A slight movement nudged Shivansh, waking him up from his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. He was confused for a second but the memories of the previous day rushed back.
He woke up and looked at his side. His mother was waking him up. She was patting his head. Upon seeing him wake up she smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Good Morning Shivansh. Get up now. Brush your teeth and freshen up. You have to go to school." She said to him.
She then got up from the bed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and lunch for him. Shivansh was still dazed but he propped himself up from the bed. He went to the small bathroom and brushed his teeth. He also took a bath.
He came out wrapped in a towel only to find his mother looking at him with a weird gaze. Realization struck him. He was only three and his mother helped had helped him take a bath till like 9 years of age. He thought his mother would question him but the opposite happened.
"Wow! Shivansh you are getting older. You managed to take a bath yourself. Bravo!" She praised in acknowledgement.
Shivansh awkwardly chuckled and made some excuses that he had read that children should be independent since a young age. His mother did not think much and helped him dress up for school.
She then went to continue her work. Shivansh slowly sat in front of the television turning it on. He looked at some cartoons. He was happy to not think anything. A life free of worries. His mother came inside the room and packed his bag.
She then turned the television off and took him outside. Akshay was also standing near their gate with his mother. Both the kids were dressed in the same dress. White shirt and pants, a blue tie and belt. White socks, polished black shoes and well combed hair.
They both catted for a while when a horn was heard. A small yellow van came to a stop near them. It was the school van. Both the children went inside and bid their mothers farewell.
Shivansh reached the school. He was humming a tune all the time. The teachers collected them and seated them. Some of the kids were shouting, some were crying. Akshay was also crying but Shivansh did no such things. He may look like a child but do not forget he was not one.
The teachers calmed the kids and taught the students. The basic things. Name of animals, ABCD, poems etc... Normal things that you would find in a nursery class. The teachers were teaching this but his mind was somewhere else. He knew all this, he was thinking about the thins that would happen two days from now.
Shivansh had to mentally prepare for all the things that may happen in that realm. A realm unknown to him. He started to think of the different possibilities. Whatever, he still had Shanti and his suit with him.
Shivansh had a basic few goals with him. He was a time traveler after all, he had to use it to his benefit. He could add money to stocks that would boom, but who would believe a kid.
He could start a whytube channel, after all he would be one of the very first creators. He could also compose songs or go on a talent show. His goal for all of this was to earn money. Nothing in this world happened without money.
Once he gained enough money, he could rebuild his empire. He could modify his body and create a body for Shanti. He could make the robots and the drink of immortality. These things would help him in the other realm.
He was thinking about this and chatting with Shanti when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his teacher looking at him.
"Shivansh what am I teaching? Tell me what is the answer for the question on the board." The teacher asked him. She was a female teacher with a strict temperament.
Shivansh looked up and stayed silent for a second. The problem on the board was just as he expected. 5+6. Yes, that was the question. Shivansh looked at the teacher as if she was joking. He then once again was hit by the realization that he was 3. He promptly answered shutting her up.
He then gave the control of his body to Shanti. Shivansh was not very cheerful now as he used to be. This was the cost of maturity. A person kills his inner child to be an adult. Society is harsh. It is not all smiles and flowers in the real world.
He was a person who had gone through all the stages of grief. How could he enjoy the company of children. His whole temperament had changed. Was it for good or bad only time would tell.
School ended without any problems. Shivansh reached home and changed his clothes. He had some talk with his mother about the day and then proceeded to go to his brother's house.
There he saw his Nana and Nani[1]. They loved him dearly but had died before he was 12 years of age. This time he would change that too. He reached them and talked a bit. He had a cheerful temperament before Sophie's death, so it was not hard to fake it.
He had to make some cringe jokes and do weird things, but it felt natural. He enjoyed being a child again. He played with his brother. Suddenly, the door opened. His elder cousin sister, the genius of the family had returned.
Her name Akansha. Family name Anku. She was a kid now. She wore a different school dress. She also had two braids and a big small bag. She was in 4th class. Oh! how stupid he was in the past. Shivansh and Akshay used to rush to help her.
It was a sort of competition between both of them to see who could carry more of her things. In short we were the slave cousins. She had came here for that only. Akshay rushed to help her while he slowly got up.
This time he was the manipulator. He did help her though to not raise suspicions. Many small things were changing with him but his overall character remained same. Probably because he had opened himself. The two days passed without any major event.
"Good night Shivansh." Both his parents said to him kissing him on the forehead.
"Good night Ma. Papa." He replied returning the favor.
This was the fateful night. The night that would change everything. Shivansh slowly dozed off. A good nights sleep was awaiting him.
*****[2]
Shivansh suddenly woke up with a searing pain in his back. He hissed and woke up but he felt pain all over his body. He looked at his hands and were covered in bruises. He was sleeping on the cold hard floor. His hand was a shade lighter than his original skin. Probably tanning. He looked behind him to see who hit him.
It was a woman in her thirties. She was white and wore a light blue dress like that of the medieval times. The cloth looked of good quality. She was a beautiful woman but she had the look of disgust. She also had a whip in her right hand. She sneered at him and shouted.
"When do you think you are getting up huh? Should I whip you a few more times to ensure that you wake at the right time huh?" She shouted in a shrill voice...
[1] Mother's father and mother respectively.
[2] This means that the scene has changed