Chapter 1: The Tale Of Vasupur

It was around 11th century when the Devgadh Kingdom of Maharashtra was facing drought. People were dying from hunger, thirst, and various diseases. The people who left the kingdom succumbed to an illness, resulting in their death, thus it was not the drought that was haunting the kingdom but it seemed like the Gods were angry, or was it something else?

The Rajpandit ( Royal Priest ) advised the King that he should go to the Vasu van(Vasu Forest) to worship the goddess and ask for a solution to this drought.

The King followed the advice and headed toward the forest.

"Lord, we have reached Vasu Forest," said the Mantri ( Advisor).

" Okay you may go now."

"I hope the goddess would bless us and make our Kingdom prosperous like before," saying this the Mantri went back.

The forest was so dense and the trees were so tall that it seemed like they created a roof and even the sunlight couldn't touch the ground.

The King took a deep breath and went inside the forest. There he faced many difficulties and obstacles, fought wild animals, and finally reached the center of the forest where there were no trees just a space.

According to the legend, it was the first forest that was ever created, and it is said that at the center of the forest, there is an empty space where the goddess resides.

The King had all the things required for the ritual as instructed by the Royal Priest, after finishing the ritual the King kneels.

"Hey Vasu Devi (Vasu Goddess), today your child has come to you, asking for your help, not for himself but for his people, please show yourself goddess."

He could feel the gentle breeze sway his hair, and the air reaching down his lungs through his nostrils.

" O Goddess, please help us, protect your children," the King said joining his hands.

The King took out his sword.

" Your children are dying from thirst, hunger, and diseases, only you can put an end to all of this," the King pleaded.

He placed his sword on his left shoulder gulping down his nervousness.

" Show yourself, Goddess!," the King yells and cuts his left hand.

" Goddess, my people are in great trouble We need your help!, " the King keeps his sword on his neck.

The King closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

" Hey Mother please help us, "and as he was going to slay his neck, his hand was stopped as if he had no control over his hand.

The King opened his eyes and tears started streaming down as he saw Vasu Devi standing in front of him.

The Goddess had a radiance that the King had never seen. The wheat-skinned goddess wore a green saree with a gleam in her brown eyes, her thick, brown,braided ponytail reaching down her waist.

He immediately bows down to the Goddess and joins his hand and no sooner did he realizes that his left hand was all right.

" O Goddess, please shower your blessings upon my people, they are dying of thirst, hunger, and illness, the people who left the kingdom have succumbed to an unknown illness resulting in their death, your kids are suffering goddess, please end our sufferings," the King said, his hands joined.

" Son, my work is to give the fruit of the actions of the humans, I can't do anything by going against the rules of nature," the Goddess said.

" Fine, so give me the fruit of all my virtues and put an end to this drought or else accept my offering, Goddess," the King keeps his sword on his neck.

" That is not needed, fine, there is a solution," the Goddess said.

" I would do anything for my people," the King said with conviction.

" The reason behind this drought is the ornaments that your wife has bought. They carry a curse and now the curse has been awakened," the Goddess explained.

" So, what's the solution to this curse?,"

" There are two solutions my child, either you send those ornaments away to some other kingdom and they will have to face the curse or you offer those ornaments in my temple to my statue and the curse would be seized,"

" I don't want any other kingdom to face this curse, I'll go either way," the King joined his hands and thanked the deity.

" But remember once you offer those ornaments the doors of the temple should be closed and no one should ever take out those ornaments or you'll have to face the curse again,"

The King did as Vasu Devi told, and the ornaments were offered to the goddess in the city of Amarpur, the capital of the kingdom. And now the curse was seized, from that day the doors of that temple were never opened and from then Amarpur was named as Vasupur as a tribute to the goddess.

**************

Year– 2023

The village was taken over by the fire. Little Shiva was in a state of shock and sorrow that his mother was dead and their house was caught by the flames. He was in his uncle's car and could hear his uncle and father talking.

" Listen Girish, Shiva and you will have to move to a safer place, away from this village," Shiva's father said.

" I understand, but what about you? No one is safe here, you will come with us," Shiva's uncle insists.

" No, I can't, I will have to stay here, the villagers need help,"

" The Village will be alright, but for now come with us, it is not safe here,"

"I promise you I will be safe, but for now you will have to get out of this village,"

" Alright, don't worry about Shiva, he is my responsibility now," Girish said walking towards his car.

" Take care,"

" Yoo too!," Girish said turning back to Shiva's father.

Shiva's uncle sits in the car.

Shiva's father walkes towards him, he had something in his hand that Shiva found familiar, something made up of stone. He came to Shiva and it was the last time that he muffled his hair, tears streaming down his eyes he said, "take care"

Shiva couldn't understand anything, that was happening around him, he was shocked and sad, the car started and he could see the distance between him and his father increase and shortly his father was lost in the mists.

Shiva woke from his nightmare which he was used to now and he couldn't believe that it was twenty years ago he left his village and came to Mumbai with his uncle.

His father never came back after that day. He would look at the stars and remember his mother and father. Shiva remembers everything that his father taught him but he wished that he could forget that one incident.

Shiva got off his bed and then his cousin enters his room.

" Hey brother, you slept too much today and why do you look so tired?," said Mohan

Shiva would spend his time at night writing stories, he was brilliant in academics and had an interest in writing stories.

" Nothing, just studying late at night," Shiva says rubbing his right eye.

" Really? you must be watching anime the whole night,"

" Nothing like you think, my brother," Shiva said stretching Mohan's cheeks.

" That hurts," Mohan said rubbing his cheeks.

" Why are you dressed up like that?," Shiva asked.

"What!, don't tell me that you forgot," said Mohan.

" Forgot?, forgot what?," Shiva asks not getting out of his slumber.

" We are going to uncle's house for– ," Mohan was cut off shortly by Shiva

" Uncle? do you mean Ramkrushna uncle?," asks Shiva recalling the name.

" Yeah, you're right, we're going Vasupur "

" Va-vasupur ," Shiva says, his eyes widened.