The world is drowsy in cozy arms of sleep and simultaneously the world is awake with the rise of bluish dawn. The city of Pune is painted in blue hues of shade with the moon still being visible in the sky.
The breakthrough sound of windows being wide open, letting the fresh breath of crispy air wake up the house from inside. On the other hand, the orchestra of alarms ringing in sequence in different houses ignites a wake-up call to the numb bodies of the characters.
Similarly, Hrida's sleep also abandons her when a powerful game background ringtone alarms her mind and snaps back into her reality. She groans in a sleepy tone," Stop this music. Who is playing a game on the mobile phone so early in the morning? please, stop it! My ears are irritated and my head is banging like a drum. UGHHHHH! Now, you will PAY-" Hrida didn't find a single person at the park, she then realized and whined with a childish tone," Shasshiii… How can you put such… such an annoying alarm ringtone? You are unbelievable. OF COURSE, I should have expected this from you. Where is the phone, right now? My precious sleep is disturbed because of you."
She rubbed her eyes and searched for the phone inside each pocket of the bag and finally switched off the alarm when she found the phone. Then she went back to sleep but her sleep went far away from her and she was wide awake at such an early hour. She didn't want to start her day already because she still needed some extra hours to enjoy the stillness in her game.
She hums while she gargles only with water and she brushes her teeth like ancient times when people used to use small pieces of Neem tree branches as toothbrushes. The neem tree is quite commonly found in most of the regions in India.
Meanwhile, Tapish woke up and stretched his whole body and strips of sand particles from his fur by vigorously shaking his body. Tapish suddenly made out weird meow sounds which captured Hrida's attention. She straight away dashed by his side and inspected his body to check if the wound had reopened or if he was hurt again but everything looked fine.
She softly caressed his head and spoke to him in a motherly way," Tapish, what happened? Are you fine? You look fine from the outside but internally are you feeling something? Tell, your sis. " Hrida waits for his response but he stays still and his eyes are looking a bit different to her eyes as she detects a sense of fear and uncertainty in his eyes.
Hrida's pupils shook in concern and her tic to rub her palms returned. She rubbed her palms gently, placed her palms gently on his eyes, and uttered soothing words," Calm down. Sense this warmth; feel it, it is to protect you. You are my furball of warmth, don't burn yourself out in blazing magma of fear. Relax. Remember this warmth by heart and feel relaxed. Gooodddd.."
Hrida withdraws her hand and checks his eyes, his eyes look normal though still a tiny void of fear lingering at the corner of his iris. Hrida thinks," I need to divert his mind. But how? IDEA! I remember whenever mother used to…..mother used to narrate stories to me, I used to feel completely relaxed and light-hearted.
I can do the same although I don't remember any stories that I used to listen to.... Maybe, I can use a phone. Noooo. I can't do that, I have to preserve the battery and stretch it for a few days till I find an alternative way to charge this phone and till then the phone will remain in ultra battery saver mode, which turned out beneficial for me.
Hmmm, then what should I DO NOW? Oh ya! I remember now that I purchased a book a few days ago and now is the perfect time to read. Most importantly, I am curious and excited about reading this book. "
Hrida takes out that book and holds it in her hands like she is holding a precious gemstone. She took a deep remark on the book cover which is painted with a wine-red background and a small and delicate world in the center and surrounded by different separated groups of figures categorized as different eras.
The groups were painted in different shades of the same color in the respective group of figures making the reader clear that the tone shade of each group signifies its distinct nature. But the book title was centered around one ear and it was entitled ' Yuga: The Circle of Eras' and also another title at the lower end of the book which she missed when she first bought the book, which is entitled KALIYUGA: The Era of Demons'.
She felt anticipation running in her veins and her hands itching to read the book as it left a fascinating impression on her brain.
She pulls him onto her lap. She dramatically clears her throat and then speaks with a narrative tone," Dear reader, today I am going to narrate a one-of-a-kind story that will make you stuck deeply into this story. I, Hrida, your storyteller am here to entertain you with a unique story with my obvious best narrative tone. So, shall I start? "
Tapish meows in a chirpy tone. Hrida appreciates," I admire your excitement, so let's begin. "
She read the title aloud in a charming narrative tone," Yuga: The Circle of Eras; KALIYUGA: The Era of Demons." She turns to the first page which has short beautiful descriptions of all eras that existed.
It goes like this," Circle. You are quite familiar with this word, right? Circle is defined as a round-shaped never-ending loop, where the start and end are the same. Once you are in you keep walking in the same circle until you break it off and that is exactly how different 'Yugas' came into existence. 'Yuga' means Era and if you want to figure out his form, then you can imagine it as just a circle. Yes, right, an era is a rotating loop until something breaks off the circle and then another Yuga is created.
In Hinduism, the eras were divided into 4 categories and each era is famous and known for its people's features, nature, environment, and different things.
So, the first Yuga was Satya Yuga; The Golden Age- The people of this era had a saffron aura (energy), and the color itself indicates the symbol of peace, spirituality, warmth, and compassion. The people of this era were deeply immersed in the depths of spirituality and an optimistic nature.
The skies used to sing a beautiful harmony of colors, the air used to dance with freshness, and the environment used to bear the fruits of harmony, peace, and humanity. And most special fact about 'Satya Yuga' was its people who ate with humbleness, spoke with honesty, and walked with stillness. But still, every light has its burning point when the breath of fire ignites the spirit of burning fire and similarly, this ear faced the burning point of its golden light at the end years of this Yuga. This Yuga's life span was approximately 1,728,000 years. Woah, It lived a good long life.
The second 'Yuga' was Treta Yuga; The Silver Age- The residents of this era were infused with moral values, compassion, and a sense of duty in their hearts. But the silver has its sharp edges which divided the people into four classes; Brahmanas (Intellectual and Priests), Kshatriyas ( The Warriors and Royals), Vaishyas ( Merchants), and Shudras ( Workers and Peasants). Despite these differences, peace still bloomed in its abundant form. Treta Yuga's life span was around 1,296,000 years.
The third Yuga came: Dvapara Yuga; The Bronze Age – The people of this era were stained with greed for power and wealth. The people got lost in the glittery and pompous nature of material possessions and power. Many humans tend to become ignorant of religious essence and lose their virtue bit by bit. Now, the peace started shaking and immorality began rising, and with God's intervention, the people learned the right way of living. Dvapara Yuga reigned for approximately 864,000 years.
The last and the current era we are living in is KALIYUGA; The Iron Age – The people of this era are believed to be filled with greed, power-hungry, and lost humanity. The people became hunters who hunted not because they were starving but because they were greedy. Even so, there is always a space for light in the darkness like the silver lining behind the grey clouds and the glowing stars and moon that hover in the night.
People of this era are considered to be living in a pit of darkness though the glowing sense of humanity, faith, and hope still floats in the sky. Kaliyuga is basically a mixture of mid-heaven & hell. But it is believed that this Yuga's last ending years would be the worst of all. This era's life span will last around 432,000 years.
Did you notice one thing in this order of eras? The eras 's life span is in descending order and another important thing is that all eras have ended with God's unique intervention by taking different forms in each era to cleanse the negativity and create a new world for the next generations. Although God's intervention events are itself a book of interesting and fascinating stories to tell. I can't discuss that because, at the moment, you are here to hear the story of the birth of the 'KALIYUGA; The Era of Demons'.
Hrida intervenes in between for a moment and switches back from narrator to Hrida and expresses her joy," Tapish, this book sounds amazing from the first page, I wonder how interesting and amazing it would be when we actually start reading the story. I am not going to stop until I finish this whole book. So, let us have some waffles before we proceed to the story, and also drink enough water. Hmm! "
After their stomach was satisfied with the food, Hrida was going to open the book again but she suddenly got a call on her phone, Tapish meows being insistent on reading her that book as he placed the book on her lap. Hrida mouths out 'Give me one minute'. Hrida received the call and she heard Shashi's voice. She responded," Good morning to you too, don't tell me, you intervened in my book reading time for just saying 'good morning'."
Shashi defends," Yes but not only for saying that. Actually, I called you because I want you to watch a video that I sent you on the 'Chat' app. Watch it, now. And…that's all. And, yes, I love it whenever I intervene in your book-reading time, Bye! "
Before Hrida could speak one word, he hung up the call; she was used to his tactics so she didn't bother at all. She opened the 'Chat' app and saw his number which was still unsaved. First, she saved his number by the name ' Crazy Moon ' while laughing for a few seconds.
She then played the video, the video being a local news channel, where a fast-talking reporter lady projected a video on the screen that showcased a few police officers and some familiar faces of police officers discussing a teen thief who has been found guilty of not just stealing but also for committing the crime of murdering an old man living in an old conditioned vintage house situated at the end of an elegant colony.
The local news journalist asked them a lot of questions regarding how they found out about this and how they caught the criminal etc. The chief police officer properly gave the answers to their questions and also informed them that the teen would be sent to a special home for a 6-year stay until he became 21 years old enough to pay for his crime and go to jail.
But one statement caught her attention and one of the police officers stated that they received an anonymous call who sounded like a young man around the age of 18-20 and this blew her mind as to how he managed to talk like a 20-year-old man. Hrida is impressed by his smartness, She compliments in mind," Shashi, you did far better than I expected. You are a genius. I am just mind-blown by your move. I- I just lo-"
Her thoughts were interrupted by an eager meow sound near her ear and she felt a weight on her left shoulder. Her gaze fell on Tapish who was currently comfortably seated on her shoulder, and pointed his chubby paws to her lap where the book again stole her attention. Finally, she closed all apps and put her phone back into the bag, opened the book, and resumed from where she left.