🔱Mahayudh: War For Balance🔱

9. Yaksh

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Severe pain went up Umika's spinal cord and towards head. She winced as she tried to open her eyes. The wasn't too bright but still she had difficulty to adjust.

After she adjusted to the light she slowly tried to sit up and observe her surroundings. It looked like a small cottage with roof made of dry grass and she was lying a mattress made of same dry grass.

'Aap uth gayi?' (You woke up?) a voice came to her ears and she looked towards the door of the cottage. A little boy, who looked not more than 10 or 11 was standing in on the door and smiling at her brightly.

Umika didn't have any energy to smile right now but seeing him smiling so sweetly at her, she reciprocated with a small smile.

The boy came inside and went towards an earthen port kept in one corner of the small space. He poured some water in an earthen vessel and then handed it over to her.

As she took the water and sipped it, the boy settled in front of her and kept staring at her with a smile on his face, till she was done.

'Mai kahan hoon?.....Aur mere mitra kahan hain?' (Where am I?......And where are my friends?) she asked him and he replied. 'Ye mere Gurudev ka aashram hai......aur aapke Mitra bhi yahin hain.' (This is my Gurudev's aashram.......and your friends are also here only.)

Umika looked outside the door and could see many other cottages and many other people outside.

She tried to got up but her limbs were a little numb dur to stiffness. 'Mai aapki shayata karun?' (Should I help you?) the boy asked innocently and Umika nodded. He immediately got up and helped Umika. Together they made their way out of the cottage.

Umika inhaled deeply as fresh and cold air hit her. She could tell by the freshness in the air and the freshness in people that it was early in the morning.

The place was not like her Gurudev's ashram which was built right in the middle of a forest and on grassy land with vegetation around.  This ashram was actually built on huge boulders of Metamorphic rock, which felt very cold to her bare feet. The arrangement of boulders was such that it looked like a smooth platform on which the Ashram was built.

Umika looked towards her right and found that the whole ashram was actually built exactly near the foot of Om Parvat and on the rocks that must have fallen down Om Parvat years ago.

A thought came into her mind and she asked the boy beside her 'Yadi kabhi Om Parvat se koi bdi shila yaan him fisal kar bneeche aa jaye toh?' (What if a big rock or snow slips down Om Parvat?)

 'Haan fisalti toh hai par vo kbhi neeche nhi aati.' (Yes it slips but it never falls down)  the boy replied and Umika dropped her question as she didn't want to argue with someone as sweet as him.

Towards her left was a widespread area of Ashram and after that the hustling and bustling city of Kashi. Umika stopped as she gazed at the joy, content and a sense of normal life that was radiating from the city. She remembered what happened the last time she had the opportunity to explore a city like this. 

'Didi?' the boy shook her and she looked at his direction. 'Gurudev ke paas chalein?.......Aapke mitra bhi vhi par hain!' (Shall we got to Gurudev?.......Your friends are also there.)

Umika smiled and he took her hand as if she was someone from his family andhe started leading her way.

'Mera naam Sanath hai. Aur aapka?' (My name is Sanath. And yours?) the boy asked her enthusiastically.