The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XLVI: The Man of the Mountains

“Carey! Come on, hurry!” the Princess cried holding her hand out of the door.

Carey could hear her voice, but no matter how much he tried, he felt as if something was holding him back. He could see the snow engulfing all around him. A moment ago, it reached his waist, and another moment later, it reached his chest. He was about to be buried in snow and just then, through the corner of his eye, he saw some humanoid figure effortlessly move across the snow, in the distance. He was running out of breath due to all the struggle and the drunkenness, his head was getting dizzy and he felt hot and cold at the same time. And just at that moment, he felt a warm embrace, someone was pulling him away from the snow and back on the Engine.

“I told you not to drink so much, now you can’t even move,” said the Princess hugging him and pulling him away.

She managed to drag him away from the thick snow on which he was trapped and pull him away onto the Engine. Carey was half awake- the rum was hitting him hard. As soon as the Princess pulled him aboard on the Engine, she poured some water on his face which startled him and brought him to his senses.

“Ugh! I saw someone, there is someone else here,” he said.

“Mr.Carey, we are literally stuck in the middle of nowhere, who could possibly be stalking us? I guess you had too much to drink,” she said.

Carey rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch, it was 12.00 a.m. Ram and Raza were watching him closely, while the Princess had another bowl of water in her hand to pour. He listened to his surroundings – nothing but the cold, howling wind. He looked around the dimly lit cabin, everyone was looking at him curiously.

“Ah! I’m sorry, I guess I did have one too many, I think we should sleep,” he said walking to his bunker bed.

Everyone went back to sleep. The Princess dimmed the lights and all of them slept in the warmth of the embers of the engine. But the cold still penetrated their bones and made them shiver. Carey however was out- he fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Ram and Raza hugged each other in the cold. The Princess however had lost her sleep, her mind wandered around and she began to think of the past few days and the adventure she was on… An hour passed and everyone else was asleep but her, the spooky howl of the wind made her feel so lonely and scared her to the core. But she was brave and rational and didn’t fear the elements. She tried to close her eyes and distract her mind but there was something in the air that didn’t allow her to sleep. She felt as if there was another presence lurking outside the Engine.

She heard the crushing of the thick snow as if someone was circling the cabin. She wanted to think that this was all in her head but every now and then, she would hear the crushing of snow and the grunting of a man all around the cabin. She couldn’t take it anymore and sat up on her bed and listened carefully. It felt like someone was trying to get in. There was a slight knocking at the door and then at the window. She stood up and rubbed the fog of the small engine window, there was nothing but darkness all around. Then she walked to the door and rubbed the frozen window pane- nothing but snow all around. As she turned her back from the door, a loud thud shocked her. She looked at the door and saw a huge white animal like paw scratching at the window pane. She immediately fell back and stumbled upon Ram Babu, who woke up startled.

“Your Highness, what is it? Why do you look so pale?” he asked.

The Princess simply pointed at the window at the huge white hand on the glass. Ram Babu went pale at the sight if the paw and yelled at the top of his lungs. Carey woke up startled by the sound and so did Raza.

“Wh- What is it?” Carey asked.

“Bhoot- Bhoot Sahib! They want to kill us!” said Ram Babu.

Carey bravely walked towards the door and watched- there was an imprint of a giant paw on the glass pane. He unlocked the door and took a peep outside- there was nothing but the cold howling wind.

“There is something outside Mr. Carey, it wants to get inside, I’ve been hearing noises,” said the Princess in shock.

“No- No, calm down princess, there’s nothing outside, just the snow and the wind,” he tried to console her.

But soon a loud bang rocked the entire engine and almost threw them over. It felt like some wild animal had struck the cabin with its full force. Everyone yelled in fear but after a few moments, the situation calmed down. There was no more scratching and thumping. They hugged themselves around the engine fire and kept themselves warm anticipating another attack. But an hour passed and nothing else happened.

“Something or someone knows about our presence, we are not safe here,” remarked the Princess.

“Yes, I agree- ugh the cold is creeping through my jacket- this fire is not enough, we would be lucky to survive the night,” responded Carey.

“Yes, Sahib, I think it’s the man of the mountains, I’ve heard stories about him since I was a child, he doesn’t like strangers crossing his territory,” Ram Babu added.

For the first time, Carey didn’t rebuke him for his superstitious beliefs. He knew, there was something seriously wrong.

“Pray, share with us, Ram, who is this man of the mountains?” he said.

“Oh! Sahib, it is said that he is thousands of years old and he is the protector of these mountains, he dwells in the snow and feeds of perpetrators that try to cross this land without his permission,” said Ram.