WARLOCK'S INTERNS

Chapter 13: The Prediction

Atma and Bakula walked towards the west of Swarnapuri. Indeed, they thought, they had given enough time for Vasundari to reach since she would be very slow. Both had been to the forest many times, it was easier for them. Climbing the rocks and walking in the knee deep water was an easy task for them. Champaka was the one who always referred them to the monkeys. She knew most of their so called secret adventures. But she knew better to keep it for herself too.

“I hope she has reached his hut safely.” Atma broke the silence at once.

“Me too, Atma mind you, we should go back before father comes home for mid day meal.” Bakula was worried about his father, least he should not find it out.

“Yes. I - I sense something strange, I just felt like I heard a sound.” Atma stopped suddenly and closed his eyes and began to concentrate hard to activate his inner mind.

“Sound? What kind of sound?” Bakula was alert at once.

“Like - like someone screaming inside a well.” Atma opened his eyes slowly. He did saw a blurred image of someone falling into a well. Atma himself wondered many times how he could do so, but all the same, it was quiet easy for him. He could hear sound and voices of distant, and at rare times, see images too, whenever he opened his inner mind. On the other hand Bakula could never do that, he had tried many times, but was not successful. Atma also had tried to teach him how to open the inner mind. It was like closing all the external senses at once and being in a state of nowhereness.

“I think, you are really creative.” Bakula began to tease Atma; he knew sometimes Atma could be extremely weird. 

“Baku, I am serious, I did hear and saw something.” Atma looked at him intently.

“Oh! Sometimes, you really act weird! Let us hurry up.” Bakula managed to say hiding his fear. He just hoped that Vasundari has safely reached. 

**

Mahapitha, the Warlock of the West walked towards his hut with Vasundari. Vasundari thought it was rather a small hut. She had expected many things; she was disappointed at its outer looks. Perhaps, Mahapitha could just be an old man, nothing but a wise old man. She thought bitterly, sometimes people just exaggerate too much.

Vasundari was wrong, she felt it the instant the moment she entered the hut. For there seem to be a sudden change in the environment. She looked with astonishing eyes into the interior of the hut. It was BIG! Too big indeed, but she didn’t know how? She looked at the long and colorful walls filled with many amazing pictures of stars and other planets.

Vasundari wondered, was this a magic? How come the hut looked so small from outside and very much bigger from inside? She observed many instruments which she could not understand. There were four long walls each filled with colorful pictures. There was also many earthen pot filled with some liquid. One Particular wall facing west caught her attention. There were pictures of bright stars which seemed to move!

“Amazing! How come your hut looked so small from outside? and - and when we walked in, it looks so big.” Vasundari could not contain her curiosity anymore.

“Ha ha my little thing, every object looks small from outward. Only when you enter deep into its core, you will realize how big it is.” Mahapitha smiled at her gently.

“My god! that - that is something strange!” She pointed her hands to the wall on the west side.

“Don’t worry my little thing, you are safe here, be seated here.” Mahapitha took her hand and motioned her to sit on a small couch and sat besides her looking at her amusingly. He liked this little girl; she seemed to have an enormous interest and curiosity.

“You - You are really a Warlock; I love to learn all about this.” Vasundari was spellbound.

Mahapitha walked over what looked like a wooden table and took an apple from the bowl and handed one over to Vasundari and said in a very soothing voice.

“You shall, let them come too.”

**

Rukma continued to fall down, there seemed to be no ending at all for her falling. She could not see anything at all, there was only darkness all around her and she was being engulfed by them. She thought of her sweet dreams, she thought of the lovely Prince and Kings of her dreams. It was really sad that she was ending her life this way. She began to feel the hot tears forming in her eyes. She was too surprised with her elder sister, how can she do so to her? Is she falling with her too? She had many questions in her mind.

“Aha! Gorma, I am falling forever.” She screamed again in utter despair.

“Ha ha don’t worry Rukma, enjoy the journey.” Gorma called back laughing heartily, she knew her sister would worry too much. She just wanted to encourage her in keep falling down. 

“How can you say that Gorma? I - I am going to die.” Rukma screamed angrily back. She was dying and she sister is talking about an enjoyable journey.

“You are not, my dear sister for I am going to save you before you fall down.” Gorma assured her at once screaming back.

**

Atma and Bakula walked inside the hut. Once entering in; they too opened their mouth wide in astonishment. They had not imagined anything like this. Bakula was the one who spoke first, he whispered to Atma, “My god! This is really a magic, how can this be possible?”

“I too wonder; this is so strange.” Atma nodded his head; he too felt his veins rushing with excitement.

To their great relief they saw Vasundari sitting on a couch with the old Warlock. The old man got up at once and smiled at them.

“Welcome my dear little friends, welcome to my little world.”

“Mahapitha, I am Bakula and this is Atma.” Bakula eagerly introduced themselves first.

“Come and sit here, I understand you have lot of questions.” Mahapitha gestured them to sit alongside.

“Yes, we do.” Atma sat beside him and looked at him hopefully.

“How is that possible?” Bakula pointed his hands to the wall on the west; he too has observed that the stars seemed to move. 

“Don’t let that deceive you. The images on the wall are really images of my mind; I have implanted them there for my own convenience.” Mahapitha looked at the wall too. He was a master of that; he had been doing things like that since long, very long indeed. At the same time he didn’t wanted to overwhelm the teens by giving too much information.

“But why? What is the use of that? And how can you do so?” Vasundari was not going to give up easily. She always questioned until she got answers.

“You ask too many questions Vasundari.” Mahapitha patted her hand softly. But all the same he never left a question unanswered, hence he thought of giving them something in. He looked at Atma before answering.

“I like to read the signs of stars just as you do Atma, hence I implanted those images on this wall so that I can read them without going out.”

“Mahapitha, mountain Witches tried to captivate Princess.” Bakula was too eager to tell him the latest information.

“Yes, I know. They will try again.” Mahapitha tried to keep his voice low.

“Mahapitha, I want to know who am I. And how did I get this star reading skills?” Atma was curious about his own skills; it is time he learned that.

“You shall have the answer at the right time my boy, not now. Hence, be patient.” Mahapitha stood up and began to pace, he thought this teens are too curious. He started to worry because it may bring danger to them. He knew the cruel world and they were just too young to face it all.

“Atma says, he can read the signs of stars and - and it says we are going to have a row, what does that mean?” Bakula stood up too.

“Perhaps Atma has miss interrupted it. There would certainly be no war, but the Palace is going to fall under the black spell of dark clouds.” Mahapitha looked at Atma intently. He secretly wondered Atma’s skills. 

“You mean to say, King, Queen and Princess would be troubled by mountain Witches.” Vasundari spoke at once in eager. She loved them all, especially Princess Chitrakshi.

“Precisely, you are intelligent Vasundari.” Mahapitha smiled at her.

“Could you not save that from happening?” It was Atma who was eager now, he wanted desperately to find whether the old Warlock could do anything; he knew Mahapitha was capable of.

“No - No one should interfere the progression of life. However, we could find a remedy.” Mahapitha closed his eyes. These youngsters are far more intelligent and curious then he thought. Least he doesn’t wanted to encourage them in any way. They could just fall in danger, grave danger of dark spells.  

“You mean to say, let us wait until something bad happens and - and then we do something to rectify it?” Bakula was very much surprised. He had thought Mahapitha would certainly want to do something before anything happened.

“In a way yes, only thing now we can do is to wait until it happens.” Mahapitha tried to soften his voice as much as possible; he didn’t want them to feel threatened as well.

****