Treasure Map in Library

Jayant Krishna (JK) completed his Master's in Engineering and was preparing to pursue a PhD. His guide asked him to study journals in his field of interest and to prepare a paper for submission to the selection committee. Old journals were stored in the basement. JK, after searching the latest journals, wanted to collect more information and went to the basement. There were very few people. He switched on the lights to search. After a week of searching in the basement, when he picked up a journal from a decade ago, a note fell out. He anxiously opened it. It was a secret note indicating a treasure. JK was happy and took the paper.

*

At home, he opened it. It was written in ink on an old and thick brown paper,  a sketch showing a village. He was directed to the landlord's bungalow in the village, to the bedroom.

He set out for the village early on Sunday morning with a crowbar, a spade, and a basket. He reached the village by bus around 9:00 am. When he inquired about the bungalow, the villagers looked at him suspiciously and remained silent.

A 10-year-old boy said, "It is a ghost house. No one dares to enter it. It is  deserted."

*

However, JK went to the bungalow for the treasure. True to the boy's words, it was deserted. No one dared to come to its surroundings. It was located on half an acre of land. The path to the entrance was full of bushes and trees. He put on his mobile light to check the reptiles.

 The entrance was full of cobwebs. JK cleared the cobwebs to enter. All the doors were open. There was a dreadful silence in the house.

As he entered, he smelled a strong odour of bats on the front verandah. They flew off into daylight after the cobwebs were removed.

The black ants were moving in rows across the ground, and the spiders were on the walls. Lizards were moving on the roof's bottom, prying for spiders.

The main bedroom was on the right of the front verandah. It had cupboards on one side. There was a jute rope-woven cot without a bed in the middle of the room. It accumulated a lot of dust.

*

The map shows treasure in the bedroom. JK thought the treasure might be beneath the cot because it's nearly at the centre. The room has ordinary Shahabad stone flooring. He moved the cot and tested the spot with a crowbar by tapping the floor. Near the centre of the room, the tapping sound changed. He marked that spot, removed the flooring stones, and dug. He removed the layers of sand and the morum fill.

*

To his surprise, there were neither gold nor silver coins nor ornaments, but he found a human skeleton. He was terrified, having never seen a human skeleton before. He finally found the courage to remove the skeleton and put it on the floor.  

JK was dumbfounded, sitting on the floor. He expected a treasure, not a skeleton.

As soon as it was placed on the floor, the skeleton transformed into a beautiful 18-year-old girl, dressed in a Kacheepuram pure silk saree and blouse, with a big bindu on the forehead, bun-style hair, and a long gold chain, standing before him.

She looked divine. JK folded his hands and bowed before her. She blessed him on his head with her right hand, lifted him and thanked him for releasing her. She said, "I am Rajya Laxmi(RL), waiting for you to come here and release me from this entanglement. I will not forget your help, and I will help you in need." And disappeared.

JK found the floor clean. There were no signs of digging. His crowbar, spade, and basket were missing. JK came out and wanted to have lunch. There were no hotels in the village, but he found a small tea shop, there he ate pakoras with a cup of tea.

 JK asked the bunk fellow about the abandoned bungalow. The person at the tea bunk told him it was a devil's bungalow. There lived a beautiful, unmarried 18-year-old girl in the village. One day, the landlord's henchmen abducted her and brought her before the landlord. When he tried to force her, she took her knife and tried to hurt him. He wrestled her knife and killed her. He called his men, and they dug a pit in the bedroom to bury the body.

She became a devil and haunted the landlord's family, who then abandoned the bungalow and left for the town. Since then, the family has been devastated and has been living in poor conditions.

Therefore, people are afraid of the devil and don't venture into that house.

*

  Krishna Preeti(KP) was JK's junior in college. She was a beautiful girl. They had performed a duet in a skit at the college's annual day function. Since then, their love blossomed.

 Upon completing KP's degree, she received a job offer at an MNC. JK proposed that they marry. KP told her parents about her love for JK and wished to marry JK. KP's father became furious upon learning of JK's parents' low social and financial status. He was against KP's marriage to JK.

He said, "I will search for a boy within our social background, and she should forget JK."

KP did not utter a word against her father. She was always afraid of her father's discipline. Her mother always supported her, but was fearful of her husband. He was highly conservative and did not keep up with current social changes.

*

Meanwhile, JK completed his Master's, and RL ensured JK received an appointment at the KP's MNC.

 KP and two others from the organisation were added to JK's team as team members for a new project. KP was surprised and asked to be offered a different project.

The boss wanted to accept, but RL prevailed on his mind and said, "They must abide by his words and not come with such silly proposals. They must remain focused on the work and finish it on time, setting aside their personal differences. JK and KP continued, and their earlier love blossomed. Their boss was pleased and appreciated JK and KP.

*

KP's father started searching for bridegrooms in his community and placed an advertisement on matrimonial sites. The mediators brought two bio-data. He did a Master's and was working in the USA. He liked KP. KP's father was happy. But RL entered KP's father's mind, creating doubt about the groom. So KP's father contacted his friends in the USA. His friends enquired and told, "That the boy is living together with his girlfriend." KP's father rejected the proposal.

The mediator said, "Sir, there is one more groom who suits KP and gave the boy's data. The boy was well educated and settled in an MNC in Australia. He is in India presently during the Christmas holidays. KP's father fixed an auspicious Sunday for their visit.

They came, saw KP, and felt happy. They requested that the marriage be arranged at an early date within this month, as the boy was scheduled to leave for Australia. KP's father told them it is a short time, and it is difficult to get a function hall within this short period and to make all arrangements. The groom's father said, "We will be happy to have a simple marriage in a temple, but it must take place at an early date."

KP's mother doubted their hurry, called her husband inside, and told him to take time to think it over, and he did the same.

KP didn't speak a word about the boy and left it to her father's decision. KP's father was happy that KP was accepting all his decisions.

The next day, RL prevailed on KP's father to have a medical check-up. KP went with him. There, they found the boy with his parents, who were avoiding KPs. KP's father asked the doctor why they were at the hospital.

The doctor said," The boy is diagnosed with blood cancer, and it is progressing. He has come to India for treatment. The chances of his survival are significantly less. We are trying our best."

With these words, KP's father grew worried; his face turned red with anger. He was blaming the mediator for bringing such a groom to his beautiful, well-educated daughter. On their return, he told his wife about the boy's health.

KP remained silent.

KP's mother said that was why they were in a hurry with his marriage. It was good that we took the time to inform them. God saved our daughter.

The following day, when KP went to the office, KP's mother discussed JK. KP's father kept silent. RL was observing KP's father and descended on his wife. KP's mother became furious and said that in the 21st century, several changes have taken place, and love is one of them. We know JK from his college education and his upbringing. The only problem is that he was born into a low-status family. That is not to be considered in the present 21st century.

KP's father thought over her words for a day and accepted KP's marriage to JK. His wife and RL were happy.

 *

 KP's parents met JK's parents and proposed KP to JK. They gladly accepted.

The marriage was celebrated on a grand scale in a function hall. After the marriage, when they were going through the photos, JK noticed a brown paper in one of them. It had the same writing as that on the earlier slip found in the library. It was RL's blessing on them. Jk understood that RL was behind settling his marriage and told KP the same.

He and  KP thanked RL.

******