billion book
Chapter 25: Into the Past
Chapter 25: Into the Past
Thunder rattled against the windowpane. Rain poured down covering the rugged ground with a blanket
of water. The branches of the trees bend in one direction by prevailing winds.
The evil king set on a rally; his supporters following him. Dressed in red robes, they walked through the
streets of the city, examining every household that came in its way. The night resembled the word
horror.
"Indra, go take the book to the sacred temple," said a woman holding a baby in her arms.
Another woman came running from the kitchen and picked up the baby sleeping in the cradle. "Dai Ma,
what about the children," she said. "I'm afraid he will-"
"No," said Dai Ma. "If his people do not find the book here, they'll leave."
"Tara," said Indra as he wrapped the book in a red cloth. "Do not leave the house. I'm drawing a circle
of protection for you and the children."
"What if you need help?" said Tara.
Indra kissed the forehead of the baby she was holding. "I'll accompany him," said Dai Ma. "Don't worry,
Tara. Just be with the kids."
"No, Dai Ma. Stay here with Tara and the kids," insisted Indra.
"I'm a warrior, Indra," said Tara. "I can handle this."
Indra kissed both his children and hugged his wife. "I will see you soon, boys," he said as he gave them
a last look and headed towards the kitchen window.
"Tara, do not leave the house. Protect the kids, I'm with Indra," assured Dai Ma.
"Dai Ma, if anything happens to me, please protect my kids at any cost," pleaded Tara.
"Until my last breath," said Dai Ma and jumped out from the small kitchen window.
~~~~
"Come to the temple, KH," read Maya.
Ray examined the stone that had come along the paper. "Who would have thrown it?"
"Let's check the CCTV footage," suggested Tej and picked up his phone.
"Is it connected to your phone?" asked Zarna. "Yes," answered Advika.
Tej played the footage which covered the entrance and fence of his house.
"Wait, wait," said Advika and hit the rewind button.
"O, My God!" said Zarna and covered her mouth with her hand.
"It's just the stone covered with the paper breaking the glass," said Ray. "There is no one throwing it. Is
it some spirit?" he wondered and looked at Maya.
"The meter only detects ghosts or spirits live," she said. "It cannot tell you whether there was a spirit in
the past."
"But what does KH mean?" wondered Zarna.
"Those guys, they were, Rutuja, Daksh, and Rishi," said Maya. "And they probably are still stuck
somewhere otherwise we would have faced another attack by now."
"What if this is a trap?" quizzed Ray. "Quite possible," added Tej.
"What's the matter? Adu?" said Zarna.
Advika touched the paper and examined the writing on it.
"You see this paper, and this writing," she began. "This paper seems to be a century old. And this
writing, it's ink. Who uses ink nowadays?"
"But this can be trick by those three," said Maya.
"Should we go to the temple or not, then?" questioned Zarna.
"But it doesn't tell the time. It's just come to the temple," remarked Ray.
"Exactly, we can't go in the daylight because it's not allowed," said Advika.
"How can they treat a temple like personal property?" wondered Zarna.
"If it holds so many secrets, they have to," added Maya.
"I think we should go," suggested Tej.
~~~~
Daksh wiped his tears and put a photo frame back in his backpack. Rutuja knocked on the door.
"Master Indra is waiting," she said.
Daksh carried the overstuffed backpack on his back and followed her to the living room.
Rishi staggered and sat on the chair.
"Children, we are going back to Indra Nagri," said Dai Ma as she handed over a red thread to each one
of them.
"Why?" asked Daksh and Rishi at once.
"Because that's the safest place," said Indra as he helped Rishi get to his feet.
"Safe place? Mom and Danj were"
"I know," said Indra. "You don't need to remind me."
"On the count of three," said Dai Ma.
They closed their eyes, holding onto their backpacks.
"One, two, three," said Dai Ma.
And on the count of three. The group disappeared into thin air.
~~~~