Chaitanya put off the light in the hall of the cottage, eager to hear this person out.
“I told you – you are me and I am you. It is true. We both are one and the same person, but, in different bodies, in different circumstances. My name also is Chaitanya, just like yours. I don’t know what you do for a living, but, I am a scientist and out to prove something that nobody believes or something that cannot be proven – in your as well as in my world.”
“I saw a brilliant light when I was near the Chandra Taal – did you have any hand that created the light?”
“Oh! My God… you were at Chandra Taal? If only I would have met you over there… it would have saved me some time and effort to reach here. We could have travelled along with you and lost those soldiers trying to kill me…”
“I only know that your name is Chaitanya, you like exactly like me, though your clothes are odd. You have the same voice as mine and you are a scientist. I don’t know anything else about you nor do I know why the soldiers are trying to kill you…”
He was about to start talking when they heard a sound of anklets of a running woman and he suddenly got up and ran to the door and peeped through it… he opened the door and blew a short whistle and the sound of anklets came running toward the door. He quickly pulled a feminine figure inside and shut the door…
“Shih… don’t make a sound. How many people are following us?”
“I don’t know but I am sure the elite team of 12 soldiers and the Prince they are following us at close range. I have seen them about a mile away from this place…”
“Oh! No… this means that I couldn’t stop you or them from following me here into this realm…” the person sighed and looked at Chaitanya, “we will have to put low here for tonight and tomorrow think how possible I could revert what has happened.”
“I still don’t understand what’s going on…” Chaitanya said in a confused tone.
“Ok… let’s settle down in this dark and I will tell you everything.” He groped around for a chair and found one. The feminine figure also groped around and found another chair.
“Tell me about it tomorrow morning, I am sleepy. Let the lady sleep in the bedroom. We will spread out here in the main hall.”
“Ok… Vishakha, go to the bedroom. Do not put on any light or make any noise. We don’t want to alert the soldiers…”
“Where is the bedroom?”
“It’s over there… you see the opening faintly along the wall – that’s the bedroom.”
“Now – who is this lady?”
“She is Princess Vishakha…” came the answer which bewildered Chaitanya.
She left for the bedroom groping around the wall while Chaitanya and his guest who looked like him spread over the thick carpet of the hall. They slept like logs and woke up to the chirping of the birds. They had to wait because Vishakha had locked the room from inside and was freshening up… then they took turns to freshen up. Chaitanya ordered for heavy breakfast as they refused to get out of the cottage and asked Chaitanya to stay indoors as well fearing the soldiers who were on lookout for them…
After breakfast, it was the first time that Chaitanya had time and scope of looking at Vishakha. She was stunningly beautiful. She had attractive long and thick gloss of hair which rolled over her back right down to bottom, touching the seat of the chair she sat on…
“Could please stand up and turn around in circle – if you don’t mind?” he asked Vishakha who stood up looking at him look at her.
She wore a queenly dhoti which Chaitanya had seen in illustrations of ancient kingdoms which was a bit off white golden in colour. The pleats of the dhoti were embroidered with golden laces. She wore a kanchuki to cover her breasts and a piece of cloth like an Odhani covered whatever the cleavage could be seen… The garment of her dress looked costly, made of pure silk. Her face was too attractive and absolutely beautiful. She wore diamond studded earrings (basically Jhoomers) which also looked ancient with works that looked like they were at least 5000 years old. The 3 chains around her neck also looked ancient made of solid gold studded with high value diamonds and other precious stones. The Bangles and Bracelets also were high value diamonds studded in solid gold. She wore Bajubandhs beautifully carved and adored her biceps, again made of solid gold and studded heavily with colourful precious stones. She was adorned with a Maang-Teeka which also was made of gold and studded with diamonds. She wore a Mekhala which looked equally rich over which she wore a heavy Kamarbandh with exquisite carved work in gold. She wore heavy Payals made of silver which made an attractive sweet tinkling sound whenever she moved her feet. All in all she looked like a princess or a queen straight out of mythology.
“Her dress looks a bit odd – I believe the type of dress you are wearing was in fashion at least 5000 years ago…” Chaitanya remarked.
“I told you she is a Princess. She is the Princess of Satisar kingdom.” The person with Chaitanya’s face reminded.
“Chaitanya, I think soldiers are coming this way – I can feel it…” she said tensely.
“Oh! My God! What are we supposed to do? If they find us – they will kill me and you will be stuck with Prince Chaitanya…” the guy with Chaitanya’s face and features said almost panicking.
“Can someone explain – what’s going on…? I am totally confused now…” Chaitanya let out a huge breath of desperation, “Now who is Prince Chaitanya?”
“He also is you and me… the Prince of Amravati and the guy supposedly should be marrying Princess Vishakha… he is mad with rage because she eloped with me…” the guy with Chaitanya’s face explained.
“Does he look like me and you?”
“Yes, He looks exactly like you and me…”
“Now this is getting out of hand… I am totally confused. I understand that there could be about six people with almost same faces on this Earth… but exact matches? And that too seemingly from different time zones?”
“Keep quiet you two… they are almost here…” she almost screamed in fear peeping out from behind the curtain.
“Shh… shh… please be quiet or we both will be killed.” The guy with Chaitanya’s face implored even as heavy footsteps sounded as if approaching the cottage…
Chaitanya didn’t know how to make head or tail of what was going on but decided to keep quiet looking at the panic on the faces of those two…
The heavy footsteps grew louder and stopped outside the cottage even as the so called Princess and his twin lookalike held their breaths… Chaitanya peeped out of the keyhole to check who those were… he took a step behind… those actually looked like soldiers of some ancient kingdom and were almost 7 feet tall, broad and with heavily built bodies… they seemed dangerous. Then his jaw was agape…
He saw someone else who looked exactly like him – same face, almost same frame but a strong build and in clothes that seemed straight out of Ramayan and Mahabharat TV serials… he was about to say something but both his uninvited guests put their fingers to their lips signalling him not to utter anything…
He remained quiet even as the so called Prince Chaitanya barked orders to his soldiers who seemed to be a dozen in numbers. One of them approached and knocked on the door of the cottage. All the three of them held their breath… he knocked again… then again… finally gave up thinking there was nobody inside the cottage.
There was a scream of a lady from the next cottage as she opened the door to face this giant of a soldier. That soldier gave her a cold stare and retreated for she was not the Princess he was searching…
The Prince then along with his soldiers left the premises of the resort and started back toward the green valley in a hope to find the Princess… he realized that the fear in the two uninvited guests was right in their fear… the soldiers were truly scary.
He moved away from the door and peeped out from behind the closed curtain and watched them go out of the resort premises and further toward the valley, away from them…
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