By 2:30 PM, the large school clock looked down on an empty courtyard. School had been officially dismissed at 1:30 PM, and while the rest of their classmates had long since sprinted out of the front gates to enjoy their afternoon, Arjun and Gopi had been marched directly next door under the stern escort of khanna Sir. Their real punishment was just beginning.
The grueling work dragged on far longer than either of the boys had anticipated.
The blistering afternoon sun slowly sunk into a hazy, golden west, burning away their remaining energy. What they had hoped would be a quick, thirty-minute sweep had morphed into hours of relentless manual labor. They had swept, scrubbed, lugged heavy iron buckets of water that made their already-sore muscles scream, and dusted under the hawkish gaze of temple volunteers—older volunteers who seemed to possess an almost supernatural, X-ray ability to spot microscopic specks of dust where none existed.
Inside the main temple hall, the white marble floor finally began to gleam under the fading twilight. Arjun and Gopi stood in the center of the vast room, armed with two ancient-looking, shedding grass brooms.
Gopi suddenly stopped sweeping and slowly straightened his posture.
CRACK.
A loud, terrifying pop echoed off the temple pillars. Gopi froze mid-movement, his eyes wide.
CRACK.
"Aaaah..." Gopi let out a long, pathetic groan, his face contorting into the expression of an eighty-year-old retired laborer. "Man... after Sharma Sir made us do the Murga punishment for forty straight minutes in class this morning, my back is completely shattered. My waist is gone."
He rubbed his lower spine dramatically, leaning heavily on his broom like a walking stick. "Honestly, Arjun, I think my lower vertebrae has collapsed."
Arjun didn't even look up, methodically pushing a pile of dust toward the doorway. "Well, what did you expect? Sharma ji was bound to take his pound of flesh. You can't just drop out of the stratosphere and land on your bald, short hieghted, double chinned teacher carrying a pregnant looking potbelly stomach without some cosmic blowback."
Gopi winced, a sudden wave of guilt washing over his face. "The more I think about the collision the more embarrassement i felt."
Arjun burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the cavernous hall. "You are lucky that you landed on his chest instead of his stomach otherwise, the speed with which you were falling toward the ground, you would have flown right back up into the sky, with the exact same speed bouncing back from his pot belly."
Gopi snatched a damp, grimy dust cloth off a nearby railing and hurled it at Arjun's head. Arjun dodged it effortlessly with a dancer's grace, not missing a single stroke of his broom.
"But look at the bright side," Arjun continued, his tone turning a bit more serious. "At least they didn't call our parents. He preferred to settle the score personally with the rooster stance. If he had made that phone call, we wouldn't just be dealing with a sore back right now."
Both boys shuddered simultaneously, a cold sweat breaking out on their necks as two terrifying mental images flashed before their eyes.
"It's true," Gopi conceded, shaking his head to clear the nightmare. Then, he aggressively pointed the handle of his broom at Arjun. "But let's not forget the root cause here. None of this would have happened if I hadn't agreed to your colossally stupid plan!"
Arjun stopped sweeping, looking deeply offended. "Stupid plan? We atleast reached inside the school Gopi. Otherwise we would have been sent back to our home, the entrance gate of the school was already closed.
"By flying through the sky like flying squirrels, Arjun!" Gopi shrieked.
Arjun waved his hand dismissively, turning back to his dust pile. "At the end only result matters, Gopi. We got inside the school and weren't marked absent."
"The process matters too, specially when the process is 99% proved to be fatal, resulting in almost killing of a faculty!" Gopi shot back at arjun.
"What's done is done," Arjun said, switching gears to avoid losing the argument. "Forgot about it and just focus on removing that grease patch near the inner sanctum. The priests will be here soon with his heard of devotees."
Gopi looked down at the smooth, highly polished marble. A slow, incredibly mischievous grin began to spread across his face.
"Hey, Arjun... just make sure you don't polish it too much. We don't want Sharma Sir to come here for the evening prayer, slip on the marble, and fly face-first into the donation box."
For a second, a heavy silence hung in the temple hall.
Then, both boys completely lost it.
Arjun let out a loud snort, nearly dropping his broom as he doubled over. He stumbled backward and leaned his weight against a massive carved pillar, shaking with laughter. "Oh my god, stop! Whatever remains of his poor spine would be permanently liquidated!"
"Exactly!" Gopi cackled, clutching his stomach. "Then tomorrow, instead of standing at the blackboard, he'll be wheeling himself into the classroom, lecturing us about gravity from a motorized wheelchair."
"Or he'll drag us back to the principal's office!" Arjun choked out, tears gathering in his eyes. He suddenly straightened his posture, narrowed his eyes, puffed out his stomach like an airbag, and perfectly mimicked Sharma Sir's high-pitched, outraged wheeze: "Principal Khanna! I tell you, I tell you, these two are not students! They are walking, talking natural disasters! You know this morning they fell on me from the sky like a missile and even with that they were not satisfied that in the evening they make me fell on the floor"
Gopi almost choked on his own spit, laughing so hard no sound came out of his mouth.
Their booming laughter bounced off the high ceilings and the ancient stone walls, filling the empty temple with pure, infectious energy. It took them a good three minutes of breathless wheezing before they finally calmed down, wiping their eyes and catching their breath.
Gopi looked at arjun for a second briefly he looked at him as if he has some answered questions for him.
"Why are you starring me like that haa" arjun noticed gopi immediately "does my zip got snapped off." He looked at his pant in a dramatic manner.
"Tell me something, Arjun. I've been wanting to ask you this since morning," Gopi broke his silence and began, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Yeah, go ahead," Arjun replied.
"Today is your birthday. You could have easily strolled in late—the guards and the teachers would have let you off the hook today. But you still didn't do that. Instead, you pulled all those crazy stunts just to reach school on time. What was the real reason behind that?"
Arjun shrugged, his tone quiet and simple. "The reason is pretty simple, Gopi. Yeah, it's true they would have let me slide for being late. But what about you? They definitely wouldn't have let you off."
He paused, looking at his friend. "And you got late in the first place because of me. How could I just leave you stranded because of my own mistake and walk inside comfortably?"
Gopi stared at him, caught off guard. "Are you serious? I honestly had no idea you secretly thought so much about others."
"What's there to think about, man?" Arjun said gently. "That's the unspoken deal in friendship—you never abandon each other in a tight spot, no matter what happens. And honestly, you're usually the one proving that to me every single day.
"Every single time I get us into trouble, you stand right beside me. Even if you end up ear-bashing me for it later, you still take the fall and suffer the consequences right along with me. Do you really think I'm so selfish that I'd just sit back in comfort while you faced Sharma Sir's punishment all by yourself? We're friends. We make mischief together, so we take the beating together too. What did I ever do to make you think so little of me?"
"No, no, it's not like that," Gopi said quickly, feeling a bit of guilt. "I just thought... well, you didn't even care that it was your birthday, taking all that punishment on your special day."
Arjun let out a dry, breathy laugh. "What difference does it make? What grand feat did I accomplish by taking birth today? Just like any other day, I had to drag myself for everything. Nobody really cares that I was born today. I'm not some celebrity or royalty whose existence matters to the world. Other than my parents, you, and your parents, no one gives a damn about me anyway."
"Don't say that, man. That's not true," Gopi countered, a sly grin slowly forming on his face. "There are people who care about you. Like that girl who saved both of us from Sharma Sir's wrath and that bully Chochi's nonsense today. Just think about her for a second."
At the mere mention of Laila, the tension vanished from Arjun's frame. A dreamy, mesmerized look washed over his face. All his cynicism melted away as he got completely lost in her thoughts, reflecting on her selfless gesture with a soft, helpless smile gracing his lips.
Than suddenly a loud cracks, snapping arjun out of his mind.
"A snake! There's a snake over here!"
"Look how massive it is!"
"It's a cobra—a dark cobra!"
The terrified shrieks echoed through the temple halls, breaking the quiet afternoon and sending Arjun and Gopi sprinting outside toward the main courtyard.
When they burst into the open grounds, they saw a large crowd of local children and temple staff had gathered in the far corner. Arjun and Gopi pushed through the frightened onlookers to see what the commotion was about.
Huddled against the stone perimeter wall stood a cluster of heavy, rusted oil drums. Coiled tight between them was a giant, jet-black cobra. Its majestic hood was flared wide, swaying violently as it unleashed low, angry hisses at anyone who dared step close. The sheer size of the beast paralyzed the crowd—one strike from a serpent that large meant instant death.
"All you kids, stay back!" one of the temple workers yelled, waving a long wooden stick frantically. "Don't come any closer! One drop of its venom will kill you before you can even scream!"
While the children shrank back in terror, Arjun stepped out from the crowd. Unbothered, he walked casually past the terrified adults straight toward the oil drums.
"Are you insane?!" the worker with the stick barked, grabbing at Arjun's shoulder to pull him back. "Why are you sticking your hand into the jaw of death?!"
"There's no need to be afraid," Arjun replied softly. "He won't hurt anyone."
Chochi mocked at him from the crowd behind. "Hey, snake-boy! Just because you've got a fancy serpent tattoo on your arm doesn't mean you're actually one of them. One bad strike from that thing, and you'd be pissing venom right into your pants. All that fake heroism would drain out of you real quick—along with a whole lot of foam."
Arjun didn't even turn his head, his tone bone-dry and cutting. "Keep talking, Chochi. There's more venom in your tongue than in that cobra's fangs—so stop spitting venom and shut up, you double-chin, extra large cobra."
Ignoring the warning cries behind him, Arjun knelt in the dirt directly in front of the furious cobra.
He slowly reached out his right arm—the skin marked by a faint, ancient serpent symbol. In a gentle, soothing tone, he spoke to the creature.
"Come here," Arjun whispered, his voice steady, smooth and eerily calm with extreme patience. "You don't need to be afraid. No one is going to hurt you. Come here."
The crowd held its breath, horrified. To them, the boy had completely lost his mind.
Then, the impossible happened.
The cobra, which had been striking the air in pure rage moments ago, suddenly stilled. Its wide hood slowly collapsed. The furious hissing died down into a soft breath. Gazing at Arjun with surreal stillness, the giant snake slithered forward, pressing its cool snout against the serpent mark on Arjun's hand as if offering a gentle bow.
Without a trace of hesitation, the dark cobra glided up his arm, wrapping smoothly around his wrist and coiling resting over his neck and shoulder by coiling around.
Arjun stood up, turning to the frozen crowd. "See? I told you there was nothing to fear. You just scared him with all the shouting and commotion."
Not a single person spoke. Shock hung heavy over the courtyard as everyone stared in utter disbelief, paralyzed by the sight of the boy standing casually with a deadly serpent draped over his neck.
Turning back to the wall, Arjun stepped toward an overhanging branch of a sacred bael tree. He held out his arm, and the snake smoothly glided off his shoulder, onto the branch, and slithered over the stone wall into the wild beyond.
Everyone afterwards went back to work to complete their respective task.
Slowly, the day began its graceful surrender to the evening.
The harsh, golden glare of the afternoon sun softened into deep, warm amber hues.
Gentle rays filtered at an angle through the ancient arches of the community temple located high on the hill, painting long, elegant shadows across the newly swept courtyard.
A cool breeze drifted down from the surrounding peaks, carrying with it the faint, rhythmic ringing of temple bells that floated lazily through the cooling air.
Outside the temple sanctuary, a modest crowd had gathered for the final prayer. In the gathering dusk, the oil lamps they held trembled like captive spirits, casting a flickering, ethereal glow over the assembly.
Thick, cloying coils of incense smoke snaked upward from the crowd, weaving a heavy veil of sanctity over the hillside.
One by one, more devotees trickled in.
Some carried fresh strings of marigolds; others brought bundles of incense sticks, while many arrived holding small, polished brass thalis filled with sweet offerings. The temple grounds hummed with life, awakening to a gentle symphony of murmuring conversations, shuffling footsteps, and soft, whispered prayers.
Slowly but surely, the heavy fragrance of sandalwood, crushed petals, and burning camphor completely washed away the sharp scent of soap and cleaning liquids.
Inside the main hall, volunteers moved methodically, lighting rows upon rows of clay oil lamps. Tiny, golden flames awakened one after another, their warm glow dancing beautifully across the pristine marble floor that Arjun and Gopi had spent the grueling afternoon scrubbing. For the first time since morning, the temple looked profoundly peaceful—almost magical. Even the two exhausted boys paused, leaning on their brooms to quietly admire the transformation they had helped create.
Outside, the canvas of the sky bled into deep shades of orange and crimson. High above the distant mountains, the sun slowly dipped below the jagged horizon, officially marking the start of the auspicious night of Shani Amavasya.
Suddenly, the deep, resonant swell of a large conch shell echoed throughout the temple complex.
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM...
The powerful, ancient vibration rolled across the valley, signaling that the evening Aarti was about to begin.
"Hey, both of you! What are you standing there gaping at? Go wash yourselves and join the aarti prayer." One of the fellow disciples, who was busy sweeping the temple floor, nudged them as he walked past toward the main hall, where a large crowd of devotees was already gathering.
Arjun and Gopi didn't waste a single second. Shaken but eager to blend in, they quickly washed the dirt from their hands and faces before slipping quietly into the back of the praying crowd.
As the aarti began, the rhythmic clanging of brass bells and the chanting of the mantras filled the sacred space, offering a temporary shield of spiritual warmth. Arjun closed his eyes, bringing his palms together in deep, seeking devotion.
But the moment his eyelids shut, the comforting din of the temple vanished, replaced by a sudden, freezing void.
A deep, suffocating voice echoed directly inside his head, vibrating behind his ears like a cursed, ancient rasp from another realm.
"You have been found, Arjun. At long last... you belong to me."
Arjun's eyes snapped open, a violent shiver coursing down his spine. The sudden, icy chill of the voice left him gasping for breath. His head whipped around, eyes darting frantically across the crowded hall, trying to pin down the source of the unnatural sound. But there was no one out of place. Around him, the devotees remained completely undisturbed, lost in the rhythmic chanting of the prayers.
The final minutes of the ceremony dragged on agonizingly as Arjun's heart hammered against his ribs. When the aarti finally concluded, the suffocating tension broke, and the crowd of devotees slowly dispersed, their murmurs fading beneath the rhythmic clang of the evening's final temple bell.
One by one, the devotees departed into the twilight outside. Slowly, the great hall emptied entirely, leaving behind a heavy, hushed stillness that felt less like peace and more like a breath waiting to be drawn.
...