will ya? I mean I already feel that the very idea of guarding a coffin is creepy enough. What pleasure will I get from making that mans body disappear??

With a thud, I sat on the dusty ground of the dark basement where a now empty coffin greeted the both of us.

UGHHH.This cannot be happening to us. Not after all the struggles that it took us to get this coffin away from the caves of Madhyampur. OH LORD, who told you to become an archaeologist Khushi Sharma. Feeling the familiar hand on my shoulder I turned to face my colleague who inturn mirrored my expressions.

WE ARE SO DEAD KHUSH!! Who knows what this man will do now. I mean is it even right to call him a man??

I slapped my palm on her knee in response to her weird question. Of course, he is a man. No matter what he is...he is still a man. For sure.

Khushi if rumors are to be believed then technically this person is a 2000 years old witch who...

Payal's voice trailed. I knew what she wanted to say but could not because of the shock of the present circumstances. So I helped the poor girl by completing her unsaid words.

...who was trapped using a strong spell by the spiritual protectors of the ancient city called Madhyampur.

I turned to stare in the terrified eyes of my best friend. We had done the unthinkable. After years of research and study both of us had been able to locate the ruins of Madhyampur caves.

It had taken us 4 days to retrieve the location of this very coffin. And then the transportation of it to our house here in the outskirts of Delhi had again been a pain in the a**.

But we had done it. It took us 5 years 4 months and 2 weeks to be precise. And now finally after getting a good 9-hour sleep, we were ready to check out the secret inside this coffin. However, what greeted us was an empty ancient coffin.

All the efforts and hard work of years were for this. For nothing. A failed hypothesis. So many people warned us. Teachers, Professors, Editors, Assistants, the list goes on. But we were so adamant about finding out the secret behind this box of metal and nothingness. Tears gathered in my eyes while I tried to control them.

Khushi please don't...

Please what Payal? Don't tear apart? Don't act like a loser? You want me to pretend that we can still achieve our goals, our dreams? Damn it! we invested ourselves into this for what? I know it was supposed to be a distant dream but don't dreams come true?

I wept with every word of mine. The hoarseness of my voice disturbed even myself. God, why am I losing myself? I am an archaeologist and this is not the end of my career. This is just a block. A simple block in my growing career.

Khushi calm down. It is okay. Maybe whoever was in this coffin he walked outside or ran away to get his freedom?

What? What do you mean?

Khushi until last night this coffin was sealed and shut. We were asleep till 9 o clock. So maybe this man/witch woke up in between and escaped.

He...escaped??

Khushi tried to digest the new perspective. Can it be true? Can this really happen? Wiping her almost dry cheeks the woman tried to brainstorm with the ideas of her friend.