‘What is an Eka?’

‘The most important of all the Souls. But like I said, in your particular dream, called “The Founding of Vanyasa”, rarely does the lord look.’

‘Are there other kinds of dreams? How many are there?’

‘Many,’ she said. ‘I still remember mine. I got “The Shadow of the Kalpavriksha”—another common dream. There’s also “The Crusting of Vritra”. There are more than one can count. Some have only occurred once. But it doesn’t matter which one you see—Lord Indra needs to make eye contact, which is the most important bit. That’s how he decides the Eka.’

Aman was trying to absorb all this new information coming his way. ‘What did I do wrong?’

It took a second for Chitra to understand his question. Then she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. ‘It isn’t your fault. Given how things are, they just need someone to blame, and since you joined last, it’s easy to pin it on you.’

‘What’s different about me?’

‘Well, for starters, we usually have one Child of the Valley and nine new recruits, making a total of ten Souls. So I guess everyone was just expecting a lot from you—as the unexpected eleventh.’

Chitra’s words were little consolation to Aman. He just wanted to wake up from this never-ending bad dream.

8

Maidaan

Aman had failed his Adwaita, and Sanaka was displeased.

‘Useless child!’ He arrived moments after Chitra left and smacked Aman. ‘Aman Chandra! Are you sure the lord did not look at you? What a waste of Madhu.’

‘Does this mean I can go back now?’

‘Sure, if you survive the Mahayatra.’ Sanaka dragged Aman out of the Assembly. Then, pointing across the valley to a small hut, he said, ‘Now, go! There! Find your roof, and sleep it off. Report to the divine tree at the sound of the conch shell in the morning. In the correct attire. And don’t be late!’

The Madhu’s effects on him hadn’t eased, and he had no memory of how he reached his destination. He stumbled into the cottage and spent the night drifting in and out of a fevered, uneasy slumber.

He was up early the next morning, well before the sky had filled with light. The dew had left everything damp. Aman lay on the uneven floor of his hut, his head resting on his folded arms. Staring at the ceiling, he found it hard to put into words his current state of mind. He had been pushed into a new world he had no information about. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He could still see his mother standing at the bus station as the bus pulled away. How could she? He alternated between anger and grief as he thought of that moment, but he knew he would abandon all the anger if he could just return home. How was he to do that, though? There was no escaping. Even if he found the way back through Shreyan’s tunnel, Nandana’s vines would not open to allow him out of the valley.