Page 78 - Musings 2022

I erase the entire thing off the table and will start anew. Surely, there must be a way I can do
this. There are still some grimoires that I haven’t gone through yet. Well, no other time as
present.
I scan through some previous ones before going into a new one. They still cover more or less
the same stuff, but the parts that are consistent in all of them gives me concrete information.
Like, I am certain now that the battle between Tatakshya and the warrior lasted 38 days because
it is written the same in every different account.
Looking through all these, I found something interesting:
Tatakshya could only live through his magic, and it only remains in his curse after
his battle. So, he linked it with his treasure because he knew that human greed is
everlasting; as long as someone continues to search for his treasure, he lives. This
was the reason he didn’t curse the warrior – the noble warrior would strip himself
of all his earthly desires to have a chance of killing Tatakshya. And to ensure that
his curse continues to pass on, Tatakshya would poison the curse bearer’s
decision-making senses slowly to avoid this. The poison rots the bearer’s mind until
they start to doubt their footing.
I have never heard about this part before. And neither can I confirm this in any other grimoire.
Usually, I ignore such aspects as unreliable and move on, but I need something now. I cannot
afford to sit and do nothing while the curse slowly eats away my lower body. I am not the one
who gives up. No, I have vowed to slay this monster, and I will see through it.
I tell Seema about my plan, and she is staring at me blankly.
‘Vicky, I have been standing by you all this time because you assured me that it will help you.
But you are now saying all this?’
‘I ask you to trust me. Simple as that.’
‘Knowing that you are up to something this crazy, you ask that of me?’ I can hear her holding
back her tears. It is not a pleasant sight for me, but I don’t have time for this.
‘Seema,’ I slowly whisper, ‘get me to that hill now.’
There is a strange fear in her eyes that I have never seen before. Before I could say anything
else, she ran to the other room. I can hear him calling a number while panicking.
‘Hello? Kunal?’ I can hear through the wall.
***
Seema opens the door, and in walks Kunal with a young woman. I have a feeling that I have
seen her before, but cannot place my finger on it.
The young woman looks around before our eyes meet. She drops her backpack and comes
running at me.
‘Do you remember me?’ she asks, and it hits me like a brick.
‘Prachi?’ I am confused at what has just happened.
She gives me a tight hug and nods fervently.
‘I am your Prachi. You do remember, right?’
I am still shocked. I cannot believe what has gotten into me. I actually couldn’t identify my
daughter!
‘Are you aware what is happening, Papa?’ she asks. She is still hugging me.
‘What are you talking about?’ I slowly push her away. I am in my wheelchair, and she takes
another plastic chair lying there. Kunal and Seema are standing back a little.

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