Romantic Revenge

Chapter 13 (Aditya)

The dream about the bloodthirsty dream subsided, but a new confusion was born after, I came from visiting the temple. 

I dreamt of a little girl tugging my hand bringing me through a dense forest, with waning moon's dim moonlight to allow a little vision around my surroundings.

Surprisingly, I did not hear any growling sounds that normally emanated from a hungry lion or, a tiger that lurks witin the shadows of the forest!

I, then focused on the owner of the little hand that was bringing me through this forest that was unfamiliar to me! She looked like she was six years, fair-skinned and long tresses that flowed till her calves. She was wearing a pink night dress.

Soon, we came to a stop somewhere in the mid of the forest, I suppose. I turned around and, I saw an old woman, clad in a brown saree hunched over holding a stick for support. 

She came nearer instead of, feeling scared I felt warm and comfortable around her! She tapped her long wooden bamboo stick against the forest floor, thrice. Suddenly, I felt as if, there was an earthquake but, what I saw was something extraordinary! 

A temple arose, It was bronze in colour and I knew it was some kind of an ancient temple. The structure and the design of it! I have hear and also seen in pictures of this kind of ancient temples that was in reign of the hindu dominated kingdoms!

Yet, something peculiar stood infront of, the temple. A snake on the right side of the entrance steps and an eagle on the left. The looked so real but, they were just statues, the grey hue gave off its secret of being a statue. The eyes of the snake were beady red, it looked like it was encrusted in red rubies. The eagle had yellow jewels in place of its eyes. 

As I ascended the steps, I saw a tiger on the right side of the entrance which threw me off guard, but too realise it was also a statue. On the left side, lied a swan. I was transfixed by the eyes of the animal statues. The eye of the tiger was deep blue colour, and to the swan it was of a light pink hue! 

As , I ascended further I realised that I have seen this animals somewher having some form of, a connection to hinduism. Then, did I realise the snake of shiva, the Garuda(Eagle) of vishnu, the tiger of Maa Durga, The swan of Saraswathi. When I reached higher did I see the elephant of, Lakshmi. But, I saw a woman who looked like a warrior princess perched on top of the elephant.

Upon, closer inspection she was wielding a sword in her right hand. Her face and the sword faced the sky and, she wore a crown to depict that she elonged to some loyalty. The, I noticed the eyes of the elephant which was of a darker grey that enticed me for a second. Then, I saw something strange.

It had a third eye, then I wondered did the other animals I saw on the temple steps had a third eye. With a close recall, I remembered they did. Something, told me this was no ordinary temple.

I went into the temple and, I saw what I saw in the painting of the shiv temple! The Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv ji standing with their consorts from left, middle and right of the sanctum, respectively. But, what was missing was the man in the picture and the woman standing in the middle of the sanctum with their bodies facing the back, so I could not see the their faces.

As soon as I entered, I heard someone calling my name ''Adi'' and, I woke up to see Dhirti my cousin to awaken me from my slumber and to remind me of that it was dusk and, I had to be up for evening prayers!