chapter 6 The Unexpected Guide😳
395 Words
Abhay notices Anaya as she walks inside the fort. For a moment, he freezes—his eyes stay on her as if time has stopped. She looks up at him with soft eyes, and Abhay’s heart whispers, “Such a lovely guide.”
Anaya smiles gently and says she will guide him for the whole day. Abhay listens quietly, nodding, though inside he already feels drawn to her. After all, how could he not? Anyone would like a girl like Anaya at first sight.
As they start the tour, Anaya asks him what he would like to see first—Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, or City Palace. Abhay simply tells her, “Wherever you take me with a smile, I’ll follow.”
She decides on Hawa Mahal and leads the way. The weather that day is beautiful—the sunlight is warm and fresh, and Anaya’s sweet smile shines even brighter in it. Abhay feels naturally attracted to her, but then suddenly something strange happens. He feels a weird pull inside him, like her presence is connected to a part of his past. Something familiar… something known. But since this is the first time he has ever seen her, he shakes the feeling away and ignores it.
As they reach Hawa Mahal, Anaya begins explaining everything with excitement. She tells him how the palace was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, how it has 953 small windows, and how each of the five floors—Sharad Mandir, Ratan Mandir, Vichitra Mandir, Prakash Mandir, and Hawa Mandir—has its own special charm. Abhay listens, but more than her words, he watches her expressions, the sparkle in her eyes, and the innocence on her face.
But he suddenly freezes again.
His eyes stop at a painting inside the mahal—a scene showing a queen looking through the tiny windows at the world outside while keeping herself hidden. Something about the expression in that painting hits him hard. It feels like a memory he can’t understand.
Anaya continues explaining, but Abhay seems lost in a different world. She waves her hand and softly touches his arm to bring him back. “Sir… are you okay?” she asks.
Abhay blinks, looks at her, and finally nods. “Yes… I’m fine.”
But deep inside, he knows something is happening—something he cannot explain.
- Writer
