Part 4 of 7
Nidhi woke up feeling better than she did when she went to bed. She was able to move around by herself and got up so she could wash and dress for the day. She was going to miss Arii but life had to go on. When Nidhi came out of her bathroom Arii was sitting on the chair by the small round table.
On the table was a tray with plates covered with shiny domed lids. Nidhi could smell the food that was hidden and she realized she was starving. “Morning Arii.”
“Good morning Nidhi, how do you feel today?” Arii looked sad and Nidhi was scared that she was the reason. Arii motioned for Nidhi to sit and eat her breakfast.
“I am my old self again. I good night sleep can do wonders. What is the matter Arii, you look sad?” Nidhi opened the first lid and started eating. The food was so good.
“Nidhi we need to talk about yesterday. I am really disappointed. What were you thinking when you left the village and the protection it gives? You could have been seriously hurt or worse. I want you to tell me what happened and don’t leave anything out.”
Nidhi knew she couldn’t tell Arii everything. She took a bite and chewed it longer than was necessary. When she has swallowed Nidhi took a sip of the tea that came with the food. “I don’t remember much after I dove from the top of the waterfall into the river, what did the young man say about everything?” Nidhi needed to know what he had told them so she could fall in with his story.
“He didn’t say much. He ... Did you just say you dove from the top of the waterfall into the river?” Arii looked furious. “You jumped from the waterfall into the river, that is like more than a hundred feet and do you know how far the waterfall is from here? How did you manage to get that far by foot?”
“What did he tell you?” Nidhi asked a little more forced.
“He said that he had found you by the river bank about an hour from here. You looked like you had been swimming in your clothes but you were already dry. He thought that you might have been from here so he brought you home. He didn’t say anything else.” Arii sat there looking like she was too tired for anything.
“I am so sorry Arii. I didn’t mean to disappear. I had woken up early and decided to go for a walk. It felt good to sleep in a comfortable bed and I felt rested. I didn’t mean to walk so far in and when I realized that I was too far into the woods, I didn’t know the way back. I cried and the next moment I felt this breath in my neck and this creature was standing behind me.”
“I got away from it as fast as I could and the next moment I was on top of the waterfall. I knew that I had run for about twenty to thirty minutes or that was what it felt like. When I reached the waterfall I looked up and saw that the sun said it was noon. I heard the creature coming closer and I knew that the only way was down so I jumped and prayed to the gods that the water was deep enough and that the beast won’t follow.”
“I don’t remember swimming to the river bank or that I even got out of the water. The last thing I remember was the cold water and the darkness that swallowed me. The next thing I knew was that I was being carried by that man.” Nidhi looked up at Arii with tears in her eyes. “I really am sorry Arii. Please say that you will forgive me?”
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An Indian Princess - A Modern Day Fairytale (Completed)
FantasyHave you ever felt like everything you did was wrong and no matter how hard you worked, it was never good enough? Have you ever felt like no one loved you and wondered if you were adopted or something? That was how Nidhi felt every day since she...
