“Those days our moon was so elegant that every girl in the neighborhood fasted to observe him through sieve, before seeing their own husband during ‘karva chauth’. They believed seeing him, would give themselves a long and prosperous life with their partner.
The teenagers longed to get a partner as charming as him. Poets praised his elegance and sang legacies. What more to say, I used to sleep on your grandpa’s lap looking at his marvel.
But one day when we were away from his grace he exploded with our mother earth. Brighu says he gave life to two young ones who weren’t looking so great. Even the mother earth went ill once they were born. They take care of their mother revolving around her. One among them was a fast freak like you my girl. Other was slow and lazy like me. So they couldn’t travel together all the way. They used to meet up once in 365 days which we consider as a year in life.”
“Poor moon. I feel sorry for him but his kids aren’t that bad.” Girl of five looked over to her granny’s face to absorb her response.
“So, now you won’t ask me the story of lunar mating. Will you?” old lady smiled at her kid with all the blessing she could shower on her.
“When I grow old I would also find a boy as elegant as your moon. Will you come for our marriage?”
“Obviously, my little princess. That would be the greatest event in the whole world.” Granny smiled revealing her broken incisors and tried to kiss her kid passionately but she couldn’t,as she was chained in all her limbs.
“I have told you a million times not to go near her. She could harm you.” Screamed the mother of that little girl from behind.She came forward and pulled the girl back leaving her granny in tears.
“Mom, leave me I want to listen to her.” She screamed inside her hand for freedom which she could never achieve. She found the majestic old lady weeping like a kid, screaming but could do nothing.
“I am not insane. I just want to meet my brother before I take last breath. Will you let me do that? I plead you not to harm my princess for all your greed.” She said loud enough to break the walls of that asylum.”
“Granny, I would let you go free. Let me talk to my dad about it.”
……………………………………………………
“Maaaaa.” Anu screamed all in a sudden raising both her friends from their heavenly sleep outside DIMCO’s cabin.
“What happened?” Sam came running to her, threatened by the sound. She suddenly woke up from her table and hugged him tightly. Her eyes were wet as if from some nightmare.
“I saw a dream, really bad one. Can you get me a glass of water?”
“Of course, here it is.” He handed her the bottle, she had kept over the rack early.
“Relax and tell me about it. You are going to feel better.”
“I saw my grandma weeping in chains.She asked mom to let her free, so that she can get back to her brother. I couldn’t help her. I was too small. I couldn’t even break open my mom’s restraining hands around me.” She started sobbing over sam’s shoulder like that little girl in her dream.
“Relax, was it just a dream or one of your memories?” He asked trying to evade her sorrow with words.
“I have seen her weeping so many times, to get freed from that asylum. But my parents were adamant and said she was abnormal and doing crazy things, though she was always nice to me.”
“Alright tell me what did she do to be put in chains?”
“She kept on saying she want to get back to his brother.”
“What is wrong in it? By the way.” Sam was further confused whether she was still in her dreams.
“She said she wanted to get back to earth. Not realizing she was living in the only planet where life was possible.”
Sam was surprised with her reply and was convinced that she has woken up.
“Alright.She might be hallucinating at times, a kind of transitional state. You must have met her during her lucid intervals” He patted her so that she would feel more comfortable at that moment.
