A Time to Change

Chapter One

"Abhimanyu is missing," Subhadra's tone held a hint of worry that was not lost on her husband or her brother.

"Missing?" Krishna queried.

"The children were playing in the garden. The dasis swear no one came there. But now Abhimanyu is nowhere to be found. They are now searching the garden."

Arjuna put an arm around his wife's shoulder. "They'll find him. Don't worry. He's probably hiding in some bush."

Subhadra gave him a feeble smile. She tried to be brave, but it was so difficult. Abhimanyu was so young. And he was her only son. Involuntarily, her eyes went to Krishna.

Krishna gave her a reassuring smile. Somehow, that comforted her.

"We'll find him," Krishna told her.

Subhadra watched in some worry as her husband and her brother swept out of the room. She wondered if her child had strayed into the forest. Though the major part of the Khandava forest had been destroyed in the fire, there were some fringes remaining. The garden adjoined one of them. While it was neither so vast nor as dense as Khandava, it could yet be dangerous for a small boy.

She started pacing the room. How could Abhimanyu have gone to the forest without anyone noticing? She was being fanciful. There was a very tall and thick wall between the garden and the jungle. There was no way he could have gone to the jungle. And his elder brothers were always very careful of him. They would have noticed if he was doing something dangerous.

"Please bring him back safely," she whispered, though she herself could not have said whom she was praying to. "Just bring him back to me!"

She tried to comfort herself, but the fears would not leave. It was going to be evening soon and she would need to pull herself together. There were guests to be fed, Brahmanas whose comforts had to be seen to. True, Draupadi was the one who was in charge of it all, but she needed all the help she could get from all of them.

Subhadra took a look at herself in the mirror. A very worried face was looking back at her, lips trembling and eyes bright with tears just about to overflow. She went to the basin at the corner and washed her face. Forcing a smile on to her face, she went out of the room.