Kairavi

Chapter 46

"Kanha? Vasudev was here?" Sahadev was surprised. Kairavi didn't answer his query; because she was already recalling Brij Bihari's words.

"I don't know, Arya... I wish I did, though." She walked past both of them while rubbing her face.

"She might've been hearing Vasudev, Nakul." "Yeah, she must be hallucinati-" Their relief turned into unwelcomed suspicion when the eldest son of Madri guessed her symptoms out loud without thinking.

Chandraja's mind was occupied with her Govind's thoughts. 'The solution is inside me, I just need to find it. Umm, but he didn't specify "inside".'

"Choti ma!" Prativindhya waved at her when she passed his chamber. She stopped to smile at him and the other kids. Sutsom and Vindhya were doing a fantastic job at involving Shatanika in their games.

He was engrossed in a picture book when she came in. The two upapandavs had made it possible for Karenumati to wrap up other chores without running back to her son every 2 minutes to stop him from crying.

"What are we doing today?" She asked cheerfully, hiding the impact of her co-wives' words. 

"Story!"

"Hmm, let me think. Does Shatanika want to listen to a story?" She tapped his tiny nose with her finger. He nodded eagerly, so she began narrating.

"Once upon a time, in a far off city;
flew in a dove, so tender and pretty!

Sitting on a branch, it cooed away all night;
till a hunter woke up and rubbed his eyes."

Vindhya and Som stared at her with curious eyes, even though they had heard the story several times before.

" 'What an exquisite beauty, is this bird indeed';
reeked his voice, with avarice and greed.

'I shall skin its feathers, sell its meat;
And earn a fortune, grand and sweet.'

Throwing a net, he trapped the bird;
Out came a mouse, when her coos couldn't be heard."

Kairavi made a coy face while acting out the story, making little Shatanika clasp his small hands on his mouth.  He was so into the story that he didn't notice his father leaning on the door frame, smiling at the group.

Arni gestured him to join them, so he sat on the bed next to Prativindhya.

"She fluttered and struggled, and let out a cry;
For her wings were tangled, and she no more could fly.

'My children are waiting, in a nest on that tree;
They're hungry dear sir, kindly set me free!' "

"Pranipat, Chandrakumari." Kairavi nodded at the maiden holding a plate full of fruits. She put it on the table beside the second upapandav, who eyed the contents and licked his lips.

Taking an apple out of it, he stretched it towards Arni. "You should eat it with the skin on." She narrowed her eyes at the giggling rajkumar, while grabbing a knife to peel the skin off for him.

She peeled and sliced the fruit for Sutsom and picked up another one for the rest of the kids.
"What happened next?" Demanded Shatanika.

" 'Don't worry pretty bird, I'll bring them too;
And soon they will die, just like you.'

Hearing her cries, the mouse called his friends;
They helped the poor dove, by cutting down her cage."