TRUTH

MEMORY

Something is disturbing his sleep.

Something is happening....... it is shaking...... yes ....bed..... the bed is shaking.... earthquake???

Suyo's sleepy mind tries to muster what is it he is feeling.....

 No....not earthquake..... someone is shaking.....also there is a sound...of agony and pain.....

sadness.....helplessness....above everything loneliness..... Suyo's mind registers it promptly and he is awake instantly..... afterall who but he will understand loneliness?

He sits up and looks around.... Karn....  his mitr .......... whispering something......

- please.....please....

Who is he pleading to?

Mitr..... it is okay... mitr........karn......VASU......

.........PLEASSSEEEEE......

Karn's eyes stubbornly  refuse to open and he continues to plead..... tear drops continuously making way across his cheeks.

Vasu......vrisha.....please wake up mitra..... it is just a dream.....

please be awake..... you are safe....please....... please..... you know I cannot see you in pain..... do not do this to me..... PLEAAAASE...... PLEASEEEEE....... BHAIYAAA......

Some words act like magic. And this case it really does happen. All noises stop as if Karn's unconscious mind registers his kin's love and care......

Suyo foregoes all manners and embraces Vasu's form from behind like a little monkey.

Just like a missed childhood where usually an elder will  carry their younger siblings on their back.

Karn's breath eventually evens out and he falls asleep.

But how could Suyo.....he comes to the balcony outside to get some fresh air into his lungs.

The agony surrounding his brother and his own disturbed mind results in his frenzied walking through the verandah. The pain..... it is never going to erase from his mind..... LIKE EVER.

- Do not worry ,once his subconscious feels his loved ones are nearby .... he feels safe and sleeps through the night.

- Vrushu di...ho....ummmph

Suyo could not complete his speech as his bhabhishree has already stuffed a ladoo inside.

-  horrors of nightmares can easily be washed down with sweetness. When Vrishasen has returned from his first war camp, he used to be too agitated to sleep even a wink, he will slink away to kitchen to get some sweets. He claims  it lulls his mind to sleep , see if that helps you too.

- how did  you know?

-  know? not really....... more like hear.... your incesssant walking.... and not a hard to guess as to what could be the reason.... after all this has happening since you mitra's childhood. 

- he has been with this whole life ????

- Vasu is used to it enough to sleep through the night now.....but  I thought after years of knowing your mitr, sharing his kaksh and tent, you would be privy to his memories of infancy!!

-  you think he would let anyone know his pain....

Suyo answers with a sadronic smile and tearful eyes... eyes he is currently attempting to hide from his sister. Vrushali puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

- He knows how it affects his loved ones....

- probably never even slept beside me and kept vigil to prevent disturbing me.

Suyo utters by secrelty wiping his eyes.

- how do you know it to be related with infancy?

- heard from Radhama's ..... he will wake up screaming everyone's heads off.... though age has dampened the sharpness a bit....

- sounds just as painful...oh god.....

- Ma used to tell , in boyhood , he will speak gibberish and even catch fever often due to this..... he will shout .... I AM DROWNING.... HELP ME..... I CAN NOT BREATH.... PLEASE SAVE ME..... HELP ... PLEASE GET ME OUT OF THIS BOX......

This will continue until ma or baba will go and calm him down.....sharpness has lessened ...true but the pain remains just the same.....

- why this?

- you know right your mitr is adopted..... as I heard from ma, she found Vasu in Mata Ganges

........ well one can not say for sure but it could be because of that. 

You should sleep you know .... you are here for stress relief not burdening yourself with that  more....

Vrushali di left him in the balcony contemplating with sweets in his hands.

Suyo reenters kaksh and sits besides his brother's sleeping figure. Absentmindedly putting a ladoo in his mouth, he tries to connect the dots.

so.... mitr was found in the river... that explains how he came to be in radha kaki's hands from Choti ma's.....

but.....how.....wait  is not choti ma used to be a princess too.... though adopted as far as he can remember.....

hmmm..... that makes Vasu a prince.... maybe ...... maybe some opportunist stole the heir to crown for ransom..... or......or...... may be it was an elaborate planning by some treacherous unfaithful people ......... a treason against crown .......they decided to end the lineage  by drowning  him........... choti ma was a single child maybe.....

- oh god .... those people still could be walking around somewhere..... if they knew ..... both his brother and chotima is in danger.

Little did he know reality is far ........far......far ........aaaaaaaway from TRUTH..... as usual.