Chapter Three

I felt as if I was flying, as if I was loose. I have read that when we go in outer space we tend to float, and in the same manner, I felt as if I was floating, as if all my weight was gone. I wondered if this was journey he was talking about; if it was then I don't want to return.

Suddenly he held me closer, I could feel his breathe on my ears, his hands were around me, we were standing now, he lifted his hands towards my eyes, closed my already close eyes and whispered in my ears softly while removing his hands from my eyes, " Open your eyes slowly princess."

I did as instructed, he was still standing close to me, I looked to the view in front of me, I was amused , it was a palace, just like the ones which I had drawn. He held my hand again, was smiling at me; I look to him still in confusion. As we walked in, the palace seemed even more beautiful, though it had demolished large extent. He took me to even larger room, and asked me to change my clothes. He gave me something which looked like salwar, there were jewellery as well. I wasn't a fan of all these so when he gave me I gave him an is-it-needed look and he smiled and went out. I observed the room, it was huge, very huge, but I wondered where are we, why is this place so empty, what is actually going on, where have I landed. I thought of my home too, they would be worried, though they wouldn't notice my absence, because I was mostly in my room, only when I needed something I came out, but yet I know they would be worried, how will I inform them, what would I tell them of where I was, would they believe my story even if I told them, thinking all these I changed to this new attire. It felt as if something was telling me to do all these; I didn't want to change, but having that powder like thing was making me suffocated.

I went out; he smiled and again held my hands. He took me to the table, were food was ready. I didn't like the food which was kept in the table. He was very happy I could make out from his face. I was hungry but I couldn't really eat those things kept in front. Finally I saw fruits, which made me bit relieved. I ate a bit, curiosity started killing me, I wanted to ask and I felt like I could, I opened my mouth and voice came, for the first time. I was shocked, I couldn't move, I touch my throat in disbelief. I try to make noise again, I could hear my voice. I get up from the table and walk. He came behind me, calling out something, I didn't bother to wait, and he came in front of me and blocked my way.

He broke his silence finally and said, "Don't be shocked, you can speak now."

I looked at him and after few moments I said, "How did this all happen? What's happening?"

He looked at me and said, "You can say thank you first, instead of asking questions. "

I smiled looking all around, I went towards the window, it was beautiful outside, and I had never seen such a lovely sight ever in my life.

He came near me and said, "How do you find it here? "

I looked at him in confusion, and I asked again, "Tell me what is all this about, I wouldn't have shared my secrets had I known a man was hidden in it."

He laughed and said, "Well, now I do know and it's not secret, I actually fell in love with you ages ago. "

Now I felt like he was going too weird, so I asked him, "It's already very weird, don't make it even weirder." He smiled again.

He came towards me and said, "How strange it is, we don't even know each other's name, am Adnan, what about you? "

I was feeling nice as I never got this chance to say my name before anyone, so I said with smile, "I am Maya."

He looked at me in eyes again, I don't really know what this feeling was, and my heart and brain was too confused. Whenever I looked at him in his eyes I felt something, like something is there between us which connected us. I always wondered what the feeling of love be like, was it this which was happening to me, I was not just attracted but also awestruck with his charm. This feeling didn't really come to Jai, whom I claimed to be in love with.

He asked me to sit in big chair which was there near the window, he came with me, he sat next to me, and then I asked him, "Where are we? Which place is this?"

He looked outside the window and told me, "Where do you think it is?"

I just went blank, he said, "This was once paradise on earth, called, well am not sure if you have even heard about it, this existed years ago and we don't belong anymore here. I don't know what the name is now".

I was still confused if I really got my voice, so I said, "Do you mind if I scream?"

He laughed on it and said, "You can do whatever you want to do, there is no one to say anything to you princess." I screamed at the top of my voice, laughed, sang, told my name many times.

Once I got hold of myself I asked him again, "Tell me your story now and how did you become a pen?"

He looked down and said, "It might sound weird for you as its old story but that is truth. Long back we used to practice magic, it was used for both good and bad. I was born prince, this is my palace, used to be, now it is like this, earlier there used to be so many people here, people were different in those times, they were more human than animal, it was really like heaven. I had very less interest in learning what a princes normally learn, I was more into arts, I wanted to learn how to read and write, and tried my best to share it to people. I loved singing and all other forms of art."

He stopped there and said, "Come here, have to show you something."

We went through another hallway towards another room, that room was even bigger, he said, "This used to be my room. I hated wars, one such time when we were on war with another kingdom, as always I had hidden away, I was scared of blood." He was silent, he said after a while, "I ran towards some other place, I wasn't a warrior, my brothers used to make fun of me a lot. I couldn't do anything. Amongst the trees I saw a young lady, I felt like she was dancing. I could only see her eyes, it was too sharp and powerful. She wasn't dancing, she was practising with her sword. In a while she sat down, she slowly removed her shawl from her eyes, which fell from her face, she was very beautiful. She started singing, it was the loveliest voice I had ever heard. "There was silence again, he continued, "I joined her singing but suddenly she stopped singing and left, she was furious but then she turned back and smiled shyly." He stopped speaking; he was looking outside as if he was in search of words.

I was completely lost in the story, I said, "Then what happened?"

He looked at me and just smiled, I said again, "This sounds so much like movie, was this really happened?"

He smiled and said, "I made it like this so it's much easier for you to understand. "

Someone entered the room, and said something in some other language.

He winked at me and said, "Come with me, someone wants to meet you."

I was surprised, who would I know here. I go with him, it seemed just like my sketch, it was fully built of stone. I see an old man and lady in front of me, they smile at me, and I smile back.

The old woman comes to me, and hugs me and says, "Oh my Aisha, you are finally back, it took so much time for you to come back here, now everything will be fine soon. I am so happy today."

I was looking at her confusingly. The old man was kind of furious, he asked me, "Where were you all these time?"

I look at everyone with confused look. I slightly nudge him asking him what is this, he smiles and says, "We will meet you at dinner." They both smile and we leave there place. On the way back, there are so many servants who kept bowing.

I was feeling so strange. I ask again, "What is happening? Who is Aisha? I am not Aisha. Where would I be?"

He turned back and said, "I didn't complete it, there is a reason why you are here, I will tell you, come." I follow him.

We reach his room again, he asks me to sit down.

He says, "So as I was saying. " I wasn't interested to listen to his story though now, as I could see it was snowing. I had never seen snowfall in my life.

I say, "Am sorry to interrupt, but can we please go out, I want to see snowfall."

He smiles and says, "You haven't changed after all these years."

I say "Stop it dude, come lets go." He takes me outside. It is not a crowded place. Once I reached outside, I started playing in the snowfall. It felt nice. It was just snowing mildly, slightly cold.

Someone came in between, another old woman, she came and said, "Aisha darling, it's so good to see you, how are you now? Save us, our queen." I looked at her in confusion, I say, "I think we should leave, am getting scared."

He said something to her and to me he said, "Are you sure?" I nod, we come back to the same room. I say, "Please help me, am really scared. "

I want to go home." He said, "This is your home. Don't be scared, I will let you go once you free Aisha."

I was like what the hell is this now, I say, "Stop it Okay, enough of jokes. How will I free Aisha?" He says, "You will come to know."

I say, "Okay, now tell me what happened after that?"

He looked outside, and continued. "We met the next day also, I didn't have courage to go a speak to her. I just looked at her, she came and spoke to me, and she knew I was a prince. She asked me why was I not at the war, she said if she was a man she would be there. I told her I have no interest in the war, I want to teach people how to read and write, like I know. As the days passed by, we became good friends, she was an art lover like me, and she used to draw sketches on the sand. The whole time when there was a war, morning and night, we were together. Slowly, our friendship turned to love. But by then, war had got over. We had to leave battlefield. So, preparations were going on, I met my future wife, those days things were lot more weird than it is now, she was a normal woman, her dreams were limited, and I didn't feel anything towards her, she was beautiful, very beautiful, actually, but I had no interest in her beauty. I made time to go back to forest in the midst of these preparations. Marriages were much more grand affairs before, especially if you are prince. I broke the news of marriage to her, she was sad, but didn't show anything, that's one thing I never understood about women, you are all so unique; I left that day with heavy heart. Somehow in the end things worked in my favour. I got married to my love. But sometimes past can fall heavy. I was a womanizer. I was driven by lust and hence I had favourite, her name was Sana. If I hadn't met her, I gave my word to her that I would marry her."

I don't why but then I interrupted, I said, " You lived happily ever after and decades later your son or daughter fell in love with that persons son or daughter and you guys met after long time and all that?"

He looked at me furiously and said, "Why are you so impatient? Why don't you like love? Normally the people who like reading have so many fantasies about love."

I laughed and said, "Yeah, its fantasies not reality, there is a whole lot of difference, and it's nice to read about it in books, not in reality."

He came bit closer to me and said, "That is because you have never been in love, then you would understand how beautiful it is."

I got bit furious on that, how could he say that, I said, and "Who told you that? I am in love with Jai."

He laughs and says, "Seriously, you only found that guy? "

I say, "You don't know him, why are you saying this."

He says, "I know him too, you also know him, you just don't remember what happened. He is not a good person. He doesn't love you he is just using you."

I was angry again, I said, "How will you know that? "

He said, "You will come to know."

I didn't reply to this statement, well, to be honest, he was right, I wasn't in love with Jai, I was too desperate to be in love and experience it that I had said yes to him, but I was sort of attracted to this person in front of me , who in a way happens to be a ghost.

He said, continuing the story, "That's not what happened, I was hardly interested in my marriage or anything related to that, I never wanted to have a family. I just wanted to taste all flavours of lust. Every women is different and so is there way of making love. I knew I had to change, I was ready to change as well but somewhere my devil was still alive. I was more attracted to Sana than to my love. I had to stop it. I saw her on the forest one day when I went for hunting. I went towards her and made love to her, for the very first time I touched her. Even though I had made love to many women, this seemed different. I felt like now I was making love to a woman. Every part of her was unique. We made love and it felt as if everything had become complete now." He had tears in his eyes as he said so, the way his voice went was something adorable, he is perfect gentleman, maybe because he is a prince, for a moment I wished I lived in such time, but then whatever time it was its always bad for a woman.

I said seeing his silence, "What happened after that? " He looked at me with his teary eyes. We hear a knock again in the door. Someone tells that someone had come to meet me. I don't want to go out because I don't know what to say as it am not me.

I ask, "What am I supposed to do now, who has come to meet me?" He says, "Don't worry princess, am there with you, nothing can happen, just do as I say."

I nod. We leave to another place, it is huge corridor and then there is this we can say an auditorium. There were people so many of them, all looked like the ones in old times. I was feeling so heavy. Everyone was bowing down as I was walking. The strange thing is it was all like the sketches I had drawn. Every single thing was same, it made me scared. In the end there was this seat which I had seen in pictures and normally in movies which depicted history, a huge chair, or the crown seat. It was too huge, we were led there. Suddenly someone came and pulled something, it was like a partition, or a curtain not sure but suddenly we were like in a separate room. An old lady came from inside, she came towards with teary eyes. I was looking at all in confusion.

She said, "My child, what have you become now, come here with me."

I said, "Where? What has happened to me?"

She nodded sadly and said, "I knew you will ask, there is only death of bodies not of souls. You always were like this, you had so many questions to ask and you wouldn't leave if you didn't get an answer. Good old times. Come with me."

I went with her, it looked very strange. She asked me to sit and close my eyes. She applied something when I closed my eyes. I could sense that some gel sort thing was applied to my forehead. She asked me to open my eyes, and I could feel changes happening in me, I was hearing noises all over like someone screaming for help. People laughing, calling out names. It all seemed weird for me to understand. I could see a womanly figure but I wasn't sure who it was. I could see him far and saying something unrelated.

I hated those gaps when he was telling the story, I wanted to know what happened but he was taking so much time. He looked at me and held my hands to another big room. He said, "This is where she used to be, her favourite place."

He came closer to me, holding me from back. I felt weird because I never experienced this kind of touch from anyone. His breathes were on my ears, making me shiver. I was just standing there not knowing what to do.

He said, "I don't know how much you will believe or how much I can convey it to you, it's an age old story and bit complicated. There are magicians involved, I have no idea for what, even now I don't know and I don't want to know either."

A drop of tear fell as he said this. I was out of words, for I didn't want to be Aisha, no way.

I looked at him and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

He looked at me and smiled, "Let me release my pain princess, the story is not yet over. "

I said, "Okay, go on, complete the story."

He said, "One day as I was in my room, suddenly I was being taken away to some other place. It was filled with so many women, I got lost in between them. Sana came in and she gave me something to drink. I don't know what happened after that. I had become so lusty, all I could see was having pleasure. I was just enjoying everything. I even became violent which made me kill one of the women. She was very beautiful. Sana was aware of my marriage. She didn't want it to happen. She made me promise her again that I will only marry her, till then she wouldn't release me. I didn't agree. She would come and ask me something or she would make me do something with someone. My family got the news that there mad son is being taken as captive in brothel. They knew it was some black magic which she had cast on me. They summoned magician in the palace. The only thing bothering me was Aisha, I was sure it was something related to her which made all these. I was released from chains, when this was going on, my Aisha was already dead by then. The magician who was brought by my family had won but then timing was a problem, the precious magic trick had already started working, and now what can be done is to reverse it and to make it less , so they told me that when I come into right hands, I will get my ability to speak and I could be released, and for that I had to bring that person to the palace, which may or may not exist, to the same place and to live with that person for seven days as king and queen, or in simple words we should meet and live seven days in peace then our curse will end and we shall be united forever."

The way he narrated his story made me even have tears in my eyes, but I still had questions so I asked him, "What if a guy used the pen or what if the ink just spilled out of it?"

He said to this, " Before you, I was passed on to many people, everyone kept me in nice shelves, as some treasure, no one even opened , you are the only one held it in your hands, and you are good with words."

I looked at him and said, "So are you trying to say that am Aisha?"

He smiled shyly and said, "No princess, you are not Aisha, but yes my Aisha lives in you."

I didn't understand that and asked him again, "Is there anything I can do to help you?" He looked here and there and said, "You know you are my wife."

I just looked at him with what-the-fuck expression and he smiled again and said, " Don't look like that, I know it's all huge confusion for you, but you have the body of my wife and soul of Aisha, Sana never forgave me, I don't blame her. But I can never accept her as my wife. Aisha will leave me if I accepted Sana. I don't want to lose Aisha at any cost. Both of them loved me and there love caused all this. If only I was a nice person. But I guess, it took too much time for me to be human. "

I understood where the story was going to, and his description of love made me feel like being in love, but I know it is not possible. I asked him again, "How is that possible? I don't want to make out with a ghost. "

He laughed on this and said, "No princess you are getting it wrong, there is just one thing which has to be done, come with me." He took my hands and I have no idea where we were going, we walked between huge trees, it was so beautiful.