I am sitting on my bed, comfortably munching on some snacks while watching TV, when the rain outside gets even heavier. Feeling the cold breeze coming through the window, I think to myself that it has really been raining cats and dogs lately. Honestly, in this freezing, rainy weather, if I could get some piping hot tea and homemade pakodas made by Mom instead of these snacks, life would be absolutely perfect!
I feel like going and asking Mom right now, but the moment I run my hand over my cheek, I instantly remember that hard slap she gave me just a little while ago. Then, recalling the mirror incident, I start wondering why she even slapped me today. Was it really just because I got drenched?
Right then, the whole scene after school starts spinning in my head—"What actually happens is that as soon as school ends, that idiot friend of mine, Anurag, starts chasing me. We are running after each other when suddenly, my foot slips straight into a filthy gutter. The moment I land in it, Anurag stops right there and bursts into hysterical laughter. I get so furious that I scoop up that dirty gutter water and throw it right at his face! That pisses him off, and without a second thought, he grabs me and dumps me right inside the gutter! After that, both of us lose our minds and start splashing that disgusting water on each other like crazy maniacs."
I am sitting alone in my room, laughing like a psychopath just thinking about it, when the door suddenly swings open. Mom is standing there, staring dead at me.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I awkwardly blurt out, "Mom! At least knock before coming inside!"
But then, my eyes fall on the plate in her hands. Instead of being angry, Mom has actually brought piping hot tea and fresh pakodas for me. Seeing this love, tears suddenly well up in my eyes—man, she literally beat me up a second ago, and now she is bringing me tea and pakodas herself.
I take a sip of the tea and say, "Ah man! Eating pakodas while watching Shinichan in this pouring rain is a whole different vibe. But damn... that beating I took was entirely because of him..."
The memories pull me right back—
[Flashback—]
I am sprinting behind Anurag, and he is running ahead, taunting me, "You can't catch me, you can't catch me!"
But right then, mid-run, his foot slips and he falls down with a loud thud. I stop right there and start laughing at him mercilessly, saying, "What happened? Weren't you saying I couldn't catch you? Look at yourself now, you fell on your own face! Karma is real, bro, karma is real!"
Sitting on the ground, he glares up at me and passes a sinister smile. The moment I see it, I instantly know some serious chaos is about to happen. But before I can even process it or back away, he scoops up mud from the ground and throws it directly at me! Then, he immediately grabs my leg and pulls me down.
Now, both of us are completely covered in mud. I fell along with my school bag, making it completely filthy. However, right before I went down, Anurag's bag had flown a little further away, so it is perfectly clean without a single speck of mud on it.
I glare at his clean bag, highly irritated. Anurag catches my gaze and instantly realizes exactly what is about to happen to his precious bag! He scrambles up from the mud and runs toward it. I pounce from behind. He is just about to lift his bag and bolt when I catch the strap of his bag and smirk, "Oh no, buddy! You're not going down alone, you're coming with me!"
He tries his absolute best to break free, while I pull him back with all my might. In that intense tug-of-war, the strap of his bag suddenly snaps! The moment it breaks, I lose my balance and fall backward onto the ground, and he takes a hard tumble right along with me. Once again, we both crash straight into the mud.
Lying there, we look at each other's muddy faces and, without any reason, just burst into hysterical laughter like absolute idiots.
But then, I look at him, shake my head 'no' with a wicked grin, grab his clean bag, and aggressively 'immerse' it completely into the thick mud! The moment his bag drowns, I start celebrating my glorious victory. We both just sit there in the dirt, laughing until our stomachs hurt...
[Flashback Ends—]
My tea finishes, and putting the empty cup aside, I think, "Man! But why did I even start laughing like a maniac back then? I still don't get it. And that idiot Anurag kept laughing like crazy too! Whatever the case, ruining his bag like that was incredibly satisfying. Though, yeah, that is exactly why Mom beat me up today."
As I keep watching TV, my eyelids suddenly grow heavy and an overwhelming sleepiness washes over me. Trying to fight it, I mumble to myself, "No Ansole... I mean Aryan, you cannot sleep! Otherwise, you'll end up back there (in the Magical World) and you won't be able to return here for another 7 days. You can't sleep like this, half the day is still left..."
But despite my best efforts, I fail to resist the urge and finally drift off to sleep...
Suddenly, my eyes snap open and I panic, shouting, "Oh no, man! Am I back to that same place again?"
I frantically look around, and my eyes land on a lizard clinging to the wall. The moment I wake up, it gets startled and scoops away. Looking at it, I mutter in annoyance, "Is this lizard never going to stop stalking me?!"
Then, taking a proper look at my surroundings, I breathe a massive sigh of relief, "Ah, thank god! I am still in my own house."
I immediately check the clock—what time is it? It's 5:00 in the evening.
I fall deep into thought, wondering to myself, "Wait, did I stop going to that other world altogether? Does this mean I won't ever be able to go back there? No way, man, it can't be... that place was so beautiful. No, this can't be happening!"
Sitting on my bed, I am completely bewildered and shocked as to why I didn't transfer to the magical world this time despite falling asleep.
Feeling utterly dejected, I say, "No! Does this mean I will never meet them again? My other Mamma... and I won't even be able to learn magic anymore? I had just started learning it and was barely beginning to understand that world. How can it end like this?!"
Holding my head in my hands, I start questioning everything, "Or was everything that happened until now just a mere dream? A dream that somehow repeated every single day? But... even if it is a dream, I still want to see it! Nothing is better than that. Sure, I get that I wouldn't be able to meet Anaya there, or my Mom from this world, but my journey there had literally just begun... What on earth just happened!"
Right then, Mom calls out from downstairs, "Aryan! Come down, look who is here!"
With a heavy heart, I grumble, "What am I supposed to do? Whoever it is, why should I care!" Then I tell myself, "I have to go since Mom is calling. But I have no idea what's going to happen now. It just cannot end like this, because whatever it was, it felt way bigger than just a dream."
I head downstairs. Mom calls me into the kitchen, hands me a tray with a glass of water and some biscuits, and starts preparing tea. She instructs, "Go and sit with them."
I walk toward the drawing room, completely annoyed, thinking, "Man! Can't I just hand over this stuff and head straight back to my room? What am I even going to do sitting with them anyway? I am still just a kid!"
I enter the room and politely say, "Namaste..."
And mid-greeting, I instantly freeze in absolute shock! The tray almost slips from my hands, but I somehow manage to catch my balance at the last second.
I blurt out, "Masi! You?"
She smiles warmly and teases, "Well, it looks like someone is deeply saddened by my arrival."
I quickly stutter, "No, no! I mean... I am just incredibly shocked to see you here, especially so suddenly!"
Masi replies, "Oh, did I disturb you? Were you doing some very important work?"
I try to fix it, "Uh, no! That's not what I meant at all."
She chuckles, "Alright, alright, I believe you. But are you just going to stand there holding that tray forever?"
Hearing her words, I snap back to reality and hand her the water and biscuits. She takes a sip of water comfortably and asks, "So, how have things been lately?"
I reply, "Nothing special, just the usual."
Then she says, "Right, I actually haven't asked you before... which grade are you in anyway?"
Hearing this, I just blankly stare at her. She asks, "What happened? Did I ask something wrong?"
Hoping to find out about Anaya, I quickly counter, "Which grade is Anaya in?"
She answers instantly, "10th."
Then she connects the dots herself, "Ah right! You study in the exact same grade as Anaya, don't you? So, which stream or subjects have you chosen?"
Hearing this, I am completely dumbfounded. I quickly ask, "Which subjects has Anaya chosen?"
She immediately laughs, "Are you crazy? She is still in the 10th grade, you don't choose streams or subjects yet!" Then, quickly correcting herself, she adds, "Ah, since you are also in the 10th, you obviously haven't gotten the chance to choose your subjects yet either, right... hmm."
Then she inquires, "How are your studies going?"
I slightly lean my face back, sweating internally, thinking, "If I tell her my actual marks, she will laugh at me relentlessly and say—is this how you expect to be worthy of Anaya?"
Choosing my words carefully, I reply, "Yeah... it's alright. Not as good as Anaya, though."
Masi smiles proudly, "Well, I know that. She is a top-tier student. You might not be on her level, but surely you must be ranking in the top 5, right?"
Now, I talk to myself mentally, "Oh, I definitely rank first... if you count from the very bottom! I haven't even touched the top 20 in my entire life, and she is casually talking about the top 5. There is absolutely no way I am telling her the truth now!"
Masi places her teacup on the table, leans in a little closer, and asks, "By the way, how are things going between you and my niece lately? Is she happy in class? I don't really get to meet any of her friends, so I am just asking you directly."
The moment Anaya's name drops from her mouth, her beautiful classroom smile instantly flashes before my eyes. Lost in that sweet memory, I say softly, "Yeah, she stays really happy. And she absolutely loves studying, she is literally every teacher's favorite student."
Hearing my words, Masi beams with immense pride and chuckles, "Of course she is! After all, whose niece is she!"
But the very next moment, the warmth in her eyes shifts into a dead-serious, intense look. Staring straight into my eyes, she questions, "And how exactly are you treating my niece? I haven't forgotten what you told me before. You behave well with her, right? You aren't trying to trouble or annoy her, are you? And you haven't forgotten the warning I gave you back at the fair, have you?"
She subtly points a finger at me, her voice dripping with fierce protectiveness, "You might be my friend's son, Aryan, but if anyone ever dares to hurt or upset my niece... I am warning you again, no one will be worse than me!"
The moment she says those words, my mind violently drags me back to that specific moment on the Giant Wheel at the fair... where Anaya is right on top of me. We are so close to each other that our heartbeats are echoing loudly. Water droplets are dripping from her wet hair, brushing against my cheeks, while the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain plays in the background... We are just gravity-bound, pulling closer and closer to each other when...
"Hello? Where are you lost?" Masi's slightly elevated voice snaps me right back to reality.
I startle and hastily reply, "No, no! Do you seriously think I would ever trouble Anaya? Why do you misunderstand me so much, I really don't get it. I told you before that I... well, I can't bring myself to say those words out loud in front of you again, it just doesn't feel right. She is your niece, and if any random guy just comes up and boldly says those things to your face, you wouldn't like it either."
Hearing my response, the harsh lines on Masi's face soften up. She leans back against the sofa, her eyes reflecting a deep sense of maturity.
She speaks softly, "Initially, I didn't entirely believe your words, but now my trust in you has definitely grown. Look Aryan, I know exactly how boys think and what they want at this age. That's the sole reason... I just never want my niece to face any trouble because of anyone. But it is also a fact that one day she will grow up, get married, and leave... so I will obviously look for an exceptional guy for her. And honestly, I see glimpses of that guy in you. You clearly like my niece too. And look, I don't enjoy talking about these things so openly either, but it is what it is, and I can't run away from the truth."
Masi suddenly leans forward on the sofa, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She looks dead at me and asks, "But wait, why did you freeze up earlier? Did something actually happen between you two?"
Feeling highly uncomfortable, I blink rapidly and instantly deflect, "No, no, nothing happened at all. You're just unnecessarily suspecting us."
She passes a sharp, knowing smile, "Oh really? And you expect me to believe that? Your expressions are screaming the truth. Tell me right now, what happened!"
Trying my best to hide the truth, I mumble, "It's nothing major... we just haven't been talking lately."
Hearing this, Masi's temper immediately flares up, "What?! Did you fight with my niece? How on earth did you even dare to pick a fight with her?!"
Panicking, I wave my hands frantically and whisper sharply, "Masi! Please lower your voice. Mom is right there in the kitchen. Sure, it's a bit far, but your voice will definitely reach her if you keep shouting like this. And trust me, I don't have the guts to ever fight with her!"
Suddenly, my mind flashes back to that exact moment on the Giant Wheel again, where both of us are actually arguing bitterly with each other...
Shaking the memory out of my head, I quickly try to control the situation and say, "I mean, it wasn't a fight... just a petty little argument."
Masi catches my bluff instantly, "A petty argument doesn't completely stop two people from talking! Exactly how long have you two been ignoring each other?"
Lowering my head, I reply in a very faint, hushed voice, "Ever since we came back from the fair..."
Masi tilts her ear toward me, "What was that? Speak up a little louder!"
I mutter again, slightly muffled, "Ever since the fair... since then."
She snaps irritably, "I still can't hear you, speak properly and louder!"
This time, I answer in a clear, straight voice, "Ever since we came back from the fair!"
The moment the words leave my mouth, Masi's eyes widen in absolute shock, "What?! Meaning you two haven't spoken a single word in two and a half months?! What are you even saying! You stopped talking for two and a half months just over a petty little argument?!"
Trying to minimize the gravity of the situation, I quickly add, "Well, it's not like we used to talk a whole lot before that either."
Masi slams her hand lightly on the table, "Oh, please! This clearly means it wasn't just a petty argument, you two had a massive fight, didn't you?"
I desperately deny it, "No, no, it's not like that..."
But deep down, I start contemplating... honestly, the reason we aren't talking isn't because of that fight at all. The real reason is entirely different. The vision of that Giant Wheel flashes before my eyes again... where we are incredibly close, almost crossing the line, about to lean in when...
I violently shake my head, thinking to myself, "No way! I can never tell Masi the actual reason, or I am completely dead!"
I quickly rack my brain and fabricate another lie, "Actually... we just have a bet going on about who will secure the first rank in class. So it's just a bit of a silly ego clash, nothing serious at all, I swear."
Masi glares at me skeptically, "Oh, is that so? But my niece would never completely cut off communication over something trivial like that, she isn't like other girls. Besides, you two even went out on a date... and don't you dare lie to me saying you were 'just hanging out'! I know exactly what you two were doing and what wasn't happening."
The moment the word 'date' drops from her mouth, the ground beneath my feet completely slips away. I stand there entirely paralyzed and speechless, when suddenly, the living room door clicks open.
Mom is standing right there, holding a tray full of tea. Caught completely off-guard, I stare at her in absolute horror...