Journey through the Grand Canyon (Drisana's Mahabharat #2)

Chapter 49

The flashback continues.....

Sahdev and the girl fell into the cold water of the pond together. Sahdev got his bearings soon, but he noticed that the girl was drowning and struggling to remain afloat. He quickly went towards her and dragged her to the landing of the pond. The girl started coughing and breathing heavily as Sahdev looked at her with a displeased frown.

"When you don't know how to swim, then why you came near the pond jumping like that?" Sahdev asked sternly.

The girl looked up at him and blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

And then started crying. Sahdev was baffled by her action.

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

"Ipehllandemmrntoltinnnngneeeeee." She replied while crying only.

Sahdev frowned more and then on a second thought checked his ears to see if water had gone inside messing up his hearing. But no. If there was something wrong with his hearing, than how was he able to hear the hustle and bustle of nature around him.

"What did you say?" Sahdev asked again in confusion.

"Eeimaaaid----Ipehllandemmrntoltinnnngneeeeee." The girl replied again crying more vigorously.

"In which language are you speaking? I do not know of any such a language!" Sahdev said in utter confusion. The girl stopped crying and stared at him with her tear strained big doe eyes, before giving a loud cry which almost made him jump. It took Sahdev a moment to understand that she was speaking in sanskrit only.

"Can you please stop crying? I am not understanding anything you said." Sahdev said patiently, but as the girl continued crying, he ordered a little loudly. "Stop crying!"

The girl's eyes widened and she finally stopped crying. She was staring at Sahdev with surprise and fear.

"What were you saying?" He asked in a gentle tone.

"I fell and you're scolding me only." The girl repeated her words that she uttered while crying.

"Why were you running like that?" He asked in annoyance.

"I slipped away and wanted to float the diya in the water." She replied meekly and started crying again as her eyes fell on the broken earthen lamp. This time Sahdev didn't need to ask the reason of her tears. He guessed it already.

"Stop crying. You can come back with another lamp tomorrow and that time come slowly and carefully." Sahdev said calmly and got up to leave.

"Wait!" The girl stopped him. Sahdev turned to her and waited for her to speak up.

"I am sorry. Because of me you fell into the waters. And thank you for saving me." She said with innocence and guilt while fidgeting nervously.

"It's okay. Be careful from the next time." Sahdev said and turned to leave, but was stopped for the second time.

"Wait! Who are you? I never saw you here before." The girl asked curiously as he turned around to face her.

"I am a guest here." Sahdev replied shortly and was going to leave. Again.

"Did you come here to attend Rajkumari Chitrakeshi's swayambar?" She asked. Again.

"No. I have come here for political reasons." Sahdev replied and started walking. But the girl started following him.