The Mist Around The Moon

There was a small kingdom in the North East of India by the name Mandarin which was invaded by outsiders many times in the past. It was rich, beautiful, having breathtaking scenic beauty, waterfalls located between the deep valley of flowers in the Himalayas. Its beauty was more than enough to attract anyone. This was a charming yet confounding kingdom that cast a spell on visitors. It was a world unto itself, its wild and mountainous landscapes home to Mandarin’s ethnic minorities and an abundance of natural attractions and wildlife.

The people were natives and leading a simple life. The females blossomed with their natural beauty but the Princess Shimona had an extraordinary beauty that was wonderfully combined with her amazing soul. Even the moon and the stars didn’t glow as bright as her big watery eyes. She was not only beautiful but was quite more matured, sensible, confident and brave than the girls of her age. She was a very good hunter. One night she thought of visiting her tribal subjects in disguise. It was a starry night. She left the castle with her most trustworthy and favorite horse Dorin from the back door of the castle leading towards the forest. There was good bonding between Shimona and Dorin.

After visiting her subject she decided to take a long ride through the deep forest. She had been there many times earlier. The mist soon covered the valley and the moon. The cool wind was whistling. She decided to take some rest. She saw a deserted broken building there and thought of resting there till the mist was over. She left Dorin and carefully entered the building covered with elephant grass. It was a rich carved building from inside. After crossing the corridor, she entered the main building. She took out her sword and moved carefully. She was surprised to see an oil lamp was lighting and the place was clean. She saw no one. She thought that it must be the hideout of some dacoit or an enemy of her kingdom. On investigating she found few weapons and a box of diamonds and gold jewelry and some earthen pots. 

Suddenly she heard the bell of Dorin’s harness. She understood that someone might be approaching there. She immediately left the place and rode Dorin. She hid with her horse behind a huge tree. She saw a figure entering the deserted building. She came back to her castle from the same back door. She hugged the horse and thanked her for warning her. Soon she couched herself on her bed and kept on thinking about the figure. She decided to visit the place again after a week on a moonlit night. At last, night came and she left the castle. The moon was on its full glow.

Everything was visible. She had already kept all the necessary things for meeting any adversaries. Around midnight she was near the house and waited to understand the situation around. After a few minutes, she entered the house. When she was going towards the main building, she heard foot-steps. She hid under the dark and tried to see the figure approaching there. In light of the oil lamp, she saw a handsome, stout, fair-complexioned tall man. He did not notice the presence of Shimona. As the man tried to put off the lamp, Shimona jumped and kept her sword on his neck. It was so sudden that the man could not even reflex. The man was shocked to see such a beauty at this odd hour of the night and that too in the deep forest. Shimona asked his identity and warned him of not moving.

The man told her that he was a son of Chieftain of the tribe of neighboring kingdom. He was hiding there as his step-brother had captured his kingdom. He wanted to save his father from the clutches of his ruthless brother. He was preparing his own army by giving weapon training to tribal youths at night. His name was Zuby. Shimona took off her sword. He got up and looked in her eyes. Both felt a spark in their eyes. It was love at first sight. Shimona promised him to come there to meet him. The moon was the only witness of their true love. No one knew about their meetings.

One day Zuby came a little late near the lake and was having a deep cut in his hand. Shimona immediately collected some herbs and tied them on his hand. While doing this, she felt as if someone was nearby. She left Zuby and carefully heard the sound of foot-steps. She followed the sound and hid with her sword in her hand. As soon as the figure reached nearby, she saw a man with blood dripping sword in his hand. She understood him as Zuby’s stepbrother and struck off his head from his neck. Zuby ran towards that after hearing the sigh and was shocked to see his brother dead and his beloved with a blood-stained sword.

He was happy to see the dead body and thanked Shimona for saving his kingdom. He promised to serve her till his death. He kissed her hand. The next day people of Zuby celebrated his victory and found the dead body of a ruthless man. No one knew as to what had happened last night as the mist had engulfed the moon and the mystery. Both the kingdoms got united and became a strong country.