THE BLACK FLOWER(S. Meenakshi) The minute hand inside the watch creeped from fifty nine to sixty; it was 4 o’clock. Vena looked at Amy’s boring face and she too felt the same because of their history class. And now, it was time for them to leave the school. Usually both of them went together on their cycles to their houses which were nearby. It was a fifteen minutes ride from school. ‘Today the class was very boring’ ‘Yah Vena, you are right.’ ‘Amy today I am going to a movie, are you coming with me?’ ‘But Vena, today I am going to my aunt’s house’ ‘Well. That’s ok Amy.’ They crossed half the way to their house. Suddenly ‘Amy can you see that?’ cried Vena. ‘What do you mean?’ questioned Amy. ‘That flower! That BLACK FLOWER!!’ ‘Yes Vena. I can see that. But why are you so excited?’ ‘Amy, it’s a very rare sight to see a flower in black colour!!’ ‘You are right, let’s go near and check what it is’ ‘Ok Amy’ replied Vena. They parked their cycles on the road side and went near the flower. It smelt very odd. Amy touched the petal to know its texture. Suddenly she was pulled by the flower with a great force. Vena tried to pull her out but in turn she was also pulled by the flower. Within a fraction of a second they went inside and then the flower threw them out. Even before they could realize what had happened, they noticed that they were in a garden which was filled with unnatural flowers. ‘Vena what has happened?’ ‘We are somewhere else, oh my god! Where are we?’ ‘Something has happened. Let’s find out what it is.’ They came out of the garden, after walking a few steps. They couldn’t see even a single person around them. At a distance they saw a small wooden house. They felt happy. ‘Amy, first we’ll go to that house and find out where we are’ ‘That’s a good idea.’ They both ran towards that house.

They knocked on the door once, twice and thrice, in vain, nobody came out. Sadly they turned back. But suddenly the door opened with a huge sound. With a smile on their faces they turned back again, they were shocked! There was an old lady in a jet black frock with a small dog in her hand which looked strange. However they controlled their fright and Vena asked her ‘Which place is this, mam? We missed our way back home.’ The lady did not answer; Amy too asked the same question to her, but she did not reply. Her strange behavior made them leave that place. The old lady stared at them and without even a single word she closed the door.

They moved away from that house. Amy said ‘Vena something sinister is happening around us’ ‘Yes Amy, I too can feel that. She was staring at us! I don’t understand why it is so?’ ‘Vena, that dog! It looked very strange’ Vena was suddenly struck with an idea in between the conversation. She told Amy about it. As she finished, both of them went near the window of that house to watch what was happening inside. A tremendous thing was going on there……. The dog was talking to that old lady and they could even hear its voice!!! Then they hurried away from that window.

Suddenly the old lady opened the door and walked towards them. They were afraid and walked away from her. Finally, the old lady shouted ‘You girls please stop. I am too old and cannot run like you’. Then they stopped and she reached them. ‘Why are you chasing us mam?’ ‘My girls, as you are strangers I did not talk with you, but except me there is nobody over here to help you. I realized that and came here to help you’ ‘Oh, that’s great mam. Thanks for your help. Now will you please tell us where we are?’ ‘Before that, come to my house, have something to eat. I know you are feeling hungry, then I’ll tell you everything’ informed the old lady. Vena and Amy understood her cunning words, but still they could do nothing, other than going with her; because she was the only person in that place. ‘Ok, mam, we are glad to come with you’ ‘That’s good.’ After a small walk they reached her house.

Vena and Amy thought for a minute before entering the house. ‘Come in my cute Girls’ said the old lady and they entered the house. There they saw the small dog sitting on a big chair in front of the dining table. Both of them wandered all around the house.

The old lady called them in for dinner. Both of them went and sat on their chairs. She served them raw meat and bread. They ate only a small piece of bread as they did not relish meat. The old lady and the dog ate everything in a single morsel. After dinner she asked them to sleep in the room near the staircase, but before leaving, Vena asked her ‘Mam, you said that you’ll tell us everything about this place.’ ‘Yes My cute little girl. This place is known as the “Dooms Village”. It is very far from the city’, said the old lady. A small fear began to spread in them! Then Amy questioned ‘What about that flower garden, Mam?’ ‘Oh, that’s mine. I grow many varieties of flowers over there. Ok, now tell me how did you both come here?’ ‘Mam, that flower!.........’ ‘We’ll tell that tomorrow mam, we are so tired and we need to take rest’ said Vena. The old lady herself did not want the answer from them as she knew well that it was her flower which brought them there. So she took them to a room and made the bed for them to sleep. Then she left them there and said ‘Good night and sweet dreams my girls’.

She switched off the light, closed the door and went to sleep in her room. The girls covered themselves with a duvet, but they couldn’t sleep. ‘Vena do you think she is good?’ ‘No Amy, she is very cunning’ ‘Of course Vena, even I thought the same.’ ‘Now what can we do?’ ‘It’s past mid-night Vena, we can do something only in the morning.’ ‘You are right Amy, so now let’s sleep’. A cold breeze entered the room and soon they were fast asleep.

It was midnight when Vena woke up from her sleep. She felt thirsty and went out of the room without making any noise. Down the stairs she found a water pot and drank water from it. Suddenly she heard the sound of somebody coming down the staircase. So she hid herself under the stairs and peeped out. After a few seconds she came to know who it was. It was the dog!! It went close to the door and the door opened automatically. Vena was shocked. The dog went out of the house and the door was open still. She immediately ran inside the room and woke Amy up. She explained everything to her. They decided to follow the dog to find what was happening. They ran out of the house without making Amy noise.

It was cold out there. The bright moon light helped them to locate the dog. It was going into the forest. Vena and Amy grew bold and began to follow the dog into the forest. After a small walk the dog stopped and turned back. Before it could see them, Vena and Amy hid behind a big tree and peeped out to see what was happening. The dog suddenly grew into a VAMPIRE!! It was very vigorous and squalid to see. Vena and Amy were very shocked and afraid of that, but still they managed to follow it. The vampire had a pair of long teeth with enlarged ears and two big black wings. Its body was black with a bat’s skin. Suddenly the vampire stretched out its wings and flew off with a great speed into the sky. Vena and Amy did not know what to do, the sudden flight of the vampire made them vigorous. Vena suddenly looked back and asked Amy ‘Do you remember the way back to that house?’

‘No Vena, I am not sure, I think we’ll have to go along that stream’ ‘Ok Amy I’ll agree to that’. So they began to walk by the side of the small stream. The wolves were howling at a distance. It was a great night with a thrilling experience for them. They wandered all around and suddenly Vena found something which came floating through the stream. ‘Amy, look there!’ shouted Vena. ‘What Vena?’ ‘There’s something shining, over there’ cried Vena ‘yes Vena, I can see that’. They ran towards it and Amy picked it up in her hand. ‘It is shining brilliantly’ exclaimed Amy. ‘Well. It can provide light to us and guide our path.’ The white Crystal lump was the size of a football. They walked a long distance but they could not find any sign of the presence of that house and so they readily accepted that they had lost their way.

Clouds began to hide the moon and darkness began to drape all over. Suddenly they heard a voice ‘My dear Girls.....’ They were shocked and looked all around and they found that the sound came from the Crystal which they were holding in their hands! The Crystal continued its speech. ‘Hi, I am Crys. A Magical Crystal. I know everything in this world including the past; the present and the future. Now I know your situation too. Do you need any help from me?’ ‘Yes Crys. We want your help immediately!’ said Vena. ‘Ok girls I am glad to help you. Now what do you want me to do?’ asked Crys. ‘Please tell us where we are Crys?’ ‘Hmmm……… you are in Doom’s village, the village of devils’ Crys stated. ‘The village of Devils!!....’ The girls exclaimed in surprise. ‘Yah my girls. I know how you came here. That black flower! It was the old lady’s creation made specially to kidnap people from the city. It is magical and has brought many people here before.' ‘So are we kidnapped?’ cried Amy. ‘You are right. And remember you should not stay here for a long time. The old lady kills the kidnapped people on the third day of their arrival’ said Crys. ‘Why is she doing this?’ questioned Vena. ‘To please her master and gain more power’ replied Crys. ‘Her Master! That vampire?’ cried Amy. ‘You clever girl! It is indeed her master. They are doing so to gain more and more evil powers’ explained Crys. ‘Oh my god! It’s unbelievable’ cried Vena. ‘How can we get out of this hell?’ questioned Amy ‘For that you can do nothing except killing that vampire’ said Crys. ‘What? We have to kill that vampire!!?’ That’s impossible, Crys!’ exclaimed Vena. ‘It’s possible my girls. All that you have to do is go search the soul of the Vampire which is hidden in that house and drop it down. As soon as the container breaks the vampire will die and you will be in your own place’ explained Crys. ‘That’s a good idea. But where can we find that container?’ ‘The container is black in colour and looks like an antique jar. You can find it in a room, upstairs. Remember, you can break the Jar only at noon, that too at 12 o’clock sharp. You should not miss even a single second. Take the container, run out of the house and drop it immediately. That old lady or the dog cannot stop you as they don’t have any powers during day time. So my girls do everything perfectly or else you cannot leave this place permanently.’ ‘Mmm… We have understood everything clearly. Thank you for information and now please show us the way to that house’ asked Amy.

The Crystal began to instruct the way, the girls abided by its words and finally they reached the sight. Then the Crystal said ‘It’s time for me to go girls. I can’t come with you to that house; she’ll absorb my powers and kill me. So I want you to leave now and don’t forget to do what I said. Good bye and take care.’ Immediately the crystal disappeared, the girls suddenly felt lonely. Then they quickly ran into the opened house. They went into the room, closed the door and fell on their bed. ‘Vena, Crys helped us at the right time’ ‘Yes Amy, it’s God’s grace. We should do everything perfectly tomorrow.’ ‘Or else, we can’t go back home!!!’ exclaimed Amy. ‘You are right, don’t forget anything.’ As the girls were talking they heard that somebody was coming inside the house and they also knew that it was the Vampire. They heard the sound which receded along the staircase. After a while they fell off to sleep.

It was 6 a.m. when Vena and Amy woke up from sleep. They came out of the room and searched for the old lady. Finally they found her in the kitchen preparing Dumplings for breakfast. ‘Good morning my sweet girls, you have woken up so early?' questioned the old lady. ‘We came here to help you in your work’ informed Vena. ‘That’s fine girls. Thank you for your words. But I am healthy enough to do my work. So you can go, take rest now.’ She said this to make them feel her kindness, but they understood it and Vena replied ‘No mam, we are at your service. Please accept it. We are willing to do something in return for the love you have showered on us.’ ‘That’s kind of you girls…… Okay, you can help me’ said old lady. ‘Thank you mam. Shall we clean the house for you? It looks shabby’ asked Amy. ‘You are right, that’s a good job. But please don’t enter the third room, upstairs’ said the old lady. ‘Why do you say so, mam?’ heckled Vena. The old lady thought for a while and explained ‘……because that room consists of my ancestor’s belongings. They are very precious and I don’t want anybody to damage them.’ ‘Okay mam, we’ll obey your words’ said Amy. Then the old lady said ‘But before that have your breakfast.’ She said that and took them to the dining hall carrying a tray of dumplings. The girls sat on their seats and the dog sat opposite them. The old lady served a piece of dumpling to each of them and she sat on one of the chairs to have her breakfast.

Everybody began to eat. Slowly Amy started... ‘You like this dog so much mam!...’ ‘Of course, my pretty girl’ said the old lady ‘But, why is it so quiet’ questioned she. ‘Because it hates strangers’ the old woman explained. ‘Oh……..’ They all finished their breakfast and began to do their work. The old lady began to stitch her tattered old clothes by the side of the window. The dog was playing with a small ball.

Vena and Amy began to work at 8 am and finished most of the work before 11:30 am. Between their work they found many interesting things around. Vena even gathered a few and hid them in her pocket. After a while she saw the time in her watch, it was 11:45 am and they knew that they had to start the search for the jar immediately.

Vena and Amy climbed up the stairs slowly. The old lady heard the sound and shouted ‘Girls, why are you going up?’ ‘Mam, we thought of cleaning those rooms upstairs, since we have finished our work here’. ‘okay’ said the old lady without knowing the upcoming danger. Then both of them slowly entered and searched for the jar in the third room. It was a ten minutes search throughout the room and finally Amy found something.

She whispered ‘Vena, the jar!!’

‘Where Amy?’

‘Over here!’ They saw the jar. It looked like an antique and it matched the explanation given by Crys. Vena saw the time; it was only 50 seconds more to twelve. ‘We should hurry up, time is running out!’ cried Vena. She took the jar in her hand and they began to run down. The sudden running sound alerted the dog and the old lady. They ran towards the stairs. They were shocked to see the jar in Vena’s hand. The old lady stretched her hand to catch them. Vena jumped by the side of the stairs and escaped from her. Unfortunately, Amy got caught!! ‘Run Vena; I can save myself. Don’t worry about me’ shouted Amy. The dog began to chase Vena and so she ran out of the house. The sun was over head, before dropping the jar she thought about Amy and looked towards the house, the dog was unable to come out of the house and so it stood near the door barking at Vena. Suddenly… Vena’s conscience said “Drop it Vena, immediately!” without even wasting a second Vena dropped the jar and looked at her watch. It was 12:00 sharp She felt happy, but what about Amy? The surroundings began to change …. She was back to the same road side. Amy came a second after her!! They were happy and hugged each other. Their eyes searched for people all around. They found their cycles at the same place. The black flower had disappeared. Far away they found their classmates!!!! They were confused. Amy saw the time in her watch; it was 4:10pm, the same time when they had disappeared from here!!! It was unbelievable. Vena slowly touched her pocket and felt nothing, which means the evil had disappeared!!....

---