Time Guard: The Awakening (21st Century) Page 13

  “I need your help….” repeats Ranjeet and closes his eyes.

  Next, the dream shatters and Maya sits upright in her bed. Not even a blink of air, the room is filled with silence. A few long hanging crystals of chandelier glitter in the light but remain steady. A long portrait of a tiger is vaguely visible to her. For a minute she looks around. The tiger’s eyes remain steady, glaring at her like a predator staring at its prey. Finally, she decides to rest, ignoring what she just saw in her dream.

  “I need your help Maya. Find the black morsel,” pleads Ranjeet as the entire dream repeats in front of her eyes.

  Two hours pass by. Maya wakes up in her bed for the third time. The dream of Ranjeet getting shot in head by the dart playing itself out over and over in her head, every time she closes her eyes.

  This time she remembers a few more words from the dream.

  “Black morsel” - something that she had never heard of but she clearly remembers it now. She quickly steps out of the warm quilt, grabs some water and lies back down in bed.

  Unprepared and unwilling, she dives into the same dream again.

  Back on the open lawn of Shekhwat palace, she sits alongside Ranjeet on the same bench. As the weather undergoes an ugly change and becomes gloomy, alert and concerned Maya quickly looks around for Zaffar but can’t find him. Next, she quickly recalls the direction in which the dart will appear.

  Maya quickly grabs the silver plate lying on the table and shields her brother from the flying dart. The dart locks itself in the plate with its arrow piercing Ranjeet’s side.

  “I need your help Maya. Find the black morsel,” pleads Ranjeet.

  Maya grabs Ranjeet’s arm, flips the table and takes cover behind it.

  “Where is it?” Asks Maya as more darts rain down on the table.

  “Tungnath Temple, Chopta. Find it before Zaffar does,” replies Ranjeet, and an arrow stabs him in head. The dream shatters once more, and Maya is awake in her bed.

  She tries to sleep, but this time she can’t step into the same dream again. It is the first time that she has remembered a dream so clearly.

  “Zaffar, Tungnath, Chopta, black morsel.” The dream that repeated for the fourth time had more words she had never heard of. She pulls out her mobile and quickly searches for black morsel on Google.

  The search results scatter in different directions. And after 15 minutes of research she ends up concluding nothing. Next, she searches for Chopta.

  A little search and she discovers the ancient temple of Shiva named “Tungnath”. Shocked by her finding, she reads more about the ancient temple.

  “Was it just a dream, or there is more to it?” Maya thinks to herself.

  She swiftly gets up from her bed and walks to the security check post. She asks the security guard to take a snapshot of the intruder from the CCTV tape and mail the image to her.

  Next, in the middle of the night, she calls the auction host.

  “Mr Singhal. Really sorry to bother you in the middle of the night.”

  “No problem my child. I completely understand your grief. It’s my duty to help you.”

  “Thanks Mr Singhal. It would be great help if you could confirm the presence of a man at the auction that day. I have mailed you his photograph captured on our surveillance cameras,” requests Maya.

  Five minutes later. Mr Singhal calls back.

  “Yes, this young fellow was there in the auction that day. He was the second highest bidder for the hourglass, just before Ranjeet won with his final bid,” replies Mr Singhal.

  “Could you please let me know his name?” Asks Maya.

  “Yes, his auction ticket was in the name of Zaffar Haneez,” replies Mr Singhal.

  “Thanks, Mr Singhal. That did help,” replies Maya and ends the call.

  Maya still stands in the security room of the Shekhawat palace along with the only surviving loyal servant of the Shekhawat family.

  “Tejas, find me an archaeologist. And also arrange a chopper for me,” commands Maya.

  “Your highness! May I know, what you are up to right now?” Asks Tejas in a humble voice.

  In two minds, she finally decides to keep the dreams to herself. “I am doing what Ranjeet wishes,” answers Maya and walks out of the security office.

  ◆◆◆

  Chapter 20

  The Soul who Knows

  27th December 2012 10:00 AM | Swati’s Residence

  Arjun returns from Pakistan after verifying Ankita’s presence at Kasur Railway Station. He gets up in the morning and walks into the adjoining room, where Swati is sitting alongside a study table, filling in visa forms. Arjun takes a seat next to her on the bed.

  She smiles back at him and questions him curiously. “Do you have any idea how you will fight against them in Pakistan?”

  “There is just one middle-aged man guarding Ankita. He visits her for her meals so most of the time she is alone. How hard it could be?” justifies Arjun.

  “Arjun, the future is uncertain. Yes! You can look into the future to get an idea but as of now we don’t know where and when anybody will be. The best we can do is to keep ourselves prepared for it. There has to be an evacuation plan and we need to prepare for it before we leave,” Swati says, with caution in her voice.

  “I’ll do anything to save her. I can draw what the place looks like and then we can discuss how to escape,” answers Arjun.

  Swati asks, “Have you ever used a weapon in your life?”

  “I have used a rifle as an NCC cadet,” replies Arjun with a smile.

  “We can’t carry unlicensed guns to Pakistan. It will be way too risky. Getting a licensed one will take months to do,” replies Swati with a stern face.

  “Ok, what then?” Asks Arjun.

  “A wooden door or a window can easily be broken with an axe.” |

  “I agree! And they can be bought easily from any market without anyone suspecting a thing,”

  “Right! So, let’s get an axe from a market and some wooden planks as well. You can practise in the back yard, but not with drawing room furniture!” Jokes Swati, with a smile on her face.

  “Another thing you may want to try is knives,” Swati continues after a pause, “No one cares if you buy them from a market either.”

  Arjun sinks into his own imagination for a few seconds and Swati can clearly see the faraway look in his eyes. She grunts to grab his attention.

  Arjun looks at her worriedly. “I never thought I would need to kill anyone,” he admits.

  “With just one guy guarding Ankita, you still don’t need to. But be prepared. At the end of the day we need to bring Ankita home no matter what it takes. Anyway, even if you did need to kill someone, it’s likely you would be killing a criminal, not an innocent.”

  Arjun nods his head, gesturing agreement.

  “I’ll deposit the forms today. Pay a visit to Ankita in a while and look around for physical entry and exit points to that storehouse, police check posts, and movement of crowds in that area. Return, and then we can plan out our invasion,” Swati says.

  “You seem to love action movies,” points out Arjun.

  “Not really, rather I love to play military strategy games. I never knew it might come in handy someday,” chuckles Swati.

  An hour later, Swati asks her garbage collector to arrange for an axe to be delivered, then leaves her residence to submit the visa forms. Arjun leaves for Pakistan in the afternoon. He carefully monitors the movement of traffic on the railway crossing and, not to his surprise, no one goes near the warehouse where Ankita is locked up except for Jamal, who remains perfectly on time to deliver Ankita’s dinner at night.

  27th December 2012 8:15 PM | Kasur Railway Station.

  Arjun rises up in space and looks at the brightly glowing coastline of India. From space he always seems to find himself unable to work out where the India-Pakistan Border lies, except at the Kasur-Ferozepur junction. Over the past 24 hours Arjun had shifted his flight path from Amritsar to Ferozepur, mov
ing to Kasur across a shorter distance.

  On such a clear night, the sky is filled with stars and a bright moon; Arjun can now clearly trace where Delhi is. With a blink he flies towards the city and draws near the city skyline, where the red beaconed towers peer over the roofs. Arjun can keep a constant view of the permanently-under-construction city Gurgaon and the ruins of Razia Sultan’s city Mehrauli on his return. He uses Qutab Minar as a secondary landmark after the purple beacon to quickly trace his path closer to the ground.

  An ancient tower in Mehrauli Archaeological Park with the top mounted with a blinking red beacon. Arjun had heard from his father about the inside of the Rouble Masonry and how 45 people had died in it. For him, looking at the monument was always spectacular.

  He glides downwards to have a closer look at the rooftop. To his surprise, there is a man standing on the upper balcony facing Delhi. It wasn’t surprising for Arjun to see support staff standing on balconies cleaning the floor or the walls, but this one was different.

  A man with dark black hair dressed in dark purple from top to bottom. The attire of the strange man cultivates enough curiosity in Arjun that he decides to go closer to him. He takes another leap and glides downwards. As he starts descending, his eyes remain focussed on the strange man. A moment later, the man turns around and his eyeballs are fixated on Arjun.

  A short Asian man in his early 40s with tiny eyes and a flat nose, he smiles gazing at Arjun, taking him completely by a surprise.

  “This guy can see me!” Arjun is overwhelmed.

  “Good Evening Time Guard!” Says the man, looking straight into Arjun’s eyes.

  Arjun lands on the balcony of Qutab Minar. He still finds it hard to believe that someone has seen him as a soul.

  Not convinced by what he is seeing, Arjun replies in a wavering tone, “I am not Time Guard.” He tries to hold on to the belief that the Chinese guy was talking to thin air and hasn’t seen him at all.

  The man looks back at Arjun and replies with a mysterious smile. “Isn’t this what Swati calls you? And honestly… I do like the name.”

  Arjun can’t deny the fact he is now visible to the Asian. He remains stunned and experiences fear as a soul for the first time. Trying to digest what has happened to him, he gawps at the Asian man, who starts to walk, partially encircling Arjun.

  “So, how was your visit to Ankita? Did you look around for police checkpoints?” Asks the Asian man, beaming at Arjun.

  Surprised, Arjun gathers himself and with a stammering tone, he questions the Asian. “Who are you? And where have you come from?”

  The Asian smiles mysteriously and questions Arjun again. “Did you ever wonder who brought you back from the dead when you were a kid? Or rather did you ever think who took your soul apart when you were a kid?”

  Arjun stares at the Asian, stunned. “I guess you know a lot about me. And I doubt if I am the one paying you a visit; it’s you who has revealed yourself to me, but with a purpose,” he concludes.

  “Intelligent! I must say I always thought it was Swati who did most of the thinking for you,” comments the Asian.

  “I don’t like surprises. What purpose do you have?” Asks Arjun, gathering more courage.

  “We humans will always fear things or fellow humans that we don’t understand, but sometimes one must take a leap of faith and trust our instincts,” answers the Asian, still beaming at Arjun and ignoring his rudeness.

  Arjun returns a stare at the Asian, with a suspicious look on his face.

  “I know you will find it hard to believe but you are not the only one who has the capability to travel as a soul. Rather, this ability was rewarded to you but you misused it for your own selfish interest as a child. It’s good you are using it to protect your own sister now but it’s your actions in the future that will prove your worthiness ahead,” continues the Asian.

  Shuddering, Arjun curiously looks at the man, gulps and questions him. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Howrang Diachi and I am the one who bestowed you with the gift of astral projection because as a child you showed the potential to do great good far beyond selfish interests,” reveals the Asian.

  The anger fades from Arjun’s face. For the first time in years, he had found a fellow traveller with the same abilities as he has. To his surprise, he knows everything about Arjun, but he knows nothing about Howrang, except for his name.

  Questions exploded in Arjun’s head like fireworks and for no reason he can feel a strong belief in Howrang building up inside him. With respect burning in his eyes, he questions Howrang more calmly. “Why did you give me this power?”

  “I can’t disclose the end goal at this time. It’s a responsibility far beyond saving Ankita. As of now, I have some short-term objectives for you which are for the greater good of everyone, including your sister,” answers Howrang with a Smile.

  “If you have the same ability as I do, then why me? Why can’t you achieve the end goal yourself?” Asks Arjun curiously.

  “Did I say both of us had the same abilities?” Howrang says.

  Arjun looks back at him, confused.

  “You are a soul connected with a life on earth. I am a ghost destined to remain a soul until the end of time,” replies Diachi ruefully.

  “Ghost?” Arjun asks curiously.

  “Yes, Time Guard, I Howrang Diachi, former Time Guard died as my physical self in World War II. This is the risk that we are burdened with, so if you die without the soul within, you will remain a ghost until the end of the universe. You will not experience human touch, sleep or sunshine again,” explains Howrang calmly.

  While Howrang is saying all this, Arjun can hear an aeroplane passing above the fog, but he remains focused. “How did you get this ability?” Asks Arjun curiously.

  “From a former Time Guard and 17 days of missing life, my journey was no different from yours except that it was the year 1931,” replies Diachi.

  “And why did you choose me?” Asks Arjun curiously.

  “Astral Projection is a power far beyond your imagination, but more importantly it’s a responsibility bestowed upon a philanthropic warrior who lays his mercy on the weak and does justice not only to the mankind but to time itself,” articulates Howrang.

  “I am not able to understand this,” says Arjun.

  “You once told Swati that one should be responsible enough to do their part in life. Isn’t that right?” asks Diachi.

  “Yes, it’s just a belief that I have,” replies Arjun.

  “Everyone is born to play their part responsibly in life. But how you define the responsibilities of an individual is the question,” explains Howrang.

  “If a lioness acts kindly to other animals and avoids killing them for food, do you think she is doing justice to her children who can’t hunt?”

  “No! That would rather make her lazy or irresponsible,” replies Arjun.

  “But she is still acting kindly; doesn’t that makes her a good living being?”

  Arjun remains silent.

  “The larger truth is that animals can’t differentiate between good or bad; they simply follow their instinct. An instinct driven by hunger and the need for survival. But even a creature as naive as a lioness knows about her responsibilities,” explains Howrang.

  “Human intellect supersedes that of animals and they are capable of completely suppressing their instincts to attain larger objectives in life. With strong conviction, they can shoulder responsibility, prioritising other life over their own existence, making things better not just for mankind, but for the entire planet,” continues Howrang.

  Arjun carefully listens.

  “Humanity is the most superior and gifted species on this planet, which makes us responsible for preserving the entire system itself. A few will do anything to protect their selfish interests, another few believe in protecting their own families, friends, communities or countries and a few rare ones will try and achieve harmony among all humans and living creatures. Those rare individuals
who put justice above relationships and are passionate enough to take responsibility beyond their own existences are the chosen ones,” explains Howrang.

  “And how did this all start?” Asks Arjun.

  “There is a sequence of genetic code in every species that gives its offspring some special abilities. A common ability is travelling as a soul. In simple words, a rare few creatures are born with it. However, most of them die within a few months of their births when they accidently leave their bodies but don’t return in time. Those who survive develop intellect far beyond average humans. Over centuries, these individuals have played important roles in religion, politics, global economies and war. Among these prodigies was a Saint who devised a technique to pass this gift to other ordinary humans. Sadly, power corrupted the first disciple and he killed him when he realised the potential of this ability,” narrates Howrang

  “The noble Saint knew about his own death years before the event. So, he trained another apprentice, who was pure at heart. The first disciple caused great disruption to the world before he eventually died after living for over 100 years. The second disciple honoured his responsibility and later chose another responsible disciple. Over centuries, humans unknowingly continue to give birth to more time tinkers, further increasing the responsibility of the chosen one. Sadly, I still need to be convinced that my decision to choose you was right. You reflected these qualities as a kid, but I never knew that the power would corrupt you,” Howrang continues.

  “I am sorry that I have let you down. Yes, I was selfish as a child but not anymore. I intentionally stopped using my abilities for over a decade. I can assure you, your gift won’t be misused anymore. Right now, I need to protect my sister. I won’t travel as a soul once I save her,” assures Arjun.