THE CASTLE

CHAPTER TEN - SUMMER VILLA

DEVANAND

"Sandy. Wait." I called as she continued to walk through the place. "Sandhu. Sandesh. Sapna. Sandhya. Sami." I called all the names which came in my mind from Sa. She immediately turned and glared at me with full fledged hater. Corner of her eyes turned reddish. "What do you want ?" She yelled at me pointing towards me. I immediately walked backwards while she marched towards.

"Sandhu, Sandesh, Sapna. What the hell. My name is Aadarshini." She shouted on my face as I meekly nodded and leaned more and more against the stone pillars. She turned and began to walk away with large and heavy steps. I took a large breath of relief as she left me alone before panicking and starting to run behind her. "Sandy. No. Aadarshini. Wait." I said as I caught up with her.

"What ?" She asked irritated as she turned around to face me. "This place is not safe. We should go back to main hotel. We are maybe far far away. If anything happened no even our screams will attack attention." I tried to explain as she glared at me starting to end. "That's what I am doing finding a way out." She said as she began to open the doors randomly.

"Wait don't do that." I yelled as began to jog behind her through the open corridors. Ice had frozen on the railing providing a wonderful scenery but this place is definitely not livable in winters more likely a summer villa. "Look like this is the famed summer villa of Rockwell's." She said as I began to jog behind her trying to urge her to return.

"Come on chill D. This place is beautiful. Look at the frozen scenery. Once in a life time chance." She said with a grin as she pushed open a large door. I frowned as I looked around. This place is too clean. While the other suspicious parts are dusty this place is clean. Maybe I am fretting in waste. This place is not haunted ??

"OMG !!!!!!" She laughed as we entered a huge ballroom. The entire walls were covered in floor to ceiling windows. Sunlight filtered through the stained windows. Only one thing came in my mind. Elegant. The entire place was amazing. The crystal chandelier were shining not inferior to the icy icles outside. She twirled in the floor as a smooth melody floated in the ballroom. I looked up.

A dainty figure sat under the arching staircase playing smoothly a tune on piano. It was filled with melonchy and nostalgia. She wore heavy woolen coat like it is made up of a animal's skin. "Beautiful. Isn't it ?" She questioned as her fingers continued to fly over the piano keys changing the tune according to her mood and atmosphere.

Her skin was healthy colour maybe she is the caretaker of this place. I signed atleast this place is not haunted. "Did you stay here ?" Aadarshini or it is Sandy asked. The woman nodded as the tune of piano changed again this time playing deep grief and tiredness. I looked around and gradually calmed down. No grey vision, no prickly sensation. This place is safe. But then why did I come here.

Unknowingly the Rudraksha beads unfurled from where they are coiled around my wrist and jiggled with soft sound. Unknowingly the sound of piano got intense. I frowned and looked in the direction. My eyes widened as Sandy screamed. Her eyes were gone total black. "Run." I shouted as I caught her hand and began to run towards the only exit in the room. The door shut as we reached it. We both came to a sudden stop.

We turned around with our back touched as we looked around to find the center of this calamity. Sandy was shaking in terror while my hands trembled as I counted the beads methodically. Hoping it will be enough to drive it away. The holy verses Guru ji taught escaped from my throat on instinct. What a terrible place. We both stood trembling in the center of the ballroom looking around.

A screech was heard from the rightmost corner of the ballroom. A cogulated black mass which modesty looked like a human figure was struck on the celling. Growling and screeching at us in intervals. As if afraid of us. Unlike the figure I saw in my room which had definite shape and looked like a body of woman this was one... It had only one way to explain. A monstrous entity with no identity. And somehow this entity felt much more dangerous than the entity before.

It tried to come near us but then immediately backed up again in a corner as if it was burned by something. A sizzling was sounded in the air accompanied by a other painful screech. The door opened among the chaos. My world turned muted grey and everything grown quite. Not even the soft sound of snowfall was heard. Complete silence. As if I am in entirely different world.

I turned around only to see I am alone with no one around not even Sandy or Aadarshini or what ever she is called. "You are quite young to be a spirit wielder." I turned towards the melodic voice to find a unknown figure sitting in the foot of staircase. I pushed back the doubts in my mind as I continued to look at her. I don't know if it's only me but I found a weird thought that I had seen her before.

"A what ?" I questioned looking at the only source of colours in the grey world. She just smiled. "Generally your people stay out of ours but look like we found a oddball here." She said as her face depected a calm and natural smile but it did nothing to calm the terror and horror I felt.

"enterrez l'esprit vengeur sous l'aubépine. "

The world faded back to reality as I registered sharp pain in my head. I collapsed on my knees. Clenching my head trying to get ride of the spiliting headache. I felt someone dragging me out of the place with difficulty. "Come on Dev we have to get out of here." Sandy said continueing to drag me out. I nodded and tried to follow her blindly.

Soon we came out in open space more likely the small forest inside the castle walls. "Are you okay ?" She asked as I nodded and leaned against the tree and slided down to the snowy floor dening the urge to keep my hands under my head and fall into sleep. My entire body felt exhausted and sore. I felt someone rub my fingertips as I closed my eyes and fallen half asleep.

Next time I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was worried face to Sandy squatting beside me trying to rub my freezing hands. "How much time had passed ?" I questioned as I stood up with the support of the tree I leaned against. "Ten minutes." She replied as she pulled my arm over her shoulder and supported me towards the large looming castle. Look like we are near to the north wing of the castle luckily the one we are staying at.

Somehow with the support of Sandy I reached our living room and collapsed on the bean bags. My vision was still swimming in and out of focus and breathing are inaccurate. Hours passed away or maybe they are just minutes.

"What the hell just happened ?" Sandy swore as I flinched at the loud voice.

"Slowly." I mumured as I covered my eyes. If the group was not on a outdoor trip they all would have definitely listened to her yell.

"What the hell just happened ?" She whispered. I rubbed my tired eyes.

"Let's see. We went to Tarun. Learned some half ass murder mystery. Then you dragged me off to the summer villa of Rockwell's. We found a pretty sister who was playing piano and then you suddenly began murmuring something in language I don't understand and than doom. The pretty sister turned into a ugly ghost or black mass or whatever. And then it vanished and your pupils suddenly contracted and you appeared totally lost bleeding from your nostrils. And after that I had to drag your half unconscious ass. Why in earth I am not freaking out yet."

Sandy vented for good five minutes before quitting and collapsing on the same bean bag as me. Looking exhausted and tired. "What on earth did we just saw ?"  She asked as I gave her a exhausted reply. "I don't know."