MG OS - The lost Jewels-Part 2-pg 07-05-23 - Page 2

Geet is a fool. That man will trick her into losing those jewels. Is she so cold and detached that her husband's troubles mean nothing to her? Will she even get home with the jewels intact? Probably not. Men like Modhu are there to prey on people like her.

Maan is too much of a wuss. He could have explained the seriousness of the matter.

Very different but very realistic. There are such couples

thinking that guy modhu will rob geet

Hope Maan finds success in getting some money

A very unusual & unique story. Though maan & Geet married but there’s no love

I hope she thinks properly and hope that Modhu doesn’t rob her of the jewels

Waiting for the next part

Part 2

Geet replied: 'Not now, afterwards. Now let us start.'

The boat started and floated swiftly down the current. Geet had spent the whole night in covering every part of her body with her ornaments. She was afraid that if she put her jewels into a box they might be snatched away from her hands. But if she wore them on her person then no-one could take them away without murdering her. Geet malika did not understand Maan, it is true; but there was no doubt about her understanding of Modhu.

Modhu had written a letter to the chief steward to the effect that he had started to take his mistress to her father's house. The steward was an ancient retainer of Maan's father. He was furiously angry, and wrote a lengthy epistle full of misspellings to his master. Although the letter was weak in its grammar, yet it was forcible in its language and clearly expressed the writer's disapproval of giving too much indulgence to womankind. Maan on receiving it understood what was the motive of Geet's secret departure. What hurt him most was the fact that, in spite of his having given way to the unwillingness of his wife to part with her jewels, in this time of his desperate straits, his wife should still suspect him.

When he ought to have been angry, Maan was only distressed. God has so arranged it, that man, for the most trifling reason, will burst forth in anger like a forest fire, and woman will burst into tears like a rain cloud for no reason at all. But the weather cycle seems to have changed, and this appears no longer to hold good.

The husband bent his head and said to himself: 'Well, if this is your judgment, let it be so, I will simply do my own duty.' Maan, who ought to have been born five or six centuries hence, when the world will be moved by psychic forces, was unfortunate enough not only to be born in the nineteenth century, but also to marry a woman who belonged to that eternal primitive age which persists through all time. He did not write a word on the subject to his wife, and determined in his mind that he would never mention it to her again. What an awful penalty!

Ten or twelve days later, having secured the necessary loan, Maan returned to his home. He imagined that Geet, after completing her mission, had by this time come back from her father's house. And so he approached the door of the inner apartments, wondering whether his wife would show any signs of shame or penitence for her undeserved suspicion.

He found the door shut. Breaking the lock, he entered the room and saw that it was empty.

At first Maan did not trouble about his wife's absence. He thought that if she wanted to come back she would do so. His old steward however came to him and said: 'What good will come of taking no notice of it? You ought to get some news of the mistress.' Acting on this suggestion messengers were sent to Geet's father's house. The news was brought that up to that time neither Geet nor Modhu had turned up there.

Then a search began in every direction. Men went along both banks of the river making enquiries. The police were given a description of Modhu, but all in vain. They were unable to find out what boat ​they had taken, what boatman they had hired, or by what way they had gone.

One evening, when all hope had been abandoned of ever finding his wife, Maan entered his deserted bed-room. It was the festival of Krishna's birth, and it had been raining incessantly from early morning. In celebration of the festival there was a fair going on in the village, and in a temporary building a theatrical performance was being held. The sound of distant singing could be heard mingling with the sound of pouring rain. Maan was sitting alone in the darkness at the window there which hangs loose upon its hinges.

He took no notice of the damp wind, the spray of the rain, and the sound of the singing. On the wall of the room were hanging a couple of pictures of the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, painted at the Art Studio; on the clothes' rank a towel and a bodice, and a pair of saris were laid out ready for use.

On a table in one corner of the room there was a box containing betel leaves, prepared by Geet's own hand, but now quite dry and uneatable. In a cupboard, with a glass door, all sorts of things were arranged with evident care,—her China dolls of childhood's days, scent bottles, decanters of coloured glass, a sumptuous pack of cards, large brightly polished shells, and even empty soapboxes. In a niche there was a favourite little lamp with its round globe. Geet had been in the habit of lighting it with her own hands every evening. One who goes away leaving everything empty, leaves the imprint of a living heart even on lifeless objects.

In the dead of night when the heavy rain had ceased and the songs of the village opera troupe had become silent, Maan was sitting in the same position as before. Outside the window there was such an impenetrable darkness that it seemed to him as if the very gates of oblivion were before him reaching to the sky,—as if he had only to cry out to be able to recover sight of those things which seemed to have been lost for ever.

Just as he was thinking thus, the jingling sound as of ornaments was heard. It seemed to be advancing up the steps of the ghat. The water of the river and the darkness of the night were indistinguishable. Thrilling with excitement, Maan tried to pierce and push through the darkness with his eager eyes,—till they ached, but he could see nothing. The more anxious he was to see, the denser the darkness became and the more shadowy the outer world.

The sound reached the top step of the bathing ghat and now began to come towards the house. It stopped in front of the door, which had been locked by the porter before he went to the fair. Then upon that closed door there fell a rain of jingling blows, as if with some ornaments. Maan was not able to sit still another moment, but making his way through the unlighted rooms and down the dark staircase he stood before the closed door.

It was padlocked from the outside, so he began to shake it with all his might. The force with which he shook the door and the sound which he made woke him suddenly. He found he had been asleep and, in his sleep, he had made his way down to the door of the house. His whole body was wet with perspiration, his hands and feet were icy cold, and his heart was fluttering like a lamp just about to go out. His dream, broken, he realized that there was no sound outside except the pattering of the rain which had commenced again.

Although the whole thing was a dream, Maan felt as if for some very small obstacle he had been cheated of the wonderful realisation of his impossible hope. The incessant patter of the rain seemed to say to,—'This awakening is a dream. This world is vain.'

The festival was continued on the following day, and the doorkeeper again had leave. Maan gave orders that the hall door was to be left open all night.

That night, having extinguished the light, Maan took his seat at the open window of his bedroom as before. The sky was dark with rain clouds and there was a silence as of something indefinite and impending. The monotonous croaking of the frogs and the sound of the distant songs were not able to break that silence, but only seemed to add an incongruity to it.

Late at night, the frogs and the crickets and the boys of the opera party became silent, and a still deeper darkness fell upon the night. It seemed that now the time had come.

Just as on the night before, a clattering and jingling sound came from the ghat by the river. But this time Maan did not look in that direction, lest by his ​over-anxiety and restlessness, his power of sight and hearing should become overwhelmed. He made a supreme effort to control himself, and sat still.

The sound of the ornaments gradually advanced from the ghat and entered the open door. Then it came winding up the spiral staircase which led to the inner apartments. It became difficult for Maan to control himself, his heart began to thump wildly and his throat was choking with suppressed excitement. Having reached the head of the spiral stairs the sound came slowly along the verandah towards the door of the room, where it stopped just outside with a clanking sound. It was now only just on the other side of the threshold.

Maan could contain himself no longer, and his pent-up excitement burst forth in one wild cry of, 'Geet', and he sprang up from his chair with lightning rapidity. Thus startled out of his sleep he found that the very window-panes were rattling with the vibration of his cry. And outside he could hear the croaking of the frogs and patter of rain.

Maan struck his forehead in despair.

Next day the fair broke up, and the stallkeepers and the players' party went away. Maan gave orders that no-one should sleep in the house that night except himself.

In the evening he took his seat at the window of the empty house. That night there were breaks in the clouds, showing the stars twinkling through the rain-washed air. The moon was late in rising, and as the fair was over there was not a single boat on the flooded river. The villagers, tired out by two nights' dissipation, were sound asleep.

Maan, sitting with his head resting on the back of his chair, was gazing up at the stars.

As he watched them they one by one disappeared. From the sky above and from the earth beneath screens of darkness met like tired eyelids upon weary eyes. To-night Maan's mind was full of peace. He felt certain that the moment had come when his heart's desire would be fulfilled, and that Death would reveal his mysteries to his devotee.

The sound came from the river ghat just as on the previous nights, and advanced up the steps. Maan closed his eyes and sat in deep meditation. The sound reached the empty hall. It came winding up the spiral stairs. Then it crossed the long verandah, and paused for a long while at the bedroom door.

Maan's heart beat fast; his whole body trembled. But this time he did not open his eyes. The sound crossed the threshold. It entered the room. Then it went slowly round the room stopping before the rack where the clothes were hanging, the niche with its little lamp, the table where the dried betel leaves were lying, the almirah with its various nicknacks, and, last of all it came and stood close to Maan himself.

Maan opened his eyes. He saw by the faint light of the crescent moon that there was a n*ked body standing right in front of his chair with long red shawl overhead covering the lady's nud* body beneath less but enough. It had rings on all its fingers, bracelets on its wrists and armlets on its arms, necklaces on its neck, and a golden tiara on its head, —its whole body glittered and sparkled with gold and diamonds. The ornaments hung loosely on the limbs but did not fall off. Most dreadful of all was the fact that the two eyes, which shone out from the bony face, were living, —two dark moist eyeballs looking out with a fixed and steady stare from between the long thick eyelashes.

next part will be epilogue and password protected care to drop like and comment proper one to get its pw

Thanks for updating

I'll read and comment later

Awesome and so Curious Update

This update held lots of mystery

did something actually happen to Geet

and has Maan been imagining the sounds of his wife

enter the house

it's as almost Maan's wait for his beloved is never ending

I'm just hoping that nothing happened to her and she returns to Maan

Nice update

Geet left to her father house which hurts maan but still he want her back , did something happen to Geet why she did not come back and all these sounds is of Geet or someone Else

What will happen in next update

Mystery will solve but hope Geet is save and come back to maan and we have happy ending

Can’t wait for last part and epilogue

Update soon

Interesting concept 👍

1

very much different story

maan n geet are husband n wife with no love or emotional bonding

as per some greedy relative geet leaves her house with her jewelry

2

maan is waiting for geet but she is nowhere to be found

hope geet is safe in all her adventure

Part 2

Mysterious update..... awesomely written

so Modhu informed Maan about Geet leaving

well Maan was upset

at least he secured a loan

Maan was shocked that Geet was not at home

great that he went to look for her

he hears sounds....

was it Geet?

where is Geet?