5 The dream

Is this life or is this death that we await every day,

As sun goes down leaving the hope of life,

along with that, night of haunting stars

Ray stirred and Shivani snapped her eyes open to see what caused it.

"How are you feeling?" Shivani asked even though she knew how exactly he might be feeling then.

"Achy, hopeless." Ray said trying and failing to humour up the words.

Darkness was consuming the sun illuminated spaces around them as that face of earth turned away from big ball of heat. The goons had left after smoking and chit chatting that neither of them bothered to listen.

"Do you think we can drive this truck back to city?"

Shivani was confused about her plan of escape at that moment but the desperation to get out of the clutches of those ruthless people overtook the fear of being caught again.

"We should try." Shivani pushed when Ray didn't respond.

"Good idea but I can hardly move so tell me you can drive." Ray said stirring a bit and wincing at the slightest movement.

"I..no I have never driven a more than two wheeled vehicle but I have seen Dandi drive a lot so I know a little about them, break, accelerate, turn left or right using steering wheel and you can guide me more one the way." Shivani said making it sound easiest job in the entire universe but but both of them knew it was a big risk.

"Definitely, can't be difficult than taking the beating from these guys." Ray said under his breath as Shivani helped him on his toes and moved towards the passenger door of the truck.

They barely made it half way through when footsteps from the other side of the wall were heard approaching them.

They were coming closer, any moment now the goons will see them trying to elope.

"Back back." Ray said and both of them backed off to their original spot and Ray sat down in the blood stained floor while Shivani stood there looking for approaching footsteps to appear with their owners.

(On way back from police station Zoya was narrating the whole incident the way it happened to Dadi and Diya.)

"This is where we stopped Dadi and Shivani got down to look for Dandi." Zoya was telling Diya and Dadi about what happened that unfortunate night.

"Police is tracing the tyres but they seem to mix up with other marks after a few metres." Diya said looking closely at the road.

"I need to follow these. I'm sure we'll find something. " Dadi said surprising everyone.

"Dadi it's dark we can't follow the marks even if we want to." Dandi tried to explain.

"Yes Dadi this is not the time and police is working." Diya said.

"I think we should come back tomorrow, maybe we can help some way." Zoya suggested and Dadi's stubborn look turned understanding.

"Okay we'll come back tomorrow, I can't stay in the village when my granddaughter is out there in God knows what condition."

They all left for home but now feeling less helpless than before since Dadi decided to look for Shivani herself.

(In Village Ratri)

Shivani and Ray were almost dragged by the same men out of the garage like area.

Sky was dark with the beautiful blanket of stars and moon.

" I'd be glad to come to this place in any other circumstances." Shivani whispered but didn't bother to keep it out of earshot of the goons.

"Who won't," Ray whispered back.

Despite hearing them, the kidnappers, for some reason decided to ignore their failed attempt to escape.

After walking through the dry mud, among temporary shades of wood and bushes for a while they all stopped in front of large iron double doors. Surprise was not anywhere near to what they were feeling at the moment.

It was as if they've be sent past in time, into the era of emperors and conquerors and this was the door to their worst nightmare, just more real.

"Seriously? Will you at least tell us what this place is?" Shivani, desperate for answer, asked.

"You'll know. Now be quiet." One of them said.

"Bu-" "It's okay. Let it go." Ray interrupted before she could utter another word.

Shivani was disappointed at Ray's incurious attitude and made no attempt to hide it.

The doors were pushed opened the opposite sides by a man and a woman from either sides, clanging of the chains and maximum effort from both the humans got doors less than a meter apart.

All of them entered while the man and woman on the door stood there with happiest expressions on their faces.

"Welcome to the land nourished by Queen Martha. We cherish the mother sorceress for she provides our soul with the reason to survive and thrive." Both the door guard said in unison, their voice giving chills to the confused guests.

All of them moved forward leaving the door keepers behind with their ecstatic thoughts.

The world inside was nothing like either of them had expected. Clear sky and lots and lots of tree trunks on either sides of the rock path, just trunks with no leaves or a single branch as if they all have been shaved clean.

After walking for over 30 minutes they came across a bunch of people no different than them, sculpting the sculpture of a woman along with many others working on rocks, just like normal sculptures, nothing weird. A little farther was a small garden, then some shops, people walking by, buying stuff.

This was just a normal place, why haven't they heard about Ratri before. Nothing looked out of place here except the giant door they came through.

Walking along those five men through a very familiar scene was now seeming like an eternity, it was like being caught in a loop.

With head circling a pole like Mari go round, scene before the eyes blurred into cold blue nothingness as body collapsed under the pressure of infinitely looped reality.

"What did I see in the garage? Those flashes. Was that you?"

"No little human, that was just an old companion of mine, Takshak the Cambion. Have incredible talent to change appearance. Impressive right?"

"What you want from us?"

"Enough questions, now go back to sleep. You need energy to convince your friends what you saw here, the other side."

"But I didn't see anything, I can't even see you, it's so bright here. Can't you let u-"

Shivani snapped her eyes open, with ragged breathing she could listen to her heart beating like hooves thudding through the aorta.

"Where did she go?" Shivani snapped.

"Where did who go?" Ray asked, shifting closer.

"What are you doing here?"

"What you mean? They bought us here together." Ray was as confused as Shivani but both for totally different reasons.

"But you were not there."

"You are confusing me now. You fainted before we arrived here. You know this town is secret because people here doesn't want to corrupt it with outside influence. I still have no idea about that Queen Martha but I'm more hopeful then before and sure that we can get out of here." Ray said resisting the urge to jump up and down like an excited kid.

"Where are we?" Shivani was now more confused than before.

"Some house among many others. We should go out and try to talk with natives, might find a way out."

"How easy do you think this is?"

"Easy? What? Are trying to puzzle me with your questions?"

"I'm sorry, doesn't feel like myself but something is really weird here. I saw something when we were in that garage, I saw something right now, before I woke up and it was so real. This woman was so dulcet still so eery"

"Must be nightmares, you are exhausted, we both are."

"These are not nightmares, these are flashes, flashes of what we can't reach but it's right beside us waiting to be discovered, like this place."

"I..what... okay just....I'm going treat myself with that first aid kit they left me and then talk to people around. You can rest for now."

"I can help with first aid."

"No it's okay. I'll do it and please do rest, we'll talk later."

"Sure."

Shivani spent hours in the same spot Ray left her after bandaging himself, trying to distinct what she was looking at as reality from what she saw in those flashes and dream. However hard she tried to believe what was in front of her, she knew this was all just a facade.