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Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty One - Vikram's Secret Regiment
1st Century, 57 BCE: On a lesser frequented road, somewhere near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaIt was the fourteenth of the dark half of Bhadra according to lunar calender. An impenetrable veil of darkness seemed to have descended on the earth, where ever one might turn one's eyes. A dead silence prevailed everywhere, broken in between by wind whispering through the branches of trees and shrill calling of night birds . Suddenly sound of hoofs could be heard at a distance. Silhouettes of horses are found piercing the darkness forward. The horse riders' heads are ensconced in helmets with aventails covering lower halves of their faces, necks and shoulders; metal coats are draped around their robust torsos, spears held in hands, shields tied to their backs, swords dangle from their waist girdles. The army rode past leaving a trail of thick cloud of dust behind, which further reduced visibility. 'How far away have we travelled from Pataliputra?' One of the soldiers askedThe Amber fort
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Two - Vetaal's army is raised
1st Century, 57 BCE: Forest area near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaAs soon as Pataliputra's special regiment entered the forest a heavy storm broke-in. Soon water started pouring down through the canopy of branches and leaves of trees. Visibility got constrained to only occassional outbursts of lightening, with the raging of thunder. The army got scattered in no time. Suddenly the growl of a beast could be heard from a distance. In a matter of minutes the growl approached near, followed by splashing of water from puddles made into the clayey ground . The lightning showed tall grasses swaying in front of a soldier. The next moment something threw him down from the horse-seat and pulled him inside the bushes. A blood-curdling scream ran from one end of the forest to another. 'What was that? Hey can anyone hear me?' A soldier shouted.'Stay still wherever you are brother' .Someone shouted back from a distance.The animal was approaching them stealthily. Everyone took position with the
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Three - Combatting the Undead
1st Century, 57 BCE: Hilly terrain and Forest area near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaIn his mind, he still wasn't sure about whether the path he was treading was right. He was known and respected by the people for his righteousness. Then was it moral to love a brother's wife? This secret attack he had planned - it was all for the sake of Nandini. How dare someone seek her for his carnal pleasures? And what kind of a man his brother was? He wished he'd have killed him too. But he was Vikramaditya. He couldn't let his personal emotions come in between his path of dharma. He had even questioned himself several times, had tried to suppress his feelings for Nandini .. but those eyes .. those lotus shaped eyes had broken down all barricades of reason. There was a longing .. a yearning in them which Vikram could never ignore. He knew his brother wasn't loyal to her, despite her being caring and dutiful and treated her no more than the other courtesans he slept with. In fact Shankha didn't h
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Four - An Atrocious Ritual
1st Century, 57 BCE: Shankha's hidden chamber, somewhere in Malwa, West-Central IndiaAt the time Vikram was busy combatting the undead near the Udaipur fort Shankha was watching the scene through his magic ball. As the creatures slaughtered Vikram's men one by one, a sadistic smile crossed his lips. 'So there you are my dear brother, a gladiator prince .. fighting ghouls .. entertaining people. I see you have become a hero. But Shankha has other plans, what can you do? Whenever the country is in turmoil your kshatriya blood starts boiling. But you don't understand the simple fact that to ascend government ranks one has to be politically motivated. A prince should imitate the qualities of a fox and lion. Just by living an austere life and practicing idealism can't make you the king of Pataliputra, even if you have been predicted to become so. Astrologers and priests had predicted the lives of men from times immemorial, but wise men have always won over ill-fate. Even to carry his fat
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Five - The Invaders
1st Century, 57 BCE: Forest area near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaSuddenly, horse hoofs could be heard from within the forest. A man was found: head ensconced in helmet, red metal coat draped around his body, sword dangling from the waist. He was dressed differently from the other soldiers of the regiment. As the man neared them Vikram gestured the other soldiers to move away. The stranger got down from his horse and saluted the chief, then whispered something into his ear. Soon the regiment was following the man back into the forest. They found it hard to believe that they were negotiating the same trails, bends around trees which they had been doing a little ago. Every nook and corner of the forest appeared new. It seemed the forest had got transformed and it appeared to be enchanting now instead of being fearsome. After riding for sometime which appeared like eternity the soldier made a sign to halt before a cave which seemed to have suddenly sprung up. There was a large boulder
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Six - Shakaditya's Fall
1st Century, 57 BCE: Shakaditya's secret chamber, Ujjain fort, Madhya Pradesh, India The first time Shakaditya set his eyes on Nandini he had been smitten by her beauty. Having heard about the wife of the governor of Malwa - once a territory of Shaka rule, Shakaditya died to catch a glimpse of her. Shakaditya had heard that Shankha despised her over his other wives, but even if it wasn't the case, he knew Shankha wouldn't object - so very ambitious he was of becoming a king and so worthless he was as a governor in his present role. A meeting was arranged through him. But as Indian women were not allowed to come outdoors and meet a male guest, except through a curtain placed between them - which offered restricted visibility, a new scheme was planned. It was decided that the visitor would be allowed to have a peek of the lady through the reflection in mirror, during the time she'd be taking her shower. A special location would be fixed for him in the royal mansion from where he'd have
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Seven - Vikram Samvat Era Begins
1st Century, 57 BCE: Shankha's hidden chamber, somewhere in Malwa, West-Central IndiaSuddenly the door of Shankha's secret chamber opened and he found himself staring at a figure shrouded in darkness. As the figure tiptoed into the room, the layers of darkness peeled off from it's body one by one and Shankha's eyes went wide recognising him.'You? But how could you?''You didn't expect to see me brother, did you? Hold on there's another shock in store for you. You took so much trouble to find out Nandini's secret lover, isn't it? Lo .. here he is standing right before you. I'm so sorry but your witchcraft failed to even make a scratch on my skin' 'So it is you? Unbelievable! How couldn't I guess! The one I had been searching everywhere except my home was the one who has been engaged in adultery right under my nose. O why didn't I pay heed to the murmurings behind my back? Why couldn't I read it on their faces .. why did I think my men were ashamed of their inability to carry out my
Don't Fall Asleep Episode Twenty Eight - The Train Encounter
Present Day: On a train from Kolkata bound for Goa, somewhere near Balasore, Orissa.There was blood, only blood around him. It seemed he had fallen inside a whirlpool of blood and was being sucked inside. The more he flailed his arms to raise himself, the more he got dragged inside. He remembered last time Shivangi to have gone through the same ordeal at her sister's flat. These hallucinatory experiences had started after he met Shivangi. Was he connected to her in her previous life too? The taste of metal and salt made him feel like retching. He could hear voices in his head .. war cries rising to the sound of clarions and drums .. silenced by the slash of metallic weapons. The sound of horses' hooves, running of feet, clash of swords continued unabated. Elephants roared, horses neighed, vultures swooped down on the dead, jackals and hyenas waited for their turn to claim their share of flesh. The river Shipra turned red with blood in no time. .A horse rider was storming through the
Latest Chapter
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Eight - Creatures, Creatures!
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Seven - The Atonement
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Six - Sara
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Five - The Gateway to Hell
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Four - Lost
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Three - Wait for me in your dreams
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty Two - Dad's Not The Same
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty One - The Chase
- Don't Fall Asleep Episode Thirty - Vishnu's Sword