1
Rein Morrison was
against the idea of keeping the White palace as it had been for the last couple of
centuries; standing tall and high and proud with the silhouetted mountains behind
it and the forest line at the slope of the hill at its west, which had grown
tall and dark and wild with the welcoming absence of human interference.
The inexplicable attractions for mysteries and the unexplainable connection of human interest to the history
of their ancestors had made the place a favorite one a long ago with its safe and pure
wilderness amidst growing bushes, a deep blue lake and wild yellow flowers all
around the property covering a huge area of 500 acres. And for the last fifty
years, it had almost become a tradition for the people in the little town to
spend their weekends in peace and tranquility of the White Park, as they called it; so close to the town yet far from the hustle and bustle of the city heart. With
too many open grounds for the kids to play around, the beautiful view of the
wild yellow flowers grown in abundance all around the place, the chilling
breeze flowing in from the mountain ridge, the color blast of various plants
and bushes on the slopes of the hills, the place had an irresistible appeal.
And most importantly it was open for all.
However, one thing was for sure that no one dared to trespass the un-inhabiting white palace gate. It always
remained locked with an aura of mystery caved inside. Without any living heritance
to claim, the palace naturally became the responsibility of the city council.
They had to spend a budget, however little it was, to keep the outer part clean
and mowed. But they themselves didn’t bother to clean the interior which was
believed to be haunted by the souls still attracted to the place they used to
be living in till their deaths.
But, the city people
were okay with the haunted souls, if there were any, as long as they were residing
inside the palace. There had never been any report of any harms done by any
supernatural elements in and around the area. And there were the senior
citizens who believed that the palace owners were good people with great hearts
for the well-being of the people of the county. And there were no reason for
them to turn hostile against the people they once loved, if their souls freed from
their bodies a century ago would still roam around the palace. So, people,
since the last three generations, never stopped spending their beautiful family
times in the place around the palace and more interestingly, people from the
adjacent towns and even from the faraway places started visiting the place for
the historical appeal, mystified stories linked to the palace, and for the pure
and serene beauty amidst the wilderness; still undisturbed.
2.
It was kept going on
like this until one fine morning when the manager of a famous construction
corporation came to the office of the Mayor with a modest and alluring
proposal. The spreading interest of people outside the county drew the
attention of the corporation to turn it a popular tourist destination by
blending the beauty and the mystery of the palace and by harnessing the
wilderness in favor of their monetary interests.
Rein Morrison was the
Mayor after all. And most of the city councilors were backing him for the
business gain; both for the prospect of a sky-rocketed tax revenue and for the personal
commissions they were secretly promised by the manager of Hide Valley
Constructions Inc. And the promised commission was an unbelievably huge one; way
beyond their imaginations. And all was just for their consent and signature on
the approval papers for turning the White Palace a Five Star resort including
the blue lake, the forest line and the open grounds in the property area.
There was an uproar
against the decision among the little number of people who had happened to come
across the exclusively secret approval in progress in the mayoral office. And
Estella Merion was one among the councilors who protested against the decision.
But everything was under the absolute control of the mayor, as the majority of the
councilors under him had given their support in his favor. The signing
ceremony was about to be happened in a grand style with a proper match of a
five star facility. A majestic party was thrown from the construction
corporation and the venue of the party was none other than the White Palace
itself.
Even without the
official approval signed, the corporation, with the consent of the mayor, started their work inside the property. Under the guise of a routine renovation work, the site
had been closed down for two weeks and within this short time, they inspected
the interior for a rough layout plan and got the grand hall of the palace
ready for the party. The invitees, all being so exclusive and special and the
heads of the city, were requested to attend the party with promises of
surprises and the commissions of course.
3.
Estella Merion was not
in a position to make it public until the approval was signed. Until then it
was a matter supposed to be kept as a secret among the members of the city
councilors as a part of their oath. And the mayor had a reason, well enough,
for the approval. A large amount of revenue would be collected and numbers of
new business opportunities would be opened up for the city, which was going to
be gone past the status of a quiet and calm town with a few thousands of
original inhabitants in total. Something big was going to be happened with the
expected flood of people from everywhere and the city would no longer remain a
little town.
She contacted one of
her friends from the university, who was currently working as a freelance
journalist. His name was James Pattinson, a thin, tall and gentle looking boy with long curl hairs and an innocent pair of eyes. But, inside, he was the most daring badass and adventure seeker among all her varsity friends. She requested him to make a report about the
historical value of the palace and the true feeling involved with the natural
tranquility and originality of the place. And the secret party they were going
to attend even before the signing of the approval and about how the residents
were cheated by the mayoral office by closing the location in the name of
renovation work.
This was going to be a
breaking news on the front pages of the local newspapers with the pictures of
the party in the White Palace. A big time news. And that was the best Estella
could do without knowing the exact outcome of the plan.
4.
As a part of the plan
to keep the party a secret one, the special invitees were instructed to get
there in different times, keeping at least a time gap of fifteen minutes from
one another in reaching the spot, their dream project.
The first one was David
Muller, a favorite to the mayor. An aspiring young politician in his first term
as a councilor. In his royal blue sedan he was on his way to the palace. He
knew the place well with so many happy moments spent together with his family.
And he knew that he was going to spend even better times there in the near future
with all those five star facilities. It would be costly and no more a free zone
for each and every vagrant, but he would be able to afford that with the
promised business opportunity.
He crossed past the
downtown in fifteen minutes in a dwindling traffic with more fifteen minutes of
driving time left. And suddenly he felt all alone on the street going along the
hilly ways in slopes and turns. But driving was not a difficult job in a
moonlit night with a maddening flow of light over the hills, roads and the
silhouetted forest line which would eventually meet the palace. He was lost in
so many thoughts but was driving carefully with the trace of no one else on the
road. And then the surprise took its turn. After taking a turn crossing past
another hill slope, a dazzling look with colorful lights glowing the proud
White Palace struck his eyes. The palace was decorated with lightings, putting
on well a majestically festive look. He knew that there would be surprises
waiting for them, but he didn’t imagine that they could arrange such a grand
party within such a short time.
With surprise,
excitement and an inexplicable disbelief in his eyes and with a chilling feel
flowing across his veins, he drove along and entered the driveway after
crossing the alluring, well decorated palace gate, without thinking that his
driving time was shortened by at least three minutes. And he didn’t speed up
for that.
Followed by David, the
other four councilors drove along the same road; each maintaining the fifteen
minutes of time gap from one another, as specified earlier. On the same road
under the unchanged magical effect of the glowing Moon, they drove past the
downtown, the straight road up to the mountainous one and then a couple of turns
until the dazzling look of the palace; now in a surprisingly bright, colorful,
shining and sparkling decoration with lighting. And almost with the same kind
of feeling identical to those of David’s, they drove past the majestic palace
gate and entered the driveway following the familiar cars parked in a row.
And then came Rein
Morrison, the pride and powerful mayor. He did the same like the other
councilors, but with a little hesitance. He always believes on his own
judgments and often makes or enforces others to believe in them too. Deep down
his mind, he knew that the palace wasn’t supposed to be here. It took him a
little earlier to get this far and he couldn’t miss the third turn. He might
have gone absentminded for a few moments and drove past the turn in a flow. As
a very rare occasion, he got a little bemused and tried to figure out an
explanation. And after watching the cars, all known to him, he drove his black
Cadillac past the grand palace gate and the other cars on the driveway to park
his one at the nearest to the door.
5.
James Pattinson, the
freelance journalist and the friend of Estella, reached the town a little after
the twilight and boarded on a motel as a new tourist to the town. After having
an early dinner at the motel restaurant, he started heading for the palace in a
hired car. He had been briefed well about the exact location of the place. He
knew well about how to get there. There will be a serpentine road along the
mountains after crossing about ten kilometers from the downtown on a straight
road and then there will be more ten kilometers journey on a car with three
turns on the slope of three hills. And he was counting well the landmarks he
had been briefed by Estella. He drove past the downtown, the straight road
before the mountainous one and then eventually the second turn. And then he got
utterly surprised seeing the glowing grandeur of a palace standing high and
proud, just about five hundred meters away. He got confused and rethought about
the location. No, it was made clear that he must cross past the third turn on
the foothill of a hill and about two hundred meters later the blue lake would
come in the sight with all its sparkling glow under the Moon. So, he decided to
keep driving along the road for the third turn to show up, ignoring the other
palace in a party look.
He reached there
eventually and found the palace in a festive look just like the former one
he left behind, just like a prototype; but without any guests or any welcome
note usual for such a splendid party. Two big guys, almost in the size and
shape of gorillas, rushed to his car in an impatient look. The hired car was
not near anything to match such a party or the special invitees.
6.
The business magnet,
Michael Callahan, the corporate head of the construction company
and unquestionably the mastermind behind the plan, was the kind of person
who never waited for chances to materialize. He just makes a decision and propels
things turn in the favors required for the execution of the decision;
exercising his power, brutality, money or whatever is required to cater to the
desired consequences.
James was taken to him
by the Bigfoots from the palace door.
‘And what the hell are
you doing here and where is that bloody mayor. I have been waiting for his
goddamn councilors for more than an hour,’ a commanding voice full of anger and
impatience shot out of the mouth of Callahan.
James knew what he was
going to deal with and he had his story ready.
‘Actually sir, I’m just
a tourist passing by. I am fond of mysterious places like old palaces with
interesting historical backgrounds. I just happened to take a night break in
the town. As I was having my dinner in a restaurant by the bus stop, I heard
people talking about this palace and the renovation works in progress. I was
little curious and got some interesting facts out of them. I thought that there
got to be people around here or may be camps for the ongoing renovation works.
As I was planning to move on early next morning and had time in hand before throwing
myself to the motel bed, I just wanted to pay this place a visit. I had no idea
about two separate parties were going on in two different palaces within the
range of a couple of kilometers. And in fact, I didn’t heard that there would actually two palaces to explore here and surprisingly both the palaces were
decorated in the same grandeur and brightness,’ he finished his part of the
story in just one breath.
‘What the hell do you
mean by another palace within a few kilometers?’
‘The other one after
the second turn on the way from the downtown.’
‘Are you kidding, kid?
There is no trace of any other palaces within the range of 100 kilometers;
neither in this county, nor in the nearby ones. Wait a minute, was it a palace
or something else? Is it something to foil our signing party? Did Estella get
the proposal leaked out and hence there is still no trace of the mayor and his
goddamn councilors?’
The angered businessman
overwhelmed by the thought of another party, probably in some makeshift tents
out in the jungle to foil his plans, went just mad and outrageous. He shot out
of the hall room in a second and his bodyguards, manager and the butler started
running after him. And a puzzled James was left all alone in the large hall
room with a dining table full of mouth-watering dishes, fruits, and the branded
bottles of wines. And then he heard the creaking sounds of cars speeding away out of
the gate.
With the general
curiosity, not like that of a journalist, James started looking at the
mind-blowing interior of the hall room, the large paintings hanging on the
walls, the sculptures kept beautifully over a wooden cabinet and the precious
artefacts. With the sudden turn to the event beyond his imagination and the
aura ruling over the entire hall room, he started feeling thirsty. He went
straight to the dining table, took an already opened bottle of wine, poured it
down to a glass and gulped down the wine in one single sip. And the last thing
he could remember was the sofa he was staggering to, swaying a little.
7.
He woke up the next
morning with the bright rays of Sun peeping inside the room from the big window
on the eastern terrace. It was already 8am in the morning and he was still
alone inside the massive hall room, which was looking so different in the day
light. The main door was still open. He went out of the room and threw an
examining look outside the palace. A dozen of workers were waiting outside
their tents set against the boundary wall on the western side. They all were
waiting for the instructions from some commanding voices. And there was no one
left in and around to give them one.
James got on his car
and drove past the gate, leaving all those puzzled looks behind. He himself was
in utter confusion regarding what had actually happened last night. To connect
the loose ends, he immediately decided to go back to the town and talk to Estella.
But he was driving slowly with a careful look searching for the other palace he
saw last night. He drove past the turn and then another one, without seeing any
clue or trace of what he had seen on his way to the White Palace.
It took him a little more
than thirty minutes to get to the town, and the little more time was needed for
his backward driving in the second attempt to locate the other palace. The town
woke up too by this time with people at restaurants, on the streets and in the
cars to commute to their works. But, none among them seemed to be in a hurry to
trigger any deafening chaos. A group of people were seen passing some peaceful
moments without any rush to chase the life at the park by the bus stop. No one
with any knowledge of the changes made to the looming and lurking fate of the
city. No one will ever know what was going to be happened with their lovely
city by the hands of the mayor and the corporation. And no one will ever know
how their mayor and his councilors got vanished in the air without any trace,
understandable to human beings, left.
And James entered the
town needing a new mayor and new councilors in its new dawn.
© Atique R.
