Anikaa & The Mystery of the Painting

11. Jiyu Unlocked

"Story?"

"Yes, a story from which you will get all your answers."

Anikaa nodded and sat down on the linen which appeared from nowhere. Sure he can do tricks!

"Thousands of years ago, there were many tribes in India that diminished and evolved with time and cultural changes. Many of them moved to modern lifestyles leaving their traditions, culture and secrets behind. But, some of them- the advanced ones- the ones that possessed powers, moved to The Great Land of Himalayas. Amongst them was Himkhasa tribe who had an ancestral lineage to the Himalayas. Their name Himkhasa was- derived from two words- Him (coming from Himalayas) and khasa (special).

The Himkhasa people were cut off from the other civilizations as they lived in extreme conditions. They were bestowed with intelligence and knowledge and aspired to attain divine powers. Yes, all of them could levitate above the ground, some could speak different languages, hypnotize, and some had the power to vanish in thin air. They lived by their motto- 'Attain the supreme'."

"One day a small boy came rushing to their land with his fatally injured lamb. Yes, he somehow found them. He was crying profusely holding the little lamb. He requested Himkhasa people to treat the lamb as he was his only friend. Everyone was startled but quiet as none of them could cure the lamb, because it was dead. They could do nothing as they kept staring at the lifeless lamb. The young boy was also hurt but he was moaning for his little lamb."

"Then, Agung came forward. Agung was the most learned and accomplished member of the Himkhasa clan. He was youngest of all and had surpassed his peers in attaining the highest order of divine powers. He took out a bright, sparkling red gem from his pocket and rubbed it on the wounds of the lamb. Within few seconds all the wounds of the lamb disappeared. The lamb was alive again and it started bleating softly. Same thing happened to the child, all his wounds disappeared in few seconds and he became healthy as ever. The Himkhasa people could not believe their eyes. A gem with mystical powers was in front of them."

"The young boy was most astonished and happily took the lamb, thanking them. But, as they say-'secrets are seldom hidden'. The boy innocently told his fascinating story and about Himkhasa people to everyone in his family, village; and soon it crossed the boundaries and people crowded to Himkhasa tribe seeking solutions to problems of their daily lives, money, power, success, fame and death. Nobody wanted to die. Every now and then someone would come requesting for life. Moreover, some men from distant countries came looking for the gem to steal it. Himkhasa people now knew that the greed was never going to end. They could never live in peace anymore as people had started playing with the nature's cycle from their power. They decided to leave the place."

"At the stroke of midnight, they left Himalayas in search of another secluded, peaceful home. After months of journey, they arrived in the thick dark forests of Sunderbans. It was an ideal place for them as nobody entered the dense forests. They again established themselves and began meditating, striving to get the divine powers. After a few years, Agung summoned everyone and enlightened them that his time had come. But, before leaving he blessed the clan with the gems." Anikaa raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, there were two of them- black and red. The red one, which we all knew about, was entitled to fulfil all desires but we didn't know about the power of black one. Even, Agung was not able to gather the purpose of black gem. He handed them and told us to use it, only on a person who is worth it. He died and the people saved and protected the gem in their secret temple."

"With changing time, they decided to learn about other humans around them. A few years ago, a young woman whose name was Shalini came to the forest with a research group and she started teaching them languages and other fundamentals of modern culture. They liked her very much and noticing her passion in painting, they shared their art with her. Shalini thought that she was tutoring illiterate tribal people; little did she know that she was dwelling with the highest and most established form of human civilizations.