" Aunty ...if you don't mind can you please spend some time with me...?"

My mother eyed him in wonder..

That was the ever first time , shravan felt comfortable with my mother to ask his mind...

Everyone were busy with the scheduled marriage that was almost ten hours close...

I held amma's hand in mixed feeling...

Shravan wasn't talking with me though we were sitting together for the past few hours... He was quiet , staring at the sky like nevertheless...

Then ,his strange request to Amma really worried me... I pressed amma's hand , without taking my eyes off shravan...

She knelt to Shravan ...

Tracing his face , she smiled...

" Why not shravan...?!"

I kissed my amma's cheeks overwhelmed with her love for Shravan...

" Naughty girl..." She pinched my nose playfully...

I grabbed Shravan's hand and we sat together in the courtyard...

Ours was a kind of typical south Indian type of house,where we had a huge verandah ( corridor) that beheld a little garden around...

It was a boon to enjoy the rain as well as the sunlight that fell at the middle of the courtyard where it's surrounded with rooms...

We sat at either sides of Amma....

As usual , shravan was quite... I was keen to his face on expectation of a slight smile or atleast a twitch of his lips that indicate a smile...

I let out a deep sigh unable to read his mind ... Amma pulled me to her and embraced me...

She cleared her throat deliberate...

" Someone wanted to spend time with me.. who's that Sweet little pie?"

She narrowed her eyes , pretending to be kiddish...

" Aunty... I Love you so much aunty..."

Finally , he opened his mouth , where Amma broke into laughter...

" Shravan...I too Love you sooo much... But , what's the need of saying that now beta?"

She was pretending to be cool to gauge Shravan's mind...

I was a silent observer as shravan wasn't fine in someway...

After a pause , slowly he looked up amma...

" Aunty .. I hate this king Mahabali..."

Amma was shocked to hear his statement...

" King Mahabali...?!? What's the matter with him...?"

I pinched Shravan....

" Suman... On Onam festival King Mahabali had come to our home and because of that Divya akka is going to get married...after the marriage she will go far away from me... Divya akka is the only one I loved so much after my mom...if akka leaves , who will play with me? Who will help to study? Who will sing and swing with me ?"

Tear sprung up in his eyes... He hung his head down , weeping...

Amma's meaningful look made me to understand his problem...

While I was unaware of what to do , amma brought us to her room.. She made Shravan to lie down in bed... Covering him with blanket , she gestured me to sit in the chair...

Patting him gently , Amma spoke....

" Shravan beta... Same like Divya akka we all will take care of you... Don't worry... More over , King Mahabali was a good King "

Shravan pushed his spectacles to his nose ..." But aunty I heard that he belonged to the asura clan.. "

Amma smiled and removed his spectacles... Folding ,she secured the specs in the side table...

Pressing his hands she began to narrate the story of Mahabali ...

" Of course shravan... Mahabali was belonged to an asura clan... But , he was a great worshipper of Lord Vishnu... His reign was the golden years of Kerala... Once , Lord Vishnu wanted to test his generosity... "

" Then...." I asked , resting hands to my cheeks...

" Then , Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf Brahmin... He went to Mahabali' s court..."

" He requested for a piece land at the King... Being a generous person , he promised him to take how much ever land he wanted..."

I was intrigued to the story" Amma... The king didn't know that its Lord Vishnu..?"

" No Suman... The dwarf Brahmin told that he needed only three feet of land.. The king couldn't identify the dwarf Brahmin to be his Lord Vishnu... So he accepted to give three feet of land"

" The Brahmin ' s one foot covered the whole earth and the other foot covered the sky... He was awaiting for the third foot of land.. "

." What happened then.?. " shravan forgot to blink...

" The King understood that he's not an ordinary Brahmin... He immediately bowed his head to get the third foot of land.. The Lord Vishnu was pleased with his humbleness... He granted the boon for him that he can visit his people once in a year.. and , that day is celebrated as Onam in Kerala.. "

" Oh...so , King Mahabali loves his people very much ..for that he wanted to visit us atleast once on a year!!" Shravan widened his eyes..

Amma raffled his hair... " Beta...all of us deserve the purest love from anyone.. because love is the true sense of humanity and differentiates us from nonliving things... Don't worry that you can love only Divya akka...we are here to love you abundantly... Am I right Suman.. ?"

She winked where her eyes shone in moiture...

I hugged her as I felt so proud of her motherhood...

" Suman go to bed... Today shravan will sleep here ..."

She kissed my forehead ...I said good night to both and went...

I heard her soft lullaby where his eyes half shut in sleep...

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

" Today is my birthday... "

He is in search of a table where I stand in shock...

Today is Shravan's birthday...

" Sam... Here we go..."

He shows me a table that faces the lawn...

" Shravan...I feel like going home...can you please drop me?"

I feel like lost somewhere and want to be alone ...

He throws a shocking look..." Sam ... What happened...? Are you okay...?"

I press my forehead in discomfort..." Shravan... drop me at home"

I say adamantly where he doesn't find room to convince me or to discuss what's my problem...

His face immediately shrinks... He nods without asking me anything...

He kicks the bike heavily that resonates his inner anger ...

I sit and don't dare to talk with him... He rides silently.. Neither me nor him attempts to speak anything...

When he stops at my apartment , I can't see his face...

" Shravan... I have spoilt your day... Sorry .. "

I speak in a low tone in a concern not to hurt him...

He sighs out and smiles...

" Sam... You need not to be sorry... Perhaps , today is not the day..."

He zips his jacket up and taps his wrist watch...

" it's too late now ... Take rest... Atleast I have meet my friend today .. that's all enough.... If there's anything call me... See you tomorrow... Take care..."

He starts the bike , gesturing me to get inside...

" Sorry Shravan..."

I mumble again where he clucks to leave it...

I move inside , heavy hearted .... Guilt kills me that I have spoiled his birthday recalling my past...

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹