Soul Swap!

The biggest challenge and the cures

Mahi bhai realized early that he had a crisis at hand, so he led a bawling Rohit to a bench in the corridor and made him sit down.

"Hey, Ro... stop crying for a moment and look at me," he coaxed.

Rohit looked up, still sniffling.

"Cheeku and Jinks have--swapped souls, did you say?" asked Mahi bhai cautiously.

"Yes, it must've been some sort of black magic. Virat has become calm and... Jinks-like, Mahi bhai," said poor Rohit. "And Jinks poured water on my head few days back!" he wailed.

Mahi bhai internally groaned. He could believe quite well that Cheeku would think this such a funny trick, but Jinks...

Mahi bhai hugged Rohit and patted his back comfortingly a few times.

"I'll go and see, Ro, don't you worry. And I assure you you'll have your best friends back normal by tonight," he said.

Then he stalked off to Virat's room.

______________

Back there, Jinks glanced at Virat guiltily.

Ro's bawling his eyes out, Vi, he said. Shouldn't we tell him the truth?

Virat, on the other hand, was enjoying the entire thing enormously.

We can't back off now, he said. It's a question of our honour.

Jinks sighed.

Then hearing footsteps outside, Virat said, Get ready!

Mahi bhai entered.

And--

Jinks shoved Kuldeep and Hardik out of the way and flung his arms around Mahi bhai, shouting, "Welcome back, Mahi bhai!"

Mahi bhai stumbled and looked around the room.

"Hi, Mahi bhai," said Virat, smiling.

Kuldeep and Hardik were, of course, trying to hug their brother too, but Jinks was fighting right along with Hardik.

All the others greeted Mahi bhai, delighted, and then Phenol flew over to him and hugged him as well.

But Mahi bhai couldn't take his eyes off Cheeku's calm face, and if truth be told, he felt distinctly hurt at Cheeku's lack of enthusiasm at meeting him after a while series.

Jinks was there to make up, to be sure.

A very confused Mahi bhai took them out for dinner that evening, after picking up a morosed Rohit on the way.

_______________

Jinks sat on one side of Mahi bhai and Kuldeep on the other. Hardik tried to displace Jinks, whining, "I always sit beside Mahi bhai, Jinks!"

But Jinks refused to budge.

"Go away if you know what's good for you, Harry," said Jinks.

Then Hardik tried to push Kuldeep away and Jinks swiftly said, "Leave him alone!"

Virat was watching the entire event with an indulgent smile on his face, and Mahi bhai's conviction that souls couldn't be swapped started faltering.