In the room
The girls were equally disturbed as they watched this ethereal tall man walk around their room with intense scrutiny.
"Ya to yeh pagal hai...yah hume pagal bana rha he!" Archana casually declares with a sigh as she watches Arjun stalling around the room, carefully studying the lights, fans, tv, remotes; every damn thing with great curiosity. As if he was born just now with a grown-up mind.
Sakshi nods in agreement. She mentally keeps praying to the gods to take this man away from their lives. The broken bottle held in her hand as she thought how strong this man was that he could casually break open a tough glass bottle.
"mujhe to neend a rahi he hai!" Preeti yawns. He is human, so she is not scared anymore. Her beauty sleep is something more important than a random handsome man who just decided to prank them.
"An ancient man is walking in our lives, or tujhe neend ki padi hei!" Sakshi grits her teeth as she threatens Preeti.
"yar tum dono ne Ouija board khelni thi! Mujhe punish mat karo! Maine mana kiya tha!"
"Dude, he is not an ancient man! This is impossible! He is a freaking imposter!" Archana huffs.
"but, he is quite convincing to not trust! Look at him! I mean, uski dress... uski language to dekh!"
Sakshi points, "It shudh hindi!"
"What nonsense, 5000 saal beet chukka hai woh character firse kaise 21st century me asakta hai?! Just explain it to me?" Archana asks crossing her arms over her chest as she scowls at Sakshi.
Sakshi sighs, it is pointless to answer something that you cannot comprehend.
Preeti thinks for a minute, before running to her bookshelf. The girls watch her as she fiddles out an old book of Mahabharat.
Arjun meanwhile was leaning over the balcony, awestruck to see the lights and cities. The cars and buses parked outside the college campus seem to appeal to him beyond imagination.
He could not believe what he was watching. Street lights, cars; he has to be dreaming right now. His face lit up excitingly as his eyes watched a huge truck pass through the highway. The highway road itself astonishes him so much. He thinks Yeh kis prakar ka rath hai jis me itne saare pahiye hai parantu ek bhi ashu nehi?
He then thought. Yeh, unchi marg or raste kin devtao ne racha hoga?
He turns his head and watches the three girls fuss something over a book. He wonders Yeh to mujhe koi swapan sa anubhuti ho rahi hai. Nishchit yeh kanyayo ne koi maya kiya hai tabhi yeh sab ho rha hai!
He thinks before shrugging. Mujhe us jal ka swaad bhi adhik karwi lagi! Yeh teen kanyai nehi rakshasi hai...inki poshak se bhi yehi gyaat hota hai! Mere vrata Bheem se sampark sthapan karne se purv tak mujhe inse adhik vartalap karne ki avashyakta nehi hai!
He turns his head and tries to get some fresh air, but he feels weird. The air, almost choking him. he crunches his nose slightly.
In the room
"Okay, this is called the Mahabharat book!" Preeti brings the book. "Let's ask him some questions to know if he is lying or not."
"Arjun is in Ramayana or Mahabharata?" Sakshi looked confused.
"Mahabharat dude!" Archana rolls her eyes, "Besides yeh sab se kya faida? That idiot has probably done his homework! Unlike us!" she glares at Sakshi for her lack of knowledge.
"tu usko bula!" Sakshi shakes her head ignoring Archana's taunts.
"Why me? Send Preeti to fetch him! Idea uska hai!"
Preeti gulps some air, before going up to the balcony.
"Excuse me!" she croaks. The man startled for a second at the strange nasal voice. He turns around in a haze.
"please, ander ayiye?" Preeti was glad the lack of light in the pitch night was saving the horror for her to look at him.
The man tried to comprehend the foreign language before she motioned her hand to come in.
The man smiles genuinely before coming back to the girls. They all shifted away from him.
"Ap please yaha baithiye," Sakshi motions him to sit on the bed while the girls prefer to scoot farther from him to the couch, facing him.
"Dhanyawaad!" the man's voice echoes the room. His voice was as smooth as silk and ardent as thunder; the girls couldn't help but notice the man's striking height and toned body. Greek god, Archana thought to herself before shaking her mind off from drooling over this supermodel. Scratch that.
"To, apse hum kuch questions puchenge!" Preeti meekly begins. The man obviously couldn't understand some of the words she said.
"kuch prashn puchenge!" Sakshi corrects before nudging her friend, "Zyada angrez mat ban!" she grits her teeth at a sheepish-looking Preeti.
"Ji Devi, puchiye?"The man grins godly, making them again mesmerized by his charming smile. The bright smile; brighter than their goddam career in , as they thought.
Archana coughs, "Sakshi, puch!"
"oh, ha..sorry! to Ap kaha se hai?"
"Hastinapur!" Arjun answers, immediately.
They checked the book, before nodding amongst themselves. They never gave much of a read to books like Mahabharat. Modern girls!
"My turn," Archana raises her hand, "tumhari pehli patni ka naam bolo, jaldi!"
Sakshi looks thoughtful. Was Arjun even married?
"Patni..." Arjun looked bashfully lowering his eyes, "Maine abhi tak vivah nehi ki hai!"
The girls mumble quietly.
"Dude, bad idea, yeh to abhi bol raha tha Arjun hai! To draupadi ka naam isko nehi pata!"
"aree to shayad abhi nehi hui hogi!" Preeti shrugs.
"what do you mean? 5000 saal pehle hui thi shaadi! What the hell?" Archana looked confused.
Arjun tried hard to understand the weird expressions and garbles the girls were whispering. He was even feeling hot for some reason. Global warming, maybe? He tugs hard at the necklace on his collarbone as the girls try hard to figure him out.
"I am so confused. Let's ask him to do something that we can't!" Sakshi suggests.
"What do you mean!?" Archana looked confused.
"just watch!"
Sakshi looks at him, "Apko koi vidya ati hai jo apne scho-gurukul me seekha hai?"
The man looks suspiciously at the girls before nodding slowly.
"kya?" the three girls asked simultaneously.
The man looked at them before closing his eyes; he folded his hands. Suddenly out of thin air, a beautifully gold and gems crafted bow appears draped on his right shoulder. The girls gasped audibly before backing away; they couldn't believe they were seeing.
He yanks out the bow in front of him with one hand and chanting something he magically produces an arrow with another hand.
Out of the three girls, Preeti could take no more and faints, falling limp on Sakshi.
"Preeti!" Sakshi held her by the arm, smacking her awake.
"Oh, man. We are so doomed!" Archana gulps.
It was 5 am. The rays of the sun slowly crept inside through the window in the girl's room.
Though Preeti had fallen asleep, the other two girls couldn't catch a blink of sleep. They wanted to hear everything from their guest. They sat relatively close to a timid-looking Arjun, hearing his part of the journey, before he fell into their room.
"Yar I still don't believe this! Tum Arjun ho? Arjun from Mahabharat?" Archana's eyes widened as she couldn't believe her eyes and senses.
Sakshi looked offended at her before rolling her eyes.
Arjun, though couldn't understand a word she said, guessed that Archana was the most difficult among the three girls to believe him. He smiles ruefully at her, closing his eyes again, magically producing a long gold and silver sword, and handing it to her. The girls look astonished as he passes it to them. The girls try their best to hold it but fail miserably as it is too heavy.
"bro, 100 kilo ka hai yeh!" Archana groans, trying too hard to hold it.
"I agree!" Sakshi answers trying to help Archana by holding her hand from dislocating.
Arjun looks sympathetically at them before taking the sword back; he kisses the tip of his sword before chanting something and the sword magically disappears.
"Guru Drona. Pranipaat!" Arjun touches the feet of his guru.
"Arjun, you cannot stay in Kalyug!"
"Guru ji! Show me a way to get out of this mess!"
"Ask Vasudev Krishna to guide you! He is spiritually immortal; he roams on Earth to guide righteousness. Even in Kalyug"
"But, guru ji! Where can I find him!"
"Nidhi van, Vrindavan!"
In the morning
The sharp noise of the doorbell made Arjun jolt up from the floor awake. As the three girls stumble out of bed at the sound of the doorbell. They look dishevelled at Arjun before gasping.
"Warden ma'am!" they gasped in horror.
"Tum...please! Kahi chup jao!" Sakshi pleaded with Arjun. He looked confused at what was going on; he was still groggy because of the lack of sleep.
She kept grabbing his hand, looking for a place for him to hide. Whereas the other two girls were waiting for her to hide him quickly.
"Jaldi kar Sakshi, Warden Maam darwaza tor dengi!" Archana mutters nervously as the warden maam rings the doorbell again.
"ruk ja, he is so huge! Kaha chupau!"
"Tanik mujhe bataye yeh ho kya raha hai?" Arjun asks, "Is tarah chupne ka karan?"
"Karan badme bataungi..ab ap please bed ke niche chupo! Please!" Sakshi begged and shoved him to go under the bed. He reluctantly obeys.
The girls were skilful enough to manage with their warden ma'am.
"kal raat ko tum teeno bohot shor macha rahe the? Complain aya mujhe dusre dormitory se?" she questions.
"who maam, rats...room me rats agaye the!" Sakshi chuckles forcefully. Preeti and Archana were sweating profusely. The old lady didn't look convinced as she peeked into the room.
"hmm.. breakfast karlo niche ake...fir classes jana hai! Hurry up!"
Saying this she left.
The girl closes the door instantly, locking it securely.
The girls were huffing as they sat on the floor. Arjun quietly came out from under the bed feeling grossed out by the unclean floor. A spider web was dangling on his ruffled hair.
"Um!" Archana begins, "Dude, your hair...spider web!" she motions him to take the web out. He was utterly confused. Archana rolls her eyes before grabbing a hand mirror and showing his face on it.
"Makriii jalaaa! Chiiiiii!" he yelps, disgusted to the core. The girls burst out giggling as he took the web out of his hair with utmost hatred.
Yehteen kanyai nishchit hi rakshasi hai!