The Unseen Door ( Flash Fiction)

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Gloria was soaking in the grandeur that surrounded her. Splendid carvings, mesmerizing stone work and to top it all, enthralling stories from the past being retold. Her trip to India had been very fruitful so far. Pursuing Ph.D in archaeology wasn’t an easy decision for her. 

For some strange reasons forts of India always fascinated her and she decided to base her thesis in this beautiful country. She had heard a lot of stories of these forts, some romantic, some egoistic and some scary. But till date all that she had experienced was love, inundated love that just kept getting multiplied with every picture that she added to her collection. 

Today she was at the Sarafgadh fort, the folk-tales galore fascinating her more than ever. Her guide, Raju had warned her not to wander off alone to places which were deserted, but Gloria’s enthusiasm was difficult to die. She refused to believe in the local tales which spoke about ghosts and spirits from the olden days who used to haunt some of the portions of the fort. 

Suddenly she found herself in front of an intricately carved door. Surprisingly neither the map nor her audio tour mentioned this door. Slightly left ajar, this door seemed very inviting. She looked around and saw the normal crowd of people clicking selfies, busy with their viewing. Seizing it as an opportunity she stepped inside to see something that left her spellbound. 

Rows of colourful pieces of glass adorned the walls which had beautiful tiny windows carved on them. It seemed like the queen’s chamber as the way it was made, it couldn’t have been a king’s private chamber. She could almost visualize the looming chandeliers, moving with the slight breeze and the rustling laughter echoing amidst the walls as she imagined the queen having a private evening with her friends. 

Just as she was about to turn towards the corridor on her left which seemed to lead to another room, she heard someone call out her name. Startled in the beginning, she turned around to witness something that took her breath away . 

*-*-*-*

The next day newspaper’s headlines read: A foreigner missing from Sarafgadh Fort 

Gloria Steve was on a study tour in India when she visited the Sarafgadh Fort yesterday. When after almost 4 hours she didn’t come out of the fort her driver went in search of her only to find her scarf lying near one of the balconets of the fort. Her cell phone is switched off. Her guide informed the hotel authorities who in turn have filed a police complaint.

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