Raat ka waqt tha. Rajasthan ki thandi hawayein haweli ke charon or sarsarati hui guzar rahi thin. Aakash mein chand ki roshni dhundhli thi, par haweli ka bhavya hissa ab pehle se kahin adhik sajaya gaya tha. Phuljhadiyan, laal aur sunhare jhoomar, aur ghumavdar mombattiyan har kone mein jali thin, jisse haweli ka andhera aur bhi rahasyamayi lag raha tha. Bahar se dekhne par yeh ek samanya jashn ki taiyari jaisi dikhti thi, lekin bheetar ka mahaul bilkul alag tha.

Haweli ke mukhya hall mein, Abhiraj, Mr. aur Mrs. Oberoi, Amritansh aur Shruti khade the. Mr. Oberoi ne aashcharyachakit hokar poochha—