The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

15. Spooky anecdotes

Rudra's frown deepened. "That's an interesting locket."

Shravani clutched onto it, beaming. Running circles over the antique piece of jewelry, she said, "It's very pretty, isn't it?"

The locket in front of him appeared quite ancient. The metal, despite being pure gold, had lost its sheen while the surface was scratched and scraped. It was nowhere near the shimmering trinket he had perceived in his illusions, and though it must have been regal and magnificent when it was forged, the artifact was unsightly now. "Have I seen it before? On you?"

She puckered her lips and crinkled her brows. "No, I don't think so. I took this out after years only because of the trip."

He gulped hard. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." She neared him with a smile on her face. "But why do you ask?"

He took a sharp breath when she stopped right in front of him. "Uh... Thought I had seen it somewhere." He glanced away. "Must be wrong. Where did you get it from?"

She looked down, a fond smile appearing on her lips as her fingers roamed over the uneven facet. "It was a gift from someone special."

"You know how special he is to me."

Chitralekha's words rang in his ears and her adorable expressions from the illusions crossed his mind. She had been so morose at the mere thought of losing the trinket, and her eyes shone with jubilance when she discovered it at the bottom of the well. The same kind of glimmer was visible in Shravani's eyes too as she continued to land feather-like touches on the metal, murmuring words of appreciation for the inanimate object as she twirled around to soak in the surroundings.

"Why does she seem so similar to her?" he muttered under his breath.

And it happened again where Shravani, though standing a good fifteen feet away from him, was able to listen to what he said to himself and responded back. With her eyes swelled to twice their normal sizes, panic dripping from her voice, she squeaked. "Whom do you find me similar to?"

His head tilted to a side, and his frown deepened. "You are so far off from me that it's impossible for you to hear what I said. Then... how?"

She blinked a few times at him. Gaping at her palms, she said, "You were quite loud, Rudra. You were surely not whispering. On top of that, I have sensitive hearing."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "And how do you know I was talking about you? You sounded so... panicked and... and..."

She chuckled. "You are imagining half the things. Neither did I sound panicked nor do I know what you were talking about. All I did was ask. Ask whom did you find me similar to because a moment prior, you said you find me similar to her." She shrugged. "I am not sure why you are making a huge deal out of it."

He opened and shut his mouth a few times before taking a deep breath. "Something is seriously wrong. Either with you or with me."

She suppressed a snigger. "Yes, something's wrong. I am freaking hungry."

***

The following morning, they woke up early and checked out of the hotel they had been staying at. They were well-rested and sated, exuberant to commence the main leg of their journey towards Bhangarh Fort. Situated roughly 80 km away from Jaipur, tucked between hills in a remote corner where the roads weren't well-kept, they knew it would take more than two hours to cover the distance. Additionally, Surbhi wished to explore a centuries-old step well in the vicinity of Bhangarh, and hence they needed to make a move as soon as possible.

The parched lands sped past them, the greenery popping into their line of vision every now and then as the hills of the Aravali range made an appearance every time they thought they had left it behind. Another morass of transcendental sceneries flitted past them as they savored every bit of the car ride, making it fun with games and giggles.