“Put your back to mine!” Dayton heard Rose tell Zaara as the two girls encircled him between them, each with a tree branch in their hand.

  “Let me….help. Where are….my…glasses?” Dayton murmured through the pain, blood dripping down his face.

  “Stay down! You are hurt!” Zaara cried at him, her voice quivering.

  “What the—” Rose mumbled as abruptly bright flashlights began to appear in the dark. Dayton strained through his already foggy vision to see what was happening, but he could only see numerous hazy white lights flashing one after another and then suddenly, they stopped, engulfing them in darkness again.

  “What …what just happened?” Zaara whispered as the clicking sound stopped.

  “Who are you? Show yourself!” Rose suddenly yelled as Dayton turned in the direction where a shadowy figure hid from their view in the trees’ shadows.

  “Providence has intertwined our path. The monsters are gone, ladies. So, you can rest easy,” said a charming voice from the shadows.

  “Come out!” cried Rose, brandishing her branch threateningly.

  “You won’t whack us to death, would you?”

  “It depends. Show yourself first!” said Rose nervously, still holding up her branch.

  “Alrighty then,” said the voice, amused.

  Dayton quickly fumbled around on the ground until he found his glasses, putting it on as a figure came out from the shadows……..and it was, for the lack of words, the most peculiar figure indeed.

  The man walked gaily in quick steps, dressed in a full red ruffled shirt, red breeches, red tailcoat, red waistcoat, and a wide rim red top hat that would have looked odd in any London social circle, let alone in the middle of a vast forest…….resembling a forbidden ripe apple amidst the green background.

  He strolled towards them carrying a walking cane and wore a strange half-moon spectacle with dark glasses. And as he came to light, Dayton saw he had an angular nose, a deep-set jaw, tanned skin, slightly reddish eyes and an amused smile on his lips.

  “You can come no further until you reveal your name,” said Rose threateningly.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Young lady……harmless. See!” said the man, genially turning about and showing himself to them. “The monsters, which were chasing you have been dealt with.”

  “So…...so... they are really gone?” asked Zaara, looking around at the trees. “All of them?”

  “Yes indeed, pretty girl. Can’t hear the clicking sound anymore, can you?” said the man with a kind smile.

  “Who are you? Where did you come from?” asked Rose, still wary of the stranger.

  “Your every question will be answered, young lady. But the gentleman beside you needs immediate medical attention. Please lower those branches, so that he can be helped,” said the man, twisting his walking cane, which magically folded into the size of a pencil, to be put away inside his jacket.

  Rose and Zaara slowly lowered their branches as the man approached Dayton. And as he knelt down, Dayton noticed that he was bigger than an average man with twinkling toes which showed through the sandals he wore.

  “We need to wipe off the blood,” said the man, examining the wound on Dayton’s forehead, cleaning it with a handkerchief which he magically conjured out from his sleeve.

  “You are lucky it is shallow,” said the man as he reached inside his coat again, took out a tiny shimmering red jar and unscrewed the lid to reveal a black paste.

  “What is that?” asked Dayton, looking apprehensively at the weird smelling ointment.

  “A mixture of horseshoe crab blood, petals of selaginella, and other stuff.”

  “What—”

  “Something which will heal you,” said the man, applying a generous amount of ointment on the wound as the bleeding instantly stopped and the wound magically closed-up.

  “The pain is gone,” Dayton muttered, bewildered, touching the raw pink spot on his forehead where the wound had been moments before.

  “You might have certain minor side effects, but they won’t last long,” said the man, closing the jar.

  “Side effects?”

  “Is that made of rubies?” asked Zaara suddenly, staring at the shimmering red jar.

  “Yes indeed, pretty girl. Quite the eye you have there. How did you know?”

  “My father has an interest in gems.”

  “Does he now?” said the man in an uneasy tone.

  “That jar alone is worth a king’s ransom. How did you--”

  “Ahhh……Almost forgot!” interrupted the man, putting the jar inside his pocket and taking out a small silvery white bell with strange markings.

  “What is that?” asked Rose, baffled.

  “Wait!” said the man as he rang the bell thrice.

  The moment he rang it, a strange sensation seized Dayton, as if someone had yanked him out from half sleep and into consciousness. His forehead was now throbbing in pain, and he noticed minor cuts and bruises on his arms and legs. He looked up at Rose and Zaara, who were similarly realising their conditions.

  “Your senses were numb. Tricky little buggers. But now, your mind would have been cleared,” said the man, returning the bell to his jacket.

  “Our mind?”

  “Don’t you remember the nasty smell?”

  “You mean the smell of rotting flesh?” said Dayton, remembering the whiff of foul odour that they caught while coming down the waterfall.

  “Yes. The creatures you encountered, release a type of neurotoxin gas from their butt that dulls the mind and senses. It puts their victim in a trance and makes them docile and easy to kill.”

  “So, we were hallucinating?” asked Zaara.

  “What did the bell have to do with it?” asked Rose.

  “Who are you?” asked Dayton.

  “Alright, alright, one question at a time. We will start with the introductions,” said the man, standing up and bowing while taking off his hat. “Sir Henry Nunubis Ariolius Mekronius Tendanus Ulugamut Dokamuthu Potpourri at your service.”

  “Ehhh?” the three of them gasped at the same time.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “What?”

  “Err…...that sounds like a made-up name,” said Dayton instinctively.

  “No, it is not! It sounds like a prim and proper name. You just haven’t travelled enough,” said Henry, sounding offended.

  “If you say so, Sir Henry,” said Zaara apologetically. “Thank you for saving us.”

  “You are welcome. And you are?”

  “Zaara. My name is Zaara.”

  “She is the princess of this kingdom,” said Rose, staring suspiciously at Henry.

  “And what is your name?” asked Henry, turning to Rose.

  “Rose Huntley.”

  “Dayton Clemence at your service, Sir Henry,” said Dayton, introducing himself.

  “So, why are you three in the forest all alone?” asked Henry.

  “Well...ahh...we came for sightseeing,” said Zaara.

  “Sightseeing?”

  Zaara then narrated their whole adventure, starting from why they had come to the forest with the Maharaja, how they snuck away to the waterfall and how they came to be here until they met the creatures.

  “It is quite fortunate for you then that Sir Henry was here to save you,” said Henry with an odd smile.

  “Yes, we are quite lucky,” said Zaara.

  “Lucky…..yes……lucky indeed.”

  “Now, you know why we are here, but why are you here?” asked Rose suspiciously.

  “The same reason the Maharaja is here in this forest….. to hunt down the creatures.”

  “But how—”

  “We thank you again for saving us,” Dayton interrupted, giving Rose a don’t-annoy-our-saviour side look.

  “And you are welcome again,” said Henry, putting on his hat.

  “You didn’t tell us about the bell,” said Rose, ignoring Dayton.

  “Yes, the bell. The bell gives off a sound whose vibration directly affects the mind, clearing it of any confusion and trickery. It had its effect, didn’t it?” said Henry. “I think we should move on from here. It is not safe to stay here any longer.”

  “But the creatures?” said Zaara hesitantly.

  “As Sir Henry said before, the creatures have been dealt with. Nevertheless, there might be more of them. And speaking of creatures…” said Henry, letting out a low whistle.

  At once, a white cat with black dots sprinted out of a tree’s shadow, dragging a huge worn-out floating rucksack.

  “Everyone, this is Sir Henry’s personal cat, Mr Milfred Meenu,” said Henry. “But he likes to be referred by just Mr Meenu.”

  “You have a floating bag and a cat as your personal bellboy!” said Rose, flabbergasted as all three stared at the bag, which looked heavy and stuffed to the brim but was still floating a foot above the ground.

  “How is it floating? Is it sorcery?” asked Dayton, bewildered.

  “No, you can’t use magic for something so trivial. Cleveite gas and mercury pockets are present all over the bag, lifting it up. Just routine basic science,” said Henry, turning to Dayton, who was still unconvinced.

  Henry took the bag from the cat and rummaged through it, pulling out a small ball, the size of an apple, which he shook vigorously until it glowed brightly with a strange blue light.

  “Hydrogen peroxide and certain amino acids and eureka! We have chemical luminescence,” said Henry in a complacent tone as all three stared in wonder. “Now, as a respectable gentleman, let Sir Henry escorts you three back to the camp.”

  “Err…..yes.” muttered Dayton as the three of them followed Henry, who led the way through the trees, holding the glowing globe high above his shoulder, illuminating their path with a bluish light.

  “Sir Henry, what were the creatures that attacked us?” asked Zaara as they walked through the thick undergrowth.

  “Ahh …Well.... How shall Sir Henry put this? They are what you will categorize as a gremlin. Scientific name — Vento Gremlius Indianus Monopodis. More specifically, a subspecies of gremlin found on the subcontinent.”

  “Gremlin?” said Rose, confounded, as Mr Meenu, the cat followed them, jumping from tree branch to tree branch, dragging the floating large rucksack with him.

  “Every myth, whether western or eastern, has a common basis……gremlin in west, Fachan in Scotland and Ippon Datara in Nippon,” said Henry as the three looked on at him with confusion. “Alright, let us make it simple. Zebra…in…Africa and horse in other parts. Similarly, gremlin…….in this case and Ekapad in India.”

  “Oh!” Zaara gasped, with a sense of comprehension.

  “You know what he is talking about?” asked Rose, still confused.

  “I think so. At least about the Ekapad,” said Zaara.

  “Eka… eka… what?”

  “Ekapad,” said Zaara. “It is a mythical one-legged creature mentioned by Ctesias in his Indika, said to be found only in India.”

  “Ctesias?” asked Dayton.

  “He was a Greek historian who lived around 5th century BC,” said Zaara, surprising Dayton with her in-depth knowledge. “He was the first westerner to write about India in his Indika.”

  “So, they are gremlins then?” said Dayton to Henry, who was leading them through the trees with the blue ball illuminating their path.

  “What? No! They belong to the same genus, but they aren’t exactly gremlins,” said Henry.

  “Can you please explain?” asked Zaara, baffled

  “It’s complicated to explain. Okay, let Sir Henry try to put it this way. Forget about whatever you have heard or read in fairy tales about any mythical being. Because whatever is written or orally passed down about them is half-truth, told by people with half knowledge or a manipulated one. There are sometimes exceptions and the truth eventually comes out. But it’s rare and the general masses rarely believe it. So, goblin…gremlin… all that you have read about is partially based on unnatural events that people have encountered, but they do not represent the whole facet. What Sir Henry means is that all myths throughout the world are interconnected and different people have been interpreting them differently. Myths are the basis of the cultures we follow today because they are memories. The quirks and traits passed down by our forebears shaped our daily habits. It is only us fools who have forgotten the hidden meaning of our daily actions and cultures.”

  “What?” gasped Dayton, the confusion lines on all three foreheads growing thicker.

  “Leave it! You won’t understand,” said Henry with a huge sigh, giving up. “It is like eating a banana with a fork.”

  “Who are you then?” asked Rose.

  “Sir Henry is Sir Henry.”

  “No, I mean, how do you know all this?”

  “Sir Henry has a very specific knowledge regarding science, rituals, supernatural beings and what people commonly call magic.”

  “So, you are a wizard?” asked Zaara, stunned.

  “No, not a wizard. There is no such thing as a wizard……. or is there?” said Henry absentmindedly, reaching inside his jacket and taking out a tiny custom-made white paper card which he shook vigorously, handing it to Zaara.

  And as all three looked over it under the blue light, the card read —

  Sir Henry Nunubis Ariolius Mekronius Tendanus Ulugamut Dokamuthu Potpourri

  PAHNVIR

  Consulting Alchemist, Omnyoji, Druid, Exorcist, Tantric, Hypnotist, Doctor, etc…..etc…..

  “What is a Pahnvir?” asked Zaara, looking at the word in silvery ink.

  “Pahnvir? Pahnvir is a learned man, one who has opened his eyes, the wise one and random nonsense like that. But Sir Henry doesn’t conform to that. One cannot put Sir Henry in a box,” said Henry with a wide, charming smile.

  “But what does it mean?”

  “It means exactly what Sir Henry said before,” said Henry as all three stared at him, bewildered.

  “What about the smudged-out word? Or Omnyoji? Or –”

  “All of them are words for Sir Henry to know and for you to find out,” said Henry with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “Why do you keep referring to yourself as a third person? Why not talk like a normal person?” asked Rose, slightly annoyed.

  “Because Sir Henry is compelled to do so. It is like breaking a biscuit into two halves…………a big one and a small one. You look at the big one intently and the small one remotely. You dunk them in water, bury them in earth, throw them up in the air, fry them up in fire, and finally eat them,” said Henry incoherently, as the confusion lines on all three foreheads thickened beyond recognition.

  “Alright, we get it. You don’t want to answer us. But at least tell us how you kill the Ekapad or the gremlin thing,” asked Rose as Mr Meenu, who was sitting on a tree branch, meowed atop them.

  “We have reached your camp,” said Henry suddenly, as at around a hundred yards through the thick tree growth, all four saw the flickering lights of a camp.

  “Sir Henry thinks you three are safe from here on. He needs to get back and search the forest, just as a precaution to see if any of those tree monkeys are still out there.” Henry continued as he removed his top hat, bowed to them, and quickly disappeared in the dark. Mr Meenu following at his heels.

  The three of them stood there in the darkness, confused and perplexed by who they had just met and what had just happened. They walked through the undergrowth and trees, but as soon as they reached the edge of the camp, they realised something was wrong. The camp was deadly quiet except for one or two servants hurrying across. Fortunately, they saw Ram Singh treading across the camp nervously.

  “Ram Singh ji!” Zaara called out to the moustached man.

  The tired-looking Ram Singh turned towards them, recognised Zaara in the faint light, and immediately broke down into a weeping mess.

  “Oh, thank the Lord! Your Highness, you are alive! All of us have been worried sick about the three of you!” cried Ram Singh. “Where have you been?”

  “We got lost in the forest. But we are safe now. Any news of father?” asked Zaara, as Ram Singh cried harder.

  “It’s fine, Ram Singh. You don’t need to cry,” said Rose, comforting the weeping man.

  “Oh, Miss Huntley!” whimpered Ram Singh, big drop of tears rolling down his cheek. “It’s horrible! Horrible!”

  “What’s horrible?”

  “Please come with me!” said Ram Singh, leading them to the Maharaja’s tent and opening the flab to reveal a state of utter chaos. Physicians and servants were running around carrying medical equipment. Two beds were laid side by side……one was occupied by General Huntley, who lay pale white, his right arm completely torn from the socket with only the bloody stump left behind. And on the other, lay Maharaja Kritiraj, motionless, his chest completely clawed open.

  “NOOOO!” Dayton heard Zaara scream beside him, blood drained from her face.

  Ctesias was a Greek physician and historian who lived around 5th century BC.