by Nihar Sharma
The monster was picking her up in its tight jaw, its sharp canine pierced her abdomen and blood was gushing out. Aaditya was standing near the gate of his house and watching the monster taking her in its sharp jaws. He started running after the monster but unable to reach it..
“Devika!” yelled Aaditya and woke up from the sleep. He couldn’t hear screaming anymore. What happened to her? Aaditya started to think. “What is happening?” he whispered. ‘What would happen to her in the cave and how I am here’ he thought.
He was in the middle of a desert of mirrors; all the way all his eyes could see were mirrors and mirrors. His head hurt and aching like someone had hammered on it. ‘The dream was it real? Where is she, where is Devika?’ he again gave a thought about her. She was in cave with him searching for a way out of the secret world, “Devika,” he whispered her name and his eyes got moistened. He was in a different world. He stood up and looked around again; all he could see were mirrors lying around and his image reflecting on them. No more shadows, souls, living reptiles. No more him.
“Vikram,” he whispered his best friend’s name, and then raised his head to the dark sky with tears flowing down his cheeks, he screamed loud with all the power and strength left in his exhausted body. “Vikram, Vikram…Vikram.” He just dropped down on his knees helplessly, broken in fear and fatigued of fighting alone in these strange worlds one after one.
He was exhausted, thirsty, hungry and weak. At last, tired of fighting against himself, he sat down on the ground. The mirrors were everywhere, and he could see his own images on them.
They were his own reflections; an image on the mirror on the left was calm and quiet. It was staring at him, not responding to his waves, and then he looked at the second image that was throwing stones away. He heard his own voice calling his name; he turned around. “Who is it?” he asked. The reply came from an image in the mirror, “It’s me, you and no one.”
He stepped forward hurriedly, and looked at his self in the mirror. He couldn’t believe it for an instance, and then the image talked again. “Don’t be so alec, you are in a magical mirror world, and anything can happen here” and it laughed loudly.
The other images started smiling wryly. Aaditya couldn’t believe it yet, an image shook its head, and rolled its eyes and then scratched its head, and then he called Aaditya again, “are you stupid?”
This sounded awkward to him now and he wanted to break the mirror, and if he called him stupid once more he would break it for sure. He heard his own voice calling him, “moron!” The angrier Aaditya took a bar in his hand and started breaking mirrors one by one. The pieces of mirrors lying on the ground were hurting his legs; thick red blood was flowing out of his serious looking injuries.
He was exhausted and wanted to take some rest and was tired of walking without any destination. “Oh no, one more mirror is left,” he whispered angrily and managed to get up on his feet to hit the mirror, and then he heard ‘stop!’
“Who is it?” he asked, but there was no one in the mirror. No image, no more fake Aaditya’s on it. “Who talked?” he spoke once again.
He again lifted his bar straight up into the air to hit the mirror into pieces. “Stop, Aaditya, stop” an image came before him, shaking his head to stop him. Aaditya looked at it stunned.
“I am your own image. Your friend, your well wisher and your shadow,” it pleaded smiling a wan smile…
“How can I trust you?” Aaditya asked his image.
“Very simple, you can break me anytime like you did with the others; they were your counterparts living inside you showing you the real you. I have been watching them all but what you have done to them is absolutely right” it spoke.
He looked at him and asked again “How do I get out of here?”
The image showed a way by pointing his finger “but you need to wait for the right time.”
“The right time, when will that be?” asked Aaditya losing his patience.
“I don’t know –”
“You don’t know?” he interrupted.
“I really don’t know when the right time will present itself, but I do know that when it does you will automatically know that moment and you will flee from here,” it added sense to him.
Aaditya looked at him with angry, the only companion he had was his own image in this bizarre world. He kept the bar on ground but closer to him. In night, Aaditya couldn’t sleep because of snoring of last remained image. He grew impatient and wanted to touch the mirror and awaken the image so it could stop snoring and he could go to sleep.
The image stopped him, “please don’t touch me,” it said.
“Why?” asked Aaditya.
“This mirror is made for a special purpose, it is made in heaven but unfortunately it is lost,” added the image.
“Lost, but it is here.”
It sighed and took a deep breath, “here is the story – this is the lost world and only that person can find this mirror that can see his destiny and desire both together. This mirror has been used by gods to capture the bad souls and keep them away from the dark lord, but the dark lord is clever, he used the desire showing mirror to put his mind into centrifugal point of universe which had cost him a huge price to pay but he succeeded and hid this mirror here forever in this cave guarded by his own son. You are the first one to have discovered it.”
“But why me?” questioned Aaditya. “Why not the gods themselves, they are more powerful and can find anything. Nothing is impossible for them.”
“After the mirror was stolen, the gods have closed all doors to heaven and subsequently the doors to the black world closed and no one can gain access to this world, not even the dark lord.”
“But what I am supposed to do with this mirror and what am I doing here?”
“You are here to take this mirror along and capture that monster into it so that the souls who have completed their punishments can travel to heaven and gods can use that monster against the dark lord to kill him. That monster can kill the dark lord as per the prophecy.”
Aaditya found the idea repelling “what rubbish is this? Why me out of all people?”
“Yes, it has to be you. It is the only way you can meet your friend Vikram and save this world.”
“Vikram?” he stepped forward with excitement and asked, “how do you know him?”
It laughed “remember, you and I and they are all the same, one soul that is you and only you. Whatever you have we have but what we have you do not.”
His smile vanished. He then looked at the image again and asked “how do I end this.”
It spoke “You first collect all your images into this mirror and then go to the cave where she is in the midst of big trouble, you have to hurry otherwise she will die. You are destined to be free and save souls.”
Without wasting any time, Aaditya took the mirror from the back and started capturing his own images while they all were in deep sleep in broken pieces of mirror. One image was left and it was not found, it should be a total of 51 images but he has found only 50. He is getting late and his one image was missing. Now he looked tensed and nervous too. If he got late then she would lose her life and that will be very bad. He would lose his one and only love and he couldn’t afford to lose someone again, just like the last time when he lost Sheetal.
After numerous searches he found the missing image of his self but it was holding a copy mirror of the magic mirror. If Aaditya failed to capture his image, that image would capture him into the mirror images of mirrors forever and he would roam around in millions of world and coming back would take millennia. A cunning smile was on his face as if he knew Aaditya’s plan.
Aaditya knew that if he couldn’t put these images together into one main mirror then the game would turn against him. He needed to convince his last image to look like the cleverest one.
Aaditya requested “please let me help you with this.”
“With what?” it smiled.
“With all these burdens” Aaditya stammered.
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br /> It laughed out loudly and took the mirror a little far away from Aaditya. He couldn’t let him do so, and now he had to catch it in a hurry otherwise other images would wake up and join him. Time was not a luxury to him.
They indulged in fighting and try to pull each other, Aaditya couldn’t win as long as the mirror was in its hand, and the mirror world’s power was basically the power of images, so Aaditya simply couldn’t win the fight.
Suddenly an image of him who advised him to alter the mirror so the effect could be altered and the image would be possible caught into. Aaditya was halfway into the duplicate of the magic mirror and half outside the copy mirror. He then followed the advice as it deemed fine to him and altered the mirror and the last image was captured after so hard trial.
Aaditya appeared in the cave and heard the screaming’s of Devika; he rushed to the spot from where the she was screaming.
“Damn it!” Aaditya cursed and threw a big stone at the monster, the monster was almost about to attack her with its long claws, she was held captive in the corner of the wall. He jumped in between to save her and the monster turned red to Aaditya and he in turn stopped before the giant reptile. It stroke like lightning and threw him 10-15 meters up in the air and grounded him on the hard rock walls. In the process the magic mirror was also dropped down on the ground.
It grinned and roared which made her feel her more scared; the monster was glaring at her with its big red scary eyes. She was its prey now.
“Run, Devika, run” he screamed. The monster pushed a stone toward Devika so she couldn’t go to right side of the cave and blocked the road to the water canal which led out of the cave through a small path.
She had no alternative other than to keep running. Aaditya screamed from behind. “Run! Run!”
She looked behind while running and her left leg tripped over a pebble fixed on the ground floor and she slipped on the ground and rolled down to the wall’s corner. She was tired and unable to get up on her feet as her knees were wounded, she had given up her willpower, if the monster wanted to eat her then so be it.
She just hid herself in the corner behind a rock.
The monster was hearing her racing heartbeat in fear. She too could hear its hissing sounds. It found her through its senses and she was alone and isolated, surrounded by the walls of the cave. She had no choice except death before her. She looked into those big red balls that were staring at her. She now saw her death coming.
The monster was about to open its mouth to take her into those giant foul smelling jaws, she closed her eyes, ready to be dead in its mouth. Then Aaditya screamed hard and disturbed the monster to attack her, a distraction. She turned her eyes to him and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
He managed himself before that monster with the mirror and kept it in front of the creature, it looked into that mirror. The image of the monster wasn’t there. The dark lord’s image appeared smiling at it. It was silent for a moment looking at its father, creator who created him out of his flesh and blood.
Aaditya and Devika both were staring at its reaction holding their breath tight inside their lungs, heartbeats were spiking and if it didn’t work as per plan then what.
The plan was successful in the end. It suddenly groaned at its image and attacked it and it was trapped in its own mistake.
She stepped forward, loosening her hand from his grip and spelled her magical words to make this mirror into a smaller one which could be carried easily; they had the mirror that used to show desire and planning to use it to get out from the cave. She couldn’t stay here because she never belonged here and this world was free from the dark lord, and all souls were too free to travel to heaven, their final destinations.
When they came out of the cave, all those souls were waiting outside get stunned. They started cheering with joy and lifted both of them on their shoulders; they killed that monster and set them all free. The leader appeared and presented his humble requests to join them for the feast. First time the sun set in their world and this was sign of the dawn of a new era. With the first light of the sun the all soul would depart for heaven and this world would no more stand, no souls would suffer again after completion of their punishment in hell.
The night was dark beautiful and peaceful, all had been happy and enjoying the fiesta, after so long time they saw the night. The leader came near to Aaditya and sat by him and hands over a glass of wine.
“I had a kid of your age. I hope he is safe in heaven. I am sorry I have set you there to kill the monster. I knew you could kill that monster” leader cheered.
“It is okay. How did you come here?” Aaditya asked.
“Long story” leader took a long breathe.
“Okay. We have a long night” he added. The leader looked at him with a gentle smile and replied “I am going to tell a story, a story about my happy family, my wife, daughter and I were very happy with our lives. One day at our door some soldiers appeared and dragged us out of our home. We couldn’t pay our debts and taxes to royal bank and tax collector so they sent soldiers. That was very bad time, since three seasons of a year didn’t bring any good luck for us; there was draught and excessive cold which had made our paddy fields weaker to fertile, like gods were against us. We turned to poor but happy. Our poverty was hurdle for us; I had a young girl, very beautiful and adorable. But I couldn’t be a good father and protect her from those monsters at my door, they raped her in front of me and my wife, she was broken, lying on the ground and bleeding. I lost my daughter that day. She lost her innocence, why because of some amount of taxes that we couldn’t pay. Whose fault? Ours or gods, but we were punished. We paid the price. After that day I never saw her happy, she was dead inside. I was burning inside with anger so decided to revenge, but I had to kill my family first, if I failed they would have massacred my family. So I decided to kill them with mercy and free them from all the burdens, I mixed poison with food and fed them all, after their death I broke into mansion and killed that collector” his eyes are swollen up and tears flooded his eyes, a ruthless leader had unfolded his painful story.
Aaditya said “So that is the reason you came here. And you wanted them all out of this hell. I am happy they have such a great leader, I know your daughter and wife must be waiting for you in heaven, you will be with your family.”
Then Devika came in between she wanted to talk to Aaditya alone. So leader left them, tranquil environment since this world was created; this was the first time the souls felt relaxed and happy. The first time they were enjoying, out of fear. Soon they would be walking in the streets of heaven and based on their karma, the deeds they would be judged and given a second chance to live on earth. ‘The body is secondary, primary is redemption.’
She wanted to express her feelings to him but it was already expressed through different ways of gestures, caring and talks.
“I am afraid” she exclaimed.
“Of what” Aaditya asked in surprise.
“Hmm… let’s go. Others are waiting for us” she turned around and about to leave the conversation. He held her hand, she rolled her eyes in pain, she knew about him and his journey. Tear fell down on her cheeks. He came closer and lifted her head up and her eyes are closed, and he kissed her.
“I love you” Aaditya proposed gently, and it touched her heart and soul. It was much clearer that both shared the same feelings for each other’s and that was beyond ignorance and refutation.
She blushed and a dimple formed on her right cheek lured his heart, he kept kissing on her right cheek then left cheek, some kind of cold and warm wave running in her body and lost herself into his arms and they both locked their lips, her smile was an approval and Aaditya didn’t want to leave his love, the storm inside her heart started taking shapes but time was slipping from their grip, she hugged him tight. It was goodbye kiss, goodbye hug, goodbye and goodbye only.
“Aaditya” she whispered his name.
“Umm…” he replied “Devi..ka.”
“Wi
th the first light we will leave for heaven, what will you do here? You have found any way to Vikram” She asked.
“No, I don’t know” he took deep breath and looked at her and smiled “Don’t worry my love, I will find the way, but tell me___”
“Umm” she interrupted and tucked in his hair with her finger “What is it, my love?”
“That mirror, don’t you think that monster can destroy your world if it is leashed” he asked.
“I really don’t know about the tactics of war but I heard of some ministers conversing about an offspring that can destroy the dark lord and that may be the same. And mirror is created by gods and that should returned to its creator, that’s all I can tell you my love.”
“Umm…it’s okay, I really don’t want to know all these, I just want to find my friend Vikram” he added “let’s sleep, morning you have a long journey to start.”
The bell rang “TING… Ting…” the sound penetrated his earlobes and woke up in hurry, “Oh god, where is she? Devika” he screamed and then he saw her standing behind him with wide opened eyes in surprise to see him so tensed not finding her in bed.
“Shh… what happened? I am here with you” she ruffled his hair, and kept his head near her chest. A sweat bead formed on his forehead and body was quite warm. Devika knew why he got nervous and scared but she didn’t want to tell this thing. If it were in her hand she would have definitely stayed with Aaditya or take him to heaven.
With the first light all souls prepared for walking through the cave and the portal opened for them into the heaven. She was also ready to go but Aaditya couldn’t let her go easily, she lifted his head and kissed on his lips. “We will meet soon, my love. Go and complete your journey” She smiled and hid her tears, pain behind her wan smile.
She picked her bag which contained that mirror and groaning monster inside it. Her eyes were swollen because she couldn’t sleep last night; she was thinking about him only, she cried whole night and made her mind after all. He helped her in packing then a crier announced “We have few moments, please hurry, the sun starts getting greener and soon it will set, the darkness will follow and this world will collapse.”
