"What? Can't I meet my eternal bestfriend?"

"Whom?"

He chuckled lightly with his evergreen smile, sat on one side of a pine tree. Walking upto him, I stood in front, with a stern glare, as the setting sun casted a dim shadow of mine on him.

"Why are you here? Atleast tell me something, I am more than perplexed with your smile!"

"To uproot weeds," he reverted back casually while he grub out one of the weed growing under the shed of the coniferous tree.

"Weeds tend to grow again and again, for how long would you keep uprooting them?"

"Uh-huh! Uprooting once a Yuga," The one answered, that smile never left his lips, as he continued. "When trees gains too much of minerals, weeds shall grow to balance the nature. If weeds aren't there, who will explain the importance of these minerals?"

"Your words seems to have a deeper meaning, I am not mature enough to understand. But you speak like a genius. I wonder why would you remove the weeds when you called them useful? And would the weeds take that much years to grow again?"

He chuckled softly as a breeze rushed through by hairs, making me shiver. "Nothing exists without a reason. How about we make the tree stronger, the weeds wouldn't take a Yuga to grow, but it definitely will take that much to overpower the tree and that's they need to be eradicated."

Suddenly, he got up and placed a hand on my shoulder as he stood beside me, titling his backwards to look at me. "And you are the gardener of this exquisite garden of mine, Nara."

Maybe I misunderstood the use of 'Nara' as an synonym to human.

Patting my shoulder twice, he walked further, I turned towards him with another question in my mind.
"It feels great to talk with you, though I don't know you. If I ever want to find you, where shall I come?"

"Just look in the stable water. We are the same, just in different pairs of attire of  soul. When time comes, I will come to you myself with a gift."

Before leaving, he turned his head, looking back at me again, as he continued.
"And yes! You said that you aren't mature enough, I will hint you, the count down of your carefree days are on verge of reaching its end. Enjoy your best, maybe memories would ease the heart."

The white light that he emerged out of, was the same in which he submerged again. Still perplexed by his whereabouts, I kneeled beside a puddle of rainwater collected during the morning rainshowers.

And there he was, his reflection in the water. For one moment I stared blankly at it, then touched my face with the index finger only to notice the reflection of his doing the same as I. Are we really same?

Out of blue, a peacock feather flew with the breeze. It landed on the puddle, creating ripples. I rapidly took it out as his reflection blurred away by the ripples. Though this time the reflection my own, and not of his.
I glanced to and fro at the feather and then at the puddle again.

My very being overtook by unconsciousness as if the scent in air turned sweeter. As if the breeze caresses my head, allowing me to rest on the lap of mother Earth.

The next time I woke up, fluttering my eyelids was when I noticed Bhrata Bheema sleeping just nearby, holding my hand.

As I moved, the sensations of my moments awoke him when he cupped my tiny face in his giant hands. "Let me see, if you are alright!" He stated, randomly twisting my face left and right while I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes thinking what happened.

I don't seem to remember much about last night but the peacock feather grasped between my fist didn't go ignored by me and atlast I asked Bhrata Bheema about what it was doing in my hands.

"You had it clutched in your hands so tightly last night that we couldn't take it out. However answer my question Phalguna, where on Earth did you disappeared yesterday? I found you at the same place where you blurred away from my vision," He yelled, though I was smiling, not on his words but on the feather that reminded me of everything that happened last night.

Mothers came in rushing, with the twins, carrying bowls that contained medicines probably. What should I do with these twins, they would always be determined on making you drink bitter soups, the vary moment when you injured yourself.
Father was sitting on the bed made of straws, next to me, with Jyestha sleeping in his lap. Truly, our father pampers us a lot, and observing the tired look on his face indicated that mothers have already lectured him for a long time because of my disappearance.

Although, I didn't expected that nobody would question me repeatedly about where I went, maybe their mind already knew but they didn't realised that.

As sun rose higher in the sky, and as they all seemingly forgot about the incident as we were engaged in learning with father as regular schedule. Just after he finished teaching, everyone got busy with doing things of their likings, Jyesth revising what Pitashree taught, Bhrata Vrikodara having snacks, Nakula and Sahadeva busy practicing sword fighting with each other.

It was also the time I would practice archery. I approached father and questioned, "Pitashree, why do you look so sullen today?"

He sighed deeply, "I miss my childhood. Days spent in Hastinapur never left my mind nor did my Bhrata Dhritarashtra and Anuja Vidura."

"Maatey Kunti once told me that you are a king, however you renunciated the kingdom. I wonder why a responsible person like my Pitashree would do that when he still miss his homeland?"

"Time and situation. Change is the universal law, who doesn't flows with it, is bound to drown, My son..." His eyes showed signs of weariness, with his face expressionless.

I thought that learning to shoot arrows perfectly would be my best gift to give him on my birthday, for I grew up till fourteen because of his care and love. However I suspect if he wants something else instead.

What might be that something...

————×————

C: why do I feel like this chapter was a bit philosophical?

And filled with ParAv scenes?🥺 I love this pair! Nara-Narayana.

:) Arjun is the gardener of his garden, isn't he?

And be ready to cry? Guess you all understood why—

           ~ Parthvi