Prologue
Lara woke up, staring in to the face of an old man. She was lying on a bed in a small room of what appeared to be a hut. The man was smiling at her, apparently pleased she had woken up.
«Three wikks» he said in a heavy accented English. Holding three fingers up. «We fand you in jungre.» Lara tried to speak, but her mouth was too dry. Her body felt heavy as well, and she found it hard to move. The old man saw her struggling to move and put a hand over her arm
«One wikk more», he said before he nodded and left the room.
Oh no, Lara thought, three weeks in a coma and my body feels almost paralyzed. This can't be good. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, to tired to think any more about her situation. But in the back of her head she couldn't help thinking that the old man's accent had sounded indian.
Four weeks earlier she had travelled to the eastern regions of Africa, in search of an artifact called «Curious Pearl» (directly translated). No one knew exactly what this artifact was, or what it looked like, but the legends and myths surrounding it were many and old. That of course spurred Lara's curiosity, and she set out after it. The last thing she remembered was opening the lid of a chest inside some ancient ruin and seeing something red.
A week went by, and as the old man had promised, Lara was almost fully recovered from the various remedies he had given her. She had discovered that she was indeed in India, and had no idea how she had got there. The old man was some kind of guru who lived in isolation only visited once in a while by people who came for medical aid or religious advice. Lara didn't understand his language, and allthough he knew some English, it wasn't nearly enough for them to be able to have a conversation.
Before she left him, she thanked him for caring for her. He declined any form of reward. As they said their good byes, he blew some dust from a poach over her face. Lara thought it to be some kind of blessing ritual, and started thanking him again, but the guru shook his head and looked sternly at her
«Curious Pearl,» he said, «good luck». Then he left. |