CHAPTER 1:
In Which Abha Regrets Closing the Door
People at their core are all mysteries. A single person could have years of memories, experiences, personality traits, and everything else that's hiding in their skulls. And inside that jumble, you'll find a lot of things that you might think are paradoxical. A surfer that does their own taxes? Fair game. A historian that's a LOTR fan? Seen it! A billionaire that doesn't hoard his wealth? Well, a girl can dream. Even better, according to Hinduism, our religion, they also have an atman or soul that's a part of God's infinite mass just waiting to return to Him, meaning everyone has their own small piece of infinity within them. Have you ever seen that VSauce video pointing out that infinite odd numbers is a smaller infinity than infinite numbers in general but still infinite? It's like that. You can literally always learn more about someone and that infinity within us is what makes people the biggest mystery of them all. And I, like every good detective, love just one thing more than a good mystery, and that's solving one.
MY NAME IS ABHA SHAH-ACHARYA AND I WILL-
"Abha, hurry up. The guests are arriving!"
"Mom! We've talked about you interrupting my inner monologues!"
"Yes, and we agreed that I could interrupt for important things, and this is important. Now get down here!"
"Ugh, fine!"
That was my mom, Arundhati Shah. You've probably heard of her. She's 5'8, fairly thin with chestnut brown skin and a long braided ponytail. She has not just one or even two, but four different lives, like a cat that's died five times. On one hand, she's the wife of world-renowned photographer Aiden Acharya and mother of cute little me! On another hand, she's the supervisor at our local Home Depot which is a little bland compared to her bombastic personality. But don't tell her I said that or I'll get another lecture on why it should steal Disneyland's title as the happiest place on earth. On another 'nother hand, she's the curator of the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, owned by my grandmother Krithika Shah. I definitely like that place more, especially when dadi-ma gives me paradoxes of Hindu mythology to solve during visits. They're not that hard, just simple stuff that I can do in a matter of minutes like pinpoint the last location of the lost city of Dwarka. On the last hand, she's the inspiration for a popular book series about the reincarnation of a hero from Hindu mythology going on adventures in our culture. Apparently it's based on some newly discovered epic my grandmother found, but every time I asked to see it, the answer was always "That's classified information, beti." I couldn't even find the author because she went off grid a while after she published the books. It only took me a few days to breeze through them, but while it was fun and somewhat progressive, it was a little too simplistic for my taste. Oh, bonus hand! She's also-
"ARU!" said the 5 '7 light-skinned auntie with purple cat-librarian glasses and a Dora-the-explorer haircut.
"MINI!"
"ARU!" said the auntie's husband who was 5'8, had cinnamon skin, shades, and was dressed like he was going to prom at a paintball tournament.
"Rudy!"
"ARU!" said the buff, toned 5'11 auntie with mocha skin and arms that could snap Rocky Balboa in two. She picked the others up like they weighed nothing.
"BRYNNE!" she gasped.
"ARU!" said the young fashion diva auntie with hickory skin and a dress that might as well be made of rose petals.
"NIKITA! Wait, where's-"
"She's got business, but she'll be back soon for the PAR-TAY!"
* squeal *
YOU ARE READING
2nd Gen Pandavas
Teen FictionIt's been years since the amrita was spread throughout the multiverse. The Potatoes think everything is over and they finally have their happily ever after. However, on the fifteenth anniversary of the war, Hanuman and Urvashi show up to the party...
