╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Madhuravani abruptly stopped, her mind racing. She could have dismissed him as a person blabbering and lying in broad daylight, but something caught her attention. The language he spoke was not Sanskrit; it was her mother tongue. But how? Who was she really?

She turned around and fixed her gaze on him. “The dream you had last week? It was about the time machine you built and failed with.”

These words recited deeply within her. Yet, where was she now? Throughout her childhood, she remembered strange words and phrases, but she never paid them much attention. Now, everything was falling into place, but the questions multiplied.

“What am I doing here?” she asked, her brown eyes swirling with confusion.

“If spoken simply, after you time-traveled and caused a havoc on the wheel of time, you were neither on Bhulok, Swarg, nor Narak, nor any place in this universe. You were trapped between dimensions. However, the chaos you created led to a minor change,well not so minor” he explained.

She stared at him, trying to process his words. “Your soul fell into this world. You were destined to be a lost soul, wandering aimlessly. But then you were fortunate. Due to Sodari Parvati, your abode shifted from this world to Sanjana's womb,” he narrated, simplifying the complex story for her.

Madhuravani was at a loss for words. Her thoughts full of confusion, making her feel dizzy. “How?” she managed to ask.

“Time is a true mystery, Madhuri,” he replied, watching her struggle to grasp these revelations. “Thank you,” she said, before hastily departing and running back to her home.

She panted as she reached her home, sweat dripping from her forehead. Soon, she heard raindrops falling to the ground. Didn't she graduate on a rainy day?

“You met Vasudev Shree Krishna,” her mother greeted her, behind her stood maids. “No,” Vani retorted, walking towards her room.

Vani lay on her bed, reciting her life in Kaliyug. She excelled in her studies, and her parents aspired for her to be a doctor or engineer. But discussing her dreams of becoming a scientist and building something revolutionary was always met with resistance. Everyone labeled her a madwoman. For that machine, she sacrificed half her life. But fate had been cruel, destroying her hard work.

Perhaps she had connected the wrong wires.

When that flute player narrated her tale, the flood of past memories nearly made her cry. And now, she was crying her heart out into her pillow. How she wished she could return to her world and prove those people wrong! Yet she couldn't—

Wait, didn't her father mention “Shree Krishna” today? Could he help? Though being an atheist , she had heard of him.

“Avani!” her mother called as she entered the room. Vani wiped her tears and turned around, seeing her mother holding a tray of food.

“Vani, why did you lie about not meeting Shree Krishna? Your father said you met him,” her mother questioned. She only met that flute player?

Wait, so the person she met was Shree Krishna?

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓝𝓮𝔁𝓽 𝓓𝓪𝔂

As the sun rose brightly, Avani made her way to the palace. It was clear she was determined to go back and build that darn time machine again, even if it took another nineteen years.

Entering the palace, she wondered where he was. She decided to roam the royal garden, hoping to encounter him again.

As noon approached, the garden was less crowded, and after ten minutes, she was already tired. “Tired already?” She recognized the voice.

She turned to see Shree Krishna, the same man from yesterday. Furrowing her brows, she approached him. “I want to go back to my world!”

“Oh, nice,” he said, walking away.

“Aren’t you a god?” she shouted in frustration.

“No, I am just a human,” he lied with an innocent expression.

“Don’t act! If you’re just a human, how did you know my past?” she retorted. “I just did my duty, Madhuri,” he said, starting to leave.

“Stop acting. I want to go back to my world,” Avani whined, exasperated. Gopala just smiled. “If you are a god, then take me back to my world!” Avani demanded.

“No. That’s not my duty,” Govind replied firmly. “You don’t understand. I want to complete my dream and prove everyone wrong!” she explained.

“Madhuri, a soul traveling from one dimension to another causes significant disruptions in time. You’ve already done that, and now you cannot leave,” Kanha explained calmly.

“Krishna! What do you want me to do here?” she shouted.

“Live like you, Madhuri,” Kanha advised, walking away.

Avani followed him. “Madhuravani and Avani are different! Madhuravani is lazy, unambitious. But me, I’m a workaholic with dreams and goals. I am not Madhuravani!” she argued.

“Madhuri, you are Madhuravani. Avani is Madhuravani,” Kanha replied.

“Ask yourself in which life you were happy,” Nandagopala questioned with a smile. Avani fell silent, pondering.

“Madhuri, you lived both lives. As Madhuravani, you were carefree, unburdened, a part of you wanted to live freely, without burdens,” Kanha explained.

“Madhuri, your life as Avani Kancherla ended forever. You are now Madhuravani, the mischievous daughter of Finance Minister Bhaskar and Sanjana. Bhadra’s dear friend, Maya’s mischievous companion,” he reminded her.

“Fine, I'll help you go back. But what about Bhaskar and Sanjana? Can they live without you?” Krishna asked.

“They can’t,” Vani admitted, looking at him.

He smiled. “A question?” she asked.

He nodded in assurance. “If I am not mistaken, we are in... Bharat? Mahabharat? That war era?” she asked, piecing it together.

“Yes,” Lord Krishna replied, looking at the vast sky.

||𝟬𝟮||
𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗮.

└── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──┘

Correct my mistakes, errors.

ᴀɴᴅ,

ʀᴀᴍᴀ ʀᴀᴍᴀ