The forum looks empty. I wonder there is anybody left to read this story. Anyways, it will contain 12 chapters, until Mandi joins his father in the horoscope of Indrajit. (In my mind Rohit as Shani, Tina as Dhamini and Kartekeya as Mandi)
Leave your comments.
Life after the storm
Year one
Shani hears him the moment he wakes.
He has been getting accustomed to the different sounds of his son. Like the sniffly whimper right now until it becomes a full blown wail. He glances at his wife lying beside him, still peacefully asleep. She has been busy all day with all the decorations and arrangements for the celebration of their son's first birthday. He has been busy watching over King Dasharah and his growing children, waiting for the right moment to come.
He looks outside. There is another hour before the sunrise. In the Shanilok, sunlight barely reaches the deepest part of his humble castle. He feels some parts of the castle need to be rebuilt. His child needs to bask in the sunlight, unlike himself. And the work is still going on.
It has been almost a year, he became a father. He never imagines himself as a father figure, but he can't deny the cute little large eyed child has wiggled his way into his life and his heart as well.
A wondrous intriguingly beautiful little piece of himself and Dhamini.
Sometimes he wonder how can he get so much attached to someone when he himself always remain detached.
He stops that thought abruptly - pushes it aside. Sometimes attachment is good. Mahadev is also a father, but he is also detached. Then why can' t he?
His life has changed over last two years. Now he has his own abode, his own family, his wife, and his child. Dare he say, he feels an odd comfort whenever he sees the smiling face to Dhamini or the curious look of his child Mandi. That will have to be enough. He isn't about to ruin that with his philosophy.
Another soft whimper in the next room. And Dhamini's soft snoring. He makes his way to the crib, carefully avoiding raising his wife, and slowly looks at the whimpering baby entangled in clothes and blankets. He smiles at his son, and pressed his finger over his lips and the baby looks at him curiously, forgetting his whimper. He detangles Mandi from his heap of blankets and picks him up in his arms.
Everybody wonders if he is any good with children. It is natural, because of his usual stoic nature, nobody knows what he actually thinks. Even Yami gives up hope when he denies to listen to her advices.
But he knows. More than anybody. Yami teases him that he sleeps through the most nights, while Dhamini feeds or changes the baby. But really, since he doesn't sleep much anyway many nights, he goes up to get the teary little boy before his soft cries can turn loud enough to wake his mother.
He has become quite adept at quick cloth changes and feeding in the middle of the night. Then he puts his son right back down to sleep, allowing his wife the rest he knows she needs after long days. She looks at him with so much gratefulness in her eyes. But he simply tells that this is a part of his duty.
But is it only a part of his duty? Having never being a father before, he finds he rather enjoys the moments with his son at night. His soft sighs and sleepy weight as he drifts off, warm, against him, usually with a chubby hand curled around one of his fingers. Something he never could have imagined being anything but tedious, he finds to be surprisingly calming and even a bit endearing.
Mandi's whimpers turn into a giggle and a pointed pudgy finger as he begins to put him down in his crib. With a finger to his lips and soft shushing sounds, Shani swoops him up in his arms again, and climbs down the stairs, casting a quick, wistful glance at his sleeping wife as he goes.
********
Dhamini wakes to the sound of laughter. Baby laughter. The big air gulping belly laugh that only very small children seem able to make.
She smiles in her sleepy half-awake state and glances at the window. Bright sunlight streams through the window. It is almost midday. She slept late. Mandi never stays quiet this long. She rolls over to see what he is laughing at, but realizes the sound is far away. Not in the room. His cot is empty, and the laughing is coming from downstairs.
Taking a quick look at her disheveled appearance, she makes her way toward the hic coughing laughter coming from downstairs.
Mandi is sitting in Shani's throne. A bowl of food lays in front of him, but he is not focused at all on her food.
Bright eyes wide, he holds his breath until... a blue light emits from the side of the throne creating a image of dancing monkeys on the wall and he dissolves again into hysterical laughter. The image disappears for a second and another held breath before another ray of light reappearing on the other side creating the image of Hanuman swinging from one tree to another, resulting in clapping and even more squealing. SHe catches the sound of a deeper baritone laugh as well and chances a glance below the throne.
Shanidev. The Karmafaldaata. Sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of his own throne, playing with his one year old. Not just playing, but laughing with him. Engaging in a game belonging just to the two of them. He move his dand and another ray of bright blue light emits from his dand, and Mandi squeals happily.
Smiling to herself, Dhamini leans against the wall to watch this adorable absurdity that is her life now for a few more minutes before her soon looks over and finally sees her.
"MA!
He points to his mother, dissolving back into giggles. Trying to breathe around laughter hiccups.
A dark disarray of curls pokes up from under the throne and Shani flashes her genuine smile and a "Have you had a good sleep, Dhamini?"
As if there is not one thing out of place about him sitting on the ground instead of his throne, playing peekaboo using his almighty dand as a toy.
Dhamini can never imagine the mighty Karmafaldaata in this avatar. But fatherhood changes him, so does she.
Life can't be more beautiful than this.
And she is so lucky to have such a beautiful life.
To be continued...
Anupamaa
