Shwery's Bloodline

The reality was somewhere between the ferocious pull. It was the rip current of Charu's own reflection pulling her away from Yuvaan. The depth of the lake had an aura of yogic silence unruffled by the outside world. The only sound lingering was the echo enunciating that the under current trawl was from Sheryl. The visuals of her mirror image swimming under the lake and forcing her in other direction were precisely vivid. But her parallel had green vivacious eyes. She was dressed like an Egyptian Queen and wore a diadem of hooded cobra.

Harking back to the papyrus sentence 'Water makes its way' she trolled towards a narrow culvert surrounded by electromagnetic waves. The waves were certainly welcoming her to penetrate comfortably inside them. She felt like entering a transverse wormhole connecting two separate universe. The culvert had a Julia sound effect and an under water crop circle with number nine designed inside. Surely not the work of puffer fish as the patterns were unique constellations of number nine knotted with the tips. It was creation of human psyche. Charu felt the last pull from the vibrations of mother earth and then there was silence.

When Charu woke up she saw the lake dazzling between the valley of mountains. She dragged herself from the sloppy shoreline and sat on the bank of the lake for a minute or two. Gradually, realization of being stranded alone in an unknown terrain crept inside her mind. It was a terrain of colorful moorland stretching into the spectrum of blue sky. Charu gazed at the splendour of nature and splashed the crystalline water on her face. It tasted as nectar of the gods. The hollowness of the valley magnified the sounds of birdie chirp and rumbling of insects. It reminded Charu of the wind-chime in her bedroom swaying with the choirs of wind. The reality of being in some other world made her shiver and she tried to curl her fingers. Charu felt a thick paper like material obstructing the fingers to make a fist.

'O my gosh!!!! ' Charu jerked her head back as she incredulously stared at the papyrus rolled in her hand.

She unrolled the papyrus with trembling hands and read:

"When the journey starts within

Unfolding of mystery begins

The clue is number zero nine

To be decoded by my Bloodline "

"Shall I consider this as the third clue? How on earth did this happen???" Charu checked the texture of the papyrus. It was dry as a bone.

Unable to apprehend this paranormal episode, Charu headed inside the landscape and while exploring she experienced manifestation of ' Mohenjo Daro civilization'. Her eyes discovered ruins of flat-roofed brick houses, a black stoned Shivlinga, fragments of wheels of pottery and one destroyed water well. As she strolled inside Charu saw animal bones and remains of human skeletal. Pieces of old-fangled wooden boats with oars were scattered all over the place.

"Surely the place was inhabited at some point of time. The boats were probably used to trade valuable things." She thought as she took one oar in her hand. She nosed around the most scenic terrain filled with debris of holocaust. Charu felt isolated in the atmosphere of this unknown, ruined settlement. She sensed resemblance with Eve, the first woman to inhabit in the creative myth. This moment she was Eve, waiting for her Adam to come and rescue her from this deserted terrain of land. The reminisce of Abhay filled Charu's overwhelmed mind. She felt an intense feeling to touch him and wrapping herself in the

secured arms of his.

"In adversity we remember the person we love. " Charu had read this quote somewhere and at present her body, mind and soul was just filled with Abhay. Those piercing black eyes, the muscular shoulders where she rested and that childish smile on his rough face, Charu was smitten with love for Abhay.

"My My!!!! Am I falling in love with Abhay in this weird ambience ?? Love can happen anytime and anywhere." Charu said and sighed.

Ditto were Abhay's emotions. He was experiencing 'the kuch kuch hota hai' types feeling, a story of friendship gradually turning into love. Few moments of Charu's absence made Abhay realize that he wanted Charu 24×7, desperately!!! He couldn't digest the fact that Charu just vanished in the air.

"Do I look stupid??" A furious Abhay growled at Yuvaan. His quizzical eyes emitted desire of vengeance. A feeling to discredit Yuvaan crept in his mind.

"Believe me Abhay." Yuvaan was thunderstruck to witness such an unexpected turn of events .

"You are under arrest." Abhay said and held Yuvaan at gunpoint while he called his back up team. Abhay dragged Yuvaan until they reached Fort Kochi police station and the news of his arrest spread like fire in the small town of Kochi.

"Have you lost your mind, Inspector Abhay??? You have arrested the son of Fort Kochi's corporator." Abhay was standing unagitated in front of the Commissioner of Police.

"Sir my facts are much precise. Give me one day and I will get evidence for this case."

"Case???? My dear boy there is no case. Charu's father is yet to file the missing complaint and Yuvaan's bail papers are almost ready."

Abhay gave a hard smile to his superior and left his cabin much determined to get inside of the case. Apparently, the rules of fair play doesn't apply in love and war. Indeed , it was the love and quest for Charu and war against the riddle of disappeared khopesh sword, which made Abhay dig the old cases of antiquity crimes in Fort Kochi. He came across an unsolved case of looting of Egyptian sword. Abhay was shell-shocked as the name of the plaintiff was Sheryl Varghese. There was a report attached named "Antiquity crimes " from the Archeological department stating the problems of rampant thefts in the museum of Fort Kochi. It stated about the sly smuggling network working in Fort Kochi. There was mention of national regulations being violated for the trade. The eventual markets were European countries.

"Was the sword which was robbed few days back the original sword?? My Gosh!!!! This case is having dead ringer for the sword too.." Abhay was muttering under his breath while his mind was lost in the puzzle of an Egyptian maze.

"The pedestal to this case is the museum." He murmured and drove his jeep towards the museum. The curator with whom Abhay and Charu had a brief conversation was busy recording the antique items.

"Good morning Inspector Abhay. Can I tag you as 'The museum Goer'?" The old curator asked sarcastically.

"I will be tagged as "Museum Goer" till the time you don't answer my questions."

"Which questions, Sir?"

"Who is Sheryl Varghese??? I am damn sure you know her. You have the right to remain silent but I sincerely appeal to speak the truth." Emotion of desperation oozing from Abhay's eyes made the old curator spill the beans.

"Sheryl was the owner of this museum. She was a great archeologist and she always fetched the artifacts with proper official paperwork. Whenever she procured the antique she would inscribe her own code on it and then the antique was exhibited in this museum. You see the thefts in this museum holds an old history. " He said scanning nervously around the area.

"I can't tell beyond this. But it's all about decoding the code. " He said and rushed away from proximity of Abhay.

Next day, Abhay read about the murder of the old curator of Fort Kochi museum. Someone was definitely keeping an eye on Abhay's activity. But now the most pivotal task was to find Charu.

"It's all about decoding the code. " The words of the old man rustled in Abhay's mind.

"Is it about the code MV 02 FK 09 inscribed on the Khopesh sword? MV is Mount Varghese, yes Mount Varghese is stretched along the lake so maybe the Mount number two has something, FK becomes Fort Kochi... How to decrypt 09????"

"Nine Gods of Egypt

As nine jewels in the sword

Nine months gestation period

To separate child from the umbilical cord.

The key to get the sword is the bottom-line

Written on Papyrus number zero nine"

Charu got the fourth papyrus hidden inside the ruins of the boat. Still in her diving suit, wandering in the mysterious area for one day with two papyrus in her hand was Charu's status. Somehow, Charu felt she knew the place subconsciously. There were some residual memories connected with the place. She read the clue on the fourth papyrus again. The mystic number nine... A symbol of finality and completeness of God's creation.

It represents the power of holy spirit.

"Have I transmigrated to take the flesh and body again??" Charu's thoughts were going berserk in different directions.

She remembered the under water crop circle with number nine.

"Is that crop circle underlying lead for the sword?? Something is buried inside that crop circle." The clues definitely gave clear insight to the mystery and Charu blew up in ecstasy as she was confident about her sixth sense.

But, moment of hallelujah brassed off as she was trapped in the secluded bay surrounded by bizarre biosphere. The only thought scratching her mind was to escape from the place.

"But how??" She whispered. She had quenched her thirst by drinking lake water and hunger by eating the fresh fruits grown on the landscape. But Charu wanted to wriggle out of this terrain.

'Abhay..... Help me . Is anybody around??? 'Charu screamed in despair.

Vincent's slumber was partly disrupted by a haunting voice. Vincent saw a silhouette with spooky green eyes in the gleam of the dim light.

"The wormhole is already opened by my Bloodline. You will never get the sword." Said the shadow.

"Who are you? "Vincent asked the unknown voice.

"I am the physics of universe known as the Law of Karma. Every action has reaction and the force determines the vicious circle of birth and rebirth."

"What???" Vincent was completely dumbstruck by the metaphysical explanation given.

"All your scientific experiments will fail miserably. Mother nature and the justice of this universe will prevail. Even if your time machine travel back and forth you can't escape electromagnetic waves of this universe. The formula to discover the sword is beyond the understanding of quantum physics. "

"Why???" He asked fumbling in his speech.

"Why!!!" Vincent heard the echoes of gigantic laughter.

"Vincent, the mystery of sword can only be decrypted by my Bloodline. My Charu...."