Unbridled story (Part- 7th) —

(Recap– In the previous part of the story, we read under what circumstances young Alchemist was forced to apply additional experimentation on the glass sheet in his lab. Now it was the time to observe the outcome of that experiment……)

With enormous curiosity intermingled with thrilling sensations, the young alchemist gazed on the cotton layer glued on the front side of the glass sheet. He was experimenting in one of the inner rooms of the mansion that once was the abode of his father-in- law, Feudal Lord Magotee. This room been used as a sleeping chamber in old time. The room contained only one window and a door. the window happened to open by the side of the main hall while door onto the other side in a corridor. In a way, room had no sufficient supply of day light , as often we find in the inner rooms of a big house. Secondly, other rooms too were adjacent to this room. This scenario stopped the possibility of window in other walls .

Along with, the window that happened to open by the side of the main hall was consisted of wooden planks. Reason was obvious. It was the time when the glass material had not yet been invented in that Eon ( when this mansion was constructed.) The invention of the glass for the first time in the known history of mankind was just now taking shape in the lab of the young alchemist. Further, yet the prospective usefulness of of the glass too had not been considered, since a long way it has to go off in near future. Even this kind of use of glass might be a predictive one only.

The wooden planks of that window too were not wide opened properly. Not only this, Young alchemist was experimenting the outcome by sitting on the floor, by facing the wall where day light  was not sufficient. Poor Alchemist, unaware of the miraculous fact that coincidentally he had invented the new device called mirror. He knew not, what a mirror was, what kinds of effects it generates? In simple words, like every one, he was ignorant of outcome of his invention.( Obviously, prior to that time, no material in the name of mirror had been invented.)

Now after removing the cotton layer of the glass sheet when he peered into the front side, he found a human face peeping at him. Bewildered, with a jerk he recoiled back. The face inside the mirror also jerked back with the same velocity.The discovery of a human face inside the mirror had created bewildered, ugly expressions on the face of the Alchemist and at that time his face had deformed at once in fear. He knew not, he was looking at himself. But in reality, a fear stricken, deformed face of some one else he was encountering in his false imagery.

That was the time, only device to look at one’s own face was to watch it in a stable water stored in a flat container. That helped meagerly a man to judge his own contours and linings of the face. But here he was before a crystal clear  surfaced mirror that was reflecting the clear image with minute description. Never before he had watched his own bewildered, fear stricken, deformed face in the water surface. Suddenly, a horrible thought seized his mind. This thought was in semblance to the thoughts which often harbored in his mind by listening stories about ghosts and evil spirits from his childhood.

No doubt, he was an educated one, but too had been the part and parcel of the medieval period of his time when superstitions, sorcery and necromancy too were practiced largely. This thought of evil spirit prevailed over his good thoughts. The only idea flashed in his mind was; because of the reaction of chemical fluids on the glass sheet , some wandering evil spirit had come there into the glass sheet. It was  a bad omen. The second thought too was devastating. Now he feared, this evil spirit could possess  over his entire workshop and wipe out his life long hard work. To him, everything was supposed to go haunted now.

Under the seizure of panic, he longed to cry out to seek some help. He efforted with his full might, but only a suffocated whistle like noise hissed out from his mouth. He attempted to raise on his legs. With given full efforts he stood on his staggering legs. Still his fluctuating vision focused on the front of the glass sheet. There he noticed two long legs( those were his own) but he was not able to comprehend that. Truly, he was not in possession of his faculties. The only thought that occurred in his mind was, ” Run man run! Have a good escape!”

Collecting his entire strength, he ran outwardly by the side of the main hall. His legs were heavy like stone, entire body sweated badly.  When a man is encountered with ghastly situation, he is supposed to run in escape and he ran staggeringly. His escaping skip could not be defined as a run. It was a staggering effort only, but to him it seemed he was running. He kept pulling on his body. His throat dried up completely.

The distance of the main hall from the room was about twenty paces only but it felt to his, as if, he had run in miles. On coming to main hall, his legs stumbled to the pile of ores and he fell down with his body stretched and unconscious. For how long he remained lay there unconscious he couldn’t judge on that day, but after two days when circumstances helped his senses come to normalcy then he counted on that.  Few minutes ago, aghast in the room, when Alchemist had cried out to seek for help and a whistle like hissing sound he made, his pet dog had heard that in the court yard.

We all know, dogs have extra- ordinary capacity to hear and smell the things. The extra sensory perception made dog realize, his master was in peril. He at once broke inside. He found his master lied unconscious in the main hall. He sniffed and licked him to find some reaction but all in vain. Then with his animal instinct he began to sniff inside and out to find the reason for the master’s bad condition. Firstly, he ran in the main hall and then to other rooms and finally entered in the room where mirror was kept. He found mirror stood by the side of the wall. Dog too peered in the mirror and too was caught by the reflecting  effect of the mirror.

The mirror effect was enough to produce an illusion on him. Obviously, when his master had got delusioned by that effect then he was only an animal. At once he found his rival dog in the room. It’s natural, a dog can’t tolerate the presence of strange dog in the vicinity. He began to snarl at his own image. In reflection he found the rival dog in the same offensive posture. Now he set a bay on his own image. As much as dog changed his position in barking efforts, likely to that, his image moved in inside reflection. Dog kept on challenging and barking at the rival dog. Perhaps his this effort lasted for hours. In the main hall, after a lapse of considerable time, young alchemist in a natural way resumed to his normalcy.

On gaining consciousness, he heard the aggressive barking tone of his dog filtering out from the inner room.  This at once made him realize that his dog inside the lab was fighting with evil spirit. The truth was, he loved his dog more than his better half. Dog was his best companion in day to day business. It occurred to him evil spirit may inflict some harm to the dog. This thought filled him with a brave feeling to protect the dog. This was out of the affection for the dog. He collected himself and not for thinking of his personal harm nervously entered in the room to protect the dog. There, from a distance alchemist too watched a dog inside the mirror.

This was enough to ascertain the Alchemist that in sooth some evil spirit was inside his new invention (mirror.)   To him, this evil spirit was capable to react with man as a man and with animal as an animal. With a courageous lunge he caught the dog, ran out side and threw him in the main hall. Then a second thought came to his mind. If the this door remained wide opened, the evil spirit may chase his dog and him. He closed the doors tightly. Not only this, as a precautionary measure, he also shut the open planks of the window from outside.

Then taking his dog in lap he ran outside, closed the main hall with same precautionary measures. After that crossing the court yard, he shut the main entry of the premise. The  broad sun light and fresh air of the open ambiance rejuvenated him up to certain extent. But inside, still he was off the rails. He sat there like a stone and remained placed there till evening time. At the routine time of his evening perambulation, his body clock ordained him to move on and his legs automatically began to stroll on the known path. But his mien and appearance was abnormal. He walked lost by his side; the glow of face turned gloomy. These were the moments when his weird deportment  was noticed by sleuths of Ex-Army Chief, about which he made the reportings to the great king Montana in his secret meeting. (End of the Part 7th. Cont’d.) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–