Quest for O
an excerpt

Three

Quest Begins

One day all looked unusually quiet. They were passing through a forest. Dense trees all around. The tree trunks extended to the width of a wide building.

Not even a leaf moved. The wind was still. A sense of calm before the storm?

“The surroundings are as quiet as you,” wryly remarked Klan.

“Don’t you know the pot full of water won’t shake?” retorted Prince.

“You are a pot full of water. Pot full of water! Hi! Hi! Hi! What a comparison.”

Just then, the earth shook. Trees, shrubs and earth moved.

An earthquake was ensuing. It was the calm before an earthquake!

The ground beneath the two broke opening up a valley. It was miles and miles in depth, darkness inside. Great trees got uprooted and moved into it.

Klan fell into it but dangled clutching the edge. He was holding to an exposed root of a tree, which moved to the edge of the valley but stayed there fortunately for Klan.

“Help! Help!” Klan shouted at the top of his voice.

Prince who was hanging out of the branch of the same tree moved down to the root. In time he could reach to the fingers of Klan.

“Give me your hand.”

But Klan shouted even more, “Oh, God! Save me. I am falling.” He did not give his hand.

“Give me your hand.”

“Oh! God! Help save me.”

“Take my hand.”

With that, Klan grasped the hand of Prince. Prince with struggle pulled him up.

“Good that you saved me. But don’t expect kindness in return. I’m the same Klan.”

“Good to see you alive. I thought you would thank me.”

“Thank you? For what?”

“Well for saving you.”

“Oh! That’s your duty. You white slaves! Your’re slaves to us. Moreover it’s imminent upon you to take care of my safety for I’ve to ensure you stay on track.”

“Save you so you can be back of me?! Get the hell out of here. You should take care of your own safety from now onwards.”

“You are crossing your limits seeing that there is no body around to support me. Let me get back; I will report against you to the kings.”

Prince gave a start at him frightening him.

“Well then, I will.”

“You will what?”

“Take care of my safety.”

“That’s a good boy! You seem to have the habit of receiving rather than giving,” quipped Prince.

“Well, how do you know?”

“You never gave your hand when I asked for it, but immediately took my hand when I asked you to take my hand.”

“Ah! It is just a coincidence.”

“Now, Klan! I’m getting rid of you. Forever. Do what you want to do.”

“Oh! You are going to kill me. Help! Somebody save me from this brute.”

“Hush! Quiet. If I wanted to kill you, I would not have saved you. See this...” Prince walked to a distance away from the valley.

“What are you going to do? Huh!”

Prince ran from that distance towards the valley. Klan could not believe his eyes. He was running towards Klan.

“Oh! My God! He is going to throw me off into the valley.” Klan ran sideways to the valley and when he saw Prince, Prince was already high in air over the valley.

Prince, who took a big jump at the edge of the valley, fell on the edge of the other side of the valley. Then slowly he pulled himself up.

Now a wide valley to its sides, running probably to miles, separated them.
Finding himself on the other side, Prince shouted with a smile on his face, “Now this, I think, will be the end of our relation. Go back to Karkhana. Good luck to you.”

Then Prince couldn’t believe his eyes. Klan came running towards the valley and took a big jump. He was in midair.

Klan hit the valley side on the side of Prince a few yards below the edge. Prince thought that was the end of Klan. He looked over the edge. Klan was hanging to the root of a tree. “Help me, Prince!”

“Well, you said it was my duty to safeguard you.”

“I’m sorry. I should never have said that. Save me please...”

“You said I am your slave.”

“By mistake I said that. I am your slave now. Please save me.”

“No one needs to be anybody’s slave. Let’s be friends.” Prince got down by the roots and saved Klan.

Klan was quiet. Prince didn’t believe Klan was a changed man, for he said no thanks!

After a long time Klan remarked, “So you accept me to be brave.”

“No. Only that you are mad,” said Prince.