Travelling Worlds to Save Us (A Karna-Arjun story)

Epilogue

The world of darkness

A year had passed since the War of Kurukshetra, and one day, Arjun and Krishna were to be found climbing trees in the garden of Dwaraka's royal palace. They were on the hunt of a particular fruit that only grew on the topmost branch according to Subhadra. Since she had broken her ankle falling off a horse when Krishna tried to teach her horse riding, she had been milking it for all she was worth. Her husband and brother let her.

"Got it!" yelled Krishna. "Parth, catch--!"

Arjun, who was on a lower branch, lunged for it too late, and missed. The fruit crashed to the muddy ground below.

"What are you doing?" demanded Krishna.

"Sorry," said Arjun glumly.

Krishna alighted nimbly to a branch alongside Arjun's.

"Where are you lost, Parth?"

"Nowhere--only--" Arjun trailed off.

Krishna noted the faraway look in Arjun's eyes, which appeared very often these days, like he was trying to spot something over the horizon.

"You are thinking of the other world again." It was a statement.

"Possibly." Arjun shrugged and pointed at the higher branches. "Go on, get another of those."

"Not going anywhere till you stop giving half-answers, Parth."

Arjun sighed. 

"I am tired of your stubbornness," he said.

"I, on the other hand, love your stubbornness." Krishna grinned. "It makes it fun to worm the truth out of you."

"All right! Yes, I'm thinking of the other world. Happy? Now what are you going to do with that piece of information?"

"Maybe I could try to get you pass through to that world for a glimpse."

"You can't do that," said Arjun. "Not even you can do that. It's nature's rule that a link cannot be opened from a darker to a lighter world."

"Because," added Krishna, "people from the darker world would cross over and stay on in the lighter world. Undoubtedly, most people would. You, however, would not."

Arjun looked up.

"You are one of the few people who have a pull back to the darker universe because I do not exist there." Madhav's eyes twinkled with mischief and affection. "I am sure no one would grudge you a visit."

*****************

The world of light

When Arjun from the world of darkness hunted down his destination, the Pandava brothers were racing on horseback. The four youngest ones, at least. The oldest two were stretched on the grass, sharing a lemonade, laughing as their brothers argued in yells about the finish line.

"What kind of a rule is that? Who made it up?" bellowed Bheem.

"We did," chorused Nakul and Sahadev in united indignition.

"You two," scoffed Bheem. "Stupid children."

"Did you call us stupid?" demanded Sahadev.

"Yes, he did," said Arjun, who would be the winner if Nakul and Sahadev's rule was scrapped, "and I must say I agree with him."

"You do, do you?" Nakul strode up to Karna and Yudhishthir. "Jyesht, you tell us. Who is the stupidest amongst us?"

Yudhishthir, forever the peacemaker, said, "None of you are stupid--"