Bhabra

0.0 once upon a flood

"Okay so, once upon a time, a childless and devotional couple, Kesari and his wife Anjani, prayed to Lord Shiva and..."

For the next few hours until bedtime, Madhu eagerly listened to her Grandpa's stories, with her mother adding little inputs from time to time. It was a comfortable domestic scene, with oil filled diyas, traditional mud lamps, alight all around them, which, along with the dim bulb hanging over them, filled the room with a soft yellow glow.

When the clock struck ten, Madhu was ushered inside her room which she shared with Ma. Like always, the little night owl refused to fall asleep, and her mother fell into slumber before her. Madhu didn't disturb her, and quietly stared at the ceiling Ma had painted just a year ago, a picture showing ancient fables.

Just as her eyes started to droop, she heard a sudden, purposeful rapping over the thunderous rain, followed by the sound of her grandpa grunting and muttering about his aching limbs.

Slowly, she lifted the sheet covering her tiny frame and scooted away from her lightly snoring mother. Their door had been oiled just that morning, and Madhu heaved a sigh of relief when it didn't creak like usual as she opened it.

The little bells in her anklets chimed as her feet pattered across the hall lining the courtyard, where rain was still falling, albeit a bit lightly. She saw her dadu talking to a man as old as him, though much thinner and with a head full of paper white hair instead of the shiny bald patch Krishna Ram Thakur sported. A skinny, lanky boy was sitting down next to the stranger, in a small puddle of water that was made by his drenched clothes. Both of them were soaking wet.

She stopped to stand beside her grandfather, who automatically lifted and planted her on his hip like a clingy monkey. Young Madhu always made him forget about his rusty joints.

She eyed the boy; whose face was ashen and lined with dirty tear tracks. He was a bony creature and Madhu wanted to fetch her mother to give him something to eat. But Ma was sleeping and would be angry if she got to know Madhu was up. Thus, she continued to study the boy, who looked to be older than her, catching snippets of the conversation, or argument, her grandfather was having with the other old man.

"...there was a flood...my entire house washed away...didn't know where else to go...found this boy floating on a log...unconscious...parents nowhere to be seen..."

"...you know you're always welcome here...can't stay like a servant...you're my friend..."

"...can't accept your charity; I would leave if you insist...you had promised me an occupation..."

"...not as my servant! Please Raghu come stay in the guest room, you don't need to work..."

"...you had promised..."

"...okay eat something first, you're both shaking..."

Krishna Thakur strode over to the kitchen and motioned them to follow. Putting Madhu down, he instructed her to go back to bed, and Madhu could never say no to a direct order from him.

But she wanted to do the exact opposite. There was a boy her age here! She had a new playmate! She didn't know what a flood was, maybe it was a sweet or something. Regardless, she was glad that this flood thing came, it found her a new friend. And if what she heard was true, then this friend would stay with them!

She pretended to go back to her room, acting all demure, but she had a mind most four-year olds didn't, and knew how to hide herself. Instead of entering the room she shared with her mother, she sneaked off to the storeroom, which had a diagonal view into the combined dining room and kitchen on the other side of the open courtyard.