APRICITY

14.Selcouth

After a four days long journey, we rested on the verge of a forest. An enticing waterfall cascaded nearby. The soft symphony of birds flying to their nests and the rumbling of the water on the rocks soothed my senses.

On the contrary, the horizon posed a pink facade, with cotton like threads of clouds scattered all-over.

I strolled to our tent. Suvarma and I would be sharing a tent.

The chariots were made to stand in a queue circling as a protective guard to our tents. Some soldiers were busy tying the ropes to the masts of the trees. The horses were fed, the cooks were preparing the edibles for tomorrow.

The cotton wick burnt dimly as its terminal end lay dipped in the ghee. Under it's scarce luminiscence, I was going through Tatshree's scrolls. Pitamah Sahadev was probably instructing some of the men regarding the routes through the forest. The howling of the jackals were heard at a considerable distance.

Breaking my short envisage, Suvarma barged in panting and perspirating profusely. He fell on the make-shift bed with a thud.

I rushed to him. "Where were you?"

"Huh, wait...give me some water." He replied, trying hard to catch his breath.

I handed him the water tumbler and he gulped it down at one go.

"Hold on. What happened?" His languid profile started scaring me.

"I...I was roaming around the fountain, that was before sunset." He furrowed his brows reminiscing the incidents.

"Then?" I asked impatiently.

"Someone choked me from the back and knocked me down."

"What?" This was a blatantly implausible claim that Suvarma couldn't defend himself.

"Did he try to kill you?" I added.

"No. A woman it was...she had hypnotized me. I felt lightheaded as she blabbered something gibberish. The only thing I can recollect is that she was showing me a potrait."

"Of whom?"

"Rajkumar Anirudh...I can't recall what I spoke to her. Ughh!!" He held his head forcefully.

"A maiden out of nowhere knocked you down and on top of that did illusions on you? Are you kidding me?" My mind had gone as blank as a sheet.

"I doubt she was just a woman...those icy blue eyes blurred all my surroundings." He tried his best to convince me.

I patted his back, "I trust you, calm down."

I had other string of notions behind. What if Bhrata Anirudh was in danger?

"Varma, she was asking you about Bhrata Anirudh, right?"

He nodded in assertion.

"He is in Dwarka. And isn't it too silly for us to think that he can't defend himself?" His reasons were justified.

Pitamah Krishna and Balaram were present in their full glory. No one could even step on his shadows. Rest assured, he would be safe.

"What about you?" I crossed arms against my chest.

"She has acquired what she had came for. I don't think she is tracing me back anytime soon." Suvarma replied.

This rendered me a relief, somehow.

We lay on the make-shift bed. Varma rested his arm beneath his head as he narrated the strange encounter with the maiden.

"I had never seen such a beauty, it scared every fibre of my being. Clad in all-white, her eyes pierced everything on which it fell upon."

I was utterly confused, "So, you mean, you are happy to be hypnotized by God knows whom?" I nudged his elbow.

"Do you think I came running here to entertain you?" He huffed in disbelief.

I shook my head like a maniac. I fear he had seen a witch or an unholy spirit. He must have slept therein and possibly fancied a nightmare, I consoled myself.

I gazed at his awestruck face, his dreamy eyes were gleaming.

"Didn't you ask her name?" He grimaced curling down his lips.

"Ah, I should have."

"Better luck next time." I chuckled lowly.

He brushed me aside in response.

"Never again." He turned the other side, slowly drifting to sleep.

Such a selcouth incident was never heard of ; it was wondrous as well as unfamiliar. I pondered on it for a while.

The World is an illusion, just as Pitamah Krishna says. We, the humans are mere onlookers, who knows what's in store for us in the future?