vaishali-the-beginning

VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 1
Goldenhaze Fiction

VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 2
PROLOGUE
She was wet…
…her feet were bleeding as dry twigs and thorns ripped through them….
…she couldn’t go back as she was strictly told by the AGHORA not to and…
she couldn’t go forward either as it meant sure death.
In the distance, the turrets of Kaadambari faded, no longer visible but for
a scary grey haze in the twilight.
What do I do now! Why do I go back in circles and come back to square
one- the dead end always?
She mentally cursed herself. There was a twitter followed by rustling
leaves …leaves so dry that they were rustling in-spite of the downpour! A
bat swooped over her head scaring her, but she pressed her palm to her
mouth to stifle her own scream.
Her hands had red marks that were the result of running dimensionlessly
in the wilderness. She closed her eyes, and felt herself falling…falling deep
and fast into a dark tunnel and then suddenly…
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 3
DISCLAIMER
All the work on these novels is a work of fiction.
These are novels that are penned by the author Goldenhaze. All the names,
characters, locales, businesses & professions, events and incidents are the
product of the author's imagination.
The religious or cultural rituals or any situations or any scientific or sociological,
legal and super natural assumptions made are to be understood as concocted as
part of the fiction and not otherwise.
Some facts may have been used for authenticity, but it may be understood that
these are used for purely fictional purposes and not for any other reason,
whatsoever.
ABOUT GOLDENHAZE
Goldenhaze is the pen name of the author AnuRam who is a doctorate in
Business management and writes fiction for hobby. Her first novel The Mirage,
was set in the back drop of Rajasthan and highlighted the theme of women
empowerment, woven into romance and intrigue. The sequel of the Miirage, The
Pursuit was again a romantic thriller which was much appreciated. Goldenhaze
has also written several novels including The Masquerade, An Evening with U,
and The WhisperValley and Vaishali.
Known for the variety in her story settings, and the usage of local flavors &
languages Goldenhaze is also known for her blog goldenhazefiction.blogspot.in
which has many ongoing works of her like A Dialogue in the Dark, The
Inexplicable Attraction and the Contrivance.
Currently Goldenhaze is working on the launch of a new stream of intense
romance, under the name Destiny series, with Deepthimaan- a character she
created in Mirage as the lead, who also happens to be the pivotal character in
her much acclaimed novel Destiny U&ME.
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 4
Vaishali gulped in air and wanted to shout, but her mouth went dry and
she could not say anything! The man held her and she felt repulsive. She
jerked free and closed her eyes and chanted "NEELA KANTHA! NEELA
KANTHA!"
There was a pause and ...
"Hey Li... Its me Ketu!" the man said.
Vaishali took a long breath, moved back and inserted the key into the
latch and the lights came on.
She could not believe it was Nachiketa!
"Oh My God? Ketu? What in the world brought you here!" She exclaimed.
"Sorry! Did I spook you?" He grinned wickedly.
Again Vaishali had that uncanny feeling! His eyes were beautiful, long and
narrow not big and round but beautiful in their own way, but she always
felt them to have that something in them, that leaped at times like then!
She could not put her finger on something exactly, but something in him
unsettled her.
"Hey? You Ok? Li?" Ketu was asking her.
"Yeah! Yes!" She said and said, "I need to go down."
"Me too! Let's!" Ketu said taking the key from her, and locking the door
behind them.
"How come you are here?" Vaishali asked him.
"I was stalking you he ha haw haw ha!" He laughed wickedly.
Again Vaishali couldn't help feeling very odd. That slight change in him at
times, sent very bad vibes to her. '
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 5
I think I am being paranoid! She chided herself and said," Ketu please! Tell
me!"
"Ok! Ok! Just came to the party, as the sets that we did for the dance
drama, were liked by one of the super store chain owner in the US. He
invited me over to the party, as they want to come out with a theme store
chain all across the globe. I saw you when I came out of his room, and did
not know where you went and then realized its this room so I tried to
knock, but the door opened and the rest you know..." he said grinning.
"Oh!" Vaishali could see Sree now, as the lift door opened and he turned
and frowned slightly on seeing Ketu.
God! He was so adorable!
Vaishali liked simplicity. Sree came across to her as a simple human being.
His feelings were written on his face, and she always liked openness in
people. It made her feel normal.
"Sree! Meet Nachiketa Misra our Art Director! He is here with someone
from the consortium" she introduced him. She then said, "Meet Srikantha
Agnihothri"
Sree visibly relaxed, and said, "Hey good to meet you!"
Vaishali my people are there! Would you like to meet them?" Sree asked
her.
Vaisali was surprised that he did not have any qualms in making her meet
his mom the very first time. Another point to him, she thought.
"Ok... You guys carry on... Will see you again.. need to discuss something"
Ketu waved at them and left.
Vaishali looked at Sree and asked," Its ok if you ... uh?"
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 6
"What? Sorry didn't get you" he said smiling at her.
"I ... uh…” she did not know how to tell him. She looked here and there.
"Ok tell me what’s bothering you. You don't want to meet my mom?" Sree
asked square and straight.
Vaishali gaped at him?
Are men like this still around? She thought.
She shook her head and said," On the contrary Sree, I wanted to say that
you need not do all this, coz you are under Suparna Di's oath!"
"C'mon! See,” he showed a group of elderly ladies in the hall mingling with
the guests. “That’s my family! They are here. So what’s wrong in meeting
them? Come."
He then turned back and said, " And Vaishali... er... just don't mind if my
mom asks you anything, as ...uh... well I never got a partner to any of the
parties we have had so far! So, she might just be curious." He raised both
his hands and said "sorry" and smiled.
Vaishali smiled and said," That’s ok! And call me Shalu! That’s what my
family calls me.”
"OH?" I am honoured Madame!” He said, making a mock bow, which
turned a few heads their way, making Vaishali to blush and Sree
immediately caught her hand and said," Hey I am sorry! its just that... just
that..."
"Well well! Who is this?" A baritone voice enquired from behind them.
Sree turned and saw, Mr. Ahuja his father's best Pal.
*****
Neel looked at Sree. He had come with a Chick! OOPs!
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 7
His little brother has grown up! And he got a girl to the party? HMMMMM!
Time to pull his leg!
But he was stuck between Kim and Sara! Both were being balanced
alternatively so that they do not end up in cat fight right there, although
they were throwing daggers at each other ever since they trapped him at
the elevator, before he escaped to the sanctuary of his family suit.
As he twirled them on his finger, he saw her with a man on each arm and
one of them was his brother!
Of all the@#$%! Couldn't he find a better female!
The place where he was…to the right corner of the main hall, he was very
ill placed to see her, and till now he only saw her back. Two men mostly
hogged her! And then he saw something that made him cough on the
drink he was having. His brother bowed to her, and she said or did
something that made him catch her hand and say something very loveydovey,
as he made out from Sree's expression coz he was facing Neel.
"Sir! Everything done!" Tejas walked to him.
"Oh! Just one more thing! Just go and find out if my bro needs any other
issues sorted out" Neel said. It was just an excuse to go after him, and
extricate that girl from his bro.
Neel tried to get a better view of the girl as he wondered...
Sree never did such things! This girl was making him dance to her tunes and
he needs to protect his bro before he makes a complete fool of himselves
before half of Delhi!
That chap never ever looked at anyone leave alone dating! How did she find
him and better still latched on to him?
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 8
Tejas walked to them and holy smokes! Neel observed...Whatever was this
girl made of! Tejas was at ease with her as if he knew her for ages, and
she had her hand on his arm all the time. She seemed fast! Too fast for his
simple and very soft hearted Sree!
Neel's protective instinct grew! He excused himself and walked towards
them...
"Oh Uncle this is ..." Sree tried to introduce Vaishali.
‘Who ever she is… son, she looks like a fresh daisy amongst dried
flowers”… and he guffawed and Vaishali blushed further.
Sree looked at her appreciatively and said," You are right uncle. That she
is! A breath of fresh air!"
"Carry on son," …and Ahuja was gone. He took her to meet his mother!
“Katchyayani Agnihothri saw the girl first when she walked in and smiled.
Her Sree was a perfect son. And a thorough gentleman, and the girl he
brought to the party was flawless. She was so elegant and so beautiful
that she was eager to meet her. When he introduced her, She very shyly
said, “Namasthey!” 1
After preliminaries, she gave a wink to Sree that said she was good and
said," Hey Sree papa was asking for the dinner to be served on the roof
garden, and got some dance floor prepared for the foreign delegates.
There would be fire works first as its nearing to be nine, and we do not
want to disturb anyone after ten as per the government rules, so just
check everything and report to him."
She turned to Vaishali and said, "Why don't you join him?”
1 The Indian way of greeting each other
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 9
"Sure Aunty!" Vaishali said. She liked Sree's Mom very much, and as Sree
looked back, Katchyayani gave thumbs up signal to him.
*****
Damnit! They left before he could tear himself away from that Japanese
businessman! Neel went and asked Katchyayani," Choti maa 2 where is
Sree?”
"Oh he has gone to check dinner arrangements! You just chill!" She said.
Over my dead body! He thought and made for the top floor.
Vaishali gazed around the entire place...it was lit up with tiny lights that
resembled jewels! And there was a dance floor decorated complete with
staircase in between that gave a ballroom appearance! She liked it very
much!
"Oops! Shalu I need to catch Dad and get the mess sorted out! ...there is a
small glitch... I am sorry Shalu... today of all the days I am like this.” Sree
apologized.
"Hey thats ok! I understand... " Vaishali said. Actually she didn't!
She did not know that Sree Kantha Agnihothri was 'The Agnihothri' and
belonged to India's leading business family, till Tejas addressed him as his
boss, and then he explained everything to her! She really was floored by
his humility.
Sree then called someone and said, “Come fast.”
He then said, “My sister Shivani, will be here to give you company, and I
shall be back after the fire works as what happened at the Taj made my
2 Aunt
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father insist I be there for the fireworks! The delegates are already
paranoid!”
She nodded and saw a slim and beautiful lady of almost her age walk to
them. She was very elegantly dressed, and resembled Sree so much that
Vaishali herself said "Shivani? Hi! I am Vaishali!"
Sree beamed at his sister and Shivani winked at him and said," That’s why
my brother is not interested in any of my friends. He has an angel tucked
away somewhere. I like her bro!"
"Shibu... "Sree chided her and was about to apologize to Vaishali, when
Vaishali said, "That's ok!"
After a minute, Sree left and Shivani introduced Vaishali to her friends as a
dancer and they were excited.
One of them said, "Why don't we quickly plan for a dance here to open
the floor for dance?"
"But that’s after dinner!" Someone exclaimed.
"But we can plan something like an entry, and then you know the music
goes and we start!" someone suggested.
"Hey Shivani why don't you lead us all?" Vaishali smiled at their banter,
and they all went to the dance floor and planned for a sequence. Later,
they all went for dinner, and Vaishali waited for Sree, although Shivani
asked her to join them. He invited her for dinner and dinner it shall be!
She wandered along and was lured by the staircase with lights. It had a
central stairway that deviated into two directions on top, and Vaishali
oblivious of the fact that on the left side it was still being done, and the
workers had gone for a short break walked up the stairs slowly holding
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 11
her gown. The dinner team was busy at the far end in the lawns. The
lights were on but the focus lights were not lit yet, casting strange
shadows and lights across the area, making it look very ethereal and
queer.
Neel walked in and looked around, and halted at the sight of her. Oh! She
was wearing white and was walking up the stairs. Wait a minute! What did
she think she was doing! He rushed to the stairs...
As she walked up, Vaishali had a strange sensation. A vision floated before
her eyes...
A warrior walking up the stairs, and he pierced his thumb with a sword
and showed the blood to everyone assembled. Another waited down for
combat. And as he turned, she had a strange feeling she had seen his
face before.
Then came the memory of the first poem by the Aghora!
When the stars spread their magic on the sun,
… as the day paves way to night...
It was nine thirty!
She climbed another step;
In highest of the heavens: Where the doors are decorated with strings of
lusture...
She was on the top floor, she didn't know which floor it was of a hotel. She
looked around.
There were arches arranged all across, as a part of the decoration and
since it was gems and jewelry consortium, they chose a theme were lights
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 12
were like tiny beads and diamonds adorning the arches apart from the
potted plants.
On the day of the moon,
It was a Monday...
Vaishali climbed to the top of the stairs unmindful of what she was
doing...
The true jowhari (jeweler) fails to notice the gem;
What did this mean!
All those who came were in fact related to jewelry ... and who did not
notice the gem?
Was he a human being?
Gem meant good person also?
She thought... She turned left on her own and walked...
The vine shall seek its stalk ...from the fires of hell
Vaishali thought... fire of hell... the accident came before her eyes... Was
she the vine?
Yes ancient scriptures always described a beautiful lady as a vine. Seeking
stalk? The stranger... oops!
the one who drank venom to save the world shall be saved ...
Lord Shiva drank the venom and was called Neela Kantha.
Why Lord Shiva should be saved... for what?
only to be lost in the depths of the impending doom!
But the deed done the fate's seal shall haunt destiny...
Now what was the meaning of these three lines? Something is going to
happen at that place right then, but what?
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VAISHALI THE BEGINNING 13
As she was about to step on the lame plank... "Shaalu! STOP!"
A voice boomed in the semi darkness, and she jerked out of the trans and
looked back.
Sree was standing at the foot of the stairs with Tejas and few others. It
was Tejas, who called her and he said," Just come back you will fall. That
plank is not fixed yet!"
... and as she turned back she felt the whole ramp move, and she knew it
was going to collapse! She ran and the sky suddenly was aglow with the
fire crackers bursting, and Vaishali ran with her might oblivious of herself,
as the set started to collapse and her wrap now was fluttering behind her.
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Goldenhaze Fiction