13th August 2017

L U K A

I hate air travel.

I seriously wish that next time we go for a vacation to somewhere outside France, Liberty can be converted into a flying pirate ship so that we don't have to travel by an airplane. Although the first-class seats of the flight we took from Paris to New Delhi were a very spacious one but...let's just say that it isn't ideal for a good night's sleep.

Who can sleep in an armchair?

Ok. It was a reclining armchair but still... It's a miracle that Mom and Sis slept well while I was busy shifting positions in my seat last night.

"To be honest bro, you look like a ghost today", said Juleka with worry evident on her face.

"Yeah...I know. It's just that last night I couldn't sleep well", I replied and yawned for the nth time today. We were currently on the flight to Kolkata and buckling our seatbelts for the take-off from Indira Gandhi International Airport.

I plugged in my earphones to listen to some soothing music which might just help me to catch some sleep at least on this flight.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll sleep well when we reach Sushma auntie's house", said Juleka with a smile. I smiled back and looked at Mom who was calmly seated near the window with her eyes closed. Mom can be surprising at times. Even though she is always full of energy and enthusiasm, she is sitting in a calm and peaceful manner and not even a bit restless like me at the moment.

Boyce Avenue acoustic cover of "Say you won't let go" by James Arthur comes up next on my playlist as the plane takes off. I close my eyes and hum softly to the music. And just like that, I doze off.

https://youtu.be/Sm1bTL4bQXQ

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I threw myself on the bed in my temporary room of Sushma auntie's house. Even though I had caught some sleep on the previous flight I was still pretty much exhausted.

"Luka! At least change your clothes before jumping onto the bed!"

Oh yeah. Forgot to mention that Juleka and I were staying together in this room for the rest of our vacation. No matter how much quiet and innocent my sister looks in front of others, she is like a devil whenever both of us are in the same room or when not surrounded by people. And she can shout loud enough to pierce my delicate eardrums.

"Yeah yeah okay. I'll change", I said as I got up from the bed and walked towards our suitcases to bring out new clothes. It was currently 2:00 pm in Kolkata and since we already had our lunch, we had the liberty to explore nearby areas. But I was in no mood to go. Mom said that if we wanted to go out then we both would have to go together. Jules kept requesting in a 'polite' manner but, on seeing that I was firm on my decision to not go out, she gave up after a while. I turned my attention to my phone and saw that I had received a text from Marinette. I quickly opened the text.

Marinette💖
Hey Luka! Most probably you have reached Kolkata by now right?

Luka
Ya Mari I have. But I'm a bit tired now after this all these flights 🥱

Marinette💖
It's ok Luka. You should take some rest. I'll call you in the evening bye! 😁

Luka
Ok 😉

I kept my phone on the side table and took a nap.

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"Well looks like you had a lot of fun taking a flour bath", I said emphasizing the word 'flour'.

"Luka! Stop teasing me about that!", Marinette said and I could hear her giggles through the phone line which slightly made my heart flutter.

Marinette and I were currently on a call and she just finished narrating her messy incident of the day. She was working in the bakery as usual but, being her clumsy self, she slipped and hit her head on the counter. Her head did not suffer any injuries but, the flour bag that was lying on the edge of the countertop fell on her which led to her experiencing a "flour" bath.

"Okay well now I gotta go and help my parents with tonight's dinner while you go enjoy your Indian-styled dinner", she said.

"Okay. I sure will. Good night and sweet dreams Marinette."

"Sweet dreams to you too Luka", Marinette said and hung up.

I sighed and got up from the couch in the living room as my mom simultaneously called me and Juleka for dinner. I joined them in the dining room and took my seat right beside Sushma aunty as Juleka took the seat beside Mom all the while giving me a death glare for not agreeing to venture out earlier in the afternoon. I smirked at her and looked at my plate to find it filled with rice, aloo gobi, and...rajma. My mouth watered at the sight of rajma. Even if I had not much memory of my last trip to India-which was back when I was 6 years old- I could never forget the taste of rajma-chawal. Mom had once tried to cook the recipe back home but it wasn't as tasty as Sushma auntie's food.

Maybe it had something to do with Indian masala secrets.

"Well! Kids what are you waiting for? Go ahead no one is stopping you from eating. I specially made rajma-chawal for both of you since I remember how much you liked it the first time you tried it, right Anarka?", said Sushma aunty.

"Aye! Yes indeed. Even I tried to cook this delicacy but it lacked some taste...don't know why...", Mom trailed off.

"Indian secrets", replied Sushma aunty as we all started eating.

While eating I looked out the window and saw that it was drizzling. I wasn't surprised because it was monsoon and it rained almost every day in India. The last time we had come to India, we had stayed in New Delhi since Sushma aunty used to live there. Just a few years ago she moved to Kolkata-her birthplace-due to a transfer in her job. I don't remember much about our Delhi sightseeing considering the fact that I was just 6 back then and nor does Juleka. Sadly, we didn't get to see much of Delhi other than the airport as we had a tight flight schedule.

"Oh! Almost forgot to tell you all that tomorrow is Janmashtami-the day Lord Krishna was born-so on this occasion 'dahi-handi' is being held in the neighborhood so I prefer that we all witness it tomorrow", said Sushma aunty breaking the silence.

"What is 'dahi-handi'?", I asked out of sheer curiosity.

"In 'dahi-handi' a pot filled with yoghurt is hanged from a height that is not easy to reach. Young men and boys form a human pyramid to try to reach the handi to break it while the girls form a circle around them and sing songs or cheer the participants. It is a spectacular event held in the morning", explained Sushma aunty with much enthusiasm.

"Why is this 'dahi-handi' event played?", asked Juleka in a soft but audible voice. Sometimes I am overwhelmed about how softly she can speak when there are other people in the room.

"When Lord Krishna was a child he used to steal 'makhan' or butter from his mother Yashoda's kitchen. That is why the 'handi' is filled with butter, yoghurt, or any other milk-based product. The human pyramid usually symbolizes the achievements of mankind when they work together in harmony to reach a common goal. So...are you all coming?", Sushma aunty ended her explanation with a question. She is a very patient woman and can repeat one thing several times in order to just make a person understand. So, I wasn't surprised when she beautifully explained this Indian tradition.

"I'm in!", Juleka and I said in unison while Mom let out a small laugh at our excitement and said," Already looking forward to tomorrow!"

I can't wait for tomorrow!

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1360 words.

Can you believe it? Never knew I would write so much in one chapter and its already midnight.

*yawns*

Okay...I might have changed a bit of Luka's character because...c'mon guys nobody is perfect! And if you ask me about Juleka... I just think she needs a boost of confidence and with the right support she can open up a bit. Hope you liked the Juleka-Luka interaction which is a bit different from the show as they both are twins 😁.

Ok I'm feeling very sleepy so... I was wondering if you want me to do Preeti and Luka's meeting in

Luka's POV

Preeti's POV

Or...both?

Just tell me in the comments.

P.S. The fan art above belongs to shinobu0425 and the song cover belongs to its rightful owner.

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