इंतज़ार: वो भूली दास्तां - Chapter 1
"Oh God!! How much further do I have to walk?? I don't even have the strength to take another step... my throat is parched with thirst. And water! It's nowhere around... Mr. Vikram Singh Bundela! You chose this path for yourself... so now suffer. My mind had also gone astray... that I forbade the driver from bringing the car. I wanted to surprise, didn't I!! So now be surprised yourself. If you die of heat on this deserted path, no one will even see you." Vikram thought to himself, opening the top button of his shirt.<br />
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He glanced at the sun, which was raining fire... but the sun was raining fire so fiercely today that it wouldn't let anyone meet its gaze. On this sun-drenched, hot, and sandy path, Vikram was in a terrible state. The entire path was deserted. Forget humans?? Not even a bird could be seen in this heat... burning sand stretched as far as the eye could see. And even then, when the wind blew... the burning sand would fall directly on the body. Although Vikram was wearing clothes that covered his entire body, even then the hot sand had the power to burn the body from within the clothes.<br />
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The wind blowing on this deserted path was whistling in his ears. Again and again, gusts of hot sand accompanied by the scorching wind would rise, scorching Vikram. As Vikram moved further along the path, sand dunes appeared scattered far and wide. Vikram was terribly tired from walking, but it seemed as if this desert was never going to end.<br />
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"Did I lose my way? This is the path that leads to my mansion, I know that very well. But by now, I should have crossed this desert. No one is visible around, whom I can ask?" Vikram thought, looking around in search of a person. But alas!! There was no one as far as the eye could see.<br />
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Just then, he felt as if someone had placed icy cold hands on his back. The touch was so intensely cold that even in this scorching weather, Vikram felt the coolness of those hands right down to his spine. His entire body shivered with this cold. Vikram spun around sharply. But there was no one behind him. An unknown fear had gripped Vikram's heart, even though he was a healthy 25-year-old young man. But still, not finding anyone behind him, his heart began to beat rapidly out of fear. "My mind is gone!!" Vikram shook his head and took a step forward to proceed.<br />
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Just then, he heard the sound of a girl giggling in his ears. Along with this, an icy cold wind touched Vikram. The wind was so cold that it made Vikram's bones shiver. Vikram felt a jolt. He immediately opened his eyes to look again, because a short while ago he was standing alone in the burning desert, and at this moment the scene in front of him had completely changed. All around were large, dense, shady trees, through which sunlight hardly reached the ground, and a cool breeze was blowing continuously.<br />
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"What happened?? Where have I suddenly ended up?" he said, trying to move forward step by step. But wherever he tried to move, the trees blocked his path. Vikram tried to get through the trees. Just then, something flew towards him. Vikram quickly moved aside and looked back. It was a snake, which had fallen only 4 steps away from him. If he hadn't moved aside quickly, this snake would certainly have bitten him. The fear of death made Vikram shiver once again. Before he could think or understand anything else, the snake began to move towards him rapidly. To save his life, Vikram started running fast. While running, Vikram's breath started to falter. But if he wanted to save his life, he had to run. Whenever he tried to look back while running, it wasn't just one snake anymore, but with it, many venomous black snakes were emerging from their holes at the base of the trees and moving towards him. To save his life, Vikram kept running through those trees.<br />
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As he ran, he entered deep into the forest. Now his legs had also given out. To calm his racing heart and faltering breath for a moment, Vikram placed his hands on his knees and tried to regain his composure. But it seemed he was still unable to control himself. The fear of death had seeped deep within him.<br />
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Just then, a beautiful hand appeared before his eyes. Vikram reached out to hold that hand, when his gaze fell on the girl's face. For some reason?? This face seemed familiar to him. The girl, dressed in Rajasthani attire, a ghagra and choli, had her face hidden by a veil, but her face was visible through the sheer veil.<br />
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"Water..." Seeing the golden pitcher in the girl's hand, Vikram realized his thirst. Hearing the word "water," the girl's lips curved into a mysterious smile. "This is Rajasthan, Kunwar Sa. Here, water is the most precious thing. Tell me, what price will you pay for water," came from the girl's lips. Her captivating face, visible through the veil, her voice was as sweet as the ringing of bells. Vikram seemed to be under a spell.<br />
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"Take anything, but give me water now... otherwise I will die..." Vikram said in a daze. "You'll remember, won't you!!" the girl asked, holding the pitcher with both her hands. "It's a trial, a bet, try me. I am a Thakur, I will not go back on my word," Vikram said with a soft smile. The girl began to pour water from the pitcher into Vikram's cupped hands. Entranced by the girl's beauty and appearance, Vikram made a grimace after drinking the first sip. Vikram found the taste of the water strange. His gaze fell on his hands... where the girl was pouring water from her pitcher. But what was coming out of the pitcher in her hands was not water, but blood. Vikram immediately opened his hands. Startled, he stepped back a couple of steps. "Blood... Who are you?? What are you doing here??" came from Vikram's lips.<br />
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Suddenly, the girl's appearance and the surrounding environment completely changed. A voice echoed in Vikram's ears, "You are awaited....." Vikram jolted and sat up. He looked around; he was not in Rajasthan but in New York. He had been having this same dream for many years now, and in the dream, he would reach Rajasthan. Whereas he was sleeping in his luxurious bedroom, and it had been about 15 years since he had come here from India. The AC was running at full speed, but Vikram's entire body was drenched in sweat. His heart was beating so fast as if he had run for miles without stopping and had come to a treadmill. Vikram glanced at the wall clock in front of him; it was 5:00 in the morning. He held his head in both his hands, trying to calm himself. But the same voice was still echoing in his ears. "You are awaited....."