"Seize them all!" the bandit leader ordered his men who then surrounded the trio inside the temple. Just as the bandits were about to attack, a lot of serpents(cobras) slither out of nowhere coming in between the bandits and their targets. The serpents(cobras) then grew in size comparable to that of anacondas and began hissing at the bandits which was later followed by them breathing out venomous gases towards them frightening and chasing them out of the temple.
Abhay and Srishti couldn't believe what they just saw, how in the world could those serpents turn into giants within a minute was what kept them wondering. The serpents(cobras) then reverted back to their original size and slithered away.
"What just happened? How did those snakes turn into giants and where did they disappear now?" Abhay asked the man from the temple
"Those serpents were sent by the Goddess herself, anyone that seeks refuge in here are protected through her divine serpents"
The man explained
"Divine serpents?" Srishti asked
"Yes that's right, they are serpents who work directly at the behest of the Goddess" the man told them
"And who are you exactly?" Abhay asked him to which he introduced himself as Satya, a sage entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the temple.
"Is there another way out of this temple?" Srishti asked to which Satya then pointed them towards the water fall right behind the Goddess' idol.
"The entry and exit passage is right behind the waterfall" Satya answered
Srishti and Abhay then take his leave and exit the temple through the passage behind the waterfall.
"Only those who are either related to serpents or serpents themselves are able to enter and find this temple, it's really strange that a human was able to enter this place" The sage thought to himself.
..........................................................................................................................................................
"What?! But how? What exactly happened?" an infuriated yet astounded Ashlesha asked the men who came to report what happened earlier when they went to hunt down Abhay and Srishti.
As they narrated the incident inside the Shiva temple, Ashlesha couldn't believe what she heard.
"How is this possible, why would serpents come to their rescue?" Ashlesha wondered if they were even telling her the truth.
"Where were you'll when those serpents showed up?" Mr. Kailash questioned
"We were inside a cave temple" they answered
"Was it by any chance a Goddess temple?" The priest asked to which one of them replied with a vague "I suppose yes, we didn't really pay much attention to our surroundings inside since we were focused on our target"
"If what you said is true then it's likely because you'll had trespassed inside the Serpent Goddess' temple" Mr. Kailash explained
"What do you mean?" Ashlesha turned to Mr. Kailash
"Those weren't ordinary serpents, they were the goddess' divine folks, the guardian spirits of the her temple" he further explained that they showed up as they might perceived her men as a threat to the temple.
Another man then just entered the temple and informs them about Lakshya surviving the accident.
"Are these people even humans or cats? It's almost like they have nine or more lives akin to the feline folk" Ashlesha questioned frustrated by the news just delivered and then dismissed the men who then transformed into serpents and slithered away.
"I had warned you earlier, don't pursue the innocent ones or it may backfire against us. Take this as a sign from God and focus on the culprits alone" Mr. Kailash advised Ashlesha.
"Like I said earlier, they are not innocent! They are that man's sons. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and I expect no less from them either" She let out her rant to which the priest responds "I can only give you the guidance you need, the rest is up to you"
..........................................................................................................................................................
Mahima and Lakshya enter the lodge and head straight towards the reception to enquire if there were any vacant rooms available.
"You don't look so good, would you like a seat?" The lodge owner asked
"No we're good" Lakshya answered
"What happened though?" The owner wondered
"He got hit by a truck" Mahima answered
"Ohh.... that's terrible!" the owner stated
"Do you have any vacant rooms here?" Lakshya asked the owner
"You're lucky, because we do have one room available at the moment" the lodge owner told them
"Only one?" Mahima asked sounding quite worried
"Yes, that's right" the owner replied who sensed the apprehension within her
Lakshya and Mahima then look at each other in a dilemma. The weather outside was pretty bad so there was no question of driving to look for another place.
"Is everything okay?" The lodge owner asked them wondering about the cause of their reluctance.
"Yeah everything's fine, we'll take it" Lakshya answered
Mahima gently drags Lakshya away from the reception counter and whispers in his ear "You do realize this place is only for married couples right, then how can you expect us to check in here?"
"I know, but they don't know this and it's not like we have another option at the moment unless you wish to drive through the storm outside" he reasoned
"Yeah but I don't really agree to this and you know why, if we get caught my reputation could get ruined" Mahima raised her objection
"Then we'll just need to make sure that they don't find out, and it's just for tonight, we'll leave right away in the morning tomorrow" He tells her "Don't you trust me?" to which she responds "Trust you? What could you even do in this state? It's not about trust, I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us later"
"It won't, now relax and act normal" he instructed her before they approached the reception counter.
"We'll take it" Lakshya told the owner who then handed over the key to the room.
"By the way, I noticed your wife doesn't have any vermillion on her forehead or the nuptial chain around her neck" the owner pointed
"My wife doesn't really need that to prove that she loves me, moreover I don't believe this is necessary either so you'd only occasionally find her all decked up" Lakshya lied
"Exactly!" Mahima added
"Oh I see" the lodge owner frowned on hearing that following which Lakshya and Mahima head towards their room upstairs. Once they were inside Mahima let's out a sigh of relief.
"That was close! I'm telling you we could get into trouble because of this, the owner of this place isn't as naive and gullible as you expect him to be" Mahima warned him
"Please calm down! Just act natural and don't interact much with anyone here and we should be fine, besides we're leaving in the morning, and it isn't like we'll be coming back here anytime sooner" Lakshya tried to pacify her, due to exhaustion he then sat down on the bed and took his shoes off before he laid down to rest for the night.
"I know this is too much to ask at the moment given that you've already helped me a lot but I promise I will make it up to you some day"
"You don't have to, I would have done the same for anyone. So you needn't dwell on this much" Mahima assured him following which she then steps out to the balcony, luckily she was able to find decent network coverage prompting her to give a call to Vikram informing him about what happened and requested him to notify Lakshya's family as well.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shipra, Chandrika and Shashi were staying at a hotel still shaken over what they learnt about earlier.
Shipra was desperately praying to hear from either of her sons while she was seated on a couch.
A moment later Shashi's phone starts ringing. He answers it and is surprised to learn that it was Vikram who contacted him.
"Your nephew is alive" Vikram told him
"Did you find him?" Shashi asked Vikram
"No but my fiancé found him and told me he's safe" Vikram answered
"Your fiancé?" Shashi was confused
"The owner of Shubh Events" Vikram clarified
"Okay" Shashi answered and then hung up
"What happened?" Chandrika asked Shashi who then informs them about the conversation he had with Vikram over the phone.
Shipra heaved a sigh of relief, "What are we waiting for? Let's head out and take him home then"
"We would have done that, but would take a look at the weather right now, if we step out now we may end up going missing" Shashi reasoned with his sister in law.
"He's right, we'll leave tomorrow once the storm clear up" Chandrika assured Shipra who then agreed to wait till the next day.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Abhay and Srishti wandered across the forest until they spotted a village from a distance. The setting sun and pouring rain created a sense of urgency making them rush. As they got closer towards the threshold of the forest, they heard voices call out to them.
"Wait for us!!!" Shruti cried out loud as she along with Kirti headed in the same direction as Abhay and Srishti who then turned around to find them right behind them.
"Thank God you girls are okay" Srishti heaved a sigh of relief
"Yes, luckily we managed to lose those guys right after we fled the scene earlier and then we sort of got lost until we somehow managed to find you right now" Kirti told them
"What about you guys?" Shruti asked to which Srishti responded by narrating their experience earlier as they walked towards the village.
As they crossed the threshold of the village and walked in further to find the first house on the way. It was a bungalow with a medium size garden around it and bordered by a medium height wall with a front gate as the entry way towards it. Abhay opened the gate which was surprising unlocked allowing the group to enter the premises and walk right straight towards the porch. Srishti then ringed the doorbell as they waited outside hoping someone would open up and let them in for the night.
A moment later the door is opened and they find a young man at the entrance. "Who are you and what brings you'll here?" He asked them unsure of why their unexplained and sudden appearance.
The group then explained to him about their ordeal and requested him to let them stay for the night citing weather outside. The man was quite hesitant but agreed to their request and let them stay over till the storm outside clears up.
The man then headed upstairs as the group waited down in the living room still drenched and shivering.
"Aachoo!" Abhay let out a sneeze indicating that he caught a cold.
"I guess this trip is taking a toll on your health" Srishti made the comment expressing her concern while feeling slightly guilty about the same.
"It was a rough day now wasn't it, I guess my grandmother was right about coming here" Abhay told her
"Your grandmother knew this was going to happen?" Srishti asked surprised by the mentioning of his grandmother.
"Yes, she had warned me" he answered
"And you still agreed to accompany us on this trip" Srishti looked at him wondering why he ignored the warning
"It's because we're a group, so we're all supposed to contribute. Moreover did you really expect me to let you guys by yourself on this trip?" Abhay responded
"Even then, I mean you could have told me. Had I known about this I wouldn't have put us through this risk and cancelled the trip" Srishti told him expressing her regret.
"Well what's done is done, luckily we made it through so just forget about it" Abhay told her
The young man then walked downstairs to the living room where the group waited. He then gave them each a dry towel and placed a dry set of folded clothes on the couch and instructed the girls to pick up whatever suited them before leading them to the guest rooms. Once they changed their clothes he invited them for dinner which they gladly accepted.
Once they were done, Shruti asked the owner "I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you tell me where exactly are we, I mean it's apparent that we're in a village but we don't know the name of the same. It would really help in letting our families know about where we are right now"
"You're in Manasgadh" the man told them
"Really? Wow! This is exactly where we wanted to be" Kirti responded sounding all pleased with his response
"And why is that?" He asked to which Srishti explained about their assignment. The man then voluntarily gave them some information which explained the apparently cordial relationship between the villagers and snakes who interacted with each other on a daily business. He then suggested that they interact with the rest of the villagers for a better understanding of the same.
As they were about to clear the dining table Srishti checks her phone and was pleased to find a bar of cellular network showing on her phone. Elated she then tells her friends about the same and proceeds to make a call to her family. Once she was done she then lends her smartphone to her friends before they retired for the day.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Adish had arrived at the lodge where Lakshya and Mahima were checked in for the night. The visions he received earlier led him there so he could warn them about the threat Lakshya faced at the moment.
Adish enquired with the lodge owner if the said person stayed over, however the owner refused to divulge any details.
Disappointed he then walks out of the lodge. One of the guests who were at the lobby recognise him given that they were his clients at some point.
"What brings you here?" They asked him to which Adish then explained about his current case. His former client then offered and requested Adish to join him till the next day arrived which he accepts.
..........................................................................................................................................................
The next day arrived, Lakshya was up while Mahima was out to clear the dues. Lakshya gets up and heads to the bathroom where he freshens up.
Mahima then enters the room a while later. Lakshya steps out of the bathroom and gets ready to leave right away. Mahima collects her belongings and they step out of the room locking the door behind them. The two then head to the reception and hand over the keys to check out of the lodge. Mahima then asks Lakshya to wait inside so that she could collect her car. As Lakshya stood at the entrance facing outside, Adish too showed up at the reception along with his former client.
"Thank you so much" Adish told his client however before he could get a chance to run into Lakshya, the latter walks away right towards Mahima's car and gets inside the same.
"If you don't mind, I have another request" Mahima turned to look at Lakshya as he prepared to make another request.
"Okay, I'm listening" she told him
"The reason I came here was so I could pick up a person important to my father's case, could you drive me to him, please?" Lakshya requested
"Where is this person at the moment?" Mahima asked him to which he responds "At his relative's place in Manasgadh"
"The temple I was supposed to visit falls right on the way to that village, so it's doable" she told him hinting that she agreed to his request.
"Thanks a lot" Lakshya expressed his gratitude.
Mahima drove through a desolate road for what almost seemed like an hour before they came across the Shiva temple. She then pulls over and steps out heading straight towards the temple. Once she is at the entrance she rings the bell hanging above from the roof and then proceeds further inside where she is greeted by the temple priest
"How are you? It's been a while since you've visited, what brings you here today?" the priest then handed her the aarti plate to allow her to offer her prayers.
"Yes I know, I'm getting married soon so I came to seek the Lord's blessings for the same with the hope that everything would go as planned" Mahima told him after which he left the scene to allow her to pray.
Lakshya too joined her a while later as he limped all the way inside.
"Why did you come here? You do realise that you're not suppose to move around much right?" Mahima rebuked him
"I know, but I simply couldn't wait inside. It just didn't feel right. Moreover I too have a prayer make, so I decided to come inside anyways" he told her before turning his attention to the deity's idol in front of him.
"Please help me get my dad released soon, let everything go well today so I can take Mr Sinha back to get his statement recorded proving my dad's innocence" Lakshya prayed silently with his hands folded and eyes closed.
Similarly Mahima too prayed with her eyes closed "Lord, I pray that my wedding takes place without any hindrances and that you bless my marriage"
Once Lakshya was done, he turned to look at Mahima who still had her eyes closed in a deep prayer. He then turned back to the deity and asks the Lord to give her whatever she prayed for at that moment.
A while later the priest comes back to hand them over the Prasad "May your bond grow even stronger and this pair last forever" he blessed them under the presumption that they were a couple disconcerting Mahima as she turned to look at Lakshya who immediately took note of the unsettled expression on her face.
"You're mistaken, we're not together. It's true that we're getting married but to different people not each other" Lakshya corrected the priest.
"Oh is it so? I'm so sorry. It's just that when she mentioned about her wedding earlier and saw you'll together I assumed you were the groom" the priest apologised to them feeling slightly embarrassed
Once they collected the prasad they leave the temple and head over to Manasgadh to pick up Mr. Sinha
..........................................................................................................................................................
Abhay, Srishti and the rest of the group were done having their breakfast and were getting ready to leave to gather further information for their assignment before help arrived from the city.
As they were about to head out the doorbell rings, prompting the owner to go and answer the same.
As the door opens Abhay and Srishti are surprised to find Lakshya and Mahima outside.
"What happened to you?" both Abhay and Srishti rush towards Lakshya slightly appalled by his condition.
"What brings you here?" Srishti asked him, Lakshya then explained that he was there to pick up Mr Sinha but ended up getting into an accident while on the way and that he managed to survive because of Mahima who showed up at the right time to help him out.
Both Abhay and Srishti then turn to Mahima and thanked her for the same.
Mr. Sinha then stepped out of his room and immediately rushed down on seeing Lakshya in the living room with everyone else.
"What happened to you?" Mr. Sinha asked
"It's a long story, but let's just say I survived whatever it was" Lakshya told him and then asked him if he wanted to leave right away or wait for a while till he was ready to do so.
"It's actually fine, I'm not in a hurry to leave so you can let us know"
"Actually Mom, Dadi and Uncle are on the way, so we can wait for a while" Abhay told Lakshya advising him to not get stressed any further.
"He's right, you should relax a little and not stress yourself any further" Srishti advised him as well worried that his condition may worsen given he seemed to be over exerting himself.
Shruti then cuts in "I don't mean to interrupt you'll but we need to leave to get the information we came here for"
On hearing that they then prepare themselves to leave and head out.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Shipra, Chandrika and Shashi were at the hotel and were getting ready to leave. Shipra then receives a call from Abhay through Srishti's number who then informs her about running into Lakshya and that he was at the house they stayed over for the night, once the call ended she informs Chandrika and Shashi about the same.
Shipra then moved to close the window to prevent the wind from entering the room. Before she could shut it close a lot of snakes find their way inside through the window and have them surrounded as if they were preparing to attack and finish them off.
..........................................................................................................................................................
To be continued....
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Comments (6)
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Bloodmoon @Bloodmoon
+ 2
3 years ago
Just wondering When are you updating the next part???
Rumki @rumki34
3 years ago
Nice update...................... 😀😀😀
Bloodmoon @Bloodmoon
+ 2
3 years ago
Great going...................💓