Jeevan woke up and got ready for school.
Back to being a student. Back to school. He hanged his bag and started walking to school along with Jaivik and Janhavi. They were smiling though it was a day to day thing. Jeevan entered his class. As usual the student were all noisy talking to each other yet they didn't spoke a word to Jeevan and neither did Jeevan. That was it, the whole classroom busy talking to each other but no one was there to talk to him. Despite the fact that he was used to it, it felt a bit lonely, as if he was excluded in something memorable, something fun, something important. Why was it like this? Was it because Jeevan had changed his attitude in the past two years? Or was it because they didn't liked him either way? Was something wrong with Jeevan or was something wrong with his classmates?
"Hi! What's up?" Lakshmi greeted Jeevan
It made Jeevan glad. When nobody was interested in talking to him she was the one who wanted to talk to him.
"Hello!"
"What's going on in your mind?"
"Nothing. You got late today?"
"Yeah. I had a fight with my brother. He seriously has some problem."
"Oh! What happened?"
"He told me to pass his bag. I told him to get it himself as I was getting late. Then he started yelling at me."
"He is aggressive the same way you are."
"I am not aggressive but he sure is."
"You are."
"No."
Then, the bell rang and she hurried towards her seat. Ms. Sujata entered the class.
"Good Morning class!" She said
"Goooood Mooooorning Maaa'aaam." The whole class sang together.
"Don't sing like you're in nursery. Greet smartly."
"Good Morning ma'am."
"Yeah. You have grown up now."
"Have I?" Thought Jeevan
"Let me take your attendance."
Roll no. 1, 2, 3, 4_______ went on the role call. Soon the bell rang and thus, followed the series of periods. Sanjay, Gopal, Ms Sujata and the rest teacher came to teach and went satisfied after their respective periods were over. Teachers taught, the students wrote, studied and followed unnecessary discussions. This time Jeevan was trying his best to be attentive, that was till the History class and once again the birdwatching began. He could see a nest of sparrows and their were three baby sparrows and their mother was feeding them with her shining beak. Mumma! Why did you leave me?
His face expressed the grief he was trying to hide in his heart. This expression of his got Moksh's attention.
"Jeevan!" He said "What's the matter?"
"No, it's nothing!"
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's alright for me but atleast don't make that face or we'll be in trouble. Everyone will assume I am threatening you, like a bully."
"Okay!"
Seeing his face Moksh got interested but he didn't force Jeevan to tell him anything. Moksh was quite eager to know about his problem at that moment but soon, forgot completely about it. Moksh had an elder brother Shashwat who was Janhavi's friend and classmate. Janhavi and Shashwat were quite good friends since past few years.
The day proved to be absolutely boring to Jeevan. He was going home with Jaivik.
"How was your day, Jeev?" Jaivik asked Jeevan.
"Fine."
"School is so boring."
"Yup!"
"It's totally boring."
"Yeah and without friends, horrible."
"How many friends do you have?"
"One or two."
"Same."
"Some kids have a problem with me."
"Yeah."
"But I am still trying to make some."
"Oh!"
Jeevan realized that Jaivik was working hard and wanted to motivate Jeevan. He's so awesome! He always thinks about me. He's so kind! I want to be just like him. They reached home, changed their clothes, had lunch and the schedule went on. The next day Jeevan went to school. He saw Lakshmi's brother along with Lakshmi standing outside the class. He said something to her and went away.
"Hello!" He said to her.
"Yo!"
"What's up!"
"You shouldn't be copying my dialogue."
"Ooppssy daisy."
"So, how are you these days?"
"Oh I am fine, I guess."
"I guess?"
"I am not having a fever these days."
"Okay." She said not knowing what to say.
"What about you."
"I am cool."
The bell rang and the attendance went on. Today the first period was of Mr Arjun.
"Good Morning class." He wished.
"Ggoooddd Mmmoooooooorrninggg siiiiiir." All the students sang together.
"I'll check the f.c.'s today."
"Okay sir."
"I hope all of you have completed your work."
"Yes sir." All the students said but only a few had completed.
He began to call roll number wise and so began the excuses. As soon as he said Jeevan's name he commented "Jeevan complete your work and submit it today only."
"Sir but my work is complete!"
"Oh show me your register?"
He saw all the work was complete and kept it aside the other registers.
"I'll check it later." He said
"Later?" Thought Jeevan
After checking all the ragister. He picked up Jeevan's register. He called him. Jeevan stood beside as the teacher was correcting his work. He checked every calculation! He just put an tick on the rest copies. He didn't even read the content of anyone else's work. Then why is he checking my register so carefully? I remember that Kushagar wrote '2×2 = 8' and he checked it. (The reason why Jeevan remebered this was, Kushagar showed it to everyone and said it was on purpose and he proved that the teacher was just putting ticks on everything) He is encircling all my mistakes! Is that why he kept my - my register aside? How awful! But why my register? Is it because I am absent a lot? Maybe, maybe not.
"Here, do the corrections." He said
"Yes sir."
"I know why you are looking at me like that. I checked your copy specifically as you are absent a lot so your concepts should be clear. Looks like they are clear though you need some practice. And remember, you should always keep your copies correct so that if you are not able to solve any question you have the solution. That goes for all of you, even you Kushagar now sit down and stop talking. "
"He's good after all." Thought Jeevan.
Next period was Geography.Geography was certainly a hard period for Jeevan to concentrate on as he hated the subject and felt awfully bored while studying it. The teacher entered the class and started teaching the lesson. Jeevan unwillingly peeped out of the window. What a lovely sight it was! (Actually normal but seemed beautiful to Jeevan as he was bored in the class) He saw how the sparrows were picking up the broken parts of the branches and making their nest in order to nurture their babies and related the incident with his old life. The teacher looked at Jeevan and saw him gazing out of the window.
"Jeevan!" She yelled at him.
"Yes ma'am!" He said getting up from his bench.
"What are you doing?"
"Sorry ma'am!"
"Why were you gazing outside the window?"
"I'm sorry ma'am!"
"Come bring me your school diary!" She shouted at him.
"Sorry ma'am!"
"Do as commanded."
He came with the school dairy in his hands. She took it and wrote a note -
'Dear parents
Your ward was not paying attention in his Geography class and this has happened several times in the class. Kindly acknowledge this matter.'
"Get it signed from your parents."
"Ma'am I'll get it signed by my elder sister."
"Okay. And next time pay attention in the class."
"Okay ma'am!"
Jeevan went home.
"Hey sister!" He said in a frightened voice.
"Yeah, what is it?" she said then looked at Jeevan and asked with fury "You weren't paying attention in the class?"
"Hmph." He quickly gave the school diary to his sister.
"Jeevan! Why? Why don't you pay attention in the class? You always get a note from your teachers! I am just fed up of your complaints."
"Fed up of my complaints! I am fed up of the fact that you always scold me both of you are so cold hearted that you can never understand the fact that I can't forget them the way you have!" Saying this Jeevan ran away.
"Jeevan!" Said Jaivik and was about to run towards him when Janhavi put her arm in front of him.
"Jai! Let him do what he wants he need to grow up! We won't be with him throughout his life and besides excess of anything results bad and that includes affection."
Hearing this Jaivik stopped though it felt incorrect to him. He was worried about Jeevan. But respected Janhavi and decided to obey her.
What's their problem? Always scolding me! Never understanding me! I'll go and hide somewhere they could never think of. Yeah, that old mansion will be fine. Thinking this he entered the old villa. To Jeevan's surprise as soon as he entered the old building. In a flash of second something hit him hard before he could have understood anything, the poor boy was unconscious.
On the other hand, motherly Janhavi got worried. It had been so long and Jeevan had not returned.
"Jai!"
"Yeah."
"Jeevan isn't home. We should go look for him."
"Yeah by now he should be home."
"He never stays out for so long."
Thinking this they started looking for him. They knew their brother well and the places he liked. First, they looked in the park but there was no sign of Jeevan. Next was the library, again the two failed. So next they tried places near the school, but all in vain. After a little time the concerned brother and sister went to the old mansion. What they saw took them by surprise! Jeevan was sitting on the floor with his hands on his head. It was quite easy to understand that he was in pain. Standing next to him was Lakshmi and her brother.
"What's going on?" Quried Janhavi.
"Are you alright Jeev?" Asked Jaivik.
"Yeah." He said in a very low voice.
"Tell us everything."
"I just came here running from home and I entered inside and something hit me, the next thing I knew, I was sitting and they were here."
"Oh!" Said Jaivik stroking his head
"Tell us what you saw?" Janhavi asked Lakshmi.
Before she could say anything her brother started answering "We just heard the noise and rushed in and saw him lying on the floor."
"Oh! But this place seems so dangerous. We should report this to the police, I mean if a terrorist or someone harmful has planted a bomb or anything like that, I am scared and I beleive we should really tell it to the police." Said Jeevan
"But no one will believe you!" Said Lakshmi
"But it won't hurt to just report this and besides we should do our best."
"But-"
"We should tell this. I mean, they will start a investigation and we will know what was wrong."
"But-"
"We should go." Saying this Jeevan along with the two started going out.
"But-"
"No, you can't go!" Yelled Lakshmi's brother
"Why not?" Asked Janhavi in surprise
"Because, ah! We will tell you everything but please not here."
"OK, let's go to our home." Said Jaivik
"Hmph...."
The teenagers were soon at Janhavi's house. The three looked at the faces of the brother and sister with both confusion and curiosity. Where as, the brother and sister were busy glaring at each other's face. Probably thinking who will begin or from where to start.
Finally the lad started the conversation "I am Gyan, Lakshmi's so called brother."
"So called?"
"Yeah, actually I am an messenger spirit. Sent here by the other spirits. I came here for the very reason to help Lakshmi."
"Messenger?"
"Spirits?"
"Help Lakshmi?"
"You see." Continued Lakshmi "I am a special human. I can see and sense spirits."
"You can see spirits?"
"Yeah. I am the one who sends spirits back to the spirit world."
"There is a world full of spirits called spirit world. And that is where from I originally am." Said gyan "I came here two years ago and since then Lakshmi along with me is sending the spirits back from the world of humans to the world of spirits. But only a few have to be sent back."
"Now comes the part that how come he was acting like my brother without letting my parents know about all this?"
"And the simple answer is that I casted a magic spell on this whole world and thus all of you believe that I am his brother though I am not."
"As per how I sent them back is, I have a staff given to me by him which opens a portal to the spirit world."
"But the job gets hard at times when the spirit refuses to go back to the spirit world. In a case like the one which happened today in the villa, we have to fight it and force them to go back."
"In those cases my staff isn't of any help."
"So I have to use the bow and arrow entrusted to me by the previous messenger."
"The thing which hurted you was an attack used by the spirit and we are really sorry for that."
"We usually do this stuff at a place which is abandoned by the people to ensure that no one gets hurt and our secret remains a secret."
"Though in this case you came there in middle of our fight which has never happened before."
"You see this thing happens in each generation though the families may be different."
"Oh so that's why!" Said Jeevan
"That's why what?" Asked Gyan
"So that's why I remember Lakshmi having no sibling. I remebered her saying 'I want an elder sibling though it's not possible.' I was always so confused that how come she has an elder brother who is not his cousin, though I never dared asking."
"What you actually remember that!"
"Yeah."
"But I casted the magic on everyone except me and Lakshmi! How is that even possible?"
"Ah.. I don't know."
"By the way." Said Lakshmi "Is there anything in your pocket?"
"Yeah." Said Jeevan taking out his dairy
"How do you know?" Asked Jaivik
"I sense it being somehow related to spirits."
"I don't know about that but it's sure magical."
"Magical!" Exclaimed Gyan "So you are the chosen one! All this time I never realised that you were the chosen one!"
"Chosen one!" Exclaimed the others
"Yeah the chosen one. You are the one entrusted to the magical dairy. I am sure, you know about the Gate and all."
"Yup."
"So you see, this dairy you possess is connected to a spirit, it is a messenger so that you could be helped."
"It is connected to a spirit!"
"Hmph.... a truly kind and gentle spirit. She will help you when needed."
"I am still not able to understand one thing." Said Jaivik
"OK, go ahead."
"Spirits are there in everyone so how can you be a spirit, I mean are you already dead."
"Hey, you are confusing soul with spirit. So what is present in you is a soul and it will keep on reincarnation until the time you are released from this cycle of life and death. Whereas the spirits are of two types the one who are free and the one who are borned in the spirit world."
"Oh seems alright."
"So what are we supposed to do after closing all the gates." Asked Janhavi, hearing this Gyan smiled
"You can't close all the gates, there are so many it would take more than this life to close all."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Asked worried Jeevan
"Now there, don't be so worried there are only few in our universe. And there are different people for different universe though it might be that you may go to another universe and you end up maintaining their doors. You see it usually happens when there are lots of worlds in only one universe. It ain't possible for a single human to travel in so many worlds."
"Oh! So what are we supposed to do after closing our door."
"Neither Lakshmi nor I am aware of that fact."
"Okay."
"Anyways it's already evening we should be on our way back or else mother will be worried and furious." Said Lakshmi
"Bye!"
"Bye!"
Lakshmi and Gyan were headed home leaving the three surprised teenagers behind. Jeevan didn't even knew how to feel about this, imagine your best rather only friend being involved in such a mess from previous two years and he never even thought of something like this, imagine carrying a magical dairy which he bought with the guess that it would have an interesting story and it comes out to be a sort of messenger from the spirit world, imagine believing something to be non living comes out to be kind of living. He was so surprised that he even forgot about the pain in his head for the day.
At night the three youngsters had their dinner and then went to sleep. Next day when Jeevan woke up he started thinking about the pain in his head. It was Sunday, and the two had to go teaching tuition. The day was quite tiring. At night when Jeevan was sleeping he had a nightmare, it was scary, he saw the same nightmare, seeing his parents death again, the boy was completely freaked out but this time he didn't yell he just got up, washed his face and went back to bed again.
Next morning Jeevan felt lots of pain in his head but it wasn't the same as the previous morning and the headache was followed by a little weakness. Although it was quite hard to handle he didn't even say a word to others as he wasn't wiling to cause trouble for them and make them worry. He went to school, sat on his bench beside Moksh quietly. Moksh saw him quite throughout the attendance but thought he was being normal and quite as usual, so he didn't ask him if he was sad or something. That day Jeevan wasn't able to focus on even one of his class and Moksh had to softly hit him by elbow in order to make him realize that the teacher was looking at him. Periods came and periods went and it was lunch break. Bullies came to bully Jeevan. They circled near his bench.
"Hey! Look at the tuition teacher." One said mockingly
"Ooohhh the poor boy looks so, lonely doesn't he?"
"That's how someone as useless as him should be like!"
"Exactly, I bet he teaches tuitions because he was thrown out of his house by his parent for being so useless."
"Do you mind if we ask a question sir?"
"Were you thrown out or kicked out?"
They went on, it wasn't his lucky day as Lakshmi and Moksh were on lunch break duty, looking out for juniors and were accompanied by a few who might have stood up for Jeevan either because they were prefects or because they believed Jeevan had suffered enough. Teachers were busy because of some meeting and so Sanjay and Gopal didn't came to check on him as they usually did. The group of teenage boys present to make Jeevan upset kept on fabbling nonsense. He was already crestfallen and then their words hit him hard. The bell rang and therefore came the next period. It was Maths. Jeevan was siting on the bench feeling a little dizzy. He knew from the morning that he had a fever and despite that fact he just pushed himself till the lunch break but now it seemed harder to stay in the class his sight became more dizzy.
He got up saying "Sir-" and then everything turned black!0