Prithvi... [Vol 5]

Chapter 138

"Don't be afraid," Bhoothnath comfortingly told the petite girl walking beside him. "Nothing will dare to harm you because I'm here. And even if I'm not around, the thread I have tied around your wrist will protect you from evil."

Walking in between Bhoothnath and Sankatmochan, Rajeshwari glanced around uneasily. She gulped and asked, "Grandfather, do you have many more such threads?"

"Yes, of course. I will give you a stock of them," Bhoothnath said happily. "You can distribute them to your friends and family too if required."

"They really work," Sankatmochan claimed as they neared Vrindavan's gate. "I have been saved so many times because of them."

Bhoothnath beamed at him and Rajeshwari looked faintly more reassured.

As Bhoothnath opened the gate, Sankatmochan scuttled towards Ayodhya. "I can't wait to see what Prithvi has cooked," he told the others by way of explanation while looking nervously at Vrindavan.

Bhoothnath chuckled. "I'm also very eager to know if the boy can make anything edible."

"He can," Rajeshwari piped up vehemently. "Prithvi is good at everything."

"He is," Bhoothnath agreed fondly. 

As he walked up the steps to the living room, he heard Nandini exasperatedly saying, "Maa, I don't need water. I'm fine."

In the living room, he found Nandini sitting at the table and Sarojini standing near her with a glass of water and a worried air.

"You're not fine. You look like a dehydrated donkey," Prakash was saying heatedly.

"I look like what – you little – " Nandini hissed, picking up a magazine from the table and rolling it up.

Noticing the two people who were entering the room, Sarojini gasped and said, "Stop that, Nandini – Rajeshwari is watching. Don't fight in front of her."

Quickly putting down the magazine, Nandini looked at her grandfather and Rajeshwari, and smiled brightly at them. "So, Rajeshwari, did you like the temple?"

"It was beautiful and so peaceful," Rajeshwari said sincerely, coming up to her and occupying the chair next to her. "I loved it."

"Nandini, did you just reach home?" Bhoothnath asked with a frown, stalking over to his granddaughter and keeping a concerned hand on her head. "They made you sit there and teach for so long?"

"No, no, grandpa, they didn't," Nandini said quickly. "I came back a while ago and heard all about your dinner plans," she said with an impish grin. "And these two are feeling guilty for no reason, so they are forcing me to break my fast."

"Oh...yes...that..." Bhoothnath mumbled guiltily, turning to walk to his favourite chair. "You see what happened was -"

Nandini rolled her eyes and said, "Your darling Prithvi called up while he was on the way home and said he wanted to cook dinner for us. And he knows I'm fasting and he said he was very sorry I wouldn't be able to partake in the meal but he also said he might have to leave tomorrow itself, so he might not get the chance to do this for us again. And Maa tried to convince him against going to so much trouble for us, but he wouldn't listen. Isn't that what you were going to tell me?" she laughingly asked her sheepish grandfather.

Then she looked around at the people in the room, all of whom, including Rajeshwari, looked remorseful and uncomfortable.

"Oh come on, this is the best thing that could have happened," she exclaimed.