"The Elevator to Realms" Act 15: The Quiet Between

"The Elevator to Realms" Act 15: The Quiet Between

Sometimes, the calm before the storm is the loudest.

A loud announcement and music followed, waking me up. It was early morning. I recollected my senses and realised it was the garbage truck. I heard some chatter from a news channel downstairs, likely coming from the guest room.

I got up and flung my arms up in the air.

That's when I noticed the bandages. I stared at them and slowly peeled one halfway to take a peek at the wound underneath. It hurt a bit. I went to the mirror and thought to myself, "When will all this be over?"

The glowing stone caught my attention. I opened the drawer and looked at it...

Pulsing... Wrapped in a cloth.

As if it had a life of its own. A heart... It seemed to want to be free. It wanted to be seen. An unknown force. Whatever was inside it...

..

I held the stone in my palm and looked at it, "What are you trying to say to me... What do you want...", I whispered to it, as if it would answer me.

I took another sigh.

"This kid... he's not like before. He comes home, injured, and he eats less. What's with him? Can you please ask? At least talk to him", said Mom to Dad.

"Han, I'll go talk. Don't worry, this is the kind of age when kids become irresponsible and dangerous. You remember when we were irresponsible and dangerous?"

"Shut up and go do your work."

I overheard them talking about me downstairs, so I closed my room's door behind me and went there.

..

"Beta? Come here. The breakfast is ready.", said my Mom. I approached the kitchen, and there she was. Gently put some Poha into a bowl. Dad left the kitchen and turned up the volume of the TV in the living room. Filling the atmosphere with news and its fancy background noise. A Superfast 100. Prime Time.

"Here. Go and sit with your Dad." My Mom gave me the Poha bowl and put a spoon on top of it. As if she knew he was gonna have a conversation with me. I was quite prepared for it; I had to face it someday. I cannot just keep everything a secret.

"Hi, Dad", I said as I sat on a sofa beside him. A few moments later, Mom joined us with a cup of tea in her hand.

"Yes, Beta", he said, sipping on his tea.

His eyes stayed glued to the screen for a few more seconds. Politics, share market crashes, scams, useless noise. But then he turned the volume down with a sigh.

He looked at me, really looked this time. His eyes weren't angry. Just tired. Worried. The kind of worry fathers carry silently, tucked beneath their words.

"You don't look good these days, Vaibhav," he said plainly, his tone softer than usual. "What is it? You've been so... distracted. Wandering somewhere even when you're sitting right in front of us."

I lowered my head and stirred my Poha, letting the spoon circle mindlessly. "Just... studies. College stress, maybe."

Dad gave a slow nod, as if humouring my excuse for now. But his silence said more than his words.

Mom, who had been quietly watching from her seat, smiled a little and chimed in. "Do you remember, when you were small... how you used to sit with your little plastic screwdriver, opening up all your toys? You'd ruin them completely. Remote cars, toy trains, even your clock... But you always wanted to see what was inside. How it worked."

I gave a weak smile. "Yeah, I remember. You scolded me so much when I broke the TV remote."

"And still," she said, leaning forward with warmth in her voice, "I'd find you hiding under the table, trying to 'fix' it again like some mini scientist."

Dad finally cracked a smile at that, shaking his head. "You didn't even know how to screw it back. But that curiosity... that was something. Always asking questions, watching those cartoons... What was it? That naughty boy—"

"ShinChan," I answered.

"Yes! That little devil. And Doraemon, too. You used to laugh so much watching those silly things. Kept asking me if gadgets like Doraemon's could be real someday. 'Papa, what if there's really a Time Machine like that?'

Their laughter filled the room lightly, but faded quicker than I expected. Dad's expression grew serious again.

"But now... I see you. This age isn't easy, I know. College, career, future... Girls, maybe..." he gave a faint, knowing smile, "All that pressure, it makes you silent. Like you're somewhere else already. Not here."

I swallowed. I couldn't meet his eyes.

"We're your parents, Vaibhav," Mom said gently. "No matter how big you grow... this house, these mornings, this Poha, your father's tea... this is still your home. We still see the little boy who asked us if robots could become friends. Don't drift so far away, Beta... not from us."

The spoon in my hand stilled. For a moment, the hum of the news on TV faded. I felt something heavy press into my chest. A warmth and a guilt mixed together.

"I'm... trying," I said quietly. "I'll figure things out."

Dad gave a slow nod. "We trust you. But don't carry everything alone. If something is troubling you... Talk to us. Even now. These scars, the wounds we can see, all that, Vaibhav. If someone or something is bothering you, tell us"

Mom touched my arm softly. "You'll always be our little boy. Even if you grow up, even if you chase big dreams, even if you become someone we don't understand anymore... you'll always come home to us, won't you?"

I looked at her. And for once, I really didn't want to lie.

"I will."

This made a huge impact on my mind. My thoughts. I stared at the floor. Completely blank and shook inside. I looked up at them and gave a smile back. Dad patted my back and gave a warm smile to me, saying, "Good. Don't worry. We are here for you."

I got up and headed for the balcony. I looked up at the sky and wondered. Not everyone gets the kind of Parents that I have. I liked talking to them.

..

My phone buzzed.

Kriti sends a cute selfie: "Guess who's bored already 😝"

I leaned against the balcony railing, smiling despite myself.

Me: "Must be someone who clearly doesn't have exams breathing down her neck like I do."

Kriti: "I could say the same for someone who's texting me right now."

Me: "Touché."

I watched the sky for a second. The slow movement of clouds, the lazy afternoon sun hiding behind them. My smile lingered.

Me: "Feeling bored, huh? Wanna text a half-dead, stitched-up patient all day?"

Kriti: "Heyyy. That half-dead patient is the reason I'm NOT bored right now."

Me: "Wow. Such loyalty. I should get injured more often."

Kriti: "Don't you dare."

There was a pause. The playful rhythm slowed.

Kriti: "Hey... are you okay? Like, actually okay?"

Her words sat differently. Not just casual. Not just playful. A genuine note beneath them.

I stared at the text. Thought about answering honestly. But... not today. Not yet.

Me: "I'm alive, aren't I? And stitched up, thanks to you."

Kriti: "Hmm. Dodging the question. A Classic One."

Me: "Okay, fine. Thanks for that day... Really."

Kriti: "I wasn't going to leave you like that, idiot."

Me: "Still... Thanks. For fixing... me up. For showing up. For... you know."

Kriti: "For what?"

Me: "For breathing so heavily while fixing my wounds? 🙄"

I could practically hear her gasp through the screen.

Kriti: "EXCUSE ME? I did NOT....."

Me: "You did. 100%. I thought you were going to faint or something. LOL 😂"

Kriti: "Liar. I was perfectly calm!! Idiot!"

Me: "Oh yeah? Your hand literally trembled when you touched my side."

Kriti: "That's because you were bleeding!! Not because of... Shut up!! 😑"

Me: "Sure, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night. 😂"

Kriti: "You're impossible... Vaibhav."

Me: "Yet you're still here, texting me."

Kriti: "... Touché. 🥲"

Another pause. I could imagine her now. Curled up on her bed, phone in hand, she tried to hide that tiny grin from herself.

Kriti: "Rest. Heal up properly, okay? No more hero stunts."

Me: "No promises. But I'll try."

Kriti: "Good. I'd be... worried. You know. If something worse happened."

I read that twice. A small warmth spread somewhere beneath the ache in my ribs.

Me: "Noted."

Pooja

"Aarti? You picked up all the clothes from the backyard?" I exclaimed as rain showers intensified. I decided to take a drop this year and prepare for the Entrance exams next year. During this time, I helped my mom a lot with household chores.

It started raining heavily. I took my cup of tea and sat beside my room's window.

Aarti: "Sup, dude?"

"Okay. That's enough of this Gen-Z drama.", I said as I stared at her.

"Fiineeee...", she said and sat on her couch. "Di, did you see Vaibhav's Instagram status?" Aarti said lazily.

I grabbed the phone from her. I looked at the status... completely blank. I don't know what to think of this. It was just him on his balcony, sitting in the dark on a chair, with his legs on the railing.

I gave the phone back to her. "Take it," I said.

"You okay, di?"

"Yeah. Just... a bit tired". I tighten my fist behind my back unknowingly. Aarti seemed to notice it. And she was getting worried.

"Dude. You should chill. Let's go out on a ride, the rain is coming to a stop. Gimme your scooty keys, Di.", she said while playing that stupid game. Roblox. Kids these days, damn!

"Maybe. Yeah. Let's go...", I answered.

***

An evening at Vaibhav's home

"Beta, come here. Need you here just for a minute.", Dad said to me. He was standing on a stool fiddling with the ceiling fan of the Living room, trying to fix it.

"Blown capacitor?" I asked.

My dad chuckles and nods yes. "Yes. You're right. Would you give me that screwdriver over there?" he points to the table.

"Sure, Dad. Wait, I'll join you too." I collected all the tools and grabbed another stool, and joined him just beside. "Uh... Yep. Here it is." I handed him the screwdriver.

"What's up. Tell me.", asked Dad, his eyes fixated as he unscrewed the capacitor holder from the fan.

"Me? Nothing, Dad..", I responded as I was holding tools for him.

"Son, I know you're carrying something. When I was at your age, I thought silence made me stronger, too. It doesn't.", he said.

This hit me deep... Somewhere, I had a feeling too that he must've gone through the same phase when he was at my age.

"There you go. This thing will run like new. Son, switch on the fan right now", said Dad after taping the last wire after joining them together. I acknowledged and went for the switch. The fan ran at full speed.

"Your Daddy is the hero!" he announced and let out a grin and a laugh after that. Well, he's not wrong. My Dad is a hero. He knows how to fix almost everything. I let out a smile at him, then collected all the tools and other items lying around and put them into the toolbox. I went upstairs to my room.

I crashed on my bed as soon as I opened my room's door. All I could hear was a soft and very faint rumble of the traffic nearby.

..

Took a turn, and saw the faint glowing stone slowly pulsing inside my drawer. Reminding me of how much commotion it caused me to get it. I get up slowly and open the drawer to have a peek at the stone...

I should tell Kriti everything. Maybe she deserves to know about all this. I thought to myself as I held it.

With the stone in my hand, I pulled out my phone with the other hand and texted Kriti:

"You free tomorrow?"

She replied, "Of course. Why?"

I typed out...

"I think... I need to talk.",

The stone still in my hand ... Glowing and pulsing...

***