The 'It will be alright' part remained as elusive as the fishes of mountain streams. For the next few months, their condition steadily deteriorated. Where they usually had a part of vegetable dish thrice a week with lentil, now they could barely afford to have the lentil itself. It did not help that Adhirath fell deeper into depression and debt, and drank his sorrows and money away. Satyasena, still a hot-blooded youth and a stranger to the world of family finance, now struggled to make ends meet. None of their neighbours fared any better. Radheya, Shon, and the twin girls secretly began spending long hours at night on the Ganga's coast with makeshift fishing rods, hoping to catch something. But the paucity of rains had forced even the perennial waters to shrink. A point came when the quantity of rice on the leaves before them began to dwindle.
One night, Shon woke up to suppressed sniffles. He shook Radheya awake and together, the two brothers snuck down to investigate. When they finally found the source, Radheya wished they had not come down. Radha maa was sobbing before the empty rice pot as a semi-conscious Adhirath tried to console her. That night, Radheya could not sleep. When the east finally blushed with dawn, Radheya ceased his tossing and went off to accost his mother. He found Radha maa in the stables, sifting through the hay, her back to him. She must have sensed him coming, for she set aside the pile and turned to him, her lips stretched in a smile weary with the strain of a sleepless night. Radheya loped up to her and squeezed himself into her hearty embrace. They stood there awhile in silence, mother and son, with only the dew stained leaves and flushed sky testimony to their love. At length Radheya gently pulled away and tugging his mother to the steps of the raised stable porch, seated her there. He knelt in front of her, put his head on her lap and began without preamble, "Shon woke me up last night."
"Hmmm?"
"He said he heard someone crying."
Radha's hand stilled in his hair. "And?"
"We went down to see what the matter was."
"Was that a very prudent thing to do? Didn't I tell you that children should not be out at night? What if something happened to you? What would we do? Where would we -"
"We saw you maa." Radheya interrupted her rant. Radha maa fell silent. Then she asked, "Did you sleep at all last night?"
Radheya did not press the issue. Instead he said, "Well, a little. I'm going to the other bank today."
"Alone?"
"I doubt that. Only if no one wants to come."
"Use the pontoon bridge. No swimming. "
"As you say, maa."
Her work-worn hand resumed carding his hair. Radheya put her cracked feet on his lap and deftly ran his smooth fingers over the cracked soles, massaging them. Radha maa laughed. He looked up and smiled at her. She ruffled his already messed up hair and then made a couple of futile attempts to flatten them. Then she affectionately clapped his shoulder, declaring, "Off you go. I have plenty to do." Radheya gave her a hug and ran off.
Astonishingly, Vaishali joined her sister and the two brothers on their way to the forest. The company crossed the river, leaping nimbly over the gaps between the boats, and landed on the other side with clouds of dust. They hunted around for edible berries and waited with impatient sighs as Vaishali stopped to watch birds and butterflies and ask endless questions about them to Radheya - the only one willing to answer her. The sun was nearly above their heads when Shon spotted a rabbit - beautiful and blithe and brown - and ran after it. The others followed in enthusiastic pursuit. At some point, the rabbit slipped behind a bush, and slithering down a burrow, disappeared from sight. After releasing a couple of disgruntled curses, Shon threw himself to the ground.
"Where are we?" Radheya demanded, "We've never been here before, have we?"
"Well no... but- but- " Shon held up a hand majestically as Radheya made to say something particularly caustic, "- but, this is a copse, not even a forest. There are paths here. We just need to find one and go that way" - he pointed in the general direction of the river - "and lo! We'll be home."
"How optimistic!"
"Do. Not. Fight. " Vrishali enunciated with a vituperative glare even as Vaishali excitedly shrieked, "We're trapped in a forest. Just like a story! Are there tigers here? Will a brave warrior come to save us? Will..."
"Did you know some stories have tragic endings?"
Vrishali, who was following an already scampering Shon, turned around and commanded, "Silence. Vaishali - stop blabbering. Radheya - stop scaring her. This way."
With an eyeroll, a shrug, and a "Yes mother", Radheya grabbed Vaishali and ran after her.
About a third of a prahar later, when their hopes of ever getting out were rapidly declining, they heard a pair of youthful voices. The quartet crept in that direction and came across two boys in a tiny clearing - one older than Radheya and coal black, with an alarmingly mussed up shock of thick raven hair and the other, slightly younger but taller and brown as a tree trunk, with wavy black bangs falling on his forehead, covering a curiously diamond-shaped, white patch - seated on a fallen tree. A wooden bow rested beside them and a dozen arrows lay scattered about. Radheya boldly stepped out into the clearing, ignoring Vrishali's warnings about dangerous Kiratas. The lads looked up as he neared and their eyes narrowed and widened simultaneously, one with suspicion and the other with fear. Bringing his hands together in polite greeting as he had been taught, Radheya smiled disarmingly, "Pranaam. I am Vasusena, son of charioteer Adhirath and his blessed wife Radha, that is my brother Shon, and those, my friends Vrishali and Vaishali " - he pointed to each one of them in turn - " and we are lost. We hail from Champanagari, on the other bank of the Ganga. Perhaps you could be kind enough to direct us towards the river?"
The younger boy with the scar relaxed a little, rose, and mirroring Radheya's greeting said, "Pranaam, son of Radha. I am Ashwatthama, son of the royal Guru Drona, and this is my friend Eklavya, son of King Hiranyadhanush and prince of the Nishadas. I will be returning to Hastinapur soon, you may accompany me. Only, you cannot tell anyone you saw us here."
Radheya bowed, now that he knew this was a Brahmin, "Of course. You have our gratitude."
The Nishada, Eklavya, who had been silent till then, now asked, "How did you turn up here anyway?"
It was Vaishali who answered him, all in one breath, "We came here to collect some fruits and berries and other edibles and then Shon saw a rabbit and we gave chase and lost our way."
"Ah!"
"That is a bow." Ashwatthama said, noticing Radheya's interest in the object.
Radheya bit back an 'I know' and instead commented, "Indeed."
"It's ours." Eklavya added proudly.
"That is wonderful. "
"Do you want to see it?" Ashwatthama asked generously. He was not disappointed, all four of them wanted to see it. Vaishali passed it on after a brief, disinterested glance, Vrishali admired its simple patterns, Shon pulled the string gently, struck a majestic pose and passed it to Radheya. Radheya's long, slim fingers curled around the bridge between the rising curves and abruptly almost unclenched, nearly dropping the bow. It literally thrummed in his hands. The Nishada, Eklavya, squinted suspiciously at him. "What is it?"
The others turned to stare at him. The quivering bow settled in his palm like it belonged there, like it had forever lived there, like it was its home. Feeling rather foolish Radheya muttered, "It's vibrating? "
"In your hand? "
"Umm... yes?"
A series of odd looks raked over him before the scarred boy, Ashwatthama, hefted himself up, stretched luxuriously, smiled and asked, "Did you ever handle one before?"
"No?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.
Ashwatthama exchanged a meaningful glance with Eklavya and then abruptly said, "Well, let's get you home. Farewell today Ek, till next time." And with a jaunty wave at the forest-prince, he plodded through the ground vegetation. The others hastened after him.
All the way back, Radheya thought of the comforting tremor of the wooden bow in his hands. He didn't notice Shon jumping in cadence with the crickets' song, or Ashwatthama describing the attributes of some unimposing shrub to the twins, or his own feet smudging the tracks of snakes. At last, when they saw the Ganga peeping through the trees, almost golden under the light of the setting afternoon sun, Ashwatthama made to say goodbye.
"We must go separately. If someone finds out and tells my father, I'll be in a lot of trouble. I hope you will not speak of this meeting?"
Vrishali formally folded her hands in a Namaskar and bowed, "We are very thankful for your help. We'd probably never have made it home before sundown otherwise. We shall not reveal this incident to anyone. Your secret and rendezvous is safe with us."
Ashwatthama smiled, waved and began walking away. He had already gone a few feet when suddenly Radheya called, "Wait!"
The boy stopped and turned around. Radheya gathered his wits about him. It was now or never. Who knew when he'd meet this boy again? He ran up to him, feeling the nonplussed stares of his companions on his back. Before he could lose his courage, he blurted out, "What's it with the bow?"
"What's with it?"
"You know what I'm talking about. You knew what happened. I saw it in your eyes."
Ashwatthama sighed, "Listen, that's just a piece of wood. What happened was nothing. You shouldn't bother about it."
"Is it?"
"Huh?"
"Just a piece of wood?" Radheya clarified.
Ashwatthama was silent for a while. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, "My father is, as I told you, the teacher of the royal princes. We came here just a few months ago. He once told me that when a weapon recognizes its owner, it feels like what you described. Eklavya, he's a talented archer - a prodigy, talked about this the same way. Prince Arjun spoke similarly when he held a bow, the other princes spoke thus when they first held their favorite weapons. I felt the same when I held mine, though it was a sword. Ergo, you are possibly an archer. Though you are..." here he paused and bit his lip, worrying it with his teeth.
"A suta?"
Ashwatthama flushed maroon. "It's not that - no wait, it is. Look, Nishadas are forest tribes - Kiratas, and even if they are not allowed to learn mainstream military techniques, they're hunters, and they handle weapons often. Now sutas are generally charioteers and bards, though many of them serve as servants in the palace, as aides to royalty. I've hardly heard of any suta warrior except Keechak, son of the king of the suta race in the west. But if you are willing, I'm sure you can be a warrior. So, do you?"
Radheya thoughtfully watched him after this long monologue. Finally, he answered carefully, aware of the trouble he would get into with his father over this, "I would like to. Thank you for telling me this. You are kind."
Ashwatthama laughed boyishly and said, "It's no trouble. I hope you find fulfillment in it. It was very... interesting meeting you."
Realizing that the conversation was coming to a close, Radheya thanked him again, bid him goodbye and joined his friends.
"What was that?" Shon asked.
"Nothing important. " Radheya mumbled, unwilling to reveal much in front of Vaishali, who had a tendency to blab too much. Vrishali gave him a sharp glance but said nothing.
As he went home, he drew strength from the stranger boy's words. He would try to be an archer. Perhaps nothing would come of it. But perhaps, he'd end up being a warrior. Stepping over to the bank, Radheya felt oddly happy. The shrunken quantity of food on his leaf did not bother him. He had a goal. And he would work towards it. For now, that was enough.