SWEETHEART DRAUPADI (INNOCENCE OF THE FLAME)

REVATI BALRAM MILAN

"NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT PATALLOK AS THE DEMONS HAVE NEVER BROUGHT UP THE TOPIC OF THEIR LAND WHEREAS THE SOULS THEY CAN'T LEAVE PATALLOK. AND EVEN IF THEY DID WE CAN'T SEE OR HEAR THEM AS THEY ARE SPIRITS."DRAUPADI SAID. THEY ALL WERE LISTENING TO HER ATTENTIVELY. KUNTI AND PANDU CAME TO THEIR ROOM WHEN SHE WAS EXPLAINING ABOUT THE LOKS. "SO THIS IS WHERE YOU GUYS WERE."PANDU SAID. "THE DECORATIONS ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL TILL NOW."KUNTI SAID. "THANK YOU MATA."DRAUPADI REPLIED. "SO WHY WERE YOU GUYS WANTING TO KNOW ABOUT THE DIFFERENT LOKS?"PANDU ASKED. "NOT US, IT WAS SHAHADEV'S QUESTION."BHEEM SAID. "IT WAS INTERESTING SO EVEN WE WERE LISTENING." YUDHISTIR SAID. THEY WERE JUST TALKING AND LAUGHING WITH EACH OTHER FOR A WHILE. "I WILL GET GOING."DRAUPADI SAID. "WHY?"SHAHADEV ASKED WHO WAS LAYING HIS HEAD ON HER LAP. "TO PREPARE FOR DINNER."DRAUPADI REPLED. "BUT DASIS ARE THERE TO PREPARE."ARJUN SAID. "WELL TODAY REVATI IS MAKING DINNER FOR US SO I HAVE TO INSTRUCT HER ABOUT DAU'S LIKINGS."DRAUPADI SAID. "OHHHHH"THEY ALL SAID WITH A CHEEKY SMILE. SHAHADEV UNWILLING GOT UP FROM HER LAP AND DRAUPADI WENT TOWARDS THE KITCHEN. THEN PANDU AND KUNTI ALSO PROCEEDED TOWARDS THEIR CHAMBER. "WHY SO SUDDENLY ABOUT THE LOKS?"KARN ASKED. "ACCORDING TO THE RIDDLE SHE IS FROM THIS WORLD BUT NOT FROM THIS WORLD AT THE SAME TIME. SHE IS WHAT WE SEE BUT NOT WHAT WE SEE."SHAHADEV SAID. "SO?"BHEEM ASKED. "THE PART OF THIS WORLD BUT NOT FROM THIS WORLD MIGHT BE REFFERING TO THE 4 LOKS OF THIS WORLD THAT SHE JUST EXPLAINED. AND SHE IS WHAT WE SEE BUT NOT WHAT ME SEE IS A LITTLE CONFUSING."SHAHADEV SAID."WHY SO?"NAKUL ASKED. "BECAUSE IF SHE BELONGS FROM ANOTHER SHE IS NOT A HUMAN."SHAHADEV SAID. "SO YOU MEAN TO SAY SHE IS NOT A HUMAN?"ARJUN ASKED. "NO I DON'T MEAN TO SAY THAT."SHAHADEV REPLIED. "SHAHADEV COULD YOU SLOWLY AND PROPERLY EXPLAN TO US?" YUDHISTIR SAID. "THE PART THAT SHE IS FROM THIS WORLD BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHE IS NOT MIGHT BE REFFERING TO THE 4 LOKS. AND WHERE AS SHE IS WHAT WE SEE BUT NOT WHAT WE SEE. IF SHE BELONGS FROM OTHER LOK THEN SHE IS NOT HUMAN WHICH REFERS TO SHE IS NOT WHAT WE SEE. AND FOR THE PART SHE IS WHAT WE SEE IS THAT WE SEE HER AS A NORMAL HUMAN BEING. SO THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS SHE ?THE QUESTION CLAIMS HER TO BE A HUMAN BUT AT THE SAME TIME NOT A HUMAN BEING."SHAHADEV SAID. "SO THEN THE QUESTION IS FROM WHICH LOK DOES SHE BELONG FROM?"NAKUL ASKED. "SHE MIGHT BE FROM SWAARGLOK."ARJUN SAID. "WHY DO YOU THINK SO?"BHEEM ASKED. "BECAUSE SHE IS BASICALLY THE DAUGHTER OF THE GODS AND ALSO CALLED DEVANSHI FOR THIS VERY  REASON." ARJUN SAID. "YOU HAVE A STRONG POINT."YUDHISTIR SAID. "BUT WHAT IS SO BAD HERE? BELONGING FROM SWAARGLOK OR ANY OF THE LOK?" KARN ASKED. "DON'T KNOW."THEY REPLIED.

AFTER DINNER,

THEY ALL WERE SITTING IN THE HALL. DRAUPADI WAS AS USUAL SITTING BETWEEN THE PANDAVAS, THEIR PARENTS, KRISHNA AND DAU. AND THE NEW GUEST REVATI. AS REVATI WAS GONNA TAKE HER SEAT BESIDE KUNTI DRAUPADI STOPPED HER. "WAIT REVATI."DRAUPADI SAID. "BHAIYA? WHERE ARE YOU MANNERS?"DRAUPADI ASKED. "WHAT MY KRISHNAA?"KRISHNA ASKED. "DON'T YOU THINK YOU ARE SITTING IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S SEAT?"DRAUPADI SAID REFFERING TO REVATI. "OH SO SORRY BHABHI I DIDN'T MEAN TO SIT IN YOUR SEAT."KRISHNA SAID MAKING DAU AND REVATI BLUSH. "NO ITS OKAY."REVATI REPLIED. " ITS NOT OKAY REVATI YOU ARE DAU'S FUTURE WIFE YOU HAVE THE FULL RIGHT TO SIT BESIDES DAU? RIGHT DAU?" DRAUPADI ASKED. "WHAT? YEA- I MEAN YES SHE CAN."DAU REPLIED ALL RED AND STUTTERING. "OH NOW COME ON BHAIYA DON'T BE "KABAB ME HAADI""DRAUPADI SAID. "GOD NOBODY RESPECTS ME NOWDAYS. EVEN DAU IS NOT DEFENDING ME."KRISHNA SAID. "A CONSTANT GUEST NEVER WELCOMES AND GOOD JACK MAKES A GOOD JILL"DRAUPADI SAID. "ME AND GUEST?"KRISHNA ASKED. "YEAH TO DAU YOU ARE CAN'T YOU SEE SOMEONE PERMANENT IS SHIFTING THERE?"DRAUPADI SAID IN A TEASING MANNER. "NOW SHUT UP AND SIT THERE QUIETLY."DRAUPADI SAID. "YES MA'AM"KRISHNA SAID. WHEREAS THE PANDAVAS AND THEIR PARENTS WERE ENJOYING THE SCENE. THEY ALL WERE TALKING WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT THE PREPARATIONS OF THE THE HALDI AND OTHER FUNCTIONS. "THE DECORATIONS LOOK VERY BEAUTIFUL AND GRAND TILL NOW."REVATI SAID. "OFCORSE WHY WOULDN'T IT BE AFTER ALL ITS THE HALDI OF BOTH OF MY SAKHI."DRAUPADI SAID. "WHAT ABOUT DAU?"KRISHNA ASKED. "OH I DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT HIM I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT REVATI AND SHRISTI JIJI."DRAUPADI SAID. "MORE LIKE YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT DAU AT ALL."KRISHNA SAID. "UMM, YEAH YOU CAN SAY THAT AS WELL."DRAUPADI SAID. "YEAH AFTERALL YOU SHOULD BE AT BHABHI'S SIDE AS AFTER MARRIAGE DAU WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW BHABHI'S ORDERS."KRISHNA SAID. "I SAY THAT YOU PRACTICE FROM NOW AND ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM CAUSE IT IS NOT GONNA LAST LONG."PANDU SAID TO HIMSELF OR ATLEAST HE THOUGHT EVERYBODY IN THE TABLE COULD HEAR. "COULD YOU PLEASE ELABORATE WHAT YOU JUST SAID ARYA?"KUNTI ASKED BRING HIM OUT OF HIS WORLD. "WHAT DID I SAY? NOTHING."PANDU REPLIED. AFTER TALKING FOR LONG HOURS THEY ALL WENT TO THEIR ROOM. DRAUPADI DIDN'T WANTED TO SLEEP AS SHE WAS KEPT REMINDED OF THE NIGHTMARE. SUDDENLY SHE FELT THE STRONG PAIR OF ARMS AROUND HER SHE IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHO IT WAS. "WHAT HAPPENED.....