I would like to take this moment to thank each and everyone one of you who through PMs and comments have appreciated my Map of Arhasia. I love ArHi and I love my FF and I love the fact that I am able to share it with all of you. Thank you for being so encouraging and letting me tell you this story that is buried in the depths of my heart, waiting to be unraveled chapter by chapter...
And to thank each of you: Golden Dragon, Artemis, serialmaniac, barun2297, Music, purplelove, Mrs Raizada, Vidya, Siaa, Salsa, the_breeze, Lyraa, Archana, Akshu, Shagun, sneaky-aj, Rose, Leafs and Harsh...all of you have spoken your heart to me and I have embraced your words like I will every time you choose to come and smile at my tale!
Chapter Sixteen: The Visitor
The second day of the Village Harvest Festival began as soon as the sun was about to set. Once again, the land and hills were lit with lanterns and colour streamers strung from tree to tree. From a very far off distance the clamour on this little lit-up locale could be heard. And that is how the man on the white horse, coming from a long distance, had stood in the dark enclosure of the forest and decided to stop there for a while instead of proceeding to his planned destination.
"What say, Lightning? Shall we inspect the place out?" He patted his horse on the side of its neck and the horse neighed in affirmation to his master's answer.
"Very well," decided the man and he led his horse towards the village. As the first lanterns cast light upon the traveller passing underneath, once could clearly see he was a man of great position and power. His overcoat had medals and symbols stuck on the shoulders and chest, and he even sported a long gun strapped at his waist that kept tapping against one of his spurred black boots as the horse presumed a slow trot into the village. The hat on his head was black and it sported a gold insignia on the front rim.
As soon as the man spotted an inn, he pulled his horse to a stop before it and descended, the spurs clinking as his boots hit the ground.
"Wait here, Lightning!" he muttered to the horse, patting its mane, and was soon striding towards the inn door.
Swinging it open, he was met by a loud rumpus and a strong whiff of thick liquor that he had to pause for a moment to gather himself before walking in. In that short pause at the door, he took in the sight before him. Men sat all over the place, crowding the inn's diner, with their loud talk and laughs. There was a counter on which ordered drinks and meals were placed. A fat man behind the counter appeared to be in charge of the place and he watchfully eyed the crowd and the two maids who were running all over the place filling glasses, taking orders and passing dishes.
The man who had just walked in closed the door shut and the noise and glasses tinkling stopped suddenly and every eye looked up to study the one at the door. Ignoring their stares, he walked straight for the counter and sunk into a deserted stool before it.
The fat innkeeper straightened up and asked the man, "You're new, here, ain't you?"
"Could be," said the man, and he removed his hat and placed it on the counter, "What do you have?"
"Everything," said the innkeeper and he flashed a toothy grin, two black teeth prominent in the lower jaw. The visitor smiled pathetically, eyeing the innkeeper and said, "A small of the best you have then."
"Right away, sire," said the innkeeper. As soon as the man had made his order, the crowd in the inn seemed to have decided that the stranger was not an interesting subject and hence returned to their noise and drinks.
As the innkeeper poured what the man desired into a glass, a villager with a patch on his left eye ambled up to the counter and sat in the vacant stool next to the visitor.
"You from the army, sire?" asked the villager, his unpatched eye studying the medals on the visitor's coat.
"I don't try to hide the fact," said the man bluntly, and turned to look at the questioner, "What happened to your eye?"
"Lost it in a fight with a friend," said the villager, "No one can be trusted these days. Not even the ones that call themselves your dear and near ones."
The visitor snorted and took the glass that the innkeeper offered him. After a swig, he asked to be poured again and as he waited, the villager asked him, "What makes you pass this way through our village?"
"I'm going elsewhere and thought of stopping for a drink," said the visitor, "Why is the place lit with lights?"
"It's the Harvest Festival," said the man, "We have it for three days and there is much that happens during our Harvest Festival."
"I see," said the man and he emptied his glass again.
"Again, sire?" asked the innkeeper, tilting the bottle in his hand.
"Yes, I shall have one last glass," he said. Just then a maid appeared beside him and she slid an empty tray onto the counter. After filling the man's glass, the innkeeper attended to filling the maid's tray with food and drinks and in the meantime the maid tried flirting with the visitor. He was good-looking in a way and his thick hair was combed neatly to expose his large forehead, but he seemed to be not interested in the woman and simply nodded at her remarks. A noise echoed from outside and music could be heard and the visitor perked up on hearing it, "What is that?"
"It's the plays," said the maid, "We have three plays held on the stage for the second day of the Festival. Will you stay to watch, my good sir?"
"No, I must be on my way," said the man, and he stood up and after dropping the required coins for the drinks onto the counter, he took his hat, placed it on this head, nodded at the villager, the innkeeper and the maid and was soon walking out of the door and into the night.
He had approached his horse and was about to mount when the music of the play caught his ears again and he paused, wondering. He patted his horse, "I've changed my mind. Stay here, Lightning, I will be right back."
And so he ambled towards the direction from where the music was coming from and found himself before an open-ground theater, where the stage was propped up by curtains and boxes in a place that looked like some Temple and people sat in circles before it. He stood in the distance, near a tree and decided to watch what was to unveil in a few moments. Besides, I am in no hurry. She can wait. She has waited for months anyway...a few hours more wouldn't make much of a difference.
Chapter Seventeen: The Guptas at the Second Day of the Festival
The second day of the Festival was intended to be memorable for the Guptas since Master Shashi Gupta was appealed to open up a stall to sell his famed 'sweetened chocolate liquor', the offer which he had turned down the last two years of the Harvest Festival. But this time, he had obliged to the demands of the elderly council of the village and so on the morning of the promising day, the mother monitored the girls who were excitedly chattering and enthusiastically running to and fro, filling half a dozen barrels with the chocolate liquor made in the mill after which their father loaded the heavy barrels onto the cart.
By evening, when there was still light, the family, all dressed and in high spirits, soon found themselves riding in the cart to where the festival was being held. From afar, the colour streams along the top of the trees and roof of the stalls could be seen but there were no lights since it was not yet dark. There was still time left for the festival to begin so the Guptas, on reaching the place, were directed to their assigned stall and began to get busy in setting the barrels and tumblers and a sign board suitably. Other stalls were also busy in being set up or furnished. Finally when all was ready and settled and as they waited in the waning sunset, the lanterns were lit and people began flocking the premises, all around the hill where the Temple stood, once again adorned in lights. Kushi stared up at the Temple and asked her sister, "Why are there curtains on the Temple today, Jiji?"
Payal also looked up but shrugged, "We could ask around."
And so the sisters, ensuring that the parents didn't need them immediately, decided to explore the place that was alighted for a second day of celebration. They made their way chatting to various girls, familiar from the village, and soon stood near the hill where the Temple was pedestaled.
"Excuse me, sir," Payal asked a man who was walking past them, carrying a few clothes that looked more like fancy costumes, "what ritual is to be conducted at the Temple tonight?"
"Are you asking about the curtains?" asked the man, peering at the girls from above the thick bundle of clothes in his arms, "it's the Village Playhouse tonight, just as how plays were part of the Greek rituals of the ancestors who had once lived here. We display three plays on the second night and they are the major events of the festival. Have you never seen them before?"
"No, it's our first time," said Payal, and the man smiled, "I assure you, you will like it. Its free, no charge!"
"We will definitely come to watch the plays, sir," said Kushi, eagerly rising at the idea.
"Well and good," said the man, "Now, if you have no other questions, pretty ladies, I would like to lay this load down at a certain place," and saying so, he walked away.
"My! Three plays!" said Kushi, "I am beginning to really like this Festival!!"
"Me too," said Payal, "But we cannot watch the play unless our work is done. You must remind yourself, Kushi that we have a stall for ourselves this time and responsibilities come foremost."
"That will be so," assured Kushi, "but we must tell Babuji if we do want to watch at least one of the plays."
The sisters were soon back at the stall which had an overhanging board, the words of which could be read from afar, saying Guptas' Luscious Chocolate Liquor.
As the people started gathering, a few of them strolled towards their stall and some chanced upon it in their passing. The mother and girls were ecstatic with fetching and filling the tumblers with the brown liquor while Babuji managed the finance. Soon the sound of music and stridently spoken dialogues could be heard coming from the top of the hill, but since the distinct words were inaudible and since they knew a play had commenced, the two girls often shared a desperate glance at the other, wishing the work to end soon so as to catch up with some entertainment at the Temple. Fortunately, by the turn of an hour or more, their barrels were empty and the Festival manager who came by frequently admired their efforts and asked them to put up a stall next day as well.
"And we shall be expecting you to be part of our Festival in the next year's celebration as well, Master Shashi," said the man patting Babuji on his shoulder.
"With pleasure, sir," said Babuji and laughed heartily with the man.
The mother was exuberant at their success too and as they were about to leave Kushi reminded them of the play.
"You girls go on and enjoy," sad Babuji, "your mother and I will return as soon as we stock this money away."
"Come soon, Babuji," said Kushi and then Payal and Kushi looked at each other. Sharing an excited grin, they held hands and ran to the hill not wanting to miss out on the fun anymore.
The second play was nearing its end as Kushi and Payal found a place on the ground to squat together. The curtains covered the entire Temple and only the white pillars and roofs and stairs could be seen by those seated in front. Almost the entire village was here and the ground looked like a scattered sea of heads, young and old. They were showing a comical play about a king and his three wives and how he was straining to manage the needs and demands of all three simultaneously without letting any one of the wife feel unloved. The costumes were very realistic and the actors were hilarious to watch too. The people couldn't stop themselves from erupting in laughter every now and then when the humour struck. Once the play ended, Kushi and Payal joined in the applause and eagerly awaited for the next one to begin.
"What are you searching for, Kushi?" asked Payal, noticing her sister constantly looking over her shoulder to the rear.
"I was wondering if Babuji and Amma were back," said Kushi, glancing at her sister, "It would be good if they could see a play too. And this the last one that's going to be shown."
"True," said Payal and looked to the rear with her sister. Just then drum rolls announced the commencement of the last play and Kushi and Payal had to abandon their search and return their focus to the curtained Temple. The whole platform was plunged in darkness and the two sisters cuddled together, eager and curious about what was to happen, not knowing that the childlike smiles on their faces would not last through that night.
Mark this on the calendar of you mind: next Saturday I am coming before you with the longest chapter I have written for this FF so far. Once again, thank you readers for being my pillars!!
To return to the Index
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2901910/arhi-ff-1-the-beasts-and-the-bleeding-roses
Edited by Aquiline - 13 years ago
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