✔️Tale as Old as Time (Kunwar Pratap/Ajabde [Praja])

40//~two bodies, one soul~

The Haldi ceremony was entertaining, to say the least. All of the married women showered me with their blessings and not to mention the music and dancing were also amazing.

"Yeh lagan ki haldi lug gayi hain, ab aap chaho to bhi nahi mil sakti Kunwar Pratap se," Saubhagyavati said to me as she applied the haldi. She was the only one married out of all my friends.

"Apka to vivah bhi ho gaya hain phir bhi nahi milti aap Chakrapani se," Phool said.

"Kya kare, hum either ladki walo ki aur se aur veh ladke valo ki aur se," Saubhagyvati said. "Ab aapke vivah ki pratiksha to hum bhi hain,"

"Chintit na ho, aaj sandhyakalse pehle aap dono mil jayenge," I assured her.

I finished with the ceremony and then went to go shower. I looked in the mirror, the Mehendi had darkened nicely and my complexion had evened out with the Haldi. I would go as far as to say, I was glowing.

:~:~:~:

I picked up the aarti thaal to finish my sandhya pooja for kanhaji when I was pushed over by Patta who was playing around with his wooden sword.

I stopped as he saw he had knocked over my aarti thaal.

I stared at the fallen plate in shock. Ghee had spilled everywhere and the Kumkum was all over the floor.

"Patta! Kitne baar kaha tumse ki mut khelo mahal ke anadar," Manivati Kaki said. "Mango kshama,"

"Kshama kar dijiye Jija," Patta said solemnly so he would not get further scolded.

"Aapki koi bhul nahi hain," I said sitting on the ground to pick everything up. He helped me replace all the scattered items back into the thal.

"Ajabde, koi baat nahi," Manivati Kaki assured me. "Etni chinta sahet ke liye achhi nahi hain,"

"Kaki, hume kisi unhoni ki ashanka ho rahi hain," I said.

"Koi unhoni nahi hogi. Mahal ki suraksha kudi kar di gayi hain. Koi bhi shatru guss nahi payega," she assured me.

"Aap jaiye aur vishram kijiye. Subhe se haldi ke karan adhik thankan ho rahi hogi aapko. Aaj jaldi so jaiye," she said.

My mind was thinking up the worst possible scenarios that I could fathom. I decided to take her advice and call it a night. I forced all the negative thoughts and feelings out of my mind before going to sleep.

:~:~:~:

I gasped for air but I was pulled further and further down into the ocean. Every cry for help was wasted. I couldn't breathe, I was suffocating. I was going to di-

"Ah!" I woke up panting from the nightmare.

"Ajabde?! Aap thik to hain?" Heer asked me.

"Hume-voh hume vichitra sa sapna aya, saas nahi aa rahi thi. Aise lag raha tha ki hum kitni bhi koshish kare kintu sagar mein dubte chale jayenge," I said trying to catch my breath.

"Aap, aap pani pijiye pehle," Heer handed me a glass of water and took a sip. "Gheri saas lijiye," she instructed.

I took deep breaths in and deep breaths out trying to relax but I couldn't. Yesterday it was the aarti thali and today this dream.

"Hume kuch thik nahi lag raha hain. Ek ke baad ek upshagun. Kahi Kunwar Pratap? Hey Eklingji sola somwar ka vrat rakhenge. Un pe koi aapati nahi aane do," I was blabbering incoherent sentences at this point.

"Shant ho jaiye Ajabde, hum abhi sandesha bhijawate hain," Heer said. "Aap either hi vi- nahi nahi aap humare saath chaliye,"

I got up but in my hurry to leave, my leg collided with the foot of the bed. A scream escaped my mouth. I looked down to see it bleeding.