I wonder if the makers of Kalki 2898 AD secretly read my drafts. Kashi was always a part of my plan.
Happy reading.
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It was the second day of her stay in Kashi. Meenakshi had finally found her peace, her sanity and her calling at the holy city of Mahadev Rudra. Finishing her prayers and pooja, Meenakshi sat cross legged by the river Ganga, glancing at the city ahead of her. People were performing rites, offering flowers and rice to the river to redeem them from the cycle of birth and death, few were standing waist deep in the waters and murmuring chants with folded hands. She smiled, taking in everything around her. She leaned behind and rested her lower back on the above step and sighed. She looked up to see the sky, it was slowly beginning to turn dark. The sun had already set and it would soon be dark. Meenakshi stood up slowly and turned around to walk to the temple. She wanted to offer her last prayers for the day before she had her first meal. Yeah, she was fasting and strangely it brought her more energy than usual. As she took another step, she froze taking in the form of the person standing in front of her.
Her Vikram was standing there in all glory, dressed as a warrior with his armor and sword, his riding boots on his feet and a small bag tied across his shoulders. Meenakshi smiled before she shook her head trying to shake his image off. She was already hallucinating about him, feeling his presence around him every now and then and now she felt that he was even standing in front of her. She walked ahead and headed towards his form, thinking it would vanish when she would walk through it only for her to bump into his hard chest and stumble behind. A warm hand engulfed her waist pulling her to his hard chest. "You are here." Meenakshi whispered, making Vikram smile.
"Yes I am." Vikram made her stand properly back on her feet. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear making her smile cheekily.
"You are here." He was taken off guard by her hug, as she threw herself on him making him chuckle at her words. It seemed that reality had only set in now for. He wrapped his arms even tightly around her. "You are here." She mumbled assuring herself.
Vikram pulled away when he felt Meenakshi pulling away. He found her sniffing softly, trying hard to compose herself. Vikram slowly lifted her chin and wiped her tears. "Seems like someone is not happy seeing me here." He teased Meenakshi, making her shake her head vigorously. Vikram chuckled and hugged her close. "My wife wanted us to see this place together, how can I not fulfill her wish?" Meenakshi chuckled as she hugged him closer and nuzzled her face in his chest and inhaled his musky scent.
"Now that I am here, won't you show me around?" Vikram asked, making her pull away and wipe her tears.
"Go and take a bath, we need to visit the shrine and have a small meal." She pushed him softly towards the river, making him chuckle. Meenakshi sat by the river bank while Vikram took a bath in the river. As he rose from the river, water dripped from every crevice of his body, cascading through his toned body before it disappeared into the dhoti tucked on his waist. Meenakshi got up from her pace and offered him a towel, unable to meet his gaze. He rubbed his wet hairs and dabbed his upper body before he wrapped it around his torso like a shawl. Meenakshi and Vikram set northwards towards the temple to offer their prayers.
Like Meenakshi had mentioned Vikram noticed how peaceful yet loud the place was. People around were in their own world, living in the trance of the lord. There were different types of devotees and each of them prayed in their own way. Some made offerings for the deity while some prayed for the deity's well being in return. Some sang devotional songs, while some adorned his robes and ashes on their body and lived an aesthetic life. Everything around them seemed like a trance, a world created by Lord Rudra for his own being. Meenakshi and Vikram offered their prayers in the shrine and gracefully accepted the smears of ash that were applied on their foreheads by the pujari there. Accepting the theertham, both of them cascaded down the temple to the Ghats of the river. They accepted the meal served by the devotees on palm leaves and sat by the river. They offered a small prayer and tore off a small bit of the food to eat. Before they could take a first bite, a voice stopped them.
"Oh Ma, I am very hungry and did not have anything from morning, can you please give me some food?" He asked, looking at Meenakshi and extending his palms in front of her. He looked at a sage with unruly and matted hair and his body looked gray, smeared in ash. Meenakshi looked at him and her food. She quickly lifted her plate and placed it in his palms and smiled at him, making the man frown.
"Oh no Maa, I meant a few morsels, what will you eat?" He panicked, making Meenakshi smile.
"You must be quite hungry, how will a few morsels suffice you? Please have this. Also this is His Lord's prasadam, I am sure it should fill your hunger well." She smiled at him, trying to ease his worry.
"You must also be quite hungry, you also have not had anything since morning, what will you eat?" He asked, making Vikram frown at her, while Meenakshi's eyes widened in surprise.
"How do you know that?" She asked back.
"Maa, you look like you haven't eaten at all, anyone could tell." The man spoke, making her chuckle.
"I am used to this swami. Please have this and don't worry about me. I shall be fine." Saying so she turned to Vikram, who had extended a small morsel of food in her direction. She gracefully accepted his bite and both of them finished the small meal for the day. Seeing them eating in peace, the man walked away with a smile on his face taking the food in his hand.
Meenakshi and Vikram retired to the small inn she was staying in, talking about his plans to surprise her in Kashi. Both of them had a sound sleep that they missed in the past year, staying away from each year.
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"Why were you fasting? Did someone ask you to?" Vikram asked, as they lay in each other's embrace the following morning.
"I just felt like Vikram, and for a change it felt nice. Why do you feel someone pressured me to fast?"
"No, it seemed abrupt and the way you mentioned Kashi, I felt you had an influence." He spoke.
"No Adi, it is not so. Kashi reminded me of you in some way. I felt you would connect with me in the same way I did with the place. I just wished we could see this together, but I didn't know you would come here, after everything that happened." She whispered the last part.
"I am sorry for being so uptight and rude. You don't burden me Jaana. I am sorry I made you feel less, feel bad about yourself, I didn't mean to. I am and I shall always be scared of losing you Jaana. I know that no words can explain my behavior, but I am genuinely sorry, I never meant to treat you this way."
"Jaana?" She mutters, playing with the chain on his chest.
"Is that what you heard in this entire conversation?" Meenakshi shyly hid her face in his chest while Vikram chuckled and hugged her tightly.
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"I hope you have no issues that I brought him here without informing you."
"No dear, the rooms were designed to be for couples, but old ones actually. We were wondering what a young pair like you are doing here?" The inn-owner teased them, making Meenakshi giggle while Vikram rolled his eyes.
"We are on a small tour, I am on a tour and he came to see me when he received my letter." She spoke looking at him.
"Aww, how romantic." She teased them, making Vikram laugh while Meenakshi rolled her eyes. "By the way, shouldn't you two newlyweds be doing something more important rather than being in Kashi?"
"What so important?" Vikram spoke for the first time.
"Oh you know, making children and enjoying the process of making children!" She said, making Vikram and Meenakshi blush. They chuckled.
"I think you enjoyed that phase well and maybe you do too." Meenakshi teased her back looking at the kids running around and her husband helping her in the kitchen. It was now turn for the lady to blush, who playfully waved them away.
"We shall leave now. We wish to see around a bit before we have to depart." The lady nodded at Vikram's words.
"Sure, come back for dinner at least today. You never have food here." She chided Meenakshi who nodded with a smile. "Also dear, ask that Mahadev anything you want, he shall generously grant you if you are sincere." Meenakshi and Vikram smiled at her and left the inn for their day.
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They are finally united. I couldn't keep them away. I think this story might end with 50 chapters.
Feeling so sad that this is going to come to an end.
Love you all.