Chalo phir dhoondh layein
Hum usi masoom bachpan ko
Jahan sapna sajaya tha
Jahan bachpan bitaya tha
Jahan pedon ke saaye mein
Gharonda ek banaya tha

- Devdas

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"Shivaaa!" A high pitched, familiar voice filled his ears, making his head snap up from the diary in his hands.

The ground before him was all empty. The sun about to fold its aurum sheets in an hour or two, shone warmly in a picturesque view in the afternoon of November. It was a pleasant day to spend outdoors, bask the comfort and warmth that the soft rays of the sun provided to the streets of Gujarat in this month, before the winter chills would make their way. And that was exactly what he was doing, sitting on the green floor at his favourite spot, and with his favourite object in his hand when he heard her voice - uncharacteristically alarmed and nervous.

Silence followed her voice for a couple of seconds, before the familiar girl came into his view, almost running towards him from with all her might. The pigtails on her head swayed lightly as she ran. Her pink frock getting played by the wind, and a panicked expression etched across her features. If her voice had alarmed him of a trouble, the sight of her was enough to confirm his doubts. Reflexively, he stood to his feet, marching up quickly to the girl reaching for him.

"Mujh par domestic violence ho raha hai!" As soon as they approached each other, Raavi held his hand firmly for support as she panted heavily due to her latest marathon, closing her eyes with her head bent, resting her other hand on her knee as she steadied herself.

"Kya?" Asked Shiva, perplexed at the girl before him. "Shaadi kab ki tune?"

"Offo, Shiva! Meri shaadi tere bina ho sakti hai kya?! Kya bol raha hai, paagal ho gaya hai?" Raavi furrowed her brows at him as she placed her hand on her chest, catching her breath.

"Main paagal ho gaya hun?! Tu kya bakwaas kar rahi hai?!" Shiva glared at her, placing his hands on his waist.
"Tune hi-"

"Maine?! Maine kab kaha meri shaadi ho chuki hai?" Questioned Raavi, genuinely confused by the boy before her. What was he speaking? Has he finally lost it completely?

"Aur vaise bhi!" Added she. "Shaadi aise hi thodi na hoti hai! Shaadi hoti hai to sabko pata chalta hai! Sabko batate hain, bulate hain! Aur bohot mazey karte hain!" She clapped her hands excitedly as she spoke, the reason of her arrival nothing but forgotten.

"Acha!" Shiva raised his brows, pretending to be excited, while she nodded her head with the same glee in her eyes. "Tujhe bada pata hai shaadi ke baare mein!"

This was Raavi. The girl who's wide smile - as bright as the golden rays of the sun shimmering with hope, warmth and love - practically had the potential to be recognised as her birthmark. The thing he loved about her the most. Whatever the situation was, whatever life threw at her as a child, in the most difficult of times, and in the darkest of days a child without her parents has to endure, the only constant in her life - apart from him - was her smile, and one is his life was she herself. A smile to hide her tears from everyone or to accompany them before him, and a smile that could light up the blackest of corners. This, was Raavi. Like the first ray of the rising sun - just like her name meant. Literally. Pure as snow, light hearted and soothing as the morning breeze, full of warmth, hope and positivity - and radiating the same all around her - and innocent as a new born. Literally, again. Oh, and also, easily distracted - in the blink of an eye!

"Aur nahi to kya! Mujhe nahi pata hoga to kise pata hoga? Maine sab soch rakha hai apni shaadi ke baare mein!" Beamed the nine-year-old girl.

"Tu aur main ek jaise kapde pehenenge! Saare ghar ko sajaayenge! Bohot sara khana khayenge! Bohot sare games khelenge! Ek saath saari raat dance karenge! Aur phir ghodi par baith kar pure Somnath ki sair karenge! Pura ka pura Somnath dekhega meri shaadi!" Raavi almost yelled with exhilaration at the perfect description of the biggest day of her life. "Sab kuch kitna perfect hoga na!"

"Hmm." Shiva narrowed his eyes at the girl engrossed in her own bubble. "Main tere saath ghodi par baithunga toh tera dulha kya gadhe par aayega tujhe lene?" Enquired he, crossing his arms against his chest, looking at her face intently for her reaction.

"Dulha?" All of Raavi's happiness came to an abrupt halt as soon as she heard that. A frown, on its own volition, replaced the twinkle that had been there in her eyes only seconds ago. She looked at him, confused.

"Dulhe ki kya zaroorat hai? Hum dono honge na vahan." Uttered she with utmost innocence shining in her hazel orbs.

Shiva mentally facepalmed himself. Was she crazy? This girl had the unique ability to often make him feel not a year, but a decade older to her by her extreme maturity.

"Tu yahan mujhe apni shaadi ke laddu ki khushboo sunghaane aayi hai?" Shiva raised an eyebrow at her calmly. Wasn't she all serious and on the verge of getting a heart attack just a while ago?

This seemed to bring back to her the fact of having come to him for a reason. As the memory returned, her eyes widened in horror on their own. The utopian world of her dreams automatically pushed to the farthest corner of her mind.

"Shiva!" She yelled with trepidation. "Tu bhi na! Bhulwa deta hai! Kitne zaroori kaam se aayi thi main yahan. Aur tu mujhse kahani sunne baith gaya." She complained, hitting the side of her head with her palm. He opened his mouth at that, however, she successfully killed his attempt of interrupting her.

"Mujh par na domestic-" She began, only to be cut off by a hoarse voice from behind her.

"Ye rahi Raavi! Pakdo ise!" The voice was enough for her eyes to enlarge with terror. They caught her! Now what? So occupied was she in explaining her perfect marriage that she forgot she needed to be able to live through this moment to make it to that day.

Shiva tilted his head sideways, peeping across her head to see the source of the voice, while she remained glued to her spot, staring at him as if a Chipkali just bit her somewhere.

Following the first thing that came to her mind, she quickly inched towards Shiva and hid behind him, clutching his hand firmly, like every other time, shutting her eyes tightly to avoid the view before her. Shiva just stared at the advancing figures with a stern expression.

"Shiva! Hatt saamne se." The guy standing in the middle of the three boys before him ordered in a firm tone of his voice. "Aur iss Raavi ko humare hawale kar de."

"Kyun? Tujhe apni zindagi mein sukoon pyara nahi hai kya?" Shiva asked casually, eyeing the boy from top to bottom. He recognised him as a boy from his school, the son of a newly shifted member of the colony next to his. New. That would explain his behaviour to them. No one who knew Somnath and them - Shiva and his Raavi - would either dare to trouble her or care to interrupt them when they were busy with each other. Why would anyone? They hardly paid attention to a third wheel when together. Their worlds revolved around each other, and the whole of Somnath was aware of it as they were of the sun rising every morning.

The boy looked somewhat elder to him. A couple years or so. Who cared? All he knew of this guy was his name. He remembered him as some 'run'. Tarun? Varun? Arun?

"Dekho, Tarun!" Raavi gently whispered from behind him, breaking his trance. So Shiva's first guess was correct. He knew he had a sharp memory.

"Varun!" The boy immediately corrected, annoyance evident in his voice. "Kitni baar bolun tujhe?!" Whatever. Well, that was an option too. Shiva still had a good memory.

"To phir tum hi dekh lo, Varun!" Raavi began again. "Meri koi galti nahi hai. Ek baar meri baat to sun lo."

"Kuch nahi sunna mujhe. You'll have to pay today. You don't know who you're dealing with." The boy shouted, making Raavi somewhat scared, as her grip on Shiva's hand tightened.

"Hey, you! Watch your tone." Shiva's loud voice followed immediately, this time making Varun flinch slightly, while Raavi's fears vanished in a jiffy.

Why was she scared, again? It was Shiva here with her! How stupid of her! Her hold around his hand loosened a bit. Not crushing his hand out of fear anymore, but gently holding on to it as a gesture of support, and being true to her name - Chipkali.

"Jo bhi baat karni hai shaanti se kar. Varna jaa yahan se." Shiva declared assertively, glaring at the three boys, two of whom he didn't recognise. "Aur aisa bhi kya ho gaya hai jo tu yahan mini Mahabharat khelne aaya hai?"

"Chori ki hai isne!" Yelled Varun, pointing at Raavi angrily. Shiva furrowed his brows at his words. Theft? Chipkali? Naah. He knew her better.

He turned at Raavi once, who shook her head vigorously at him, wide eyed.

"Dekh." Shiva faced Varun once again. "Isse khaane se sabse zyada pyaar hai. Aur iska pet mera dimaag kha kar bhar jata hai. Aur kuch nahi chahiye isse. She hasn't stolen anything." He informed her, confident. Raavi simply nodded her head at each of his words.

"Maine kaha na mere raaste mein mat aa. Tu mujhe nahi janta hai." Varun warned Shiva, taking a step towards him.

"It's you who has come in my way. Take your leftover pride and leave from here." Replied Shiva in the same tone.

"You guys won't listen this way. Abhi iske ghar waalon ko batata hun. Phir akal thikane aayegi." Threatened Varun, as Raavi panicked slightly. What if he actually told her Maasi Maa? She will not even listen to her, and ban her from stepping outside the house. No!

"Haan jaa na." Shiva said casually as Varun turned to leave. "Batana mujhe kya kaha unhone. Badle mein main bhi tujhe bataunga ki tere parivaar ko tera pyaara sa secret jaan kar kaisa laga. Ho sakta hai agli baar se vo khud hi tujhe ek pack laakar de dein. Phir tujhe cigarette ke liye apne chamchon se bheekh nahi maangni padegi."

Varun stopped in his tracks, turning to him, horrified. How did he know this?!

"Kitne khush honge na voh! I can't even imagine the treat they'll bestow upon you after such an achievement at such an early age." Shiva pretended to wonder, smirking. A wide smile lit up Raavi's features immediately. She knew he was the perfect person to have come to!

Varun gritted his teeth, taking a step forward. However, one of the other boys held his hand from behind, having played a role in this for the first time since Shiva saw them. He was almost convinced they were either robots or hypnotised.

Varun stopped, his fear clearly taking over his anger. Standing at his spot for a good two minutes, he left with a muffled "Dekh lunga." which sounded more like a child whining, due to his scared tone.

As soon as the boys left, Shiva and Raavi turned to each other. A moment of silence followed, before both the kids burst into fits of laughter. The sound of their synchronised giggles scattered throughout the air of the open ground.

"Uska chehra dekha tha?! Mujhe maarne chala tha!" Said Raavi, sitting on the grass below, still chortling at the memory.

"Vo sab to thik hai. Par ye tera Jaani Dushman ban kar kyun ghoom raha tha?" Shiva joined her on the floor, managing to control himself better than the forever overexcited girl. "Aisa bhi kya kar diya tune?"

"Maine kuch nahi kiya!" Replied a defensive Raavi immediately. "Saari galti teri hai."

"Meri?!" Shiva stared at her, astounded at her audacity. Didn't he just save her life at the cost of his own? "Main kahan se beech mein aa gaya?"

"Beech mein toh voh aa gaya. Tu aur main to pehle se hi the na." Ravi uttered, stretching her legs out before her.

"Ye dekh!" She suddenly squealed, tucking her hands inside the little pocket at the side of her dress.

Shiva watched her curiously. How did she manage to switch topics so swiftly without even bothering to care about the previous one anymore?

Raavi didn't care to look at him until she securely clutched the object of her quest inside her pocket, before pulling it out slowly and extending it towards Shiva on her outstretched palm with the widest of smile possible.

"Kaisi lagi? Achi hai na?" She asked with ebullience, her eyes sparkling with joy and innocence as she looked at him intently.

Shiva shifted his gaze from her overwhelmed expressions to the article in her hands. As soon as his eyes landed on it, a soft smile crept up his features.

On her tiny palm lay a beautiful pen. It was not the ordinary kind. But one wearing a glittery red sheath decorated with mirrors and pearls and beads in an elegant, tasteful manner. The mirrors sparkled brightly, reflecting the golden rays of the sun above them, with Shiva's gaze on the pen, and Raavi's eyes glue to his face. She knew he would love this. How couldn't he? He loved writing, and she had picked it for him!

"Bol na!" She nudged him, eagerly waiting for a reply. "Sundar hai na?!"

However, his reply wiped the smile off her face.

"Toh yeh chori karke aayi hai tu?" Taunted Shiva, partly curious, and majorly deliberately annoying her.

"Hatt!" Raavi protested immediately.

"Maine koi chori nahi ki hai! Maine isse pehle dekha tha dukaan par. Mele mein. Aur khareed bhi liya tha tere liye. Phir Maasi Maa se chhupane ke chakkar mein vahin side mein rakh diya. Pata nahi uske baad kya hua. Bas vo Tarun dikha mujhe usse uthakar jaate hue. To maine bhi peeche se jaakar uske haath se vo chheen liya, aur bhaag kar yahan aa gayi. Mujhe pata tha tu yahin hoga." She finally narrated the whole story, her expressions changing with each sentence in accordance with the details she shared. As she finished, Raavi looked at Shiva with a huge smile at the last line.

"Dekh! Ye uss diary ke saath kitni achhi lagegi na jo maine tujhe tere birthday par di thi?!" Questioned she, thrilled by the idea.

"Birthday tak to thik tha, iske liye paise kahan se churaye tune?" Shiva asked her, finding the logical questions more interesting and important here, unlike her.

"Shiva!" She whined. "Maine kaha na maine chori nahi ki! Voh to mujhe Maasi Maa ne diye the mele mein ghoomne ke liye. Saal mein ek baar jo aata hai ye din. Saare bachche the wahan! Ek tu hi nahi aaya tha! Bhoothnath kahin ka! Abhi meri pitai ho jati to?!" She asked, eyes wide at her own thoughts.

"To isme meri kya galti agar tu mujhe chhodkar uss Varun ke saath ghoom rahi thi? Aise to Chipkali ki tarah chipki rehti hai. Par ghoomne kisi bhi aire gaire ke saath akeli nikal jaati hai." Shiva replied continually, simultaneously forwarding his hand to take the gift.

"Maine to intezaar kiya tha tera!" Raavi complained without missing a beat, wrapping her fingers across his hand as he was about to take the pen kept on her palm - the pen sandwiched between both their palms. "Tu hi nahi aaya vahan! To mujhe jana pada akele Maasi Maa ke kehne par." She pouted.

If not for her Maasi Maa, she would have probably been waiting at the entrance of her house till now, eyes glued to the roads, watching out for any sign of him. Though he had said he wouldn't come for he had a school assignment to complete, she couldn't help but wait for the arrival of Shiva to enjoy the big day. How couldn't she? It was mandatory for him to become the most important part of any event in her life, no matter how insignificant or trivial it was. To her, his presence meant the world. And to him, so did everything related to her life.

But when everyone else of his family had arrived, she couldn't hold Prafulla, her Maasi Maa, anymore from dragging her with herself to the now unglamarous fair. And that was how the much awaited day of the year, and the place wher the entire Somnath had gathered currently, seemed nothing but lifeless to her. That was, until she had spotted the crimson pen, which had immediately caught her eye and reminded her of her best friend - the glint spontaneously returning to her beautiful eyes once again just by the mere thought of him.

"Acha sorry." Replied Shiva, seeing her intentional I-am-about-to-cry face.

Not that she was faking it all, Raavi was weak at emotions. As easy as it was to make her smile, so was it to hurt her fragile heart and bring her tears, even if for a few seconds because she never really showed it to anyone, except him, of course. Because he knew her better than she herself - his best friend - and she knew that. So there wasn't really any use of hiding anything.

"Ab jo laayi hai voh degi ya ghar leke jayegi?" Shiva attempted to lighten her mood, tightening his hold on the pen.

"Dungi na!" Raavi replied, serious. "Pehle bata to kaisi lagi." With that, she too secured her hold around the said object.

"Bilkul tere jaisi." Shiva finally replied.

Raavi's eyes lit up all of a sudden. The widest grin making its way back to her soft lips as she released his hand from hers. Shiva lifted the pen from her palm, smiling at her happiness.

Delighted, she shrieked, "Matlab bohot sundar na?! Mujhe pata tha tujhe ye bohot achhi lagegi! Aakhir maine pasand jo ki hai! Mujhe pata hai meri pasand bohot achhi hai!"

"You're assuming that though, remember that. Maine aisa kuch nahi kaha." Shiva teased her.

"Tujhe kehne ki zaroorat bhi nahi hai! Mujhe sab pata hai. Bohot samajhdaar hun main. Teri tarah Bhootnath nahi hun. Bhooton ka devta!" Raavi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Acha, aisa kya? Soch ke bol rahi hai?" Shiva challenged her, raising an eyebrow.

"To phir dum kati chipkali ki tarah daurte hue mere paas kyun aayi thi? Kaki ke paas chale jana chahiye tha na." He smirked.

"Maasi Maa ke paas kyu jaun main?" Raavi crossed her hands against her chest, eyeing him with an offended look. "Vo to meri baat hi nahi sunti! Pata hai mujhe."

"Aur main kyun sunta teri bakwaas?" Shiva too crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

"Kyunki ek - main teri wajah se phasi thi! Aur do-" Raavi's lips suddenly broke into a large grin, once again revealing her perfect, pearly teeth.

"-bhale hi main bohot samajhdaar hun-" She began, boasting. "-par Bhootnath toh tu hi hai na! Mera Bhootnath."

"Mujhe pata tha tu meri baat sunega! Aur nahi bhi sunega toh koi baat nahi. Kyunki mujhe pata tha, chahe jo bhi ho, tu mujhe bacha lega!"

And with that, she squealed with elation at the fact she had just stated. The most important fact, and the biggest truth of her life. Shiva just shook his head, smiling, as he watched her giggling, them lost in their own world.

The loud strumming of the raindrops against the ground pulled him out of his reverie. And as soon as it did, the only thing visible in his eyes which stared straight ahead into nothingness - apart from the reflection of the bright flames of fire that was flaring before him - was hollowness.

There was no shine, no trace of any emotion, not even tears - just hollowness breathing in his black orbs. That and a few words ringing incessantly in his ears and echoing continuously in his head all the while.

"Kyunki mujhe pata tha, chahe jo bhi ho, tu mujhe bacha lega!"

She had trusted him more than anyone in her life, much more than her own self. And he had wronged her. He had proved her wrong.

She was wrong. He didn't save her. He couldn't.

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// The things written in bold above are the ones of the past - flashbacks. Not the present. //

To be continued.

Till then, feel free to put forward your views, vote, comments, share and constructive criticism.
Thank you.

-Your Author
Sara