Nikki vs Rikky

Chapter 16 - Little People

The road to Capricia's palace seemed endless. Every now and then Nikky glanced at the map given to her by Loocidoh who had instructed her to follow it blindly.

He had sketched the map in front of her, marking Capricia's palace with a cross and landmarks that he or the other two men could think of with a simple dot. He then linked the cross and the landmarks with a dark dotted line, which meandered its way down to the cave.

'The map will lead you to the outskirts of the palace. Unfortunately, our familiarity with the terrain ends there because that's the place where we were captured. You'll be on your own thereafter. And do get to the palace before dusk,' Loocidoh had said.

Nikky looked around the landscape and then glanced at the map. She was close to the palace, she thought, tapping the final landmark encircled Huge Rocks with her finger. The map she was carrying was indeed accurate. Nikky felt relieved that she had made to the last point well before time. The sun was parched right above her, which meant she had plenty of time before it got dark.

She rested for a while examining the rugged terrain and came to a conclusion that the last leg of the journey would be the toughest and the most dangerous. She looked at the steep path that led to the ridge and wondered where would she land if she fell, accidently? As she tried not to think but it kept coming back.

She closed her eyes to build up courage and compose herself. As he did that an idea struck her. Not wasting any moment, she said aloud, 'I wish I could find the palace before it got dark.'

Out of nowhere emerged a grand, majestic palace gleaming in gold and pink.

'Why didn't I think of it before?' Nikky thought awestruck, tucking the map into her pocket. It was the most beautiful palace she had ever seen. It was surrounded by a moat covered with gleaming blades of grass just like the ones that grow in a Savannah. She took a deep breath and walked towards the high arched entrance. Strangely, it was unguarded and ajar.

Maybe it is protected by magic, she thought. Nikky peeked in. Except for a thick golden mist hovering over the ground, the castle bore a deserted look. Where was Capricia? Where had she held up the princess? Nikky was puzzled but equally struck by the grandeur of the palace. She pushed the heavy doors open and stepped into the dreamland.

It was odd that the palace was uninhabited but Nikky was too excited. She ran from one pillar to the other until she reached the nearest door and stepped inside. It was a large room with a wide array of wardrobes. She opened one of the closets and was surprised to see rows full of beautiful dresses. She tried a few dresses and was stunned to find that the clothes fit her perfectly.

After getting in and out of the dresses, Nikky ran to the adjoining room and was greeted by a wonderful aroma of hot chocolate and waffles. She picked a few delicacies and ate them as she hop-skipped into the courtyard.

It was a lovely square with a fishpond at the center surrounded by flowers. Nikky spent some time watching the glittering fish dance in the water and then entered a big hall full of mirrors. Nikky turned from one mirror to another looking at herself. She looked enchanting just like a princess.

She stepped a little closer to the mirror and a bit further until her eyes met her own. She peered into them and realized it wasn't her eyes she was looking into. It was Rikky's. She snapped back into reality upset by her naivety. Her reflection had taken her complete self away, her identity, and she was still being tricked by illusions created by her imagination.

Nikky brushed aside the thoughts and stomped into the courtyard. She looked at the sky. It had turned orange. She realized she had wasted a lot of time and ran to the palace gate. She had barely stepped out when she noticed a file of what appeared like pigmies walk past her.

At once, Nikky ducked behind a bush and watched them. They were short and strongly built and walked in a single file humming something that Nikky couldn't understand. It was strange they hadn't noticed her even though the bush behind which she was hiding wasn't thick. Or had they? One of them had looked into her direction and nodded as if she had been spotted.

What was surprising was the fact that the creature had no eyeballs. Just dark, hollow sockets. Was the creature just pretending to ignore her? But why would it? Maybe it had just formulated a plan. Her mind twiddled with different thoughts and before she could realize the single file had walked a distance.

Not prepared to lose the little people, Nikky trailed them, walking as low as she could so that she could not be seen. They walked to the edge of the cliff and jumped into the abyss one by one. Nikky froze and shut her mouth with her hands from screaming.

Nikky came out of hiding and went closer to inspect the edge of the cliff. A whiff of cold breeze hit her face as she gazed into the dark pit. Then as her pupils adjusted to the darkness, Nikky saw it, different from the one she had wandered into.

The bright colours of her imaginary palace were replaced with shades of white and grey that skirted in the mist and dark clouds. It filled Nikky with a feeling of grief and sorrow.

She looked at the options to reach the palace even as Loocidoh's voice kept cracking in her ears. 'The task is on you to figure that out!' There was no way to get into the palace except jump like the little people did. A gust of wind blew her hair all over her face. She pushed them behind her ears and moved closer to the edge of the cliff.

She bent forward shifting her weight on her good leg to check if she had missed anything. The soil under her feet gave way and she lost her balance. Her arms circled in air trying to steady herself but it was too late. Gravity had already pulled her into its embrace.

Nikky closed her eyes and fell into the darkness thinking only of her mother and the lovely time she spent with her. Her mother's face smiled back at her.

It was all that Nikky wanted.