AN: Here is the second part of today's double update. Hope you like it. Happy reading! 😊
Omkara and Gauri were sitting in the office of Prof. Mihir Awasthi waiting for him. It was an early morning appointment. The chamber was cozy and dimly lit. Nobody in the family knew exactly where they were going on Gauri's birthday except Omkara's father. It was a joint decision by RiKara otherwise everyone would start worrying, or worse, accompany them to the land of spells.
Omkara was already getting nervous jitters. He wondered how Gauri could trust so easily, that too Mr. Oberoi. She said she had a gut feeling that they wouldn't regret taking this step. It was only because of her undying trust that he decided to take a chance. But he did not forget to keep the pistol for self defense.
As much as Gauri appeared to be confident, she was nervous too. She was constantly tapping her feet, which would stop whenever she became conscious of it. Going through the spell meant possibly taking a trip to the past, and she did not know how she would handle another heartbreaking word from her husband.
Prof. Awasthi entered the office with a tray of coffee in his hands for him and his guests. His staff didn't come so early in the morning. He was a humble man in mid fifties, short gray hair, myopic and smartly dressed in formals. There was a long mark on his neck probably due to a surgery. He looked happy that he had such high profile clients this morning.
He greeted them, explained them what they had already read and researched. He also took them to visit his lab, so that they know what they were signing up for. He was a double PhD in psychology and computer science, and had several other qualifications.
"Goals," he said with passion, "are a product of mind and body. The more you think about them, the more you inspire yourself to act on them. But you need to take the bodily pains to act, and once you do that they're completed."
He said his spells were designed to encourage goal completion. The mind does a lot of wishful thinking but the body is restricted by the environment on how much it can act. The spells recorded the goal and then created a suitable world for the participant to enhance its completion. He showed them various instruments and machines in his lab.
Gauri was completely fascinated by his knowledge. However Omkara couldn't take a liking for him, no matter how friendly and cooperative he appeared.
"Mr. Oberoi, I am glad your father recommended me to you. He is a very kind man."
Gauri could only pray to God that Omkara didn't lose his temper.
"Prof. Awasthi, can we see a demo of your famous experiment?" asked Om.
The professor couldn't be happier. He took a mouse, put some electrodes on its head to record it's wish and then teleported it into 'The World' using the spell (i.e. the simulation). Then after a while the mouse came out from it with a cheese in its mouth.
RiKara were impressed, but Om still didn't like the man. They discussed their case with the Professor, why they wanted to participate in this and their goal of recreating their love story. The professor listened with utmost patience.
"Your goals are unique, Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi. I would have to make some minor changes in my spells. It would cause you to forget each other till you reunite, but that is all in the favor of your goal, recreating your love story." the Professor said.
Omkara wasn't very happy with what the professor said. Gauri was also getting jittery. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Their love was true, and this would be a memorable journey. RiKara had come prepared. They knew to recreate their love story they might have to separate for some time. So they had already packed their bags and significant symbols of their love story to carry with them.
"Thank you Prof. Awasthi. It would be great if you could arrange for the spells as soon as possible." Omkara shook hands with the professor.
The professor agreed. Soon they signed a risk contract, recorded their goals and entered 'the World'. Someone from the shadows watched as they and entered the spell. In the Oberoi mansion, Tej Singh Oberoi's mobile beeped with a message: 'Good job Tej!'
The Spell begins:
Black eyes, dark mane, fierce as a lion, compassionate as a flower, a reflection of Shankarji himself. Who was he? Gauri crinkled her eyebrows as she tried to remember.
The bus jerked to a stop interrupting Gauri's dreams. She looked around and saw that the bus had finally reached Mumbai. It was a clear sunny day, with usual hustle-bustle of the city. She carried her bag and got down the bus. First she had to reach Dandi bhaiyya's house before going to the University. What was his address?
She searched her handbag for her phone to see the address. A peacock feather. What was it doing here? She didn't remember keeping it. She took the soft feather in her hand and felt a strange longing pass through her being. Like something wasn't as it should be.
Seeing her distracted, a group of boys took the opportunity to snatch her bag, handbag and run.
"Thief! Thief! Thief!" Gauri ran after them.
For Mumbai this was nothing new. Everyday the city reported thousands of cases for bag snatching, chain snatching and theft that nobody was bothered to solve. The passerby were too busy with their own lives to help this new girl in their city. They simply gave her way as she continued to follow them.
Gauri did not realize when she had entered into a deserted alley while following those boys. Her phone was in her handbag, which was with them. So she wouldn't be able to call the police in case of any danger. The boys were now leering at her and slowly closing the distance. She had to do something really fast to save herself.
"Ruko! Humari bulbul sirf humein hi milegi."
("Stop! Only I would get my bulbul. *")
Kali Thakur emerged from the shadows. Gauri felt her limbs turn cold. A chill ran down her spine.
Footnotes:
1. bulbul - It's a bird. In this context, it refers to a girl.
Precap: Gauri breaks Omkara's car. 😉
AN: Hmm.. RiKara just began the spell and already so much suspense. TSO's message, someone in the shadows, Kali Thakur. What do you think? I hope you had a good time. Please keep supporting and encouraging. I look forward to your votes and comments.
Next update comes based on your feedback. Till then see you! 😊❤️
Cheers!
Tiara.