LAKSHMAN PRIYA

MANDVI'S WISH

" Finally here you are..."- Mandvi's irritated tone made Urmila turn back to see her three sisters walking towards her. Especially the sweets in Sita's hands.
She immediately got up from the place where she was sitting and ran to sita to take the Prasad sweets of her share. Sita chuckled by seeing the sparkle in urmila's eyes when she saw the sweets.

"Pitashree sent these for me right? "- Urmila asked sita in a silvery tone. " yes urmi. These are for you"- sita replied gently. And in one breath Urmila put those sweets together in her mouth and started chewing breathlessly and pleasurably.
" Be care full Urmi, eat slowly. "- sita exclaimed with care. And by seeing Urmila eating her desired sweets Mandvi said monotonously- " calm down rakshasi (female monster). Nobody is snatching those sweets from you" . Urmila's mouth was so full that she was unable to say anything. So Shrutkirti said- " yes yes didi... nobody can snatch your sweets now. Because Mandvi didi's plan had already failed."
Both Shrutkirti and sita started laughing by looking at the grumpy Mandvi and Urmila was still in process to chew her sweets.

Finally after a minute Urmila spoke- " Thank you Sita didi. You always save me and my things from this rakshasi. (Pointed towards Mandvi)."

" excuse me... I'm not rakshasi but you are. This is why you love to spend time here alone at the forest, near this scary pond. "- Mandvi answered by crossing her arms tightly.
Urmila frowned her brows and replied- " we all know that rakshasis find beautiful things ugly and ugly things beautiful. This is why you can't see the heavenly beauty of this pond."

"No way Urmila, You are the......" - before Mandvi could finish her sentence Sita hugged her from back and said- " that's it... That's it for today. Can you both stop fighting and start loving eachother like sisters now". Both Mandvi and Urmila clenched jaw towards eachother and rolled their eyes in the opposite direction simultaneously. Which made Sita sigh.
Shrutkirti came infront of sita and said with her innocent voice- " No didi. Mandvi didi and Urmila didi can never stop fighting with eachother. Mata says if they won't fight, their food wont be digested." Sita laughed by the innocence of the youngest one.

" I think we should return to palace now. Mata must be waiting to feed us. And then we have our weapon lessons as well."- Sita announced to her sisters. Everybody started walking but urmila left behind. " i want to spend some more hours here didi. Then I'll return to palace."- Sita was definitely not gonna accept urmila's this request so she answered humbly- " urmila, let's return now. We can come back tomorrow. I promise."

Urmila trusts sita more than anyone in this world. Whatever sita says... Whatever sita does... Urmila follows them accordingly. So people of Mithila call her 'the reflection of Sita'

" Okay didi. Let's go "- Urmila answed happily and all the Mithilaian Princesses started walking towards their palace. On the way back, Sita was walking at the front by holding hands with the little Shrutkirti. Urmila and Mandvi were walking together with tightened fist and crossed arms. " I wish Sita didi would have let you sit at the bank of that pond... So that you could see it's scariness." - Mandvi slowly started the argument again.
" You need to eat more saag (specific edible leafs) didi. You have very weak vision. How can those beautiful blue lotuses look scary to you?" - Urmila replied in annoying tone.

" Not the lotuses urmi... The scary thing is hidden inside. " - Mandvi told with a mysterious smile which made urmila ask- " what do you mean" ?

Mandvi- " that Neel kamal pond is very deep. And filled with Lotuses. "

Urmila- " so ?"

Mandvi- " what 'so' ? Haven't you heard that lotus pond has dangerous and venomous snakes live inside it. By seeing the depth and amount of Lotuses in it I can clearly say that there must be thousands of serpents living inside that pond. "

Urmila- " so ?"

Mandvi- " again 'so' ?? Those serpents would be super venomous. Also they would be gigantic in size. Will you still say that the Neel kamal pond is beautiful."

Urmila started laughing and Mandvi just stared at her cluelessly. - " i didn't know that you are this coward. "

Mandvi frowned her brows and said- " I'm not a coward okay... Mata says that we should always focus on protecting ourselves. This is called self defence. But what you do is called stupid daring. Sunaina mata always tells you to not to go to that pond, but you never listen to her."

Urmila wrapped her arm around Mandvi's shoulder and said- " relax didi. I know that there are many serpents inside the pond. But trust me, they don't harm anyone intentionally. It's just us humans who get terrified and attack them. But they don't do that. Also i don't go inside that pond. I just go to see those flowers. I don't even dare to touch them. "

Again Mandvi's rolled her eyes annoyingly and said- " okay okay... But don't sit too close to the pond, like how you were sitting today. Your clothes were hanging in the water. Just stay far from it. Or else a serpent will come and take you with it.

All of them laughed and Urmila said in between her laugh- " I'm not scared of any serpent mandvi didi and they don't attack me... Also they can't carry me. I would be too heavy for them". Again the princesses laughed again except Mandvi.

So Mandvi replied dramatically- " is that so princess Urmila?"

Urmila also replied dramatically- " yes princess Mandvi."

Mandvi- " You are not scared of serpents?"

Urmila moved her head from left to right couple of times and answered in one word - " no "

Mandvi- " A serpent won't be able to carry you? "

Urmila replied in same manner- "no..."

Now Mandvi joined her palms near her chest by looked up at sky and screamed extra dramatically - " oh Lord Shiva... I, princess Mandvi of Mithila praying you... Please send the most gigantic and most venomous serpent of the universe to come, marry my sister Urmila and take her to it's home forever. Please grant me this wish, oh Merciful Mahadev...."

Mandvi's wish echoed in that beautiful forest. All the four princesses again laughed by this and ran towards their palace.

But somewhere miles far from mithila, in the icy mountains of Kailash... Someone was sitting and smiling by hearing Mandvi's wish. The Rudraksha beeds on his neck and half moon oh his hair shined more brightly when an enchanting tone he said- " Tathastu (it would happen like that).