Cosmic Chats · Episode 02

About The Fruit

in which the elder brother circles the world and the younger brother circles their parents

Kailash slopes. 2 AM. A dhaba with one flickering bulb and the best chai in the three worlds.

K

Kartikeya

*peacock parked outside*

Bhai. You ordered six paratha. SIX. We are talking, not feeding an army.
G

Ganesha

Skanda. I came down from Kailash for this dhaba. Don't insult the chef with portion control.
K

Kartikeya

Fine, fine. Anyway. You said you wanted to talk. Talk.
G

Ganesha

*sets down modak carefully*

Bhai. The fruit. The race. I have been thinking.
K

Kartikeya

Oh. THAT. After how many millennia? You waited for the chai to get cold?
STEAM RISES
G

Ganesha

I did circle my world. Ma and Baba ARE my world. The interpretation was honest.
K

Kartikeya

And I circled the actual world. Mountains, oceans, every loka. On a peacock. While you sat there eating modak.
G

Ganesha

Bhai. Both answers were correct. Baba gave the fruit to me because of cleverness. Ma sent half her heart to Palani with you because of effort. Nobody lost.
K

Kartikeya

...you really think Ma sent half her heart with me?
G

Ganesha

Bhai. Why do you think the South never stops calling your name? That was not exile. That was love being shared.
K

Kartikeya

Ganu... pass the modak.
G

Ganesha

I ordered six paratha for a reason, Skanda. Eat.

[the peacock and the mooshak share a samosa outside]

End