Shrishti Reborn

Chapter 03. Shrishti is Back

Shrishti woke up with a start, confused and unsure. What? Where? When? Why? Her thoughts were jumbled mess and for a second, the world felt upside down. Her heart beat was ringing in her ears and her vision was blurred. Where am I? Finally a question emerged. That is when she felt the softness under her fingertips. Soft? She looked down and her vision finally sharpened. She saw that she was on a bed. Bed? But I was in the .......?

A barrage of memories flooded her brain just then and she collapsed backwards in shock. For few seconds, she blinked rapidly as she tried to make a head or tail of her memories. It took her while before she finally understood. She had..... died? And met her mom? And come BACK TO PAST? WHAT!

Shrishti sat up gently as she finally realised what had happened. She had died. She had died after ruining her life, damaging her father's reputation and breaking his heart and later sending him to the death's door. Tears welled in her eyes. What had she done? But she had a chance. A second chance! Her mother had sent her back! Just then she heard movement outside the room. Then the door opened. It was her dad, who was smiling.

Her dad, Sanjay Rai, was usually a stern person but he always had a smile on his face for her. That smile disappeared though when in future his daughter broke his heart. Shrishti had never seen that smile since that day. It was a smile filled with love and pride. So today when her dad gave her that special smile, tears welled in her eyes more. Before her dad could say a single word, Shrishti sprang up from her bed and sprinted to her father before hugging him tightly.

'Pappa.', Shrishti sighed as tears finally flowed down her cheeks.

'Arre! Is my Princess crying? What's wrong?', her father's rumbling voice made her cry more. She had lost him! She had lost him! Now he was back! Why would she not cry?

'Tell me, beta. Who made pappa's pari cry? My fairy should not cry. My little fairy should never cry.', her father's voice soothed her as much as his hand patting her head gently.

'Nothing pappa.', she murmured as she pulled back and looked at her dad while wiping her eyes.

'You should never cry, beta. Come to me. I will solve every problem of yours. But never cry.', her father told her coaxingly, 'Now smile for me.'

She smiled gently and her father grinned, 'That's like my sweet Princess. You should always be smiling. After all, today is your eighteenth Birthday. You should not be crying on your birthday. Today is the day you should be smiling only.'

The smile froze on Shrishti's face. It was her eighteenth birthday! That meant she was seven years in past! It also meant she was in the time before everything was ruined! She was long time away from ruining everything. She had a chance to change everything. Her mother had pulled through for her and her dad. She would not ruin this chance. She will make sure her father lived a long and healthy life this time!

'Whats wrong, beta?', her father's words brought her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and lied through her teeth, 'I just realised that I am an adult now.'

Her father let out a loud laugh at that and Shrishti once again felt tears well in her eyes. When was the last time her father had laughed like this? As her father calmed down, she blinked back her tears.

'Happy Birthday my Princess.', her father said, as he patted her head. She smiled brightly at those words, 'Thank you, Pappa.'

'Look what I got you!', Sanjay smiled as he headed out of the room and came back with a teddy bear. Shrishti's smile dimmed as her mind flashed over the last time she saw that bear. It was in her dad's arms as he cried, calling for her, crying out for her before he had the heart attack.