The 9th Immortal : Savior of the Vedas

The Hidden Vault

How I am going to find a dancer and traditional at that in such short notice. The worry was evident in Gauri's face as she rides her scooty to ‘Rooplal Sweet Center’ where she worked as a delivery girl. Between work and studies how she was supposed to find a traditional dancer. She sighs in hopelessness and park hanging the helmet on the handle.

Gauri you should be more careful before you make promises like that. Emotions, I tell you they will the death of me one day, yeah well now I can’t see Ma sad either. She shook her head at herself as she walks in the sweet shop. The glass door of the shop showing all the offer for Mahashivratri. It was not your average sweet shop, it was a big tall, fancy and showroom type and the most famous shop in the town.

“I am doomed, I am so doomed” She murmured to herself and went to the backside of the shop where sweets were made and packed. The main chef or halwai already on work making the most exotic sweets in the world filling the open back yard with a sweet aroma. The sweet aroma reached Gauri's nose she smiled. 

The halwai finally notice Gauri and saw the frown on her face.

“What happen Gauri bitiya?” The man asked

“Nothing Kaka, me and my luck we never get along?”

“What is it now?”

“Nothing concerning, I will find a way out of this”

“You always do” he gave reassuring smile.

“Enough of the talking! I don’t pay you for talking and wasting time”

The voice boomed like a hundred glasses scattering at once. Gauri ribbed her index finger behind her right ear like willing her ears not to get damaged by the voice that comes from her boss, the owner of the shop and the world’s best miser.

"You don't pay much for anything anyway" She whispers under her breath.

“What did you say?!”

"Nothing" She looks back at the entrance with a fake smile.

Rooplal, the owner of this prestigious sweet shop. ‘Roop’ means beauty and ‘lal’ means read through there was nothing beautiful about that fat as elephant structure, dark skin with his glass-shattering voice and 'the miser of the year' and 'grouch of the decade attitude'. If someone asks for the half-day off he would cut the wages of the whole day. But the ‘Lal’ part fits perfectly he is always red with anger.

"Go now! What are you waiting for! Get your delivery of today and get going. I want my mini truck at 6 in the evening. No excuses!"

Gauri tries hard not to scowl at the man in front of her and moved.

After an hour she was ready to go. Gauri gets in the cap of the truck and gives the once over to the delivery sheet, most of the address was familiar as they were regular, they shops that work as distributors and the last one was of the church that was 3km from here Gauri knew but never went there.

Gauri was about the turn the key to start the engine but was interrupted.

“The last one is for the orphanage that is on the church grounds”

“You are doing charity?” Gauri asked surprise.

“Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous, I was paid for it” 

She waits for her boss to disappear inside before starting up the truck and rolled her eyes.

“Of course you were, Money Land and Prosperity it does make a man but not necessarily a good one," She said as she drives.

Never been to church before and who do you tell about the parcel anyway Gauri thought. I should have asked but then who wants to talk to that football who acts like a cannonball. Looking at the delivery sheet thinking it is for the orphanage she went through the main gate, she notices the sign that said it was behind the church.

After informing the sister, who was in charge. Gauri went to the truck and unloaded the two big corrugated boxes of sweets with the help of four boys they might be around sixteen of age. They took it in the back yard. Where all the children gathered some were running, playing, teasing each other and laughing. Gauri looks at them all, a spirit of life filled inside of her, they were so oblivious to the outside world. Gauri was remembering the time when life was no struggle or the biggest struggle was in the world was waking up in the morning but things change when we grow up we question everything about life and the sad thing is we are never close to finding an answer. Why? What? and how? We keep struggling with these words.

“It might be too much to ask” A nun comes to her breaking her from her thoughts. She shook her head as to shake away her thoughts. “ but can you help us a little look at them they are everywhere we are just four”

"Of course" She nodded and grabbed the small box and started to distribute. She frowns at her thoughts you are twenty Gauri not eighty!

Her eyes wander around and landed on an 8-year-old boy who was running from a five-year-old girl, looks like he snatches something from her but soon the little girl tripped. Gauri runs towards her but one of the sisters got to her. They look closely, she scratched her knee. The nun examining the knee look up at Gauri.

“There is first aid kit in Father Fedrick office can you get it?”

“Where is the office?” looking at the little girl as she started crying.

“It is on the right side after you take left from the main corridor"

Gauri ran inside, after five minutes she found the office and enter. The room was different from the rest of the orphanage but has an office look, everything was made of wood and seems antic. This church was made in British rule that why it looks more English than Indian. The scent of old wood was rich in medium size square shape room front door facing the desk. Feeling out of place, her eyes look around the room, her heart rate increases in anticipation? She was confused about why she felt that something about happening? but then a girls image with bloody knee cross her mind and she slaps her forehead. What are you thinking?! She scolds herself and started the hunt for the first aid box.

After searching the drawers from the side table she moves to the main center table that dominates the room and found a box with a red cross on it in the lower cabinet. Gauri set herself straight and grab the box.

“Oi Move!”Someone yelled with hostility.

Curious Gauri looks outside of the window that was covered in old white linen. A jeep was parked on the front main gate, four men climbed out of it with hockey stick and bat in their hands.

This is not going to end well she thought and anxiety was trying to grip her heart too but it took over when she noticed a tall aged man around seventy went to them and shove him away from the way, he stumbles but balances himself. She can't hear them properly but their voice was loud enough that they were talking about ‘wasting time’. The priest tries to talk to them he looks like he was pleading. Gauri was so engrossed in the scene than anything else was forgotten all she can feel is her heart pounding in her ears with anxiety. The priest has shoved again and this time he falls to the ground with a thud, Gauri flinches at the sight.

Alright, this is getting out of hand she clenches her jaw in anger. She turned swiftly with every intention was giving those bloody goons a piece of mind but she stumbles and tripped, to save herself from hitting the ground she put her hand on the mini table that was just behind the front desk and below the painting of  Jesus Christ, making the pillar-like table slide and big painting above the table split in two from the center.

“Move! Move! Evacuate! We want this land free of everyone no amount of pleading, begging will help you” The bald man in the center said meanwhile two of them run inside the orphanage and started to throw stuff out.

“You can’t do that” One of the older sister cried.

“The church trustee refused to sell the land”

“Does it looks like we care?! We don't, our boss needs the land so he is going to get it”

"There are children here my child! To take away the shelter from these innocents is a great sin!" Poor old Father Fredric trying to make sense with people who had made the deal with the devil.

Two men held everyone at the gunpoint.

                                                                           *****

"Who stumble on their own feet Gauri," Gauri said to herself while rubbing her knee as it started to sting. She straightens herself and removes her hairs from front of her face. She bends down to grab the first aid kit that has fallen as she tripped but deciding against it as going outside was much more important. She put her back straight only to face by the split painting on the wall, her eyes widened in astonishment.

Inside the painting, white color wall as it was in the all over the room was surrounding a black square cavity, curious she moves towards it like she was being consumed by the looks it has plain metallic black surface but to Gauri, it seems like a black hole that was drawing her in its endless depth. She was getting closer, closer and closer. In the back of her mind she knew she should go outside there are people in danger, but the knot in her stomach get tighten with each step, her heartbeat increases with each step and her breath hitched with each step. She was consumed with the need to get closer and touch the metallic surface.

Finally! Gauri's hand just reached the metallic surface, her middle finger grazed the center of the square cavity. Something crackle beneath her finger and in a sudden moment she took her hand back with a shock, her hand was stinging like she just endures an electric shock. She flinches and grabs her hand. Looking back at the space she touched, her pop out in shock as the surface started to glow and a symbol started to appear like someone was drawing it in gold electric light. Four quadrilaterals cross and each bend at ninety degrees. 

Gauri witnessing this felt completely insane. The puzzlement of her situation was finally getting to her because the symbol was not just any symbol. It was a symbol that she knew, she grew up with knowing about the symbol, seeing it on temples or her home, her mother teaching the significance of the symbol. Every Hindu knew it. It was a swastika. This is where Gauri's puzzlement start what is a swastika doing in church? The knot in Gauri's stomach did not loose but it tightens more like she was supposed to know what that means.

Thud!

The sound made Gauri come out from her thoughts. Someone had broken the door and enter.

Startled she turns and hit the table again unintentionally, making the split painting close itself and the symbol and cavity disappeared behind it. It went unnoticed by the two men that are now blocking the only exit to the room. Her way was blocked did not go unnoticed by Gauri, fear started to pulse in her veins as she recognizes them, they were the same men who were outside. Her anger curiosity, vanish as she notices they were twice her size and much stronger. The room suddenly became smaller and the only window beside her had bars. She gulped.