chapter--3
the next day was comparatively less hot and gaurav decided to start of with his work straightaway.. he took his professional camera and began exploring the palace wich itself had so many subjects that he felt delighted... the show rooms were filled with awnings,carpets,cushions and brocades.. of all patterns and beautiful colours.. the courtyard were big and looked royal as they were meant for royal activities and religious festivals... and the rooftops and highest courtyards were used for outdoor bedchambers in hot weather conditions... they were still well maintained and gaurav felt as if he had reached the very time wen the kings were alive and active.. he closed his eyes and imagined the royal servants and maids in beautifully coloured clothes running here and there for errands... the king,getting prepared for the daily Darbar... the Queen's separate palace... evrythng seemed to float in frnt of his vry eyes... suddenly a voice behind him snapped him back to reality.... " sab ji.. dhai baj chuke hain.. khana laga du?" he turned and saw that the younger caretaker was standing behind him.. he nodded-- haan laga do.. main do min mein aa raha hu...
the caretaker-- thk hain sab ji.. he bowed and left...
gaurav sighed.. in this palace evrythng was on time.. lunch,dinner,meals and evrythng... it seemed so perfect... nothing had changed.. except that the palace,wich was once soo full of people,servants,maids,princes,princesses,officials,warriors... is now totally empty.... somethng in his heart ached as he felt the emptiness of the place.. the incomplete feeling.. wich will nvr be filled agen.....
after the splendid lunch,he decided to take a stride along the long corridors as he still had to explore the balconies,cupolas,kiosks and turrents.... he walked slowly along the corridor,his footsteps making a clipping sound on the stone floor... suddenly he stopped... eyes wide,fixed on the way a lil ahead of him.....
wat the hell...!!!---he whispered excitedly under his breath..... as he walked quickly towards the spot.... then he looked carefully at the bright red footprints on the floor....
yes.. they were footprints all ryt,probably of a girl's as the small,tender feet cn nvr be that of a man.... gaurav knelt down and touched it... red paint stained his finger.. as he drew his hand closer to his face to examine the stain....his heart seemed to jump out of his throat and he gave out a cry and darted back instantly.....rubbing the stain off his finger.... it was nt any paint.... it was BLOOD.......
he started to breathe heavily as he looked at the footprints... it seemed as if some girl had walked along with blood stained feet.... gaurav began to feel ill....sweat appeared on his forehead... he rested against a pillar and gained his breath once agen.... then he slowly started to follow the footprints.... they lead him towards that part of the corridor wich was nt so well maintained... perhaps it was perpously neglected... gaurav still kept on the track.. the footprints disappeared near an old,jammed wooden door....wich was locked... gaurav tried to pull at it trying all his strength bt in vain... he turned and ran towards the caretaker's chamber.. curiosity bubbling inside him to discover the unknown secrets behind that door... he saw the young caretaker,explained to him the matter in brief and pulled him along to show him that door... the boy had almost all the keys of the whole palace... and he kept on trying them one by one....
gaurav-- jaldi karo na... tumhare paas is darwaze ka chabi hain ki nhi.....
the boy-- hona to chahiye sab ji... hamare pass in sab darwaze ka chabi hain... par pata nhi kyun ek bhi chabi ismein nhi lag raha hain.....
gaurav---shit..!!!
the boy--ye lo sab ji... khul gaya tala.... he pulled at the unlocked door and it opened with a loud "creeeekkk" .... gaurav hurried inside.... and switched on his mobile torch.... yes...there they were.. the footprints on the floor..... leading to somewhere agen.... he showed them to the boy---ye dekho... kya hain ye?
the boy's eyes grew big and his face became white..---pata nhi sabji... ye to...ye to.....
gaurav---khun ke nishani hain....
the boy looked up at him---haan sabji........
they looked ahead and saw that the footprints had ended near the side of a wall wich had a huge painting on it..... gaurav walked up to the wall and held his torch above..... the boy crept up behind him..... it was an old painting.....a vry old one indeed...parts of it had been eaten up by insects bt the yet wat they cud make out frm the remaining part was that it was a portrait of a princess(her dress and jewelleries revealed it)...a vry beautiful princess.. probably 19/20 yrs... with a visible coyness on her pretty face.... yet she also seemed to be quite determined.. her eyes depicted a strange passion..... wich was unlike the other,ordinary princesses... she was different... she was beautiful as well as brave.....
gaurav gazed at the painting with admiring eyes.... he had nvr seen anyone so beautiful as the princess in the painting... it brot tears to his eyes......
then suddenly he noticed something at the corner of the frame....he focused his torch on that part and the boy behind him cried out in fright and ran away immediately.... bt gaurav cud nt move.... it seemed as if his legs had become paralyzed in terror.....
there was a big blood stain on the side of the painting.....fresh blood...wich flowed down along the frame........
the mobile fell frm his hand....and he dropped down on the ground,unconscious......
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Edited by kasturika_kashu - 13 years ago
