The Valley || ONC2023

Chapter 15

*Sixteen years later*

"Nanni, I don't want to go to bed yet!" Anjani, Maithili's six-year-old daughter, cried, tugging at her grandmother's dupatta. "Besides, you haven't finished the story. Did you reach the temple? Or did the bad guys get to you?"

Bhairavi lowered her head, giggling, "Of course, sweetheart. How could we not? After all, our driver was extremely gifted. Besides, we were the good guys and-"

"Good guys always win!" The child chimed in and then nodded slowly. A spitting image of her father except for her eyes, which were hazel like her mother's, she searched for more answers in her grandma's dark pools. "I can't believe you ran. You always refuse when I ask you to race with me!" The child cribbed, forgetting about the fates of her parents and grandmother for a moment.

"It happened so long ago, Kanna. I was younger then. Much stronger than I am now."

The child shook her head vehemently, "No. You are the strongest Nanni in the history of Nannis!" She countered, making the now-wrinkling woman laugh.

"So, what happened next?" Anjani repeated, and not finding a way out, her Nanni obliged, "Well, the temple, as it turned out, was as ancient as King Rama himself, and hidden inside the heart of the mountain, its opening was blocked by giant rocks. Thanks to our driver, who moved them with his pinky finger, we could sneak inside the sacred temple unnoticed by the bad guys."

The child clapped like her team had won. It had, but not in the way her Nanni had narrated it.

"What happened next?"

"Well, what do you know!? As soon as we stepped inside, my phone rang. It was your grandfather!"

Anjani's mouth fell open, "Oh, of course, it was him!" Her eyes shone with pride, "You hadn't spoken to him in two days. He was obviously worried." She bobbed her head world-wisely.

A perfect little grandma.

Keeping her smile under wraps, Bhairavi continued, "Yes. Not only that, he was so worried that he had taken leave and rushed to Jammu."

"Smart as always." The child commented. She made it sound like it was not her grandfather but her, who had walked through the door with the good guys. "And then?"

"Then what? We were rescued by the military police, the bad guys were put behind bars, the ancient temple was turned into a world heritage site, and," Bhairavi lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. Leaning in, she whispered in her granddaughter's ear, "-all of us lived happily ever after."

"Naaaaannniiii!" The girl drawled and pouted, "You always do this! You always end the story here."

No. It was not the first time Bhairavi had regaled her with this tale. Since the first time she had narrated their adventurous trip to The Valley- toning down the scary parts and censoring the terrible ones- to her granddaughter, Anjani had demanded it multiple times, perhaps hoping that her Nanni would divulge more of it. The child had a gut feeling her favorite grandma was hiding something.

"I'll stop here because the rest of it is boring, Kanna. Moreover, it's already past your bedtime. If your daddy catches me keeping you up so late, he will scold me." Bhairavi lied. There was no way Raghav would do that. That boy had been trying to win her favor forever. He was at it still.

"Amma, I would never do that." Raghav's (fake) offended voice made the duo turn to look at the door.

"Appa, you won't scold Nanni, will you?" The girl asked again, and hopping out of bed, she ran into her father's arms.

"Of course not, sweetie, I wouldn't dare! Do you know your Nanni didn't really like me when she met me for the first time all those years ago?"

Bhairavi cleared her throat, "Come on, Kanna, off to bed." She patted Anjani's spot, beckoning the child, hoping her son-in-law would forget about it already!