The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XLVII: The Coldest Night

But the night was yet from over. Carey glanced at his pocket watch- it was 1.00 a.m. The cold penetrated their thick jackets and wool blankets. They poured coal into the fire and made the fire grow bigger but it was still not enough to beat the cold. Their teeth began to chatter and they huddled closer to the Engine fire. The Princess wrapped her arm around Carey’s and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I- I thought I saw something out there,” remarked Carey.

“Oh, could it be the mountain man, Sahib?” said Ram Babu.

“I believe it is called the Yeti, my friend, and I think it is right outside our cabin!” he replied.

“Please don’t joke, Mr. Carey,” said the Princess.

“I am not joking, Meena, I saw the vague silhouette of a large humanoid figure moving right outside the train,” he said.

“Oh? Right when you were too drunk to find your way back to the train? You have been clearly drinking too much,” she replied holding his arm tighter.

“Well I admit that I had one too many, but that doesn’t explain, the strange figure-” he said but was interrupted by a strange growl outside.

It seemed as of a wild animal, almost bear-like was growling outside. They all looked at each other with nervous anticipation- what strange trouble was afoot? Raza shivered and trembled as he heard the lonesome growl and suddenly lost his patience.

“I can’t take this anymore- ah! I give up, I want to get out of this place, I’m going to die,” he said throwing away his blanket and reaching for the door.

Ram Babu was quick enough to hold him back and talk some sense into him.

“Please, man, be strong, you are a Pirate for god’s sake, you can’t be so weak,” he said trying to stop him from opening the door.

“Hold him tight Ram, he’s gone mad!” remarked Carey.

“Yes Sahib, the cold has certainly messed with his head, do you want me to knock him out?” he said and Carey shook his head in disagreement, this was the first time that he had seen his loyal servant so aggressive.

“Sahib, we should all pray and chant holy names to keep the mountain man away,” he said.

“Wait, tell me more about this folklore- I mean about this mountain man,” said Carey.

“Well, Sir, I heard it from my grandmother, that beyond the coldest mountains, high up in the Himalayas, there is a group of ancient guardians known as the mountain men. They have been here for thousands of years protecting the mountains,” he replied.

“Protecting the mountains? Strange, why do the mountains need protection?” asked Carey.

“Because Sir, they are guarding the entrance to heaven, my grandmother used to tell me, that these huge creatures were out there by the almighty himself to guard the entrance to heaven, so that nobody could try to force their way in,” he replied.

“My God! And you choose to tell me this now? Oh! Can’t you see? This is a reference to the location of Shamballa, passed on as folklore among the common people!” said Carey.

“But Sir, it is about heaven,” said Ram Babu.

“Shamballa is Heaven!” said Carey “Tell me more,”

“Ah- I have heard that the mountain men don’t take kindly to strangers and they are really violent Sir, they camouflage themselves in the snow and come out of nowhere to attack! Um, that’s all Sir,” replied Ram Babu.

Carey began thinking- this was obviously the location to the final piece of the Orb and possibly the location of Shamballa. He always believed that every bit of fiction and legend stems from some kind of truth and the story about the mountain men guarding this place was definitely the proof he needed. The mountain men, popularly known as the illusive Yeti- the abominable snowmen. Mountain trekkers and explores have been finding clues about them for years- large and unexplainable footprints that belonged to no man or animal, strange sightings of a seven foot tall humanoid figure, stalking and wandering only to disappear in the thick snow. Carey had read all about it in books and he firmly believed them to be merely tall tales but now, he wasn’t sure. He realized that not only the Yeti were real, but they were right outside the Cabin, trying to scare them off of their territory.

Raza wept and cried and finally settled down near the fire. Ram Babu consoled him and asked him to be strong. He drank half a bottle of the remaining Rum to feel better. Truth be told, none of them were feeling strong enough in the coldest night of their lives. Seconds felt like hours as they shivered around the dying embers of the fire, waiting for the night to pass with sleepy eyes. But the night wasn’t done with them yet. The fire was dying out and none of them had the strength to pour more coal in. Every part of the Engine was freezing out, and it almost felt like they were inside some giant refrigerator.

Almost an hour later, as they were about to fall asleep, Carey was startled with another lonesome moan. This one seemed closer than the previous. He opened his eyes and looked around the dimly lit cabin. Everyone else seemed to have fallen asleep but his heart was racing- something or someone was right outside the door. Then he heard a long and mischievous scratch on the window pane right in front of him. He looked at the Princess, she was fast asleep in his arms. Ram and Raza too seemed exhausted and fast asleep. Was he going crazy or is it that the Yeti were trying to scare them off? No! There was definitely someone or something outside, trying to get inside. Moments later, he heard another scratch on the other side- this one seemed like a pair of long nails trying to rip the windows open. Carey wanted to wake up the Princess but before he could do anything a loud bang almost discombobulated him. It was a like a huge punch that tore open the cabin door and before anyone could react, a large white hand grabbed Raza, who was sleeping close to the door and took him away…