Week 7 Story: Birth of Abhimanyu
Author's Note: In the chapter "Parikshit" from The Mahabharata, I was particularly interested in this sentence: " Before Abhimanyu came to this world, he said in heaven that he did not wish to remain on earth longer than a few years". I found it to be such an interesting concept that you could decide prior to being born how long you intended to stay on earth. As such, I wrote this story about what occurs before Abhimanyu is born and how the whole thing goes down. I took some creative liberties in deciding what Swarga (heaven) looks like for Abhimanyu and, as such, I made it as surreal as possible without going beyond the realm of reality. Since this scene takes place before Abhimanyu's birth, I also made the decision to have it be empty of all other life besides Krishna since I assume that the final heaven would be more inhabited by people. I hope you enjoy reading!
Birth of Abhimanyu
The pupils of Abhimanyu's eyes shrink to dots as his eyelids peel back and reveal them to the light for the first time. He is lying on his back, his hands folded underneath his head and his ankles crossed. He doesn't remember how he has gotten here nor why he is so comfortable now. His dotted pupils assess the gray sky above, taking in the cloudless opacity surrounding him. He squints at the clear sky above, wondering at its opalescence, when a face appears directly above his. It is a powdery blue, cherubic face and as it smiles down at him, he notices how deep the dimples imprint on either side of his mouth like dark half moons. Despite how abruptly the face appears, Abhimanyu isn't startled. He recognizes who is staring down at him without ever having seen him before.
"Krishna?" Krishna's cherry red mouth lifts wider into a smile so that his little Chiclet teeth separate from one another.
"Abhimanyu! Pleased to meet you." Krishna rocks back onto his heels away from Abhimanyu and claps his hands. "I was wondering when you'd arrive!"
"Arrive..." Abhimanyu removes his hands from underneath his head and pushes up into a seated position, crossing his legs. "Arrive where?"
"To Swarga, of course! You can't stay here for very long either, of course, but I'm glad to have you while you're here." Krishna scoots closer to Abhimanyu, fluttering his tight-lined eyes. Abhimanyu's thick eyebrows pull together as he looks around. They are sitting at the top of a hill in a vast open field that's as green as a spinach leaf. There is absolutely nothing nor anyone else around besides a crystal clear pond at the bottom of the hill, reflecting light like it was a piece of the sky that had chipped off and fluttered to the ground. There is no breeze whatsoever, but the temperature is perfect. Catching Krishna's wide, dark-lined eyes watching him again brings Abhimanyu back to the present moment.
"Well, why can't I stay long? Why am I here?" He looks at Krishna. Krishna doesn't respond at first, he rocks on his heels and stares at Abhimanyu with wide dark eyes.
"You are about to be born into the world and, before that happens, I am to prepare you for what is to come. I just have one question for you." Krishna sits back into a crisscross position in front of Abhimanyu and takes his hands. "How long do you wish to remain on earth?"
Abhimanyu thought on this question for a second, resting his hands in Krishna's for support. He looks all around himself, at the silvery sky, the feathery grass and the motionless pond below.
"Must I leave at all?" His eyes meet Krishna's who tilts his head up and down without a word.
"Fine, if I must leave then I only want to be gone for a few years, at the most." Krishna squeezes Abhimanyu's hands in his own.
"That can be arranged, of course." Krishna's dimples reappear. "You are now ready to enter the world. See you in a few, Abhimanyu."
Without another word, Krishna's blue hands tug Abhimanyu to his feet. Krishna embraces him, smacks a kiss on his forehead, twirls them around and then shoves him backwards. Abhimanyu's eyes widen in shock as he tumbles down the hill in what feels like slow motion. As his feet are flying over his head, he catches sight of Krishna standing high on the hill, outlined in silver, with his feet placed wide, one hand on his hip and the other waving back and forth like a pale blue blur. From Abhimanyu's rolling position, he can see the curve of Krishna's bright red lips framed by the dimples like deep valleys on either side and the wide, darkly outlined charcoal eyes shining in the pale daylight.
Abhimanyu makes one final somersault before he is plunged into the crystal clear waters of the pond at the bottom of the hill. The water isn't cold. In fact, it doesn't feel like water on his skin at all. It feels like nothing. He stays curled in a ball, arms wrapped around his knees for a moment, floating. He finally stretches out his limbs and looks around himself, seeing a shimmering light coming from the opposite direction of which he fell in. He begins to float towards it with his arms outstretched. As he touches the surface, everything about Krishna melts away and his new life begins... but only for a few years.
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