THE TALE OF THOUSAND PEARLS - A FIVE PART SHORT STORY - FIRST PART

GLIMPSE: A Poor girl suffering a tragic fate gets fortune into her hands in the most unexpected Way. But all things in this world comes with an unknown heavy price 

PART- 1: THE WORLD OF MAGIC AND MYSTERIES 

CHAPTER: 1 THE TUNNEL OF MAGIC AND WISHES:

The clouds shrouded once again brewing a storm both outside as well as in Sheena's life. She longingly looked outside the bus with some hope that can altogether change both her life and her ailing brother Atul's life who is physically challenged due to a Childhood accident. Sheena currently resides with her great aunt who though looks more fragile and weak in appearance is a person of honesty and an embodiment of righteousness. She takes care of the siblings after Sheena's parents passed away due to mysterious accident. 

The accident, the same wretched thing that turmoiled the happy family of Sheena. Young Sheena wan't prepared to face this unexpected storm and was torn in her tender age. At the age of 10, her parents passed away on the spot when a huge force toppled their car from a hill in which they were travelling on. But she was saved along with her brother during that day by anonymous astounding blue flamed entity for which she had a blurred vision of it as nightmare since her childhood. She would always have a gloomy sight of that entity or a celestial person who despite burning with flames of rise never harmed the siblings and saved them from the tragedy. 

Sheena could still remember the caring gaze of the being towards her and her brother on that dark night and she requesting him to save her injured brother whose poor legs was stuck inside the car, that caused this disability forever in his life. Though she was saved the life she desired soon vanished after her great uncle Hriday gambled all of her father's Insurance money in many scams and fall to doom of malicious practices. He never comes home to look after his wife and his only daughter who is now doing her college and the Great aunt turns deaf to his wicked ness as he harbours a dark secret about her great aunt Malini. 

Sheena each day would think of the other children sitting in the bus and always fantasise to live their lives. She always wanted to have good uniform, good books and resources to study and most importantly a prideful life she could be proud of. But all is opposite to Sheena. She looked to the bus window and saw it get wetted by the droplets of rain.Though not completely visible, the panel could reflect her inner emotions as it covered her crying face. The face that looked dirty, covered with mud , sad and drought with the emotions. Sheena became the adult and the mature one so soon that she is now entrusted to save her family from the dire poverty. . Her Great aunt Malini works as a watch woman in an art museum, while she works part time as a food delivery assistant. The great aunt's daughter Anamika always wanted to escape their misery and live the luxuries she desired for. She always has a sense of show off and knock off, and brags her aunt's children for becoming a burden to their already poverty stricken family. Anamika lives in the outskirts and will come home each week. She is that one opportunistic person Who could do any outrageous thing to fulfill her need of luxury and comfort. 

Sheena could vividly remember the day of accident while travelling on her way to home each time, and yearns to meet the person or being one time again to thank him for atleast saving them. She remembered him as a person who is in rich heavenly dressing wearing an octahedral shaped sapphire locket chain filled with 5 pearls on either side. She always wanted her brother Atul to walk properly for once in his lifetime, meet friends go to school and harbour a prosperous life. Sheena also desired to have an escape from misery and live a life that they always deserved for. Sheena , her brother and her aunt Malini were wronged by everyone, either those not so caring relatives or Malini's husband, Hriday.

 So,when Sheena was returning home in her bus, the bus which she was travelling suddenly punctured midway due to a the outraging rain and storm. Her way to home was crossing an overlong bridge and a high way surrounded by forests on either sides. Crossing along the forest pathway is the single route to her town. And the route is less crowded with vehicles. On the stormy day, there were no vehicles on the route and the police on the checkpost closed all the alternative routes to her town owing to the poor maintenance of that roads. As Sheena peeped out , the children in the bus giggled about a mysterious tunnel in that forest that fulfils the wishes of people suffering from misery and poverty with a price. Either it directly provides us the wish or the medium to fulfil that wish. Though least bothered by the giggle, Sheena got curious and the bus members got distracted by a second. Her curiosity and anxiousness made her to take a drastic step to ask permission from her teachers to leave the bus Immediately in the name of emergency.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Sheena entered into the forest only to realise that the forest is nothing less than a fairy tale. The forest with a cloak of prickly spines outside looks ethereal and flawless inside. It was enchanting with dandelions, beautiful cherry blossoms and the pathway nearing the tunnel looked more floral and beautiful. For the first tine, Sheena felt so magical and had an escape from her cruel reality that she always desired for.

 As she neared the tunnel, she sensed a vibrant form of magical energy , a kind of mysterious aura that pulled her even more closer to the tunnel. The pathway of the tunnel had no Lights inside and the tunnel was an entrance to a cave in that fairy tale forest. Also Sheena never felt the same rain on outside as in the forest. The rain was less stormy and more prickly. The droplets of rain dripped one by one and Sheena realised that the rain inside was like a blessing from nature.

She looked around and found groves grown on either side of the cave with varieties of floral roses. The cave was connected to a magnificent mountain which on her town was tabooed to be inasuspicious, haunted and scary to encounter. As she stepped near to the tunnel, the gateway was lighted suddenly by a force.

The same force that she felt ten years before on the day of accident. She was standing in the middle of entrance when the dark cave soon got brightened when a dazzling blue coloured fire flies in a flock of thousands approached inside. Sheena was dumbstruck at a moment when the flies lit the cave with brightness.

Soon the person, she yearned to meet for years appeared the same like before. The flames of blue fire burning on either sides and from the blazing fire came the person who saved her and her brother Atul on the day of accident.. Sheena though was initially scared by the sight of this other worldly entity. Yet she was stubborn in asking her wish to resolve this gruesome destiny that she was fated to live

 Sheena said, " I don't know who you are? Or from where you are? But one thing For I am sure that you can have the power to change ill fated destiny that I never asked from the God. If he wants to take my parents lives, the he could have taken my life too. Why he had sent you on that day to disrupt his own order he had created. Anyway, I was a girl who never believed in fate , magic or destiny. But if you have the power to save my life, then save me from this misery."

 The person who stood before her smirked a moment and said," After years we have met and you haven't greeted me with any wish. Anyway, I was the one responsible in pushing you to this tragedy. You never deserved that life. You would be dead along with your brother by now. But still you remember my gratitude. I can grant you the wish you ask for. But in one price, which i will tell you later. For now lets say, your days of misery are getting over by now. your wishes which you make yourself in your heart are always listened by me. And i am obliged to fulfill your wishes. I am bounded here by a curse that I never wished for, but still helping you might relive my curse or something."

Sheena looked perplexed by his confusing reply. Yet she asked his name for which he replied," Sparsh!" I think you might remember this later after hearing my name. Sheena was confused about the last statement but before she could ask something , the tunnel and. The floral gateway vanished. Her eyes were closed by someone standing behind her and the moment ,she opened her eyes , she saw herself standing in front of her home. 

She barged inside and realised that everything looks same. Sheen was slightly disappointed by the reality and she tried to believe that everything was only her unrealistic hallucination. Just before she could leave the home for work, as She saw her mobile filled with missed calls of customers, she took time to view her in the mirror. Sheena said to herself," what am i watching now? Is this even real? Or am I daydreaming random stuff like? How can i look This ethereal and beautiful ? " Sheena compared herself from the moment when she saw her reflection in the bus panel and now. She looked resplendent with her hairs straightened and face as bright and warm as a morning sun. She could remember that how the customers where she delivers food show disgust towards her ugly face and now she looked like a princess. Sheena realised that the tunnel and the moment were indeed real and magical!

Without wasting time on seeing herself, she catered to her brother who was also shocked seeing his sister for the first time so bright and bubbly. Atul said ," I don't know why, but i feel that something has changed in you sis! I can feel it" Sheena shrugged her brother , patted and hugged him with warmth. Before leaving his room, she said," good days are on the way to come for us soon!" The hope and desparity that she always felt suddenly vanished in a moment and Now sheena realised that she might hope for the best to come

She grabbed some sandwiches that were on the table prepared by Malini who only comes morning after her night shift as a watch woman in an art museum. Sheena before leaving the home recalled her promise of taking her brother to a trip after her annual exams that might be over by that week. But Sheena knows that it is impossible to even manage their daily expenses with the meagre wages that they earn each day due to their jobs. While her Great aunt going to academy preparing for a civil service exam, Anamika doesn't even care a shit about her only family. 

As Sheena stepped outside, her thought of wearing a torn raincoat suddenly disappeared when she saw beautiful coats and umbrellas on stand. Sheena has a friend named Mohit, who is a kind bestie that one could think of. He always helps her in needy situations and Sheena always borrows his scooter for delivering the foods. Mohit's parents find Sheena disgusting and despise her with hatred. Though Sheena finds difficult and guilty to ask help from Mohit each and every time, this time to her wonder, a scooter was standing on the park lot. Sheena went near the scooter and soon realised that it was registered under their name. She saw a blue fire sign on it indicating that the needs that she wanted are fulfilled by Sparsh one by one. Yet inner to this excitement of relieving those wishes he grant, Sheena wondered what price or debt she needs to repay him for granting those desires.