FF- Love You Eternally - chapter 25 & 26 the final chapter - Page 16

Chapter 5

The ride to Kundanpur was long but uneventful. The quaint little town not unlike a hundred other Indian towns caught between hills and fields and forests.  With a population of around three hundred thousand people,  it was owned by people who had lived there all their lives.  Once being a quite outpost for the British sabhis, who came there to hunt on weekends, to socialise at their little clubs, and indulges themselves in the hospitality of the local Zamindar. Those days were long gone, and so were the British.

Now people went about their work and any normal Indian towns people do, those working in industries miles away, woke early and rode the public transports to their destinations. Most work in the surrounding fields toiling hard to cultivate the land. A couple of miles away from town on the outskirts of Kundanpur stood the long abandon Havali and the surrounding lands, and square acres of fruit plantations that no one tended to anymore.

"This is where the property starts Bhai." Akaash pointed out the orchids they were passing.

"It looks like a huge plantation, what do, they do with the fruit?" Arnav asked puzzled.  Not to see a soul working the groves.  He could see the trees heavy with fruit of different kinds.

"That's the strange part, Bahi." Akaash chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"When I came here last time with Dad, this caretaker of the Havali told us a strange story, something about the trees giving fruit, but the fruit simply rots on the trees."

"What rubbish, how can that happen to all the trees, there look to be a thousand trees in this plantation itself?" Arnav scoffed.

"Right, the locals think it is to do with some kind of curse on these lands." Akaash grinned knowing that his brother would simply declare this local myths and legends as rubbish.

"And what did Dad say." Arnav asked with a knowing smirk.

Akaash shrugged, "What else, if the trees don't bare good fruit, it is best to chop them off and use the land productively."

Arnav grinned, that was exactly what he would do, "wise man our father." Akaash returned his grin, then pointed to the left, slowing the car down.

"Look that dilapidated building there right at the edge of the plantation that is the choti Havali it was owned by some lesser Thakur." Akaash said. Arnav looked taking the dilapidated structure, the roof seemed to have caved in, the charred walls and beams told a tale that the house had been gutted by fire.  Wild plants, and vegetation that grown all over it.

An image of a once opulent structure with a lot glass painted windows flashed through Arnav mind. A lush lawn garden with a swing in the yard, a couple of girls dressed in bright coloured gagras cholis with bright dupttas . Colouring their hands with mendhi and their feet with alta. Their laughter, and tinkling of their payal music to his ears. He blinked and the vision disappeared. He craned his neck hoping in vain to retain the glimpse of the pleasant vision. But it was gone. And he felt a sense of loss

"Did it get destroyed in a fire." Arnav inquired.

"Yep!  As the story goes that, the  badi Havali Zamindar crazy son burnt the place down. The Thakur and his wife and servants got out safe. Grief stricken they left Kundanpur forever never to be heard of again." Akaash explained what he could remember of the story, since he hadn't really been paying much attention at the time he had got the story in bits and pieces.  He decided this time around he would like to know about the whole local folk tale.

"Look Bhai, there it is  to the left, the Badi Havali." Looking out the window Arnav took in the grand frontal view of the large structure,  it had not lost its old world grandeur, the huge three story structure with turrets and terraces with ornamental railings. And huge ornamental arched windows. It looked like a small palace.

As the care passed through the huge wrought iron gates, a strange sense of dj vu came over Arnav. The feeling that he knew this place, had seen it somewhere. He stared at the huge structure as Akaash brought the car to a stop under a huge arched yawning at the entrance of the Havali.

Two men stood there waiting to greet them. Akaash explained that Buvan lal and his son Hira lal and their family were the caretakers of the property and the Havali. Buvan and his son took care of the land and gardens and their wives and daughters kept the Havali clean and even took care of preparing meals when there were guest staying at the Havali. Since it had been used as a government dakghar till recently.   

The Lal's came forward and greeted Akaash and Arnav, "welcome to Kundanpur Sa. We will take your baggage's to your rooms." Said Buvan as his son made to remove the bags. He let them through the huge ornamental doors, it was of the tradition type with knobs and carvings with brass settings, non memories flashed through Arnav's mind. 

They entered a huge room, it was decorated with number of chairs and assorted furniture from different times, some old and some modern that were placed together in 2 or three groups.  There was a large table towards the left that was obviously the dining area. "Guests used to have meals together, when the Dakghar was running." Buvan explained.

"Have you been working here long." Arnav asked.

"Yes Sa, my father before me and his before him."

"Oh! So were you there when that strange incident happened. With the Zamindar crazy son and all." Akaash asked enthusiastically.

"Oh. That, no Sa, that happened some years before I was born, But my father told me the stories of the Zamindar sons and the girl."

"Girl! What girl?" Akaash asked.

"Of course! Akaash every good story has to have a crazy boy and a Girl, otherwise how would they have a story to tell." Arnav scoffed shaking his head at the ridiculousness of fairy tales

"A girl, A boy and a crazy Boy, Sa." Buvan said seriously, "and it is not a story it is the true story. My father was a young boy when it happened." He said clearly insulted for his father.

Arnav rolled his eyes, "whatever" he said deciding to leave the story hearing sessions to Akaash to handle. He didn't need to fill his mind with more mumbo jumbo stories, when already he was feeling the strange sensation  that his answers lay hear, but he was not yet ready to listen and face them. Terrified at what turn of events his life will take.

Arnav thought of the strange girl in the Architecture office. He hadn't been able to get her out of this mind. Her soft floral fragrance and cream and peaches complexion haunted him. All the time she kept reminding him of the girl from his dreams. And now Buvan stories, Arnav sense of dj vu, simply grew stronger, like he knew of the story. But at the moment was reluctant to dwell on it. Afraid to open the flood gates of his mind, which were threatening to swallow him whole. He was afraid he may be losing his mind.

So he let his mind remain strictly of business and how the land and property would profit his company. Arnav knew that one day he will have to open the book of the past and take a good look at it, because that was the only key to stop his torturous nightmares of his present.