BUTTERFLY FROM THE FLAME (JOY AND GENTLENESS OF THE FLAME)

Chapter 21

The children were now playing hide and seek in the forest, this time even the gopis agreed as they had finished their work. "Okay now its my turn." sridama said and started counting and everybody went inside the forest to hide. There was suddenly and earthquake shaking everybody and they all started running panicking. Soon after the earthquake stopped and as they all were running for their life they got separated. "Hello? Sakhiyon!" Draupadi called. "Madhav! Draupadi! Dau! Rukmini!" the pandavas called. "Radhey! Dharmaraj! Vrikodar! Path! Kul! Deva!" Draupadi called hearing their voice.

"Draupadi!" they exclaimed in relief seeing Draupadi and ran towards her. "What happened?" Karn asked seeing her close her eyes. "Huh? Nothing. Lets get out and find the rest." Draupadi said and they all started searching the way out. "Its really dark here though its daytime." Yudhistir said. Draupadi was at the last walking slowly yet near Bheem who was infront of her. 

Draupadi looked around the dark, scary forest and gulped in fear. Draupadi unknowingly caught the end of Bheem's angavastram while looking around and observing the scary surrounding. Bheem bit back a chuckle knowing Draupadi was catching his angavastram from the end and called his brother and they too bit back a chuckle at the sight. "DRUPADI! PANCHALI!" they called in union bringing her out of her trance. "Huh? Wha- why-what?" Draupadi said. "No need to catch the tip dead end corner of my angavastram. Catch the whole if you want." Bheem said chuckling.

"Couldn't you say before?" Draupadi said quickly catching the angavastram making them chuckle. "maiya! narayan narayan! Shiv shambho" Draupadi cried out as she felt mice running on the ground. She then felt a pair of hands catching her shoulder making her chant the hanuman chalisa. "Do I look like a ghost? if so then I am a handsome ghost." nakul said making Draupadi open her eyes and turn around. She sighed in relief seeing nakul behind her along with Shahadev.

"Couldn't you find another way to scare me?" Draupadi asked. "Close your eyes if you want. I am catching you." nakul said. Draupadi was chanting every god's name in her head while walking. "Looks like we are more lost." Arjun said. "What?" Draupadi said. "calm down! Relax your mind!" Shahadev said. "Calm down? Relax? How can I in this situation? And how am I supposed to? Here it feels like I am living the last few moments of my life and you are saying me to relax? And even if I want to I can't!" Draupadi said. "And here I was thinking Arjun is a chatterbox. Infront of your chattering nobody stands a chance." bheem said.

"What do you mean? God has given me the ability to talk, perfectly working vocal cord, tongue and mouth. Its my right to talk! Its my janma sidh adhikar! Even various texts states it!" Draupadi said. "And who knows whether this is the last time I am speaking so let me speak. I am already scared to death let me speak my ending and final words or else you will burn in hell fire for not letting a small, innocent girl like me talk for few seconds!" Draupadi said making them chuckle.

"Few seconds? For your kind information you have been talking for two hours straight and murmuring to yourself for half an hour all with your eyes closed." Karn said. "Who knows when is my final moment?" Draupadi said. "What is your favorite color?" Shahadev asked trying to distract her. "Huh? Black, blue and purple." Draupadi said. "Flower?" Nakul asked. 'Rose and lotus." Draupadi replied. "Which color?" Nakul asked. "All, every possible colors but especially red and white rose and purple lotus." Draupadi said. "Favorite food?" Bheem asked. "Makhan and kheer." Draupadi said. 

"Favorite jewelry?" Arjun asked. "Everything, I am a jewelry lover but don't wear often." Draupadi said. 'Why?' yudhistir asked. "I am here in village and its fun and easy to wear these village clothes. I only wear in pooja and functions." Draupadi replied. "Favorite weapon?" Karn asked. "Sword and.... spear." Draupadi said. "Why?" Karn asked. "It looks way easier than others to lift." Draupadi said. "And?" Nakul asked. "Its way easy to use." Draupadi said. "use?" Yudhistir asked. "Who taught you?" Shahadev asked. "Bhagwan parshuram!" Draupadi said.

"What?" they all asked. "Bhagwan Parshuram!" Draupadi said while closing her eyes. "How?" Bheem asked. "I have served maharishi Durvasa who taught me about different mantras and spirituality and bhagwan parshuram who taught me about warfare." Draupadi said. "Your fears?" Arjun asked. "height, dark and being replaced." Draupadi said. "Replaced?" they all asked. "I don't know. I just blurted it out." Draupadi said. "If you had to help a person choose a person from his two likings who would you suggest? Like second marriage you know." karn asked. "Second! Last!" Draupadi said. "Why?" Yudhistir asked. "If you had loved the first one then there wouldn't ba any options of any other in the first place." Draupadi said. "Quite intelligent." Shahadev complimented. They then asked her random things to distract her until they got out.

"Open your eyes panchali." Karn said after getting out of the forest. "I thought today was the last day of my life." Draupadi said. "krishnaa~~" krishna said while hopping and skipping towards them. "What?" Draupadi asked. "The jatila family has returned!" Krishna said. "Okay!" Draupadi said. 'And planning for your wedding." Balram added making her almost choke on air.

"What but didn't raj purohit-" Draupadi said. "But now he said its okay." Rukmini said. "Now?" Draupadi asked sitting on the ground and the rest followed. "You gopis have a very easy life." Krishna said. "Only if you were-" Rukmini said but soon stopped and shared a look with balram and Draupadi who smiled cheekily at krishna making him gulp. "What happened?" the pandavas asked. "just wait and watch!" balram said as Rukmini and Draupadi dragged him towards the changing room. "Meet our new friend! Gopika!" Rukmini and Draupadi said moving aside revealing GOPIKA!

"Hello?" Gopika said making the pandavas and balram almost burst out laughing. "Lets go sakhi!" Rukmini said. "Where sakhi?" Gopika asked. "To your in laws, jatila kaki." Draupadi said making him horrified. "me?" Gopika asked. "Don't worry, dadiloba and Shuka are there." Rukmini said. "Lets go now@!"Draupadi said and they all headed towards Jatila's home.