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NAV AND THE NINTH

UNIVERSE

- THE CLOCK OF TIME



About Notion Press

Notion Press is a Self-Publishing platform to write, publish &sell Print books and eBooks around the world. To learn more,

visit www.notionpress.com

NAV AND THE NINTH UNIVERSE is a product of theNotion Press Author Incubation Program.



NAV AND THE NINTH

UNIVERSE

- THE CLOCK OF TIME

SUNNY SHANDILYA



Notion Press

5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600005

First Published by Notion Press

Copyright © Shailesh Kumar Jha 2013

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9789383416011

This book is sold subject to condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold or hired out, circulatedand no reproduction in any form, in whole or in part (exceptfor brief quotations in critical articles or reviews) may be made

without written permission of the author.

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have been taken to makethe material error-free. However, the author and the publisherdisclaim the responsibility for any inadvertent errors.



Dedicated to my father who has been the

umbrella for my family from heaven…To my mother who has been the superhero in my

life…

To my younger sister who is the world’s best

sister!



CONTENTS

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1THE STAGE IS SET

12 A PART WELL PLAYED

24THE JOURNEY BEGINS

39THE MISTS OF SAND

65THE DRAGON THAT SLEPT FOR LONG

82I AM NOT ALONE

99STONES SPEAK WHEN CROPS GROW

117IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR HEART, YOU WILLFIND A WAY

142WIN A FIGHT WITH HEART; WIN A BATTLE

WITH HEART AND MIND161EXPLORE IN PROPER LIGHT AND YOUR DAY

MIGHT TURN BRIGHT

191 ALL THAT GLITTERS, IS NOT GOLD

215THE END OF THE BEGINNING OR THEBEGINNING OF A NEW END

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Writing is a creative art and according to me, creativity isbest explored when written about the unknown becauseeveryone’s perspective about it is unique.

Dreams might be seen alone but it can be realized only through collaboration and for this dream of mine I have a

list of people to thank for their support.

First of all, thank you God for giving me the patience tocomplete this book. anks to my mother, my superheroand my sister for being the support unknowingly as I wasnot able to give them proper time because of this book.

ank you Kumar Mohit, for reading my not so good rst

page way back in March 2011, but still encouraging meto continue further. Hearty thanks to Saiba kataruka forguiding my naive approach on writing with timely helpfultips.

anks Shwetangi Shree for encouraging after reading therst draft. anks Kuhu Biswas, Surabhi Rustagi (ladiesrst ;-)), Mohan Badiger, Saiba Kataruka and Utpal Dasfor bearing with the initial draft and pointing out themistakes. (I still haven’t accepted a few though.)

anks Babita Sharma for keeping it to yourself even afteraccidently stumbling upon it and liking it.

Special thanks to Suhasini Srivastava (coz I pestered herlot) for still not reading the complete three chapters andintroducing me to Notion Press and Rahul Kumar Pandey.

Now for the most important people who brought a silverlining at torrid times. ey have helped me at the lastwhen I had almost lost hope. anks Garima Gupta forintroducing me to Shival Gupta and encouraging me.anks Richa for having a marathon read-through andliking it, encouraging me to go ahead with it.



Truckloads of thanks to Tushar Shankar for rubbishingit but still going out of his way and introducing meto Nivedita Longjam who I cannot thank enough fordesigning the cover image (She’s also the rst person whocompletely loved the script.)

Special anks to Anmol Raj and his close friends AkashGupta and Shashi Kumar for being super excited with theinitial publicity. You guys rock \m/

Now, time for the biggest instrument in shaping my dreaminto a book – Naveen Valsakumar from Notion Press andSurekha T, my project manager – thank you so much formaking my dream come true and patiently listening to meeven on weekends.

anks to so many others who helped me with the

promotion and hearty apologies in case, I missed anyone.

e biggest thanks to all my readers, who trusted a rsttime writer to take them through a world of fantasy,woven through reality. I hope you all enjoy my work andlet me know your feedback through mails and the ocialFacebook page.

Waiting eagerly for you feedback,

A dreamer,

Sunny Shandilya

ii NAV AND THE NINTH UNIVERSE



q

THE STAGE IS SET

According to an old adage - ‘Morning shows the day’; butwhat if the morning starts with a bright sunshine, andthen leads to the onset of an unexpected storm shaded by heavy rain jeering the sunlight, later that day?

e saying was probably coined by people who livedin the binary world of black and white; where there waslight of hope silhouetting every tunnel of darkness, but theworld today does not survive in black and white. No one isgood or bad anymore. A mix of good and bad exists withineveryone with a constant struggle between them renderinga grey shade.

e story of Nav is one such journey of self discovery

which does not rely on black and white characters but re-enforces the fact that every one is a hero in his or her ownstory. e only reason why we fail to recognise the heroin ourselves is because our life does not ash on a seventy mm screen with casting credits.

Nav had a very dicult childhood ever since his fatherdied. He had been a delightful child but since the dreadfulincident, he kept to himself. His mother toiled hard raisingher only son in the capital city of India, New Delhi. Inthis part of the world, it is a bigger challenge to raisea kid as a single mother. ey had no known relatives.Kids at his age are like wet mud on a potter’s wheel.Everything happening around them moulds their futureand impacts their thought process. e only silver liningin Nav’s torrid life had been his mother earning a livingas a primary teacher. ey rented a small one bedroom-hall accommodation where Nav had spent almost his entire

adolescence.He was a backbencher who seldom talked but still

kept himself occupied. While the other kids his age lovedplaying, he glued himself to the books. Initially, like every parent, his mother too loved this but later; she worriedabout his obsession. Nav realized this soon and donnedthe mask of an obedient son for his mother but his



companionship with books mounted with age. It had been

ten years now and Nav had accepted his mechanical lifewith other humans around him.“Aaaahhhh! e same dream and again the same pain

in my hands! Maa, help me. Help me, Maa.”Nav woke up at around one at night in the hall,

red-faced, dotted with sweat pearls wheezing on his old,shabby bed, wringing his wrist. His words were ahomogenous mixture of frustration and pain. Hisshuddering lips crooned the same words over and overagain.

“Don’t worry, Son. I am here now.” His motherswitched on the lights coming to his rescue almostinstantly and hugged him tight. Nav stared at his motherand his yelp intensied.

“e same dream again. I don’t know when I will getrid of it. It has got onto my nerves now.” Nav wailed ina sagging tone while his mother continuously moved her

soothing hands over his restless forehead trying to calmhim down.

“Everything will be alright. You are a brave kid andthese petty dreams cannot frighten my strong boy. Wereyou thinking about your father again? It has been ten yearsnow and we have to move on with our lives.

ere are many famous fatherless people in this world,so this elevates your chances of being extra-ordinary.”

Her tone changed witty and Nav could not hide a half-baked smile. He was a little relaxed now.

“It is pretty late and you have a busy day tomorrow, my hero. I hope you remember that tomorrow you are goingto make your mother proud. Also I think it is someone’sbirthday tomorrow.”

She pulled his cheeks aectionately followed by asoothing brush of his dishevelled short hair. en she

pecked his forehead and bid him good night, covering himwith a frayed blanket.

“Maa, do you remember the night Papa died?” Navmuttered in a low tone peeping over the blanket.

“Nav it’s late. We have been over this so many times.ere is not an iota of truth in it. You need to trust me.”

She tried convincing him mounting her glasses over hernose as a shield to combat against his prying eyes, but he

2 NAV AND THE NINTH UNIVERSE



continued, “Ok, but then how would you explain the pain

in my wrist and these tattoos?”He brought his wrists forward and stared at her witheyes full of questions. ere were stars inscribed on bothhis wrists. While his left hand sheltered the Englishnumber nine in the middle of the star, inside a circle, theright wrist had a similar circum-circled star with Englishnumber one.

She turned back dolefully sitting on the bed, graspinghis hand tightly, “Nav, I have already told you that it wasyour father’s wish that you have them. e numbers mark

your birth date and month – the 9th of January. When youhave these nightmares, you stress yourself a lot and thatmight be the reason for the pain.

You know, they were your father’s gift to you.”His mother choked muttering the last sentence and left

his room wiping her soggy eyes with her sari. Nav was leftbefuddled, hammering himself with unsolved questions.

“I am sorry Mom. I did not mean to hurt you.”Still unsatised with the explanation, he somehow

squeezed himself in his blanket as he had a big day tomorrow.

e next morning dawned early for Nav. His motherwoke him up, neatly dressed up in the best of her sariwhile he peered bleary eyed at her through his blanket.

“Good morning, my sweetheart. Happy birthday! It’s

your nineteenth birthday dear. Enjoy it to the fullest butright now it’s getting late for your college.”

She kissed his forehead and marked it with vermilionand rice. He was still sleepy but gave a faint smile andslouched to freshen up.

ey reached Nav’s college just in time and after a littlemotivational speech, the chancellor moved on to the prizedistribution speaking exactly what Nav’s mother eagerly

waited to hear.“e award for the best thesis in Delhi University for

Astro Physics, as you all must have guessed, goes to theyoung genius – Nav.”

With a plastic face, he ambled towards the daisadjusting his thick glasses over his nose with his indexnger.

SUNNY SHANDILYA 3



“is one is for you Maa - for all the pain you have been

through bringing me up.” Nav uttered in the mike withouttroubling his facial expressions, lifting his trophy.His statement ended with a pealing applause while his

mother stood in the crowd wiping torrent of tears. Navwalked down the divided crowd and hugged his mother.

“I hope I have made you proud Maa.” He whispered inher ears while his head lay on her left shoulder. “Let us gohome mother. I am really hungry.”

ey now strode through an arid muddy road en routeto their home.

“I will work very hard and we will be rich very soon.en you will not have to wear these old saris.” He cooedto her vaguely, hitting the tatters of garbage on the muddy road while she stood there abbergasted.

“How did you know?” She stood behind stuck withNav’s words but Nav hadn’t realized this in his excitement.

“What’s that?”

He had turned back to reply but he could only drawl onthese words pointing his index ngers behind his mother;his eyes wide open as he straggled towards her.

She was puzzled too and turned back trying tounderstand what he meant. Finding nothing unusual in thelonely street she turned back to Nav, “What happened? Idon’t see anything. Why are you acting so restless?”

“I---I… I saw a stream of dust rise and then… and then

the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAV apparated in air. I knowit doesn’t make any sense but I am sure I saw it. I am nothallucinating mother.”

Nav’s lips shuddered as he rested his forehead over hershoulders. She turned back to conrm and then snappedher ngers close to his face.

“Are you still thinking about your dream last night? Isee absolutely nothing unusual around. Is it the heat or

the hunger that is making you imagine things?” She heldhis nose playfully. “Let’s hurry home. I will prepare CarrotHalwa for you.”

She smiled and expected the same in return but Nav just simpered in response. Still holding his mother’s hand,staring behind her, he ambled towards his house. Whilehis mother began preparations for the evening, he slumpedon his small dishevelled bed. Without caring to undress,




he covered his face with the blanket and rewound the

sequence of events he witnessed sometime back.“It felt so real. Te dust did rise and precisely spelt myname. Can I really be so stressed that I have begunhallucinating. I have not been so stressed even while studying for my exams.”

Engrossed in his thoughts, he dozed o.“Nav, Nav! Wake up. Look how long have you been

sleeping. It’s time to celebrate. Your friends have arrived.”His mother shook him a few times and he got up

bleary eyed peeping at the other side of the hall - handfulwannabe nerds sat on broken archaic wooden chairs. Hewent inside to get ready and then met his friends. ey all celebrated his birthday and left around eight in theevening.

“anks a lot Mom for everything. I am so lucky tohave you.” Nav looked at his mother with heavy eyes doingthe dishes.

“Now enough of emotional saga, Where is my gift?”Nav was eagerly waiting for his gift.

e mention of a gift shunned her as if she saw aghost. ere was a sudden clatter as the tumbler fell o her hands. She looked at Nav, held his hands and strodetowards the bedroom.

“Did I ask you something wrong mother?” Navfumbled.

“It’s alright if you cannot gift me this year. I saw that itwas about ve minutes past nine and thought of remindingyou that like every year, it was just about time for you tohand me my gift.” Nav reasoned with his mother.

ere was still no response. She locked the house frominside and scuttled, closing all the windows and pulling thecurtains in a hurry. Nav was deeply confused but closely investigated every word of his last sentence. He failed to

nd what could have possibly oended his mother.“Nav!” She nally broke her silence. “Do you remember

the dream you saw the evening your father died?”“Yes I do but what’s the point? First tell me that you

are not angry with me.” Nav pleaded.“I am not. Now tell me if you remember it well?” She

sounded irritated.

SUNNY SHANDILYA 5



“We have had this discussion before and I already feel

I might be hallucinating. Why are we discussing this againlest we have something new to discuss. I am sorry if youare still upset about it.” Nav apologized trying to end thetopic.

“Please Nav! Please do as I say.” She closed her eyesand could hardly speak but was determined to direct Navto adhere to her words.

Nav started o in patches, constantly staring at herface,

“It was the day dad died and my 9th birthday. I keptwailing, holding his photograph over my chest. Before Icould realize, I dozed o crying.”

Nav gulped and blinked in slow motion looking at hismother across the hall but her full concentration was onevery word Nav chose.

“I have never seen you so engrossed in this story mother. What is so new this time?”

“My dear please continue. is is really important.” Shepersuaded him to continue with shuddering lips, circlingthe bed Nav restlessly sat on.

Nav stood up; still confused, continuing further - every sentence more intense than the previous one.

“I was startled by a sudden clatter and woke up with a jerk. Still sleepy eyed, I looked around for you and whenI couldn’t nd you, I stood up to look outside. I heard

a bickering noise with familiar voices. Intrigued, I wentcloser to peek. When I was near this window…”

Nav took a pause and scuttled towards the windowpane pinpointing it.

“I stood here and saw you arguing with someone. Iwanted to see the other person before I called for you but Iwas frozen at his sight.” Nav indicated everyone’s positionthrough his hand.

He impeded his narration and spoke again with a littlethought, “Maa please, this does not sound logical. We havehad this conversation so many times. You already knowwhat I saw next.”

His grimaced face justied the frustration in his voice.He found it illogical but his mother pressed his hand, “Nav,please continue.”




He obeyed his mother like a good son – “I—I –I saw

Dad. Right there standing opposite to you, completely soaked in blood. He was asking you to take proper care of me.”

Nav stressed every word and the intensity increasedexponentially. He stood up completing his sentence.

Still staring at his mom as if she was a convict, hecontinued, “With a blank mind, I ran towards him butbefore I could reach him, I felt dizzy and fell down. enext thing I remember is you sprinkling water over my faceas I woke up befuddled over my bed.

Do you remember I constantly stared at you?”Nav took a pause spluttering with raised eyebrows and

his index nger constantly pointing towards his motherwhile his head and ngers shook in unison.

She did not speak but blinked her eyes in agreement.“My eyes searched for a clue to ask you about father.

While you kept calling me, I ran around the house looking

for him. You remember I came back asking for Dad whileyou kept trying to keep me at peace.” She nodded her headagain and Nav continued further.

“Finally I gave into the situation and looked at you forany speck of blood or any clue that could help me provewhat I saw but – but to my utter disappointment, you werenot even wearing the same sari.”

Disappointment clearly covered Nav’s face, “And then

you know the rest…”Nav’s small saga came to its logical end and his pitch

dropped down.“Oh and yes!” Nav jumped back with glint in his eyes.“e peculiar thing that I noticed was… that it was the

rst day I felt an acute pain in my arms on these tattoos.at was the rst day this pain became an integral part of my life.”

e pain clearly transferred from his hands to hiscontorted face.

“You might not agree with me but I am not convincedwith your explanation that the pain is a result of methinking about father. I know this is a lame excuse thatyou give me every time.”

“You are right.”

SUNNY SHANDILYA 7



His mother broke her silence but Nav did not like the

tone of it. He felt like he was sitting on a time-bomb whichwas about to explode. He could hear the clock ticking inhis mind.

She stood up and continued, “I too feel it is about timethat we clear things out.”

“What--What did you say? Does that mean….you liedto me all this time? Did you?” He shook with anger feelingqueasy about the situation.

“I am not able to understand why you gave me suchlame excuses all these years? I deserve to know thecomplete truth Mom. You owe this to me. Please tell methe truth - the complete one.” Nav did not realize when heleft his respectful tone and rode over to a mied shout.

His mother was not surprised at all. She movedtowards the window-sill looking outside, donning amysterious sagely tone, calculating every word,

“Yes! You need to know the completely story, the real

story.”Nav was confused and stared at the ground brooding

over her last few words in an undertone, “e real story?What do you mean by that? Is this some kind of a joke?”

“Your father is not dead. He just cannot be here withyou.” His mother dropped a time bomb.

Nav ran and turned her vehemently, “He is not dead?en where is he? I knew it was not true coz I could always

feel his presence. Where is he now? I want to meet himright now.”

He shouted his dad’s name but his mother closed hismouth with her skinny hands.

“What are you doing Maa? Call papa now. I want tomeet him right now.” Nav somehow uttered through thespaces between his mother’s ngers.

“Shhh….. Nav, Listen to me. He cannot come here. It’s

a fatal danger to his and your life. Just know that he issafe. It’s essential for your safety.”

“Safety, Safety my foot! Leaving you son stranded doesnot guarantee safety. He is a coward.” Disgust exploded outof his words.

“You call this safety. I am a walking zombie. For tenyear, I have been acting like a robot trying to t in this




world and see you happy. Do you know how it feels to be

a social outcast?When the whole world enjoyed with their family, Ipassed among them soaked with guilt and anguish, cursingGod every moment for his ways. And my father hid like asquib, somewhere in seclusion.” He gnashed his teeth as hespoke.

“Nav calm down. I know it has not been easy for you tocope up with this but I am sure that you would understandonce you realize the gravity of the situation.”

She tried justifying but Nav intervened again,“Really… you really think you can justify it?I am so scared to make friends fearing I might lose

them if I get too close. My friends feel I am insensitivebut actually I am trying to protect myself from the painof losing them. I don’t have a single person that I canconde to. Every time I meet my friends, I feel like I havean obligation to perform in front of them. I am scared to

be open, be myself with them. If I explain, they feel I amcashing on my fatherless situation.

Do you know how broken I am from inside? e smilethat I wear all the time is fake. People think I smile a lotbut what they do not know is how shattered I am fromwithin. When children my age resorted to play, I gluedmyself to books. You know why?”

He spat again before she could reply.

“You know why I chose Astro-physics – to build a timemachine and get father back. I have understood that my world is incomplete without him; that if I had not lost him,I would not be like this. I want to relive every momentthat I was forced to live without him. I want my life back.

I want to build a time-machine to go back and alter thedreadful time when father left us.

You have no idea how much I wish every moment that

this doleful world that I am into, be a dream and I wakeup in the arms of papa and you and you want to justify my pain with a small sentence. You think that this safety crapcan take away all the pain and undo everything.”

“NAV!” her piping voice shot back.He wanted to spill his heart out but her acrid tone took

him by surprise. is was probably the rst time she had

SUNNY SHANDILYA 9



NAV AND THE NINTH

UNIVERSE

- THE CLOCK OF TIME

nav and the ninth universe - a preview

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