Powers Signboards &Lectures

**Chapter 3**

We were gathered at the entrance of the hotel to leave to our first place, the Dolavira.

I have heard a lot about the place. I asked Stuvan and Tejas to shoot few scenes randomly all the day.

"Are you excited?" Heer asked.

Mehul and I nodded, "Very much, I have heard a lot about the place."

"Really? Tell me about it then," Heer asked almost jumping up and down.

Suddenly from nowhere Ira jumped into the conversation telling her all sorts of theories about the place and why the civilization went extinct. I have never heard so much about arid climatic conditions and droughts in my life.

Mehul looked quite put out with Ira taking his limelight.

I sighed and told him, "You have nothing to worry about, look closely, Heer looks overwhelmed than excited."

He looked at her keenly and nodded pleased. Then he understood what I was implying and spluttered. I laughed.

He looked at me, "So everything alright with you know..", he trailed off.

I sobered as I know what he is talking about and asked, "Do you also-"

He nodded. I groaned and asked, "What happened?"

He sighed and dragged me to a corner, looked around as if to see anybody is listening, when he found nobody in our vicinity he raised his hand a little and whispered one word, "Rain."

My eyes widened when the rain starts to fall within seconds.

I said, "your …you know, it's growing." He nodded as if he doesn't know what to do.

Mehul can always tell when and where there will be rain, storm, lightening and weather related things accurately. At first I thought it was a lucky coincidence then as time goes by, slowly I understood it is anything but.

"But why is it growing now?" I asked. He shrugged and asked, "What about yours?"

I was about to open my mouth when the tour guide asked everybody to board the bus.

I looked at him and signaled later. I saw Heer with a dazed expression boarding the bus and cringed. It looks like she got an overload of information. Poor Heer.

I got inside the bus and sat in my seat. Kiaan came a minute late, I turned to greet him. My eyebrows shot up. He is gone dusty blonde now. He is about to open his mouth when I raised my hand as if to stop him and said "You colored again, I get it."

I smell something weird here.

I shrugged. We got enough things to worry now.

I turned to him and gave some ginger candy. He smiled.

//At Dolavira//

We reached Dolavira and got down the bus. It is mostly a barren ground with ancient ruins and excavation zones. It is one of the cities in Harappan cluster, which is the earliest civilization. It has a citadel, canals, pools, middle level town and lower level town with well-connected drainage system. Various ancient items like pottery, weapons and coins were found here.

Ira and Her assistant are practically vibrating in excitement.

I shot few brief excerpts with me introducing our first day of the tour and told a bit about Dolavira. Stuvan will shoot few more interesting things but I will add my voice in editing. Mehul recorded his report about the geological conditions. The tour guide told us to go and explore.

After listening to the tour guide for an hour we were happy to go explore on our own. Stuvan and Tejas stuck with tour guide to get best possible shots. Mehul dragged me to the side and asked, "Now tell me yours?"

I looked around and sighed, "The hotel in the Rajkot has this big mango tree. We can open our window and can touch it-"

Mehul sighed relieved, "So you caused the flowers to bloom like before?"

I gave him a look and said, "No idiot, this is October, there are no flowers to bloom. And that's just not it, mangoes grew on the tree. I just wished we came in the season because we can just pluck from window."

Mehul groaned, "How many mangoes we were talking about?"

I looked at the sky and murmured, "around 50."

"Oh my god. Fifty Mangoes?"

I looked at Mehul, he looked like he is two seconds away from getting permanent aneurysm.

"What were you thinking?" he whisper shouted.

"I was just thinking, 'I just want some mangoes' idiot. How many times do I have to say?" I said stomping the ground childishly.

"Keya.."

"What?"

"We are doomed."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

I looked at him in exasperation and he is looking down at my feet. He is looking like a small poke from me would result in serious bawling. I looked down and saw a sapling growing up until it is up to my knees. A mango plant.

"Super Doomed." I said. We slowly looked at each other and nodded in resignation.

I looked at the plant indifferently, "Did I just desecrate the excavation site with this plant?"

I looked around the place and found only ruins and sand.

"Yes I did."

"Oh stop being dramatic, you two. A bit of rain, a plant and fifty mangoes won't kill anybody."

We both turned around in horror. Standing there is Kiaan, who is looking like there is no care in the world.

"Oh it's you. W-we are just practicing the script for the documentary." Mehul said.

I gave Mehul a deadpanned look. Is that your excuse?

Kiaan frowned, "I never believed idiocy is contagious, looking at you, I feel like I'm talking with the detective herself."

Mehul looked like he didn't know whether he should cringe at what he said or be mad at what Kiaan said about Heer.

That confusion made for a weird, unfortunate, constipated expression on Mehul's face.

I turned to look at Kiaan. He sighed and said, "Look, it is not a big deal"

Mehul snorted, "As if, why are you taking this lightly, what is in it for you?"

I looked at Kiaan, as in really looked at him and asked, "You didn't dye your hair right?"

Kiaan froze for a moment but then sighed. I nodded. Figures.

"So, what is it about? It is only fair. You know about us." I said. I groaned inside, how did this happen. He didn't have any obligation to say about himself or not tell about us to anyone.

What should I do now? I feel like a bulldozer is running around in my head.

"I have a kind of high level spatial awareness and telekinesis. Sometimes I think I can be clairvoyant and claircognizant too." He said.

Mehul and I blinked. It is a weird feeling, when you know and understand the words by themselves but don't understand what the person is telling you on the whole.

On seeing our blank faces, he ran a hand through his blonde hair, "I don't know how to say it, there are many things. Sometimes I know things and I do things beyond what is considered normal."

"Ohh…", Mehul and I said at same time and nodded.

"What about your hair? Does it change colors always?" I asked.

"No, that is new."

I nodded. The tour guide called us to gather. He then took us to this Dolavira exhibit.

We roamed all over the place looking at different exhibits of coins, pottery shards, weapons, artifacts and world's first 'sign board'.

We stopped to look at the symbols on the sign board.

"Looks cool right?" Mehul asked.

I nodded, "But it is plain though."

Mehul snorted. Kiaan nodded amused, "They should have decorated it," he said sarcastically.

"With what? Flower wreaths?" Mehul asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Stop it, you guys. Firstly, the board could do with some flowers, it lacks life. Secondly, the flower wreaths are awesome, I tell you."

Both of them looked at each other and laughed. I sighed. Boys.

The tour guide called us for lunch.

The lunch is a noisy affair. Heer came and sat with us looking as if she ran a marathon. One has to wonder the power of lectures. Looks like Ira wants Heer to be her tour partner today.

"That bad huh?" I asked her.

"I still don't know what this place actually is."

Everybody winced.

That is bad. So Ira went full on no-throttle research mode with her. I patted her back in consolation.

"What did you learn then?" Mehul asked. Bless his optimistic heart.

Heer frowned, "Something about population decline in exponential curve, ballast stone erosion, multiple model approach in anthropology, social models, archetypes of uh..what is that…I think I forgot what it is…"

Ouch.

Even Kiaan looked at her with pity.

Mehul looked like he swallowed a whole lemon saying that he will explain later in the bus. Heer perked up at that.

We finished eating the lunch when Kiaan asked, "What got his pants in twist?" signaling towards the disgruntled tour guide and equally unimpressed Ira.

Heer sighed, "Somebody hanged a flower wreath on that big weird board thing and they can't take it down, it is somehow attached to the ground."

Kiaan and Mehul laughed with Heer when I choked on water and started coughing violently. Kiaan patted my back and after my coughs subsided, he asked, "Which color?"

That started them laughing again, much to Heer's confusion. I slapped at Kiaan's shoulder and he smirked in amusement.

'Cruel' I muttered. And that started fresh rounds of laughter. I took Heer and went to board the bus, with Kiaan and Mehul following. Idiots.

Kiaan sat beside me. I can hear, Mehul already telling Heer about Dolavira.

I smiled at that and turned to the side, "How are you there when Mehul and I were talking in the morning and now? I checked for anyone who is coming."

"I was sitting there and reading the book in the morning when that guy dragged you there and talked before me. Then I was minding my own business looking at this ruined wall when he dragged you again to talk before me."

I closed my eyes. I felt like banging my head to the wall.

"Oh and don't worry, I checked to see if someone else is there. And there is nobody."

He is looking smugly at me. I stuck my tongue at him because, yes it is totally justified and said, "Eat your candied ginger," shoving him the candy box.

Kiaan took them and sighed, "I can't shake the feeling that somebody is following us."

"You too? I sensed that last night."

Kiaan looked at me seriously and said, "Take my phone number and always try to stay near me or the geologist fellow."

I nodded and said, "His name is Mehul, you know?"

He rolled his eyes and pouted when i took my candy box back, "I forgot to buy any snacks,"

"If you want another candy, you could just ask," I said rolling my eyes, giving him another one. He smiled good naturedly.

I looked outside the window and blinked.

Is that a 'flying cow?'

Holy cow, I exclaimed.