September 22–30 – Devgarh & Nandanpur
Vacant Classrooms
The notice came pinned to the school gate, half-smeared by rain:
Dusshera break begins September 25. Classes will resume after the festival.
Cheers rippled through the Devgarh courtyard. For the city kids, vacation meant garba nights, cousins visiting, and sweets in bright boxes. For the Nandanpur children, it meant muddy fields, chores, and stories by lantern light.
But for Ishanvi, it meant one thing — more time with questions no book could answer.
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Navratri in the Rain
Even with the storm pressing down, Devgarh lit itself for Navratri. Strings of colored bulbs blinked weakly through mist, temple drums echoed between raindrops, and girls twirled in damp ghagras, their laughter defying the clouds.
Simran stood at the edge of the pandal, clutching her dupatta as she spotted Abhay in the crowd. No one else noticed how the rain slid off him too easily, never soaking him fully. She pressed her lips tight, a mix of envy and fear.
Across town, Ishanvi lit the evening diya at home. The flame bent toward her hand, steady even as the wind rattled shutters. Vrinda clapped at the "miracle," but Ishanvi's stomach tightened. It wasn't a trick of oil and wick. The fire obeyed her.
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The River's Festival
On the eighth night, when dhol beats shook Devgarh's streets, Sudarshini surged again. Its swollen waves licked dangerously close to the farmlands.
Abhay felt it before he saw it. A tug, deep in his chest, as if the river demanded he step closer. He stood at the banks, bracelets of spray curling around his wrist like unfinished words.
"You're part of me," the current seemed to whisper. "And I'm not done yet."
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Simran's Decision
That night, while others sang bhajans and played dandiya, Simran wrote by candlelight.
If they don't control it, the river will. And when it floods again… it won't just be water we fear.
She folded the page, tucked it into her schoolbag, and whispered to herself:
"I need to tell someone. Before it's too late."
Outside, firecrackers fought the thunder. Celebration and storm, light and shadow, tangled into one.