A TALE FROM THE PAGES OF PAST

PAST REVEALED

BHUMI SATYADEV

I woke up to find utter darkness surroundings me. I blinked my eyes trying to clear my vision. "Bhumi are you okay." I heard Amrita call me out. The three year older princess looked at me through worry. "I...am fine .." I said the words barely escaping my throat. It felt as if my entire body is burning with fire and then all the events which took place came back in my mind. The unwonton tears threatened to leak out my eyes. Chandrika squeezed my hands which made me frown. Why are they acting with such a sympathy. It highly unlikely they know what happened tonight. Before I can ask anything the vision in front of us cleared.

The scene infront of us cleared. It appeared to be a war tent. Maps and maps were spreaded all over the tables and couches along with war figurines. Three figures were discussing something. One of the had coffee brown eye and other lady had black one. "We lost another four thousand men and three thousand women today along with a seventy cities." The person with dark blonde hair replied his eyes glossy. "And " The another man asked not moving his eyes from the map. "We lost Shaurya and Charlie as well." He said as a tear dropped from the lady's eyes on the map lightly smuging the inked markings. "The terror is increasing. This wave is so big for us to fight." A girl said entering the tent. She hardly looked seventeen.

"You shouldn't be moving around sister." The lady said as she supported her to sit on one of the many couches. "You will give me a coronary one day." The first lady mumbled as she wrapped the younger one in a shawl only then I noticed her swollen stomach. She looked almost nine months pregnant. "Didn't doctor asked you not to roam outside." She asked keeping her hand on her cheek. "I can't see our people die Didi." The younger one said crying profusely. The older one hugged her trying to calm her down.

The scene changed again but this time instead of a war tent we were infront of a huge ground with huge fires burning. Only when the my vision cleared I noticed what were supposed to be fires were actually huge ground was actually cremation grounds with dead bodies burning. "The soilders are losing their morals Maharaj we can't keep going on." One of the older man with greying hair said to a younger man dressed in white cloths. He stood infront of a huge pyre watching it burn infront of his own black eyes. I can faintly see the face of a tiger peering from his half covered back. "We are no longer fighting for our honor Maha Mantri we are fighting for our survival.

You think I love to watch my entire family burn in embers of flames. The person who's body is burning here use to be my brother whom I looked after my entire life. We had got a solution to end this war for once and ever after. Remove all the people and head towards south establish a new kingdom near the forgotten dessert." The old man looked at him in astonishment. "Make your son the King. This will mark him." The king said handing him a royal blue colour jade piece which had some strange markings on it. "Leave by midnight." He ordered as he went back to the settlement. Only then I got the clear glimpse of his back. The tiger's face appeared to be snarling at me.

The scene changed again but this time we were in the same same room the shadow shown me. The only difference was it was neat and clean and the tapestry are new as well. Six figures are in the room. Two men are pacing the room while three women and the western man were sitting calmly. They were the same one I saw in the potrait. "Is this necessary." Our heads moved at the source of voice yesterday's lady stepped down from the steps. Her features are sharp and height of above six feets. Her black eyes look bottomless. Her aura screamed coldness and authority like others in the room. Another man entered with same expression. He was the same one who handed out the blue jade. None of them were happy.

"How many of out kins we buried yesterday Alekhya ?" Another man who was pacing earlier asked. The woman who was Alekhya quiten and the man behind her gave her hand a squeeze. All of their expression ridden with sorrow and sadness. One of the lady with most unique golden and green eyes with most beautiful face wiped the tear from corner of her eyes. "This is necessary. Till we are alive they will hunt our people." She said her voice like a flute. One of the man hugged her his eyes glistening with tears. "But is this worth it." One of the man who was pacing before asked his eyes were of strange mixture of red and black. "This is not the end just beginning. We will meet again."

The lady who came to the war tent said her eyes which were yesterday black now changed into deep violet with slight pink glint in them. She looked weak and frail. Her yesterday's bump was nearly gone. Her eyes looked hollow dispite the smile on her face. The man looked at her with love. "Did I ever told you I love you ?" He asked with voice filled with love. She smiled at him. "Everyday." She said as she handed each of them a bottle of clear liquid. "Is the artefact safe ?" The man with brown eyes asked his hand tightly clasped in the hands of the green eyed lady. "All the eight passes are hidden in plane sight. I made sure that we were lost in the pages of history." The black eyed man said as his kissed the forehead of lady beside him.

Her hair partition which was devoid of anything yesterday was now decorated with red vermillion. "And oh congrats on your marriage." A red eyed man said. Their eyes were loaded with sadness. "We will meet again." A lady who was quite till now said drinking the liquid in one gulp. A silence spread throughout the stone room. Only then we noticed the same potrait we saw was lying behind them. I looked at them in horror as each of them began to cough up blood. It was almost black in colour. Their eyes rapidly changed its colours. They didn't looked quite human as one by one they began to fall down probably dead. "Good bye till next time Bhumi Maa." The youngest girl said looking straight in my eyes with a apologetic smile.

When all of them are fallen down few people entered the place and collected their bodies and locked the chambers. The scene changed again but this time we were in a darkened cavaran. Few men where digging earth. Their shovels banged on some kind of metal which made them stop and dig the earth by their hand. The worker took out a piece of gold coin. His eyes brimming with greediness. The worker behind him banged the first worker's head on stone killing him and took the coin for himself. He ran out towards the light as the entire roof of caravan collapsed on him catching him in its grasp. The scene changed and this time a huge fight was broke out infront of the same caves.

Five factions were fighting against each other like monsters. Soilders fallen on the ground with open bleeding wounds. The ground matted with their blood. People of one of the factions which looked like Arabs were sucessful in removing the debris and move inside. The walls began to shake. As they were going outside one of the Arab took a sword and two twin daggers from the mountains of weapons. They were strangely in black colour. But before they can retreat out of the valley huge turmoils of waters swept them away along with all the remains of war. Next the scenes changed so rapidly that I was not even able to catch everything properly.

What I saw were eight pieces of jades. A royal blue on passed down to a king. A brown one locked in a treasure box locked with Arvindam mechanism. A red one hidden behind the potrait. A green one with a clan in forest region decorated with teak trees. A sky blue one with a band of masked people. A green one with pirates. A jade of black colour in a royal treasure. Next we saw a palace totally made up of black granite or marble. Each and every fiber of it was black. It appeared as if it absorbed each and every ounce of light around it. The palace peeled infront of us. A figure sat in a large and distinct throne in a court of black colour petting a crow. The same one I saw again and again from my room.

A girl maybe younger than twelve years sitting in a circle with candles and dead bodies surroundings her like flies. Her eyes were crimson tinted. The scene changed again this time the man was leading armies and armies of shadow like soilders somewhere to fight. Masscaring thousands and thousands of innocents. I saw capitals and cities abandoned by its habitates. The small girl before was now all grown up and in queen's robe as she wiped a young girl to her death. It was the same girl who I saw as the black eyed lady in first place. The brown eyed man was executed in the square of a capital. The other man with red tinted eyes was leading the same armies of black shadows as they wiped out the population. And finally a statue hidden among loads and loads of treasury.

My mind was reeling with all the information I saw. "Bhumi.. Bhumi..." I heard someone call my name rapidly trying to sake me awake. But my emotions were in turmoil. I felt as the heat in my body intensify. Each and every forgein touch felt like a hot iron rod piercing my skin. I cried out in sheer agony as I lost my battle with darkness.