“Bas kar, Ani! Aur kitna padegi?” (“Stop it, Ani! How much more will you study?“) said my friend, who was sitting beside me.
I turned the pages of my notebook and replied, “Two more, please,” as I flipped to the next chapter.
That’s when my friend Nidhi added, “Don’t you get bored after reading the whole day?”
I shook my head and went back to reading.
Nidhi is my roommate and classmate. We’re each other’s only friends — she doesn’t have any other friends, and neither do I. So it’s always just the two of us.
I finished reading, turned the last page, and looked at my best friend, who was now lost in her storybook.
“Let’s go, Nidhi,” I said.
She looked up and asked, “Where?”
“To the canteen. I’m so hungry!” I replied.
She nodded, and we packed our bags. While walking, I noticed her still holding the book in her hand.
I love reading books too, but I can’t focus on storybooks right now — my semester exams are coming up.
“One cheese sandwich and one burger,” I told the cashier and found us a table to sit.
Nidhi sat across from me, still engrossed in her book.
“What are you reading?” I asked.
She looked at me, smiled, and then closed her book.
“Bro, believe me, this is the best story ever. You’ll get addicted if you read it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Genre?”
“Historical,” she said excitedly.
“Boring,” I replied just as our order arrived.
I started eating my sandwich while she added, “It’s a really nice story, believe me, Ani.”
“No, Nidhi,” I said as I finished my sandwich. That’s when she said,
“Okay, I’m going now. You already know, right?”
I nodded — her mother was in the hospital, and she was going to stay there for the night.
We packed our things and walked to the bus stop. Just before leaving, she handed me the book and said,
“Don’t be a boring person, Ani. Just try it once, and you’ll fall in love with this book.”
I nodded and took the book. It had an attractive cover. Curious, I opened the first page and read the line:
“Welcome, Rani-sa. Swagat hai aapka, Awadh ki rani. Hum aapka poore dil se swagat karte hain.”
(“Welcome, my queen. Welcome to Awadh. We welcome you with all our hearts.“)
I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Nidhi, what does this mean?”
She looked at the book and laughed.
“Looks like you’ve been studying too much, bro. The page is blank!”
I looked again — it was blank now. I closed my eyes. Maybe she was right.
She left for the hospital, and I returned to our building. I opened the door, tossed my bag on the table, and went to my room.
After a quick shower, I changed into my shorts, talked to my supportive parents, then turned on the TV and started watching cartoons.
My gaze landed on the book again.
I picked it up and opened the first page — it was blank. I shrugged and flipped ahead, reading the character names. To my shock, the female character’s name was Nalini — my name.
Curious, I flipped through more pages and started reading.
“Rana Rajveer Suryabhan Pratap Singh.”
Hmm… interesting name, though a bit long. He was the king of Awadh — a strong man with a hulk-like personality, shoulder-length hair always tied in a bun, and a mustache he took pride in. He was masiha (savior) for his people and kaal (doom) for his enemies.
It was actually really interesting. I liked it.
Still holding the book, I slipped on my bunny slippers and walked into the kitchen. I put some sabzi (vegetables) to fry. It was a stormy day, so I tied all the curtains shut and lay on the sofa.
The curtains suddenly blew open. I brushed it off as the wind and turned back to the book.
“Nalini Rathore — a princess of Mathura. A kind-hearted and beautiful girl with long hair and mesmerizing eyes. Everyone wanted to see her face, but no one ever had.”
“Rajkumari, chaliye,” a servant said. (“Princess, let’s go.“)
“Ji, chaliye,” she replied. (“Yes, let’s go.“)
She lifted the heavy lehenga (wedding dress) and walked towards the mandap (wedding altar), which was beautifully decorated with flowers and diyas (oil lamps). She sat beside the groom.
“Ab kahani tum likhogi, Rani-sa.” (“Now, you will write the story, my queen.“)
Hain?! (“What?!“)
What the hell is this?
I looked at the book — then suddenly smelled something burning.
I turned to find my room filled with smoke. There was fire.
“Aag! Aag! Bacchao!” (“Fire! Fire! Help!“) I screamed, rushing into the room.
I ran toward the bathroom — but it was also covered in flames.
“Nidhi! Mumma! Papa! Please bachao!” (“Mom! Dad! Nidhi! Please help!“) I shouted as the fire moved closer.
Suddenly, my foot slipped. I hit my head on the edge of the bathtub, and black dots filled my vision and it was my end the Nalini died today
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