CHAPTER 9
Friends, this seven letter word is often used to describe a group of people who make you waste your precious time on silly tours resulting in a comlex situation where you are expected to get done with your already pending work(supposed to be done in the time wasted) and the new set of mentally and exhausting work in half a day. To add on these people always find a way out to ditch you in the hour of need, ALWAYS!!! I now strongly believe that the defination of friends should be changed to the one i just made up in my mind. Well thanks to my so called helpful friends who made me waste my holiday, making me completely ignorant of the fact that i had a history assignment to submit the next day. And the worse part, none of them had history-PERFECT. So now i was expected to complete the pending work with this new assignment of giving a full research of the history of Dhanaulti after Irish brothers came here. Frustration was just a word for me till today, until i got to know that these stupid people had absolutely no idea what happened after the founders of their school came here, and you know what the best part is, when all of them miraculously get involved in some really important family matter all of a sudden and you are left alone to go out and know the history. So here was standing right in front of the town library to get my research.
This was certainly not my day. The electricity in the library conveniently bid us good bye when i desperately needed it and i had no choice but to go out and study. I got my books issued and went out near the park and settled down under a tree to go through the history. Mom always said that everything happens for a reason, but frankly the only reason that fate right now had to get me into this mess was to piss me off. The library books no great help either but was good enough for the research and to save me tomorrow. Tired of reading i found the thought of visiting the places where the Irish brothers started off with fascinating. It was hardly half an hour walk and i reached a small church there which was said to be started off by the Irish brothers. there was a stone milestone there which had IRISH BROTHERS engraved on it. I was reading it and was taking in the beauty of the place when a husky voice made my heart skip a beat as always. I had goosebumps all over and i knew who was it. "Trying to get to know the history of the founders of your school?" I composed myself and confidently turned around to answer," I suppose its your school too Manik, isnt it?" He smirked and replied," So the lamb knows how to answer, impressive." To say he was looking good would be a lie because he was looking sinfully attractive, leaning against the tree trunk. " Got something interesting to know?" He came near me and snatched the book from my hand. "Yeah that they did a lot of charity, opened schools, our being one of them and still maintaining the prestige, and not to forget this church, which unfortunately has lost its essence, nobody visits it anymore." He looked straight into my eyes and said," Thats what the book says, what did you find out?" I twitched my eyebrows, apparently he was right, i said what was written and not what i found out. I looked here and there to hide my embarrassment, he sensed it and replied," Follow me." And without any other word he started walking into the dense forest and i followed him just like he asked me. It seemed so weird, technically this was the first time we were talking and still it seemed so ok, i mean i never opened with anybody so quick, i still felt awkward around Aryaman and all sometimes, but with him this was not the case. "It would be helpful if you could walk a bit faster, we dont have forever, need to be back by the evening otherwise the wild animals might just feast on you" I quickened my speed and reached beside him," And what 'bout you, wont they feast on you!" He smirked and looked at me," You love to argue for no reason, dont you" He was mocking me on my face but unlike other days when i would start a full fledged war, it was different with him, i had a much important question to ask from him," How did you know where was i, and what work i was doing? Were you following me?" He kept quiet for sometime and then answered," I wasnt following you, nor was i aware of your whereabouts. I visit that church often and finding you reading the milestone with so much interest and carrying those books made it a really obvious guess." Well his answer seemed acceptable.
It had been a few minutes since we had been walking and soon we stood outside an old house, like a really really old house. It was pretty lear that nobody inhabited that house now and that house was abandoned since long. " Not many people know this but the Irish Brothers inhabited this place during the final years of their lives. They were four of them who used to live in that church but when under mysterious circumstances the youngest of them died and the eldest attacked and inured brutally, they shifted to this place secretly. None of the civilians were informed of this and then one day this building caught fire and the three of them were burnt to death." I looked at him shocked, he was looking straight at the house, but his eyes, they were absolutely clear, defiant...never wavering. Without giving me a view, he went inside and i followed him. He went up the stairs and continued to speak," It is said the eldest one was attacked by an unknown creature, a cold one. His behavior changed as the time passed. It is said he lost his senses and some even believe that he murdered one of his brothers, and in guilt he lit his house in fire, killing himself and the younger one along." We reached an open area on the roof, it was the attic. He sat near the open window which was shapeless now and i took the seat beside him. "People dont visit that church anymore, it is believed that fifteen days after the house burnt, the Holy Water got corrupted of a foul smell. Locals believed that it was the anguish of the soul of the living younger brother who had to let go of his life with no fault at all. People who had a more scientific attitude started to look out for clues. It was finally found up in the terrace the decaying body of the youngest brother who died under mysterious circumstances." Manik ended his story and looked at me. I was lost in the story and did not get to know when it had started to rain. But it was more difficult to understand how Manik knew so muh, he just 17, like Aryaman and others, when not even the teachers were of aware of this, how was he? " How do you know so much?" "You see my family has been living here since generations, my great grand father was the caretaker of this house and that church, he served them till their last breath, this story is like a family tradition passed down to each one of us." " Who killed the youngest brother, what was that creature? and what was this cold one thing, was it a vampire." I was dead serious when i asked it but Manik laughed at it like a lunatic," A vampire! seriously? haha..well no, nobody knows, some say it was just a myth. The body marks say that it was done by an animal, people probably made the rest of it, you know the kind of mentality people had at that time, mixing everything with the supernatural." I bought his explanation, it seemed logical. I was quietly sitting there when my phone rang, it was Mukti." Hey Mukti, what happened...wait what, you must be kidding me...whats does i going on a date with Aryaman on Ball has to do with we going to Mussoorie for shopping...ohh yes of course, why dont we do one thing then, we will go to Mussooorie, then from Mussoorie to Dehradun and then we will take a flight to Delhi and shop there too haina...What do you mean by its a good idea, i was just joking, we are not going to Delhi for shoppoing, no ways...Mukti why are you doing this to me...Fine i will be ready but believe me i am not going to forgive you for this." I disconnected the call in frustation and found Manik sketching again." So you going to the Ball with that creepy boyfriend of yours?" I glared at him and replied," He is not my boyfriend and nor is he creepy." " Already so possessive and claim not be his girlfriend, smart!!" Well to be honest his statement made me smile, he wasnt as bad as Abhimanue said he was." Why are you both enemies?"" Its because that freak of yours believes he owns a brain which frankly he doesnt,and everytime we make him aware of this he freaks out." He didnt look up at me, and was still doing his work," I am serious Manik, tell me..." He looked up at me this time," Ask him, he will tell you, now dont eat my head." " I did but they said you are dangerous.." Manik made a weird face and replied," Ohh God, lava boy just loves to make up things, too imaginative to be in a school, ask him and his gang to join Drama school, they are wasting their imaginative skills on worthless things." His reply made it all clear, he wasnt going to spill any beans, i loooked at his sketches," You sketch!" he looked up at me and said," And you think too much". I knew he ws trying to mock me, but it wastrue somewhere, i think too much. Turning my attention back to the serene view i rested on my hands, and i didnt realise when one of my fingers touched his, spark, a spark went through my body, i had never felt like this with anyone, it was magical. I looked into his eyes and surprisingly he did the same and w got lost in each other. I saw the whole world in his eyes, and i swear we would have never broken that eyelock had a wolf's cry not disturbed us. I looked down to hide my blush where he looked everywhere but me, and then suddenly my eyes fell on what he was sketching and my eyes popped out when i saw my portrait sketched perfectly. I looked up at him with shocked eyes, he took some time to understand why i gave that look, and as soon as he did, he hid his notebook. It felt good, he liked me probably. "Its getting late, i think we should leave." He said and i nodded, we got up and came downstairs but every step and his every breath made me feel butterflies in my stomach. "I can go now, thank you for all the information, its really gonna help me alot" Manik just nodded to my staement, but his eyes they were full of passion and intensity. I saw his lips move and then stop suddenly, he wanted to say something, but what, ignoring that i passed him a smile and turned around to leave." Nandini..", there was hurry in his voice and before i could analyse anything i felt him grab my hand and me around and he smashed his lips against mine.
Indian Mythology
Sampoorna
CID
Current Affairs
