บท 75: Yaksha's Riddles !

"Yes, as long as you can answer all seven of my questions, not only will you be free to leave this place safely but I will also reward you with a special ability. "

The Yaksha said calmly.

After understands all this, Aryan took a deep breath and decided to give it a try.

Although he wasn't much of a genius but in his previous life he was a fan of riddles. He had even won a few International Riddle competitions, so he felt that he still had a chance.

"Alright Mr Vajrapani, I am ready for your questions. Go ahead. "

Aryan said confidently.

"As you wish. So your first question is, What is always on its way but never arrives?"

The Yaksha asked the first question.

At first Aryan felt a little confused but then it suddenly struck him as a smile syrfaced on his face.

"The answer is 'Tomorrow.' It's a concept that is perpetually approaching but never quite reaches us. "

Aryan responded confidently, reflecting on the elusive nature of the future.

Correct answer. Moving onwards, your second question is, When you stop to look, you can always see me. But if you try to touch me, you can never feel me. Although you walk towards me, I remain the same distance from you. What am I?"

The Yaksha put forward the next question which was obviously a little harder as compared to the previous one.

"This..... "

Aryan felt anxious as he tried to find the answer but to no avail.

"Something I can see but can't touch and even more so I can never narrow down the distance between us?"

"This is impossible. Even if it's something like the sun, no matter how miniscule but the distance will decrease if I approach in its direction. "

"So what is your answer warrior? "

The Yaksha urged him to answer in his monotone voice.

"The answer..... Uhh, could it be that your question is wrong? "

Helpless, Aryan asked to try his luck.

"No! "

And of course he received the expected answer.

But just when he was sighing in disappointment, he stopped in his tracks as he looked in the distance.

"The horizon... the answer is the Horizon, the unattainable boundary that marks the limits of our vision and we can never shorten the distance or touch it. "

Aryan said excitedly.

"This is... Correct. "

There was finally some surprise in the Yaksha's voice but it soon disappeared as it asked the next question.

"Your third question young warrior is, I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. I'm invisible, but you can call for me. What am I?"

"Speak without mouth and hear without ears? Uh, may be you can use lip reading to hear without ears but speaking without mouth? "

Aryan once again felt trumped.

But this time, he didn't struggle as much as the last question and soon answered confidently.

" The answer is Echo. "

"Correct answer once again. So your fourth question is, This belongs to you, but everyone else uses it. What is it? "

"Well, I'm not the type to let others use my things except... My name."

Aryan replied after a little thought.

"Correct answer.Moving on, your fifth question is, What is it that given one, you'll have either two or none?"

"A choice. It's a decision-making process that often leads to either multiple options or none at all. "

Aryan answered promptly, for this is one of the riddles he had heard about in his past life and didn't even need to think about it.

"You really surprised me warrior. No one has ever managed to reach this point. But let's see if you can answer the next one. "

The Yaksha asked solemnly.

"Your sixth question is, They can be harbored, but few hold water. You can nurse them, but only by holding them against someone else. You can carry them, but not with your arms. You can bury them, but not in the earth. What are they? "

As the Yaksha posed the challenging sixth question, Aryan's mind raced to decipher the layers of meaning embedded within the riddle. Wrestling with the intricate descriptions, he sought to grasp the essence of the enigmatic query and unveil the elusive answer.

"Hmm, 'They can be harbored, but few hold water.' This suggests something intangible." Aryan murmured to himself as he contemplated the cryptic clues.

Continuing to dissect the riddle, he analyzed the nuances embedded within each phrase. "You can nurse them, but only by holding them against someone else. This implies a sense of nurturing or fostering that requires an external recipient or catalyst," Aryan noted, trying to establish a connection between the abstract concepts and their potential manifestations.

Mulling over the remaining lines, he attempted to synthesize the various interpretations into a cohesive solution. "You can carry them, but not with your arms. This might signify an emotional burden that cannot be physically lifted or carried in the conventional sense," Aryan surmised, piecing together the elusive components of the riddle.

"And finally, you can bury them, but not in the earth. This suggests a form of concealment or suppression that does not involve physical burial but rather the internalization or suppression of these intangible elements," Aryan concluded, bringing together the intricate threads of the puzzle.

Gathering his thoughts, Aryan's expression brightened with understanding as he confidently provided his answer.

"The answer to your sixth question is 'Grudges.' They are emotional burdens that can be nurtured, harbored, and carried within, often affecting relationships and individuals."

Aryan answered with a smile.

"You're correct again! But there is still one last riddle left. Your seventh question is, It can't be touched and can't be felt. It can't be seen, or heard, or smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and any empty holes it fills. It comes early and follows after, ends life, and kills laughter. What is it? "

Upon hearing the Yaksha's seventh question, Aryan's mind raced to read between the lines.

"It can't be touched and can't be felt," Aryan mused, reflecting on the sensory paradox presented in the initial lines. "This suggests an intangible entity, something beyond the realm of physical perception, perhaps an abstract concept or phenomenon," he contemplated.

He continued to dissect the subsequent verses, analyzing the elusive characteristics described within the riddle.

"It can't be seen, or heard, or smelt. This further reinforces the notion of an intangible presence, an entity that eludes conventional sensory apprehension," Aryan deliberated, grappling with the enigmatic puzzle.

As he contemplated the remaining lines, he sought to synthesize the disparate elements into a cohesive understanding.

"It lies behind stars and under hills, and any empty holes it fills. This implies a pervasive presence, one that transcends spatial boundaries and fills the voids within the fabric of existence," Aryan surmised, drawing upon the enigmatic imagery woven into the riddle.

Analyzing the concluding verses, he sought to discern the temporal and existential implications embedded within the lines.

"It comes early and follows after, ends life, and kills laughter. This signifies the cyclical nature of its influence, encompassing the entirety of life's journey from inception to culmination," Aryan deduced, weaving the temporal threads into the fabric of his interpretation.

Gathering his insights, Aryan's expression brightened with a newfound revelation as he confidently presented his answer.

"The answer to your seventh question is 'Darkness.' It represents the intangible void that permeates the realms of existence, eluding sensory perception and encompassing the ebb and flow of life's journey. "

Aryan said a little hesitantly. After all, this answer could decide his very future.