ArHi FF:1: The BEASTS and the BLEEDING ROSES - Page 32

The carriage stopped before the gates of the Castle mounted upon the hill, giving a most terrifying sense of foreboding running down the girl's spine.

"I don't want to go," she whispered futilely.

A nudge beside her sent her sad gaze to look down and Ram lifted his eyebrows.

"I don't want to go," repeated the girl, and she stepped down from the carriage and made to walk away.

The boy clapped once and she looked at him from over her shoulder. He signed something.

She shook her head, "Don't pick me up; I'll go home by myself."

The boy signed again.

"It's not a long walk, I can manage it."

The boy signed again and Kushi smiled, "Yes, since you are going to the Village and might meet Buaji, give him my love."

The boy nodded and smiled and after watching Kushi dispute with the guard at the gate that she had come to sell and not to kill with the swords in her basket (though secretly she wished otherwise) and when he had finally decided to let her inside on the condition that he carried the basket and not her, only then did the young boy turn his horse cart around and speed down the hill and away to the North Village.

As Kushi walked towards the Castle, up the long stone path, her eyes glanced around the garden knowing how much she wanted to hate this place but couldn't. Something kept pulling her, but she didn't know what'

Soon, standing before the huge door, the guard knocked on it using the huge knocker. The immense doors creaked open and Kushi was admitted into the darkness within. The guard handed the basket of swords to the butler at the door and after the guard had left for his post at the gate, and the butler had closed the doors, he led the salesgirl into the house and asked her to wait in the visitor's room. Kushi sat and waited and stared at the paintings, sitting as immobile as she possibly could, though her fingers were fidgeting to go and touch the pictures before her and see what they felt like. The river in the first painting looked so life-like that she wanted to reach out and see if her hands could get wet.

"Miss Gupta?" a gentle voice asked.

Kushi looked up and found Lady Anjali standing at the doorway in an exquisite yellow gown. The girl sprang onto her feet and bowed low, "My lady."

"When the butler showed me the basket and told me a salesgirl had come at the door, I was not expecting to see you," Lady Anjali walked towards her and with a mere touch on her shoulder, showed that she wanted her to stop remaining bowed before her, "But tell me, Miss Gupta, didn't you say your father ran the cocoa mill in the village, then why do you set forth on selling goods?"

Kushi looked up at the woman and didn't know what to say. This lady was so kind and her question so innocent but the answer unsafe that Kushi could not bear to reply lest it hurt the woman. So Kushi just looked away and said, "Well, I needed something to occupy my time since I am presently staying with my aunt at the South village and can't go to the mill."

Lady Anjali noted the way Kushi answered it and realized there was more to the matter than was perceived.

She forced the girl to sit on the armchair next to hers, despite Kushi's protests, before asking, "Is there something wrong?"

Kushi, sitting away from the esteemed woman and occupying the tiniest corner of her armchair, looked up at the lady with a brave smile, "What can be wrong in this happy world, my Lady? All is fine."

"Is it now?" Lady Anjali's eyes prodded her further, "Miss Gupta, I know what my brother has done and I have admonished him for being heartless."

"My lady, please," said Kushi, standing up, getting very uncomfortable, "It is I who am in the wrong." Within, she wondered why she had said that. All the wrongs were because of him.

"I am sorry if I have caused you and your family any hurt," continued Kushi, bowing low, but she was thinking otherwise, he should apologize. That lordy Lord must apologize, not me!!

"Miss Gupta," said Lady Anjali, standing up, "you are doing wrong by apologizing for something that is not your fault. It is I who should say sorry."

At this, Kushi was stricken and she shook her head vigorously, "No my Lady, you have done no mistake and I shall not have you begging forgiveness to me."

"Miss Gupta, I ask forgiveness on behalf of my brother," said the Lady, "You must tell me you forgive me and only then will I leave you from this Castle."

Kushi went red in the face at the thought of having to be stuck here and she quickly said, "I shall readily forgive you, my Lady though it's hard to forgive your brother, but we shall renew our bond of cordiality if you will choose to buy something from my basket."

"Very well then, let's see it," said Lady Anjali, with a smile, and as she sat down in her armchair, the butler stepped forward and revealed the contents in the basket.

"Swords? We have a lot of swords already'" Lady Anjali took one into her hand, "But this is of fine make. Did your uncle make it?"

"No, my aunt, my sister and I made them," said Kushi, picking another sword and describing the features of it for the benefit of a willing purchase.

"I shall take two, then, to decorate the latest painting in my Gallery," said Lady Anjali with a nod and her eyes fell on the basket, "And what are these? Handkerchiefs? Oh but we have enough of them here'.I don't think we need any more."

"But my lady, they are of fine work and there is much heart put into their making," said Kushi, showing some samples.

"Yes, I know what you mean but we are not in need of any, dear Miss Gupta," said Lady Anjali, "But because I cannot buy them, I shall, in exchange, offer you a cup of tea to seal our renewed cordiality."

"My lady, permit me to leave if this is all," said Kushi gathering her basket, "I cannot dine or drink with you. It is not good."

"Will you be dammed to hell if you drink from one of my cups?" asked Lady Anjali, hurt by Kushi's answer.

Kushi shook her head, "No, but-"

"Then there is no matter of good or bad in it," said Lady Anjali, "Someone as sweet as you, if hurt by the deeds of my brother, must be healed by the deeds of me. I shall go and order for the tea myself. In the meantime, you can go upstairs to where the Gallery is. I have put up two new paintings and I would like you to tell me if and how you find them to your taste."

And so she left and Kushi fidgeted with the decision of waiting like a stone statue in the visitor's room or going to the Gallery to explore and see some rich paintings. Finally, she sighed and taking her basket with her, she walked out of the room, discovered the long line of wide stairs leading upstairs, and began climbing it. On reaching the top landing, she didn't know which way to turn for the Gallery. There were many rooms there and she didn't know which of the rooms led to what. A strange fear crept into her mind at the thought that in one of these rooms the lordy Lord concealed himself in the nights.

"Cursed be his room and cursed be his lordliness!" muttered Kushi and she turned around to go when she spotted a door to her right and saw a plaque upon it that said Library.

She smiled, "Does such a place exist? Like what Babuji said? A place filled with books and books alone?"

She didn't know what the force in her mind was, but soon she had taken those few steps and was standing before the door, her hand on the handle. With books on her mind, she opened the door and her eyes were blessed with a glorious sight of what she could never have dreamed of. Books in abundance covered three walls of the entire room, from the ceiling to the floor, filling shelves of massive size and casting a luring look to any lover of the written word. Not thinking cogently, Kushi stepped into her dream world, the handle of her basket clasped loosely in her hand, forgotten, and she walked along the walls, running her free hand along the thick binds of the books and feeling excited shivers running down her spine at the thought of the splendid adventures and lands that were concealed within the pages of each book her fingers could presently only touch.

"Oh what a blessed place," she murmured softly, afraid that she might wake the sleeping books if she said it too loud, "if I had a library to myself, I would never leave the place!"

Her passing hand paused at the bind of one particular book that said, "The Poems of William Blake" on the bind, and something made her stop her fingers from moving past that book.

"I remember Babuji reading to me one of Blake's poems, The Tyger'" thought Kushi, "Would that poem be in this book?"

Kushi placed her basket on the floor, and most reverently slipped the book from its cradle between other huge books and held it in her hand. It was not heavy nor was it too small. She ran her fingers over the hard cover which had golden letterings on it that saidWilliam Blake and she opened the book randomly to a page. She hadn't noticed that there was a window in that library. The maids used to keep it open to let the fresh air in when the Master was not within. Presently, the window stood open and a breeze blew in just then, fluttering the pale curtains concealing the window and flipping the pages of the book being opened. Kushi looked up and her eyes fell on the window. That feeling of something pulling at her heart, calling to her in the wind had returned'.With the open book in the hand, she moved to the window, her hair flaying in the breeze and anyone looking at her from below would have been mesmerized by her appearance. But there was no one there. Kushi smiled as the breeze continued dancing around her letting the frills of her gown bounce and her hair to wave in the wings of the breeze.

But the smile on her face died when her eyes fell upon the rose bush that could be seen from this window. It was still a tall bush and its top was not visible but she knew it was the rose bush. However, she didn't feel hurt seeing it. No memories flashed through her mind. She could only gaze at it and that bewitching longing to touch it, to peer into its depths, came upon her again. That was when the breeze blew at her again and flipped a page, and she remembered the book in her hand. She looked down and closing her eyes, breathed in the smell of the book. The rich, delicate scent of old books'.just like how her Babuji had described it to her. She opened her eyes and their gaze fell upon the title on the page.

Blake's The Sick Rose

It was a short poem of eight lines, and as her eyes ran along the words, it was like she could hear someone read it out to her, someone who was not in the room. Like someone in the wind was reading it to her and there was music. Though she knew it was just a silly hallucination she couldn't help feel something at the thought of it happening.

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

It gave her a terrible feeling after reading it and she frowned, "Stupid poem. I think I liked his Tyger better than this!"

Saying so, she shut the book and the breeze stopped and all eerie feelings in her ceased. She looked up and stood, with a wondering in her look, when a voice at the door exclaimed.

"A thief in the Library!"

Kushi turned around suddenly and looked aghast at the woman standing at the doorway. This was someone she had never seen before. She placed the book on the table and, hastily picking up her basket, went to the door.

"I can explain," said Kushi, "Lady Anjali told me to come and see her Gallery and I didn't know where it was' I found this library-"

The woman was looking at her, with a cocked eyebrow, as if analyzing her expressions against her words to see if she was lying.

Kushi continued more cheerily this time, "I've never been in a library before and I thought-"

"You were sent to the Library by Anjali?"

"No, but-"

"And you thought you could walk into my nephew's library as if it were your own home?"

"I didn't think that way at all, I-"

"Tell me, why did Anjali permit you upstairs in the first place?"

"To see the Gallery-"

"Who are you? The gallery critic?" the lady leaned forward and inspected Kushi's face closely as if to find something on the face that would tell her who this girl was.

Kushi was felling quite uncomfortable with the close inspection but she had to pinch herself to not laugh on seeing how thickly powered and made up this woman's face was. From far, she had thought it was a young woman but now, Kushi could make out the signs of aging. Maybe she was as aged as Buaji, thought Kushi.

The enquiries were not over yet. "What business do you have in this house?"

"I came to sell some goods."

"What goods?"

"Swords and kerchiefs," said Kushi and as a quick afterthought added, "Madam."

"Swords and kerchiefs?" the woman eyed the basket, "they let you in with swords? Do they trust that you won't pull one out and slit our throats in our very house?"

"I would do no such thing, Madam," Kushi was appalled at the thought of merely slitting one's own finger, and least of all another's throat.

"Who knows what villagers like you would do for some easy money?" the woman pointed out to the basket, "Open up! Let's see what you have there."

Kushi flipped the basket open and reveled its contents for the inspector's eyes.

"What is this?" the woman said, picking up a handful of handkerchiefs, "Rags? Who would buy rags?"

"They are not rags, Madam, they are kerchiefs, made-"

"Rags they are!" said the woman and dropped them into the basket, "You take them away with you and leave this place at once!"

"But madam-"

"Mamiji!!" called out Lady Anjali's voice from below, "Are you talking with someone?"

"There's a vagabond in here with swords and rags in her basket," announced the woman into the air.

"She was sent upstairs by me," said Lady Anjali, "I forgot that it was her sister who had seen the Gallery last time, will you be kind enough and show her where it is?"

The woman looked at the girl for some time trying to adapt to the request made by Lady Anjali.

"So there is some truth to what you said," muttered the woman, still eyeing Kushi suspiciously, "very well, but I will not take you there. Just walk down the corridor on the left and you will find it."

And with that piece of direction, the woman left the girl, and climbed down the stairs, casting backward glances of dire suspicion until Kushi could see her no more.

Kushi was still shaken by that crude inspecting she had had and was not paying attention. She had indeed walked along the corridor on the left and come to stand before a door. But she didn't pay attention to see that the word 'gallery' was not written on this door. It was, in fact, the room at the far end. The room into which only Lady Anjali entered and always left with a dejected look.

With her one hand clutched around the handle of her victimized basket, Kushi placed her other hand on the handle of the door and without a moment's hesitation, turned it and the door swung open into the darkness of secrets.

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