The Fourth Dimension

Chapter 15

Nine years back, little Dhun was handed this wretched ominous thing and given the responsibility of doing the most tiring, most horrible impossible task. Saving her mother.

On the first attempt, she was happy. She just ran into the bathroom and removed the bar of soap that was on the floor. But yet her mother was carried away on a stretcher later. On the second attempt, she did the same again, and yet there was no change to the situation. Her mother was yet again carried away on a stretcher. But little Dhun did not lose hope. She again turned time back. This time she took the bar of soap and flushed it down the toilet. But then again, her mother still slipped and fell. She slipped on the water it seems.

When the fourth and fifth attempts failed, on the sixth attempt Dhun tried to stop her mother from going to bathe that day. She hung on her mother's hands and asked her not to go for a bath at that time. "Mamma, I am hungry..." she chanted. Her mother thought she will cook something for Dhun and then go for a bath. In the kitchen, she tried to get something from the cupboard, and the bottle of oil spilt on the floor. She was about to wipe it when she slipped on the oil and her head hit the kitchen counter. And in front of little Dhun, her mother passed away.

But Dhun tried again and again. She tried stopping her mother from bathing or cooking. Yet she somehow slipped and fell and died.

Dhun tried to bring her out of the house for a walk. But this time, she slipped on mear rocks on the floor and fell to hit her head. Dhun was getting scared.

As an adult, she knew that her life did not have a bigger nightmare than those moments. Minutes stretched into hours to days. She doesn't remember how many hours, how many days she spent. How many thousand times she went back. Going and seeing her mother die in front of her eyes. Again and again... Again and again...Multiple times. Each time, dying herself a little inside.

She grew exhausted, physically and mentally. She wanted to give up. She was just a nine-year-old after all. Even when her life would never be the same again without her mother, eventually the kid wanted to let go of her. She accepted the fact that there was no way that she could save her mother. She could not manipulate life and death. That was one thing the time turner could not do. She cannot save her mother, or bring back anyone who was already dead. No matter what she does. She just had to accept that fact.

So she stopped turning back the time. She put the time turner away, stored it deep among her belongings. And never slaught it again... Never wanted to turn the time back...

Until...

Dhun got up from the floor near the wardrobe where she sat and went to her bed. Rithvik's photo still lay there, and he still smiled in that photo. She took it in her hands, To think that she would have to relive that nightmare was horrific. Yet... he had left her no choice.

*

THE MORNING OF THE DAY RITHVIK DIED

Dhun ran out of her apartment building. Rithvik was standing near his bike, fixing his hair. He was whistling to a tune and there was that blotched 'D' on his wrist, marked by a permanent marker. Upon seeing him, Dhun paused for a moment. She drew in a breathe.

He was there. Alive and well.

He turned to her with a smile and waved his hand at her.

Dhun ran to him and hugged him tight, She was in tears. She refused to let go of him, Rithvik was confused. He held her close, but not sure. "Dhun, what is wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head, unable to bring herself to tell him the truth.

"Dhun... Look at me," He tried to separate her from the hug to see her eyes. But she refused to let go of him. "Baby, you are scaring me. What is wrong?" he asked again. Rithvik forcefully push her off from him and looked at her. "Look at me," she was avoiding his eyes. "Tell me what is wrong?"