Yami

Chapter 11, Lingering Enigma

Each new day brings with it a glimmer of hope, illuminating the path ahead.

As the sun kissed the horizon, we embarked on a journey that had been etched in our thoughts for the past 2 months The allure of the mysterious palace was palpable, drawing us towards it with an irresistible pull. (Cannot explain the pull in words, it was as if the palace was calling us in a way we cannot say "NO")The anticipation was a whirlwind of thoughts, each person's mind spinning with questions about what lay ahead. The road stretched before us, an uncertain path that mirrored the labyrinth of thoughts within us. 

Amidst the silence, my mind raced with theories—a weave of vampires' compelling powers, witches meddling with our consciousness, supernatural forces that defied explanation. Yes, I confess to my fascination with all things supernatural, whether they be ancient boogeymen or modern, alluring vampires.

As the car carried us forward, thoughts about the inexplicable night weighed heavily, but it was eerily quiet within the confines of the car. Adam and Harsh broke the silence with sporadic conversation, their voices like faint whispers in the expanse of our thoughts. I sensed the others were wrestling with the same doubts that plagued me.

 "I don't think we have any reason to be terrified. It's just a palace," 

Samaira's voice offered a touch of reassurance. I was surprised with her words though, in all this time Adam didn't have chance to talk to her or comfort her, leave Adam none of us had time to talk to her and she was so positive about it, remembering the previous night she was not at all scared like each one of us when standing in front of the palace.

"Exactly, there's no need to be afraid. We're just struggling to locate the darn thing on the map,"

 Harsh replied,his words laced with frustration.The day itself was beautiful, yet our spirits remained subdued, weighed down by the inexplicable circumstances. An ice cream shop passed by, and I urged Harsh to stop. 

His question—'Why?'—was met with my insistence on refreshing our minds, our destination being like a couple hours away. Summoning everyone out of the car, I implored them to order something, to lift their spirits from the prevailing gloom. Laughter emerged as I delivered a motivational speech, an act quite uncharacteristic of my usual demeanor.

Ice cream orders were placed, each a token of our determination to momentarily escape the enigma that had enshrouded us. With ice creams in hand, we resumed our journey, accompanied by light music and the hum of the road. My head found solace against the seat, and it was in this cocoon of semi-consciousness that I found myself being roused by the others. 

After this short break,We had finally reached the very place where we had seen that palace. Thank god that Ruhaan had driven us back from here to the mansion and he marked it on the map. Parallel lines formed again, just as they had before. The sight was like a scene from a movie, an uncanny déjà vu that unsettled us. Yet, as our gaze fell upon the spot where the palace should have stood, nothing was there. Confusion spurred us to retrace our steps, even to consult our driver, only to be met with a baffling absence.

The undeniable pattern of seeing the palace, only to have it vanish, left us dumbfounded.

"This can't be coincidence anymore. We all saw the same palace, and then it just disappears. It's not like we collectively hallucinated the same thing again. The night after the college party, it could be attributed to imagination, as we each experienced something different. But this time, it's not the case"

I stated, grappling with the absurdity of our situation.

My feet led me to the pavement, a strange compulsion that defied explanation. There, before me, was a cemetery—a final resting place for people of all religions. Adam explained the diverse practices—Hindu cremations, Muslim graves, Christian caskets, Parsi towers of silence, and more, of course separated so as to honour the beliefs. Yet, the cemetery's juxtaposition with the palace was a paradox that eluded reason.

"But how can we see a palace right next to a cemetery or on the cemetery or with it, and all of us witness it simultaneously? This can't be coincidence,"

 I countered, my voice tinged with frustration.

"Maybe it was something in the drinks we had back in the village," 

Aadhya ventured, seeking an explanation.

" Really Aadhya?" Ruhaan kind of shouted only to receive an enraging glare from Harsh. "But then, how do you explain the previous night, when we all saw the same palace?" Ruhaan  asked softly now but the question cut through the air, exposing the inconsistency in our experiences.

"I don't know. None of this makes sense. What the hell is happening to us?" 

Aadhya's frustration reflected our collective sense of bewilderment. In the midst of the chaos and lengthy discussions on the side of the highway, we forged an agreement to press on, to push this perplexing topic aside and bury it within us. Exhaustion hung over us like a stifling fog, and the decision to step back from the enigma felt like a welcome respite. However, upon our return to the college, we were met with Aadhya's accusations, claiming that we had brought chaos into their lives since the day we had set foot in Dehradun. Adam countered with claims that these disturbances had plagued their lives long before our arrival. This revelation sparked numerous questions, but Ruhaan intervened, stating, "Aadhya, clearly, all of this has been happening long before we came here. Stop blaming us." The arguments escalated, words were exchanged, and vows were taken. Conversations dwindled to an awkward silence, our faces masked in a veneer of indifference. The once-tight bonds of friendship were strained, and even Adam and I, in our relationship, felt the distance growing. Messages became sporadic, calls infrequent, and our connection was eroding under the weight of our unspoken fears.

In hindsight, it's clear that there was no reason for us to drift apart. The challenges we faced required unity, not division. Yet, the shadows that loomed over us seemed insurmountable.As days turned into weeks, we crossed paths with blank expressions, the silence echoing the vast chasm that had formed between us. Months rolled by, our lips sealed, conversations severed. 

Adam and I clung to remnants of our bond, but the distance was undeniable. An air of melancholy settled over us, a sense of loss that we couldn't articulate.Our separation was punctuated by brief exchanges, but the warmth that once characterised our interactions had dimmed. I figured that he may also believe that the incidents of palace and the memory were happened after we around to the town like others.  Arguments had cast us adrift, and our attempts to resume normalcy were in vain. The collective laughter and shared camaraderie were distant memories,  leaving a void that none of us could fill, it felt like we have been with each other for an eternity. In our isolation, the mystery festered, its impact rippling through our lives. It is said that darkness feeds on unrest, amplifying it to insurmountable levels. Looking back, this notion seemed to encapsulate a bad force that had inserted itself into our lives.