WV-2/1

The Whisper Valley-2/1

COME WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!

Said a voice hoarse and husky!

The wind now picked up in earnest and Khushi could actually feel the fog moving as the visibility was absolutely nil!There was a strange sound that came from all over and around her as if the woods were singing a chorus! They said it sounded heavenly out there in the Whisper Valley, but right then in the darkness and in that particular situation, Khushi thought it was as if the wild was beckoning the unknown... and the valley was enticing her to walk to her own end!

Khushi broke into goose bumps at the intonation in the voice! It was strange! But she did not have time to think as she again felt that presence! This time somewhere near but not quite so where she could guage it!

As if adamant the warmth stayed when she refused to budge!

Then once again the fog whispered," Now!"

This time Khushi moved but to the side opposite to the movement of the fog and the beckoning voice... she took a step away and  a gust of wind blew hurling dead leaves onto her making her yelp and turn back!

Khushi there is no choice now!She told herself! She walked towards the shadow and as if waiting for her, the warmth stayed and then slowly moved as she walked heedless of the distance and the direction following the feel of the wamth and as she realised she was going up and in a spiral manner, she reached a more levelled area and then she could see a faint light! Very groggy a few paces ahead!

Khushi raced to the spot and found it to be farther than it seemed- it was the high way and there was a car that was parked on to the layby.A man in it peered at her when she knocked on the window shivering!

The glass slid down and a man asked her," Ms. Tripathi? Ms.Khushi Tripathi from Mumbai?"

She simply closed her eyes, folded her hands and said," Yes! Thats me! You are Joel? Joel Mendoza?"

"Thats right! Call me Joel" Joel Mendosa stepped out saying," Ma'am I am searching for you for the better part of an hour and waited for the last bus which left a few minutes before hoping to see you on it! I thought you might have missed the other one from Coimbattore!"

Joel Mendosa was a thirtish looking man with handsome face and dusky complexion and was absolutely charming! Khushi looked at him as if he was god's messenger! Her hands and feet were cold and not necessarily from the temperature that fell drastically! South India could be that cold? She never knew before!

Joel put both his hands up saying," I am sorry! You must be tierd! Where is your luggage?"

Thats when Khushi realised she lost it! Not just her hand bag and suitcase but one of her sandal and also her scarf!

She looked at Joel helplessly and said," I sort of got lost!And then...she paused... how does she tell him... what would he think!

She waved her hands and no sound came out of her mouth and she then looked at the way she had just come from saying," I ... there..."meaning to say I lost them somewhere there!

... but Joel thought her luggage was there and he walked to the edge saying where are your bags!

Khushi shook her head saying," Nai you got me wrong Joel... they are..." She stood frozen to the spot... at what she saw!

Her hand bag, suitcase and her sandal were perched on a stone ledge that was built to give protection to the road from the rocks sliding from above!

However her chunri was missing! Khushi felt sweat trickle down from her arm pits even in that cold as Joel said,"Seems like you rushed a bit, chuckling and giving her her sandal!

She simply shook her head saying," No I was lost... and..."

She thought the better of it and then said," Yeah I guess and turning round looked the way she just walked out of said," WAS LOST!!!"

The Whisper Valley

The car entered a huge drive way after entering a brass ornate gate and a drive of about fifteen minutes through winding roads!Khushi was lost as mostly nothing was visible as the fog covered the area by then and Joel said it was common after three in the afternoon! He drove with a  high beam and very slowly... saying they all did so at the Whisper Valley!

He then asked her how she got lost!She told him very sparingly about how she got down the bus and then got lost in the woods and he halted his vehicle in shock asking," Which way did you say you walked?" 

She told him!

"That is the Willow Creek... Oh NO!!!!"

What? So...er... what...is that to do...with my getting lost!

"E... Nothing!"Joel tried to play it easy!

"Tell me please" Khushi wailed!

" Oh! Its just that its supposed to be haunted! oh! don't mind the local lore! Its just... a whim I suppose!" He said!

"Haunted? How? I mean by whom and why?"Khushi was all questions...

Joel was not listening to her! He simply asked her how did you find your way back?

"...er... just ran with the wind" She said very cautiously!

"I must say you are lucky!" He said and drove her to the Casa Willow at the Whisper Woods!

Khushi got down to see a huge mansion! Nay it was a Castle alright by standards complete with the turrets! It was white washed and looked very homely unlike those huge architechtural masterpieces that looked cold and foreboding!

It was built in 17th century Joel told her and took her to Devyani who was waiting in the salone!

"Nani ji!" Khushi squeeked in delight and touched her feet and Devyani hugged her and said" Wah bitiya! Ithni sohni lagthi hain aap!"

Khushi blushed and said," How are you Nani ji!"

"Ab aap aagayi ho tho badhiya" Devyani always was Khushi's favourite as she missed her own grand parents who passed away early and whenever Garima holidayed at Whisper Valley which was in her childhood she always loved to stay with Devyani!However it was her first time at Whisper Woods!

The Whisper Valley

"Tho bitiya! Amma ka kahath rahi aap say hiya kay baarien may?" Devyani Chnadaavar asked Khushi relaxing before the fire place in the parlour...after a  bath and sumptious dinner in the dining hall!

"Bus woh bhi aajayengi yahaan! Keh thi hain Maasi ki yaadien yahaan unhay sathaayengi nahi!" Khushi did not understand the logic! She would have remembered her friend more if she visited her place!

"Haan! Bitua!" Devyni said and added," Aap aaram say rahiyega! Amma sab bathaavath rahi!"

Khushi smiled and said," Aap akeli yahaan rehthi hain!"

"Vindhya aur Charan ji kay baad? Haan!" Nani sighed!

"Per unka ek beta tha na?" Khushi enquired! 

She vaguely remembered their son who always grabbed her scarf away while she flicked his hat off his head !

"Haan hain tho!" Nai said off handedly!

"Woh kya nam tha uska? Haan!! Chotey!" Khushi said chuckling!

"Chotey!" Nani too said simultaneously and they both laughed!

"Woh nahi rehtha yahaan aapkay sath?" Khushi enquired!

Nani's face clouded and said..."...woh... rehtha hain bus humesha meray sath meray khayalon mein meri parchaayi bangaya hain apnay amma babuji kay guzarnay kay baad!"

Oh! He must be taking care of her now that she has become aged Khushi thought sympathetically!

A window suddenly opened coz of sudden gust of wind and Khushi first was taken by surprise and then stalled Anni who was getting up and ran to close it! She closed it and gasped looking at the view outside!It was absolutely opaque!

"Yeh jagah ki khaasiyath yeh hain! Aathon pehar mausam aisa hi bana rehtha hain!" Nani said explaining the scene outside to her! 

"Hawa aur dhundh kab chaathi hain aur kab barsaath hothi hain kisi ko patha nahin! Iss liye Ooty kay Wellington ka woh General yahaan aakay apna ghar basaaya tha!" She said and said "...rath bahuth hogayi ! Aap thaq gayi hongi bitiya chaliye aaram karthey hain!" 

She then walked Khsuhi up the stairs to the passage that was ornate and covered in peach and pink wall paper reminding Khushi of the oldworld english Colonial bunglows she did a feature on,... and showed her a room!

Khushi was asked to freshen up downstairs itself, as she expressed her wish to clean up immediately! Somehow she wanted to remove all traces of the bizairre experience she had just then! Now when she was conducted to her room, she stepped in and gasped out loud as it was one of the most beautiful rooms that she had ever seen!

Stretched before her was yards of ivory carpet woven intricately with fern green strands in the design of rose bushes with mauve coloured roses! The carpet was so beautiful that Khushi panicked if it would get spoilt when she tread on it! 

In the right hand corner of the room was a small cove done in wood with a rose wood table and a cushioned chair with a reading light overlooking a window that was till three fourths of the wall- wide and draped in an ornate ivory peach curtain!

"Aap kay kitaab likhnay kay liye!" Nani said beaming!

To the left was the bath room with an ornate teak wood partition that served as a change area!What took Khsuhi's breath was what lay exactly opposite the door!

The room was with wooden flooring and was elevated with three semi circular steps that lead to a huge platform on which lay a queen bed covered in ivory peach and rose-pink bed spread with ruffles to suit the out and out English Decor!

It had four posts that had a light pink drapery engulfing it but right then, drawn back giving her a glimpse of a soft and inviting bed!

Behind the bed was an arch with a sliding glass door panelled in teak!

Khushi forgot about Devyani and walked in and went through the door and again gasped in delight! Khushi found herself in one of the turrets of the Casa Willows! It was a huge semi circular place with a table and a pair of chairs thrown in for may be breakfast... she concluded as it was done up in glass panelled in wood! She however was not sure of what it overlooked as the fog outside was very thick making the glass opaque with frost!

"Pasand aaya aapko?"Devyani asked looking at her eagerly...

Khsuhi hugged her and said "Haan nani ji!Bahuth"

"Kyun nai aavey hain! Yahi... Willow Feathers ka kamra tha ek zamaaney mein" Nani said proudly! 

"Isay aisan hi rakha gaya! Haan iski dekhbaal karath rahey per bus zyaada kutch bhi badlaa nahi gaya!" She said looking around.

"Willow Feathers kaun ahin Nani ji?" Khushi asked Devyani!

Devyani smiled and said," Waheen jinkay khaatir yeh kasbay ko basaaye rahey! Bahuth lambi kahaani hain!Kabhi aaram say bathaayengay!Rath bahuth hogayi hain bitiya! Ab so jaayiye!"

"Aur aap?" Khushi asked politely walking her to the door!

"Hum? Hum yaheen aapkay theek saamnay waaley kamrey mein hain! Kal subah meri house keeper Rose Mary aajayegi tho woh aap ko sab samjhdegi! Aaj chutti pay hain woh!" Nani smiled said good night and walked across to the opposite room and waved to her and closed the door!

Who was willow Feathers and what was this all about! The valley, the woods, the rocks and the Creek! The castle and the mysterious fog! The shadow in the fog and the story that haunts the place!

Khushi changed and sat on the bed and switched off the light and looked up only to get up with a start and stared at the ceiling in awe!As she switched off the light and stared up she could see the willows wafting on the ceiling!

She switched on the lights it was gone! Oh god flourescent print she laughed out loud!

She switched off the light and went to sleep almost immediately!

An old church clock chimed an hour past midnight somewhere making Khushi wake up and she lay staring at the floating willows!How peaceful it was! How serene and beautiful the nature had made this wonderful valley! How blessed were the people who could live in such harmony with nature! She felt so languid that she did not feel like even turning! But as she became wide awake to her shock she realised she felt very odd! As if she was being watched and ...She then realised she was not alone in the room 

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