The Mystery

It was a new experience for them. They were enjoying every moment. Their actual venture was going to start. It doesn't matter, it was just a dream, because this dream was connected to the biggest reality of their life. There were so many secrets which they were not aware of. This was not meant to be shown to them in their dreams, because they had to experience it in reality so that they could understand the depth of the real situation. As their boat was moving towards the Glass Palace, their excitement was increasing. However, what else could they do? That Glass Palace was so attractive that anyone would get lost in the shine of the palace. Moreover, it was a new experience for them because it was connected with their lives. Though they were not aware of this. It is said that what is yours will make its way towards you. The old man was keenly observing the excitement on the faces of Sriha and Aravir while sailing the boat. He was very happy to see their enthusiasm. He wanted to see this for many years. Only the old man knew how long he had waited for this moment to come. And the reason behind his wait and happiness was still hidden. When Sriha caught him smiling while looking at them. She thought to talk to him and introduce themselves to him. “By the way, I’m Sriha and he is Aravir. What’s your name?” Sriha asked. “Mitral!” He replied while passing a gentle smile. "Do you stay here alone? Because we found no one here except you. Why is this place so empty?" Aravir asked. "Because this place has especially been created for you all!” He murmured. “What?” Aravir asked because he couldn't hear anything. “A…nothing! I don't know why this place is so empty. But I have heard people talking that this is an abandoned place. So, I've come here because I don't want anyone to see me until I find the people I have lost." Sriha and Aravir both were startled by his statement and they were staring at him with the question mark on their faces. When Mr. Mitral noticed that, he then said, "I mean, I'm alone here until my other buddies get freedom." "Freedom from what?" Aravir asked. "All of you will soon get to know when you enter the palace." He answered and gently smiled. They both were still confused, but they thought, 'it's okay, let's see what happens.' Later, they reached the opposite direction where Ashmi and Sarath were waiting for them at the lakeshore. After picking up both of them, the old man turned his boat towards the Glass Palace. “Hello! Mr. I'm Sarath and she is Ashmi.” Sarath said. “Hello, my name is Mitral! Nice to meet you.” The old man said. “By the way he is the only man present here. Don't you feel something is weird?” Sarath suspiciously said while leaning towards the Aravir. “He has his own reasons. Don't worry, I have a gut feeling that he is a good person.” Aravir replied. The old man heard them whispering. But he did not react. He just smiled mysteriously and continued rowing the sailboat. After some time, they reached the Glass Palace. They got off the boat and stood in front of the palace. They spent some time adoring the beauty of the palace. Later, they walked towards the door. It was a huge door which could not be opened by one person. Therefore, all of them pushed it together to open. As soon as they entered the palace, their eyes widened in surprise after seeing such a marvellous creation. They could see their own reflection on the wall, on the floor and on the ceiling of the palace. It was made of glass and looked transparent, but was not transparent. One person could not see the other person standing behind the glass wall. Each and every corner of the palace was decorated with unique masterpieces from all around the world. There were candelabrums located on every table near the pillar. Everyone was looking at the palace in amusement. He was just adoring the palace with compassionate eyes and a gentle smile on his face. "After so many years I have entered this palace." He mumbled and exhaled his breath with satisfaction. His eyes were wet. Ashmi caught Mr. Mitral got emotional and she asked out of concern, "Are you okay?" "Of course! I'm better than before." He replied. His statement confused Ashmi. “Sorry I did not understand! What does that mean?” She asked with hesitation. "Have patience! You all will learn everything. For now, let me show you the Glass palace." Mr. Mitral politely answered. He was about to take them all to show the palace, but as usual their alarm disturbed their beautiful sleep. "Ah! I wish I could throw this alarm out." Ashmi said and banged the alarm. "But it's not my alarm's fault." She added, softening her tone as she realised it was not under her control. Afterwards, all of them went to college and in break, they sat in a round. They were silent and only watching each other's faces. After a few moments Sarath broke the silence and asked, "Who is Mr. Mitral?" "There is no point in discussing anything, let's see what happens ahead." Sriha replied. "Let's wait for tonight!” Aravir said. “Yes! By the way, I'm very excited to visit the Glass Palace!” Ashmi eagerly said. “You know it feels like we are watching an entire movie in pieces every night. The reason behind these dreams has not been revealed yet. Why is this happening to us? I can't wait any longer.” Sriha said while exhaling her breath. “Even we can't wait. But what else can we do?” Said Aravir. “Should we share with our parents?” Sarath suggested. “No!” Sriha Aravir and Ashmi yelled together. He got scared due to their sudden shouting. He was looking at them with wide open eyes. “Don't even think about telling them anything.” Aravir warned him. “But why?” “They will be worried for us. Though we have already decided that we won't share anything with our parents until we find out the real reason behind those dreams. Have you forgotten, Sarath?” Said Sriha. “Okay! Calm down! I was just suggesting. I haven't told anyone yet. Don't worry!” Sarath replied calmly. "Everyone suddenly pounced on me." He grumbled under his breath. “Did you say something?” Sriha asked while narrowing her eyes. “Nooo!” Sarath stammered while answering to her. After discussing for some more time, they left for their respective homes. When they left, a person standing behind the Banyan tree came out. She was none other than Miss Sarati. For the past few days, she noticed all four of them used to sit under the Banyan tree every day and talk about something. So this time she followed them and she hid behind the Banyan tree to overheard their entire conversation. “The Glass Palace! It means, they have reached there. But who is Mr. Mitral?” She wondered. While she was thinking about Mr. Mitral, her eyes fell on the hand of a girl who was hiding with her back resting on the wall. That girl had no idea that Miss Sarati had caught her. Miss Sarati stepped towards her and stood beside her. She saw the face of the girl. The girl was Risha, the running gossip queen. Miss Sarati crossed her arms across her chest. When Risha saw someone’s shadow on the ground, her heart beat increased. She gulped in fear and looked beside her. “What are you doing here, Risha?” Miss Sarati suspiciously asked. Risha got scared. She started stammering, “I…I was wait…waiting for my friend. Nothing else.” After saying this, before Miss Sarati could say anything, she immediately ran away from there. “I hope she hasn't heard anything.” Miss Sarati worriedly said. On the other hand, Risha was panting. She thought, “Thank God! I was saved. I hope that Miss Sarati will consider my presence there as a mere coincidence.” Afterwards, she took a deep breath. Then she started recollecting the conversation of Sarath and his friends. He was talking about informing their parents about their dreams. “What kind of dreams are they grtting? I remember that day also Sriha and Ashmi were talking about dreams. And why do they want to hide it from their parents?” Risha wondered. “Anyways, even if they don't want to tell their parents, I want to! I'll do that because I hate them. They have always insulted me. I will surely take revenge!” Risha blabbered and passed a devilish smile. As it started approaching midnight, they all quickly went to their respective rooms to sleep and start dreaming. Ashmi was a nightingale. She never used to sleep early. But for the past few days she used to go to bed as soon as possible. This was surprising for her mother and she started doubting Ashmi even more. But she had no clue about what was going on so she chose to be silent. On the other hand, all four of them had reached the world of their dreams. Mr. Mitral was taking them on a tour of the Glass Palace. "This kind of palace can only exist in dreams." Sriha exclaimed in wonder. "That's true!" Ashmi agreed with her while looking at the Glass Palace. "This palace is real and it does exist!" Mr. Mitral exclaimed. "Really! Where?" Sarath asked curiously. "Of course!" "Have you visited this palace earlier? It seems like you know this palace and everything here very well." Aravir suspected. "I'm your guide here. And this is enough for you to know right now. You all gathered at the same place and met only me. Why? That's not a small coincidence." Mr. Mitral said. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Mitral?" Sriha asked. "Come with me!" Mr. Mitral said while walking ahead. They entered the royal court room. Where all decisions regarding the kingdom were taken and the king had the final word in all matters. As soon as they stepped into the royal court room, two wonderful thrones caught their attention. Those thrones were made of crystals and were embellished with precious stones, which was reflected in everyone's eyes. It was a fascinating view for them. "Wow!" They all were aghast. Ashmi and Sarath went there and sat on the thrones and started acting like the King and the Queen. After watching them like this Mr. Mitral, Sriha and Aravir giggled. "Come on guys, let me take you all ahead." Mr. Mitral said. He took them all into a room which was closed. Mr. Mitral opened that door and all of them entered. They were roaming in the room and observing each and everything. When Aravir and Sarath saw the photos hanging on the wall of the room, they got dumbstruck. Sriha and Ashmi were busy looking at other things. "Hey! Don't you think the person in that photo looks exactly like me?" Sarath asked Aravir while focusing on the photo. "This looks exactly like me!" He murmured in surprise. He was looking at the other photo. So, he didn't hear what Sarath asked. When Sarath got no response from Aravir, he shook him and asked again, his gaze focused on the same photo. "Aravir, Where are you lost?" Aravir came into his senses and moved his gaze towards Sarath. Sarath's eyes were still stuck on the same photo which he was watching before. Aravir noticed that. That's why he also moved his eyes to see the photo which Sarath was staring at. He was stunned after seeing the photo. "You also!" Aravir shockingly said. Hearing Aravir's words, Sarath jerked his head towards him. He saw him looking at those two photos again and again. So, Sarath also focused on the second photo to see what surprised Aravir. When he understood what was in the photo, he too was left speechless. Sriha and Ashmi came immediately and started looking at the photos where Aravir and Sarath were pointing to see. Then they glanced at the other wall and Sriha's eyes got stuck on a photo of dancing people. “Is that girl me?” Sriha said while pointing towards the photo. “And maybe that boy is me!” Aravir also looked at the other wall and said. Mr. Mitral caught them staring at the photographs. He smiled when he saw their bewildered looks. They were also confused, so they also turned their heads towards Mr. Mitral and they got even more confused when they saw him smiling. "Yes, you're right!" Mr. Mitral said. "Not only Sriha and Aravir, but Sarath and Ashmi's photo is also there on the wall." He added pointing towards the other photo hanging on another wall. They looked in that direction and were shocked. "Do you know anything about this, Mr. Mitral?" Sriha asked. Mr. Mitral took a deep breath and walked a few steps towards the photos hanging on a wall. "Well! Of course I know, that's why I brought you all here." He replied. They were confused by his statement. His statement made them more curious to know the history behind those photos. All four were waiting for Mr. Mitral's answer. They were constantly looking at Mr. Mitral. But gradually their vision started getting blurred. Soon after a few seconds, there was complete darkness. When Sriha opened her eyes, she realised that it's time to wake up again and their dream remained incomplete again. They all woke up from their deep sleep. Ashmi got frustrated with this pattern and said, "Damn it! Every time we are about to know something new, the Moon sets and the Sun rises." She growled in frustration. They would go to college, meet each other, return home and dream. It had become a part of their life. Nevertheless, they still had not found out the reason behind those dreams. But, they were going to know the history behind those photographs in their next dream and for that they were very excited. Sriha, Aravir, Sarath and Ashmi were sleeping peacefully. They found themselves standing in front of Mr. Mitral. They wanted to know how Mr. Mitral knew about the Glass Palace. And those photos confused them more, so Ashmi asked, “We don't understand Mr. Mitral, how can our photos be here? We are visiting this Glass palace for the first time! And I never danced with him.” Ashmi asked. Mr. Mitral knew they had loads of questions in their mind. So he thought to tell them the truth. "I know you guys are confused and looking for answers. I will tell you everything, but for this you all have to be patient. Because I cannot tell you everything at once. All the secrets will be revealed one by one. So, for now, come with me.” After saying this, he started walking. All of them were following him. He took all of them into the huge library which was also in the Glass palace. Another wonderful place which amazed all four of them. There they saw, the reading table and chairs were also made of glass and were studded with rubies and emeralds. The books were placed in the book-racks. Those books had kept many secrets within. It was an awestruck moment for all of them. “Sit here, my children!” Mr. Mitral offered to sit on the chair placed around the study table. They all sat. Mr. Mitral brought one old book and sat with them too. The book was named ‘Descendants of the Glass Palace’ and it was locked. Mr. Mitral looked at Sarath. “Give me the treasure box.” He said while extending his hand towards him. Sarath was startled by how he knew about the treasure box. However, everything was already a mystery and confusing for him. So, he didn't ask anything and gave him a treasure box. “Thank you!” Mr. Mitral opened the treasure box with the key which was hanging around his neck in a chain. There was another key inside the treasure box. He took that key and opened the book. There was a photo of a royal couple. He turned the book towards them and showed them, “The photo is of King Ashan and Queen Kauriya. Now turn the page, Ashmi!” Ashmi obeyed him and turned the page. They saw another photo which was also of a royal couple, King Harshan and Queen Vedarsha. “Who are these people and why are you showing it to us?” Sriha asked. Mr. Mitral smiled and said, “Now get ready to get answers of all of your questions. I'm going to tell you all why you are getting these dreams every night.” They all got excited and were ready to listen to the story. Mr. Mitral also took a deep breath and started to tell them the truth. "Well, you all were royal children in your previous birth. Aravir and Ashmi were siblings and children of King Ashan and Queen Kauriya. Similarly, Sarath and Sriha were siblings and children of King Harishan and Queen Vedarsha." Mr. Mitral said. All were staring at Mr. Mitral with wide open eyes in surprise. "Whenever your parents met, you all used to play together and shared a very strong bond with each other." Mr. Mitral was telling the story of their previous life. "Both the Kings had even built a palace together as a symbol of their true friendship and deep trust in each other. They shared the palace equally. They wanted this palace to be unique and grand which was never seen or heard of before. They wanted people to remember this palace as a symbol of their deep friendship. They wished their children would understand what friendship is and learn value it. And the best part is that where we all are standing right now, and this is the very palace that your parents had established, ‘The Glass palace!” As soon as the name Glass Palace came out of Mr. Mitral's mouth, everyone had goosebumps. "Really!" Sarath said loudly. "This is our palace, wow!" Ashmi was astonished by what Mr. Mitral said. "I can't believe this!" Sriha also mumbled. “As you all can see, each and every thing in the Glass Palace was made of glass. The palace is transparent, but respecting everyone's privacy, they had built this palace in such a way that no one could see anything from one side to the other.” Said Mr. Mitral. "That's why we all had the same dream. Because we were all deeply connected in our past lives." Aravir wondered. "Not only for this reason you all had the same dream for more reasons!" "There are more reasons, what?" Ashmi asked curiously. "I will tell you the whole story." Everyone paid their full heed to Mr. Mitral. "King Ashan and Queen Kauriya, the parents of Aravir and Ashmi, were living a good life. The friendship between King Ashan and King Harishan was so deep that even other kingdoms appreciated their bond. But it is said that people have evil eyes on every good thing.” Mr. Mitral paused for some time. Aravir, Sriha, Sarath and Ashmi could sense that the dark side of the story was about to start. Therefore, they also waited for Mr. Mitral to start. He continued after taking a deep breath, “One day, King Ashan and King Harishan along with their families went to the Glass Palace to celebrate their victory in a war, their ministers and stewardess were always with them. However, celebrations in the Glass Palace were also extraordinary because of the beauty of the place. After the celebration got over, both the kings with their Queens were resting in their respective chambers. Their children were playing outside and both the King's ministers were standing on the balcony, holding the railings. Shangir, the minister of King Harishan was repeatedly moving his hand on the glass railing, which was shining and his face was reflecting on the railing. Tushyan, who was the minister of King Ashan noticed that and smirked. “It's beautiful, right?” Said Tushyan. “Yes, it's wonderful!” Shangir smiled and said while focusing on the railing. “Ah! This feeling of being in a Glass Palace, it's magical!” Said Tushyan while closing his eyes. Shangir looked at him and grinned. “You love this Glass Palace, right?” “Who doesn't? Visiting the Glass palace is a dream for people. Don't you like the Glass Palace?” “Of course, I also love the Glass Palace! In fact, sometimes I wish I could own this palace. It is an honour to be recognised as the King of the Glass Palace.” “You can, if you want!” “What rubbish! We are ministers and this palace is already owned by our respective kings.” Shangir laughed. “So what?” Shangir turned his head towards Tushyan, with serious look he said, “Is it possible?” “Of course, if you don't let your desire die.” Tushyan answered. The greed to acquire the Glass Palace had arisen in their hearts. Both were intensely looking at each other. Shangir thought for a while and asked again, “Would it be fair to betray our kings? They trust us.” “Nothing comes easily, you win some, you lose some. If you get carried away by emotions, you would never be able to become king of the Glass Palace.” Said Tushyan. Shangir's heart skipped a beat after listening to the words ‘the king of the Glass Palace’. He fell into deep thoughts. “Don't think too much, my friend! Everything is fair in love and war. And this is war for the love of the palace.” Tushyan smirked. “How is that possible?” “By proper planning, we both can become a kings of the Glass Palace as well as Kushalraj and Madhuraj.” The thirst to own the king's properties was sparkling in their eyes. Their greed was increasing. Tushyan also moved his hand on the glass railing and said, “The Glass Palace that symbolises their friendship, will become the reason for their destruction.” Tushyan laughed loudly. Shangir also passed a devilish smirk. Aravir, Sarath, Sriha and Ashmi were shocked. “Then what happened, Mr. Mitral?” As soon as Sarath asked, a bright shine came from somewhere. He was unable to bear the light, so he closed their eyes. After a few moments, when he opened his eyes, he found himself in his bed. He understood that his dream had been broken because of dawn. Sarath saw the sunlight because his mother opened the curtains and the Sun rays were directly falling on him. “Ah, not again!” Sarath groaned because his dream broke. The other three also woke up because it was morning. The whole day seemed like a year to them. It was becoming more difficult for them to wait for the night. But somehow they convinced themselves to wait. On the other hand, Risha was going to fulfil her evil intentions. When she saw Aravir, Sriha Sarath and Ashmi talking under a Banyan tree, she went to Sriha's house to spill the beans in front of her mother Srishtika. She knocked on the door and Srishtika opened it. “Yes?” Srishtika asked because she did not recognise her. “Hello ma'am! I'm Sriha's friend Aashruti.” She lied about her name so that Sriha couldn't know who told her mother. “Actually, I wanted a note from her to complete my project. Is she in the house?” “No, she has gone to college. Why didn't you borrow it from her in the class?” Srishtika asked. “She has not come to the college today. So, I thought she was absent because of her nightmares. Maybe she was unwell. Therefore, I came here to grab the notes from her. As I have to submit my project tomorrow.” Risha smartly revealed about their nightmares. Srishtika was startled by what she said. So she asked curiously, “One second, what did you say? Nightmares? About what?” “Don't you know about her nightmares?” Risha acted as if she didn't know that Sriha's mother was unaware about her dreams. “Okay I'll tell you.” “Wait!” Srishtika didn't want anybody to overhear their conversation, so she told her to come inside the house. They both sat on the sofa and then Srishtika said, “Now tell me everything you know. What's the matter?” “I heard her talking to Ashmi that she has nightmares every night. Where she saw one man and woman were crying and begging in front of them to save their heritage. And the most interesting fact is that Ashmi, Sarath, Aravir and Sriha all four of them are having similar dreams from the past many nights.” Srishtika was not even blinking her eyes while listening to her. She was shocked as hell. She again eagerly asked, “What else did they see in their dreams?” “I don't know much but yesterday, they were talking about the Glass Palace and they are excited to visit the Glass Palace.” As soon as Srishtika heard about Glass Palace, she felt as if the ground had slipped beneath her feet. Her heart skipped a beat. She was unable to say anything further. Risha noticed her shocking expressions. She smirked and thought about leaving before Sriha returned home, so she quietly slipped away from Sriha's house leaving Srishtika in shock. After coming outside of the house, she smirked and said, “Today a bolt of lightning is going to strike them.” She laughed loudly. When college hours finished, Sriha returned home. She entered and turned around to close the main door. “Is there something which I need to know, Sriha?” Srishtika asked coldly. Sriha slowly moved around and saw her mother sitting on the chair with a serious look. Sriha got a little scared. “Why are you suddenly asking this question?” “Nothing, just felt you are looking tense from the past few days, so I thought I'll ask you.” She answered politely as if nothing had happened. “No, there is nothing important that you need to know. Don't worry, mom!” Said Sriha and rushed into her room. She sat on a bed and took a deep breath. “Does she know anything?” She wondered. “No, no! She did not mention anything, so I don't need to worry.” When Srishtika shared this matter with the others. Parthan said, “Why didn't you tell her that you found out the truth?” “I think there is no point in asking about anything. This is not the right time. If we ask them anything, they will not tell us the entire truth. They will tell us only what they want to. They will try to hide many important secrets from us. So it's better that we wait for them to tell us everything as we had already decided earlier." Said Srishtika. “You're right! Anyway, we can't stop what is happening, so let's go with the flow. Maybe this is our destiny.” Said Anishiv.