[MEMBERSONLY]
Hi everyone,
Here is a prologue to my new FF Valley of Flowers. Slightly
long for a prologue though. Hope you all like it.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who
have been continuing to appreciate my work and to some new friends as well. And
to those who have urged me to write a new one --- this is my attempt for you
guys.
Valley of Flowers ' Prologue
ARNAV Singh Raizada sat looking
out the window of the bus that would take him to Dehradun. As the narrow
winding roads, lined with beautiful lush landscape of the mountainous region
emerged mile after mile, he stared listlessly listening into his walkman.
He
looked around the bus to see honeymoon couples cuddling up to each other,
families with kids giving them a hard time, older people dozing in their seats.
So that was what people called normal life. He didn't feel like he belonged
here. Or anywhere, for the matter of fact. It was good, in way. There was no
point, really, in attaching oneself to a place, person or thing. Being detached
was the best way to be.
His
journey had begun from Mangalore, where he had completed two years of degree in
engineering from Manipal University and was going to Dehradun to meet his Nani
who wanted to spend some quality time with her grandchildren. Akash and Anjali had
reached there a couple of days ago and Nani had absolutely insisted that he
make it to this vacation, probably afraid, that his sister and he would drift
apart the way his parents had.
He
only hoped he wouldn't get into any unpleasant conversations with his sister.
Anjali, a psychology major in addition to being three years his senior to his own nineteen years, had
seen some good times in their parents' marriage and had the tendency to justify
some of their father's actions for which he had absolutely no patience for. He
hated his father. He could never think well of the man who had given his mother
so much pain.
But
he would change all that. Next month, he was off to the United States to
complete the rest of his course. Once he had a good job in his hands he would
take care of his mother the way she deserved.
The
car stopped in front of his Nani's two-storied, majestic, white bungalow. In
the front of the building was a lush garden with a huge sprawling lawn, bright colored
petunias, daisies and gerberas adorning parts of it. But he was oblivious of
it. His attention was arrested by a figure in white twirling about in the
balcony.
Beautiful.
He
had only thought that in his mind but suddenly, she stopped and turned around
as though she had heard him.
Arnav's
heart raced like a bullet train as he struggled to get out of his comforter
that had enveloped him like vices, his mind in grip of his usual nightmare.
You have never treated
me the way I deserve
Your expectations are
too high'.
And yours are too low
A woman like you can
never be satisfied with anything
It's useless talking to
a man who can never let go of his past
Stop it!
Stop!
Then
in the middle of this conundrum he heard the soft tinkling of anklets and his
heart began to calm down. He heard a knock on the door.
'Arnavji?'
He
sat upon his bed to find the girl from the balcony ' Khushi -- standing at the
door with a cup of hot steaming liquid in her hand.
'I
brought some tea for you.' A strand of hair fell across one of her huge doe
like eyes. Her cheeks and lips were naturally rosy standing out in stark
contrast to her pearly skin.
'Sure.'
His brown eyes were dazed with sleep. He paused.' Thanks.'
'This
will help you get rid of your headache.' She said as she walked up to him and
handed over his tea, tucking her hair behind her ear.
What the f@#$! How did she know that
he had a headache? 'How do you know I have a headache?'
'I
___' She just stared at him with her wide eyes unable to continue. 'Anjaliji
said that you should be ready by nine o clock.'
She
was about to turn back when he stopped her. 'What's the time now?'
'It's
eight thirty.'
'F@#$!' It was too late to bite back the
expletive but she seemed unfazed. 'What's the big hurry for?'
'She
wants to go to the Valley of Flowers.'
Arnav
got up from the bed and took off his shirt ' a normal thing for him to do in
his hostel ' and picked up his cup again. He raised his eyebrows indicating her
to continue but she seemed to be staring at him like a statue. He raised his
voice. 'And?'
'To'..to
get to the Valley of Flowers you '.you have to take a ten hour drive to a place
called Joshimath and '. and then another hour to Govind Ghat.' Why had she
developed such a stutter?'Then from there it is a thirteen km walk to a place
called Ghangaria. The valley is another three kms from there.' She finished in
a rush.
'What
the ___?' This time he stopped himself in time but he need not have worried as
she was no longer standing at the door.
He
had been wrong about Khushi. She was not beautiful.
She was exquisite.
He
stopped himself. She was just a child of thirteen.
Last
night Nani had told him that Khushi was their accountant Shashi Gupta's adopted
daughter. She and her sister Payal studied in the school that Raizadas ran.
During her visit to Delhi earlier this year, Nani had discovered that Khushi
was a gifted dancer, and had decided to pay for her advanced Kathak classes.
Nani
herself had been an accomplished Kathak dancer in her hey days and it was no
wonder that she had appointed herself as the young girl's mentor. Arnav was
also not surprised by the fact that she had asked Anjali to bring the girls
along for a holiday. His nani was quiet a generous woman. Or, Arnav decided as
an afterthought, it was the fact that Khushi was actually from Lucknow, like
herself. Nevertheless, she was a sweet old lady who made his life better by
telling him mythological stories of prince and princesses, caught in the midst
of love, hatred, war, stories of valour and destruction, answering all his
questions with the clich --- It's all
written in the stars chotte'..
He
had believed in it until his parents had split apart. Written in the stars
indeed! There was no such thing.
Naniji
had obviously refrained from accompanying them and the group embarked on this strenuous
trip seated in a SUV. The drive began with Anjali sitting in the passenger seat
next to the driver as she had the tendency to be motion sick. Khushi and Payal
took the middle seats and Akash and he sat at the back. After the first couple of
hours of drive Khushi and Akash exchanged seats as the latter had started to
feel motion sick at the back.
As
Khushi began to chatter incessantly about nothing in particular, he had dozed
off, the strain of the sleepless night catching up on him finally. After
stopping for lunch, when she began to ask him something, he offered her his
walkman and he dozed off once again not wanting to get into a conversation with
a girl he had nothing in common with.
When
he woke up a few hours later, he found his cheeks brushing against something
smooth and realized that it was Khushi's forehead. Her head was nestled
comfortably in the crook of his neck, while her hand clutched at the sleeve of
his jacket. He straightened his head, but stayed still trying not to wake her.
When they finally reached their hotel at Joshimath he was relieved. This girl
made him edgy for some reason.
The
next morning, Arnav dressed in denims, t-shirt and sneakers knocked on Anjali's
door. She told him that she would not be able to make it to the trek as she had
developed a migraine due to the altitude. Same was the case with Payal. Akash decided
to stay back to keep an eye out for them.
Arnav
considered cancelling the trek and going back but he changed his mind as he was
curious about the place. He tried convincing Khushi to stay back as well but
she wouldn't budge. When he saw that her huge doe eyes were close to tears he
relented.
After
getting dropped at Govind Ghat, they began their long trek through the narrow
winding trails flanked by wooded area. Arnav had been surprised at Khushi's
resilience. He had a thick jacket to
protect himself from the cold but all she had was a sweater which she wore on
the white salwar suit she wore. He knew she was tired but she kept going until
Arnav forced her to take a break so they could munch on some food they had
carried in their backpacks. While they sat under a tree, rejuvenating, Arnav made
an observation. 'Khushi, you seemed to be awfully quiet on the trek.'
'Well,'
she began looking at him seriously. 'That is what you wanted, isn't it?'
Arnav
was taken aback by her reply. 'When did I ever say that?'
'Yesterday
when you gave me the walkman to listen to the songs.' She had her head bent
fidgeting with one corner of her dupatta. 'One of the songs told me what you
wanted to tell me all through the journey.'
Arnav's
eye brows twisted in confusion. 'Khushi '..what the f@#$ ----' Then realization
dawned. She was talking about Ronan Keating song whose lyrics went something
like ---
You say it best'' when
you say nothin' at all
'Oh!'
Khushi
looked up her eyes twinkling, her pearly white teeth biting her lower lip
mischievously. Arnav burst out laughing and in seconds she had joined him.
Suddenly, they found themselves face to face with a couple of local girls who stood
staring at them, their cute little mouths open. Then they scurried up to Khushi
and whispered something in her ear and Khushi jumped up in fright.
Arnav
looked up in surprise. 'What's wrong Khushi?'
'Arnavji,
you have get up immediately!' Khushi's eyes were wide as saucers.
'What
the hell for?'Arnav demanded.
'Just
do it.'
Arnav
raised one of his eyebrows at her tone. 'Not until you tell me why.' Only his
mother could speak to him like that.
'The
girls here just told me that this is a matchmaking tree.'
Like
that was supposed to explain everything. 'What the'. I mean what are you
talking about?'
'If
a couple sits under this tree they will be married one day.'
Arnav's
face contorted with disbelief. 'What crap!'
'Hey
Devi Maiyya!' Khushi said emphatically, hitting her palm against her forehead. 'Don't
say such things. These things are true you know --- now get up!' Looking at his glint in his
eyes she amended herself. 'Please?'
Damn! Had she just batted
her eyelashes at him? He relented. 'Well if it is true ---,' Arnav got up and
walked up to her, his caramel eyes twinkling mischievously, 'it's too late,
isn't it?' He flicked her nose. 'Pagal.' He walked away shaking his head.
Who
was he calling mad? Laad Governor!
Khushi thought to herself as she stomped behind him mutinously.
Later
that day they finally reached Gangaria base camp. After refreshing themselves
and leaving behind their backpacks they set out for the three km trek that
would finally take them to the Valley of Flowers.
When
they reached the valley, they both stood speechless at the breath taking view
that beheld them. The lush green mountains stood majestic and serene, swathed
in soft white mist at the backdrop of the valley. Awash
with an array of colourful flowers, splattered against green fauna, the valley stretched
beyond what their eyes could perceive. It was really a sight for sore eyes.
Heaven on earth.
Suddenly,
Khushi ran toward the flowers her arms thrown wide. When she reached some
distance she turned around and stood, with her face lifted up to the sky, her
eyes closed, a serene smile on her lips -- as if in prayer. Suddenly, a big
drop of water splattered on her cheek making her squeal in surprise. And then
it began to drizzle in earnest. Some of her hair, loosened on their long
journey was stuck to her face. As he continued to look at her, he found her
smiling at him, her beautiful eyes beckoning him to join her.
He
forgot all about his parents, his loneliness --- the burning anger in his
heart. He walked toward her as if in a trance.
This beauty would be
etched in his memory for ever.
Vof
Chapter 1
Vof
Chapter 2
Vof
Chapter 3
Vof
Chapter 4
VoF
Chapter 5
I feel motivated to
write more when I hear from you so do comment and feel free to give me your
feedback.
I am also going to try
an update this FF in a blog (just in case) Here is the link My Blog
My previous works:
[NOCOPY]
charlotte742013-02-28 05:25:45
Comments (4)
View all
ilfordian @ilfordian
+ 2
3 years ago
I am glad I have the opportunity to read this story again.
Iamlee @Iamlee
4 years ago
I am going to re read it again , it is like waking up from dead 💀 Arshi nostalgia
Srilatha @Srilathalolla
+ 3
4 years ago
Hello Kavi , I dont know how many times I have read this story , but I am going to read it again