Fleeting Moments-Ramayan Oneshots

Artificial Affection

 Where: Shatrughan and Urmila use Lakshman to resolve an argument.

It was a fine day in Ayodhya when loud screeches and shouts were heard. No one needed to know what, why, or who, because it was already obvious. These shrieks and shouts, and probably a couple curses thrown in there too, belonged to the voices of Shatrughan, and Urmila. Lakshman rubbed his temples as Shrutakirti shook her head. Bharat set down his painting and Mandavi her quilting, and they glanced at each other for a moment, before both groaning simultaneously.

"Ah, the blissful carefreeness of children!" Ram exclaimed, happy as always, setting down whatever he was doing (just a cover for his blatant staring at Sita), and looking up into the dining hall where Urmila and Shatrughan undoubtedly were. "They fight about small things now, and yet, later, when they face the real hardships, then they will know, and then these matters will not matter a single thing to them!" With that, Ram stood up. "Let's go Sita, and tell them that fighting is not the right thing to do."

Sita took his arm graciously, and together, like two perfect ponies, they pranced off towards the palace. There was silence, where Mandavi continued quilting, squinting her eyes as if she didn't care about anything around her, fighting, poetry, or otherwise. Finally, Lakshman cleared his throat, standing up himself. "Do we follow them, or...." he trailed off, folding his arms behind his back confusedly, and turned around towards Shrutakirti, who sighed.

"We should trust that our elder brothers and sisters know what to do," she paused. "But you can never trust anyone in terms of Urmila didi and Shatrughan. It's impossible." She stood up as well, and not wanting to be left behind, Mandavi and Bharat dropped their individual activities like hot potatoes and trotted after Lakshman and Shrutakirti curiously (#Bharmaarenothorses).

And so, led by the peaceful duo of Ram and Sita, followed by a not-so-peaceful Lakshman, a very trusting Shrutakirti, and a merely curious pair of ponies also known as Mandavi and Bharat, the rest of the brothers and sisters made their way into the palace, where, as promised, Urmila and Shatrughan stood in the dining room, both looking very agitated. Or at least, Urmila did, and she seemed even angrier once the rest of them entered the room.

"That was a terrible prank!" she shrieked, and everyone but Lakshman (who was used to his wife's anger issues, and had ones of his own), covered their ears. "You're a big fat dumbo with no sense of humor! Your mind must still be left in Maa Sumitra's womb! Or worse yet, your twin brother got all of it, which makes me question how much he had in the beginning, because he's just as dumb as you!" Lakshman rubbed his eyes exhaustedly.

"Do NOT compare me to that abomination!" Shatrughan roared, removing his crown and rubbing a hand through his hair as Lakshman rubbed his temples once more. "We are not from the same mother! I keep trying to tell everyone that he's adopted from the Kingdom of Asmaka, but no one listens! And it was a genius prank, thank you very much! Flies in everyone's food, I mean, totally great! Right, Bharat bhaiyya?" He turned towards Bharat, who looked away immediately to avoid his dangerously cute puppy eyes.

"Well actually, what flies do is that they rest upon food, and often eat it," Shrutakirti and Mandavi gagged at the same time, but Sita, who believed in equal treatment for everyone except rakshasas, sniffed delicately. "And after they eat it, they walk all over the food with their contaminated legs from resting in trash and human waste-" Urmila suddenly looked green. "And, they throw up the food they ate onto your food, so-"

"It was a terrible prank!" Urmila affirmed, nodding furiously, crossing her arms across her chest and calmly flicking her foot-length hair over her shoulder as Sita jumped from the loud noise. "Dumbest thing I've ever seen. Honestly! You'd have dead insects puke all over our food, infected dead insects puke all over our food, just so that you could watch a prank taking place! Despicable human being!" She shook her fist angrily.