Koregad dreams

Koregadh sat by the road, unseen by eyes that did not look, on the way to Amby valley.No Sahara cottages for us, we seek the goddess at the peak.We set off, up the winding hill, its pinnacle lost in the clouds, giving it an unimaginable grandeur.As we climbed up the dry , dusty hill, so common to the Sahyadris, the rain clouds moved in, drawn by the goddess.An archway was spotted, and as we made our way to it, the skies poured rain upon us, trying to slow us.
The archway did not just lead into the fort, it was a portal into another world.The dusty road stopped short of the fort, giving way to a lush, green plateau.The rim of the plateau was guarded by the low fort walls, and the cannons pointed up, still alert, hundreds of years since they were last used. There was two temples, their idols missing and abandoned by their devotees, but still mysterious for all their loneliness.
I wandered away from my family,and made my way to the shallow pool hidden behind a mound of grass. I crouched by the pool, idly listening to my nephew laughing as his little feet ran across the cool grass and the low voices of the rest as they looked at the cannons. The peak was silent despite our presence- even nine of us couldn't break it.Or perhaps we didn't want to, or lacked the courage to disturb this sleeping fort. As I stirred the waters of the pond, the voices died out, to be replaced by nothing and the silence grew in its void.I no longer could see the rest of my group, and in that moment, felt the gods mocking me.The waters of the lake stirred and I scrambled up the slope, suddenly terrified of that serene place. Once I climbed the slope, I heard laughter, but human this time,and I felt like a fool, letting nameless fears overtake me. I never mentioned my horror to anyone, but that night, I was a believer.