"Daddy!"
The father did not respond to his ten year old son, while he was lying in his shorts under the sun on the beach on a warm sunny day morning.
"Daddy!",he yelled louder, coming near his father with a beach shovel in his hand.
"What son!? Can't I have a moment's peace with you around."
"I don't like the word peace. I like to create chaos.", Satwik replied.
"I sure know that. I should have left you at home with your mom."
"That's rude, daddy."
"Okay, tell me why you were calling me."
"Are there other worlds somewhere else, where no one has been."
"The world I know is one, boy and we don't need more trouble by having more of them."
"What if there is a world much wilder than ours? Somewhere far behind the seas, where our eyes can't see?", he kept staring at the sea.
"Well, in that case, you should be staying away from it, because that world would be far more problematic with you in it."
"No. I'll be a good boy daddy. Please take me there."
"Sure son. Be a good boy and I'll definitely take you there one day."
"Okay pack your things son. We need to get back home. You mom would be concerned unnecessarily if we stayed longer," the father said.
The two of them had a one last glance at the sea from the shore, where the moon was almost rising, turning the sky into mystical pearl.They just did not want to go back as they were in complete awe of the beauty they were leaving behind. The waves crashing under the silver moon were too good to walk away from. But they had to leave. The boy's mom would be waiting for him to come back.
The father said" Let's go, Satwik. It is not going anywhere. We can come again some other day."
They both entered the car and the father prepared to take off. Satwik kept looking back into the deep blue sea which was shining like a jewel under the night sky. The car drove forward leaving the beautiful scene behind. But the place had no lack of beauty. It was everywhere. They drove on the road covered by greenery around. There were golden lamps lit along the road and the beautifully aligned trees were glowing in that light. Satwik kept his head out of the window of the car and was absorbing every bit of the moment. They were very quiet throughout the journey. The father was amused by the silence his boy gave him. The beauty was such that the boy had nothing to talk about, but just felt the moment.
"No talking now, Satwik?" he said.
"Shh, dad. You are ruining it for me."
The father smiled and they continued their ride as they passed through the road which had almost no traffic at all. Soon their drive ended and they arrived near their house and the car was parked in the garage.
"It was a great day, dad!" Satwik exclaimed.
"It sure was, son," the father said, ruffling Satwik's hair.
As they were heading towards the door they could see Satwik's mom waiting anxiously for her boy. She was so glad he came back. Satwik immediately ran to her as soon as he saw her and hugged her tightly. She hugged him and gave him a kiss.
"No hugs or kisses for me?" The father teased his wife.
"I don't care about you. It's my boy I care about," the mother replied playfully.
"Yeah! I am used to this kind of treatment by now,"he said with a laugh as they all entered the house.
"What took you guys so long. Do you even remember that you said you would be back an hour ago?"
"Yes, I know, I know! But you know your kid as well as I do. Do you think it was easy to convince him to come back home?"
"I was concerned about you Satwik. How many times do I have to tell you mommy gets worried if you are late."
"I'll never ever repeat it mommy. Please forgive me."
"I'm glad to hear that my baby," she hugged him.
"You're ever so gullible honey," said her husband.
"Shut up. My kid will never do anything to hurt his mom. Am I not right, Satwik?"
"You are always right, unlike daddy."
Everyone was laughing when he said that. That uplifted the cheerful mood they already had and Satwik's mom offered him some cookies, which she made while he was out with his dad. Satwik said that he would eat them after having a bath. And within five minutes he was done with his bath and got all dressed up and ordered his mother for his cookies.
"Mom, where are your son's savouries you made obediently?" he called out playfully.
"They are right on the table in the living room my dear,"she replied with a smile.
He took the cookies beside him and switched on the video game set which he was always obsessed with. He played the games and in between, he munched on the cookies.
"Mommy, these are great - just like you!" he shouted.
"You are the sweetest son ever, my sweetheart," his mom replied from the kitchen,with her heart melting from his words.
And soon his gaming session was over and he decided he would sit on the lawn and look at the night sky which was magical earlier. He asked his mom if he could sit on the lawn for a while for which she obliged, but had an eye on him secretly.
Satwik went out to the lawn, which was lush and had been trimmed a few days ago, but the grass felt soft, like a cushion. A golden lamp was lit up right on the edge of Satwik's house, as they were there throughout the town. He took a seat on the lush grass, embracing the beauty of the small town. But there was something more beautiful if he lifted his head. The magical moon and stars are waiting for him to notice them. They had stories that they wanted to tell Satwik. He just lifted his head and was equally awestruck as he was earlier in the day. He was staring at the night sky and admired its beauty for a while before his mind drifted, guided by the night sky. He thought about the conversation he had with his father earlier on the beach.
He had one question: Is there a hidden world which hasn't been explored yet?
He thought - Are there any places undiscovered? Are there any magical creatures? How am I going to reach them? I want to go beyond the sea and explore the world and find out whether they are there. It would be so nice if we had fire-breathing dragons, magical witches, and naughty dwarfs. The world would be more interesting with them. It would be magical, just like the night sky before me. I don't want to grow old and lead a boring life like my dad and everyone else.
As he was thinking all this, a special person struck Satwik's mind. Uncle Vinod. Satwik thought- Yes, ofcourse! Uncle Vinod knows the answers to these questions of mine. He knows about a lot of things and maybe he will answer my questions.
He was convinced his uncle knew answers to his questions and was eager to meet him soon and was excited by the prospect that his uncle could take him to the mysterious world that he craved so much.
"We could sail the sea together by a ship and discover hidden islands and explore the magical creatures that may exist",Satwik thought, getting all excited and dreamy.
Satwik was all ready to meet uncle Vinod the next day, but he was concerned what his mother would say as he knows she doesn't really think highly of him. He took one last glance at the street and decided he would ask his mom for permission to meet uncle Vinod. He dusted off his shorts and with a concerned look, he walked toward the house. His mom was busy cooking and as soon as she heard the door click, she immediately stopped whatever she was doing and came to attend to her boy. She saw the concerned look he had and was quick to spot it.
"What happened dear? You look troubled."
"Actually...I need to ask you permission to go somewhere tomorrow," Satwik replied.
His mother knew what was on his mind.
"Oh, no! You are not going there to visit him. That good for nothing guy is going to ruin your mind."
"But Mom, Uncle Vinod is a really fun guy and I love him."
"He has no job or anything. Do you want to grow up to be like him?"
"But, he is a very good person, and I always enjoy his company," Satwik insisted stubbornly.
His mother could not fight the boy's determination, who won the little battle this time.
"Okay, fine. But don't stay for too long,"his mom approved.
"Thank you mom. I will tell uncle Vinod that you love him," he said being elated and went back to his room as his mom smiled at her mischievous boy.
The next morning, Satwik's father dropped him at Vinod's house. The house was painted in white, but almost faded and the roof tiles were held with fragility. There was a coconut tree that was swaying in the backyard of the house, which added to the mysterious look the house had.
"Do you want to come back to pick you up?"
"No. Uncle Vinod will drop me on his scooter."
"Okay then, make it quick, or else I will need to eventually come here again as your mother won't let you stay for long."
"I know, dad! Don't worry about me, try and keep your wife busy," he winked.
"You, little! I'll talk to you when you get back home," the father said with a smile and drove back.
Satwik stared at the mysterious place once before he decided he would get in to meet his favourite uncle.
Vinod stayed alone, that is how he likes it. He was always immersed in some sort of research, no one knew or cared about. He had a beard which was groomed well enough, and looked pretty smart, despite all his chaos within. He was always busy with all the strange equipment he had. He had beakers, pipettes,flasks and all sorts of chemical equipment in one corner. There was machinery which occupied a large space in the living room and the shelves were filled with books. Some of them are scattered on the reading table. Most people find the whole set up strange, but Satwik used to love all of it and would not want to change a thing about it. Satwik used to love Vinod's unconventional place and always had a good time whenever he visited his uncle. Vinod loved how playful he was and Satwik would do some kind of mischief with the sophisticated equipment the place had. Vinod did not mind him experimenting with his work equipment as long as it is safe, as he could not care for them as much as he cares about the boy's happiness when he played with them.
"Uncle Vinod! Look who's here!"
"Oh! My baby nephew! It's been a whole week since I saw you. How have you been?"
"I am great, unlike you who always have something in your head always."
"Well, I suppose,"he sighed.
"What do we have to eat?"
"The fridge is all yours! Take whatever you want."
Satwik grabbed a couple of chocolates from the fridge, which were specifically stored for whoever kids that may come to the house. Vinod even had a video game set and few action figures were scattered on a separate table and even had Pokemon cards for the kids, for them not to be bored, so that they could play with them.
"Are you ready?"said Vinod.
"I always am," said Satwik, filled with excitement.
"Transform," he said and the whole place changed instantly.
A red and blue themed light setting around the corners of the room that glowed up the place . The room has changed suddenly into a fun playground. He always cared deeply about kids and nothing made him happier than a smile on their faces which is why he added this different dynamic to the house.
"Okay! Wanna see who is better at Tekken," satwik said, flexing his arms.
"Oh! You are getting really better," Vinod laughed," But I won't go easy on you Satwik. Remember that."
" I will have to for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Vinod"
"Okay, we'll see, bring it on, young man."
Satwik turned on the video game set glowing under the flashing lights and they both were ready for some fun time. Satwik was confident and Vinod even if he said he would not go easy on him, eventually would. They played for a half an hour and it was filled with fun, laughter and little banter from Satwik. Vinod made sure that Satwik won the majority of the games which would make him feel like a champion.
"Yes! I won again! Am I not the best," Satwik said jubilantly.
"You surely are, my munchkin,"Vinod said with a fond smile.
Satwik had enough of the gaming and sat on the sofa, basking under the lights of the room. He seemed to think of the purpose of the visit. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
"What is this I am watching? My boy lost in his thoughts and stayed silent. That is different!" Vinod teased.
Satwik was all serious and expressed, "Uncle Vinod, I have a lot of questions and I thought you would know the answers."
"Shoot," said Vinod with a gentle smile.
"Uncle, do we have other worlds other than ours?"
"Ofcourse. I have been researching on this topic a lot too and I believe there are some secret worlds hidden inside our world where magical creatures exist which do not appear to a normal average human being."
"Really!! I really want to go there, Vinod. Please tell me how I can get there."
"I am not sure about it. I even wrote a book about it and I have so many missing links that are not leading me anywhere."
"Can I read that book?"
"You sure can. But you are too young to understand any of it. It is far too complicated for a youngster like you."
"Can I take it home with me?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not?"
"Okay, uncle Vinod, this was the main reason I came here, I did not just come here to play."
"Kid, don't overthink it, okay? Take it easy."
"Sure uncle. I am not going to think too much about it. I promise."
Vinod hugged him and asked if wants to be dropped at home.
"No, if my mom sees me with this book, she will definitely ask me to return it back to you. I will just call my dad to pick me up," saying that Satwik picked up his phone and called his dad.
He came to Vinod's place in about fifteen minutes and asked Vinod if he had caused any mischief.
"Ofcourse, he did! You should know him better," laughed Vinod.
"Yeah, that was a pointless question," said the father with a grin.
Satwik waved Vinod goodbye and said he would visit him soon as they drove back home.