BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
THUNDER THUNDER
As both brothers were busy in their sibling's quarrel, a loud sound was heard all over the world. The sound was so loud, like the sky had fallen on earth. Thunderous lightning started everywhere.
It felt like the world was going to end, or was it the start of something beyond human imagination?
After the sound, the whole world was paused. Like they are paralyzed. No one, not a single living being, moved for a few moments.
CRACK
Suddenly, a 'crack' sound came from beneath Yash, and a rift appeared in the place of land, swallowing Yash, and just like that, he vanished.
The same scene was happening all over the world, and people started disappearing. To where? Nobody knows?
As if this was not enough.
GRRRRSHHHH
The mountain shuddered with a deep, growling rumble. A rolling avalanche of stone and soil thundered down towards the only man left in the mountains.
...
Blank. My mind was blank, I don't remember why and for how long, but something happened-
'What happened'
'Yash and I were arguing about something when that happened.'
'That. That? What happened when we were arguing? Why can't I remember it?'
GRRRSSSSHHH
'What is this sound?'
'Sound' (boooooooooom, Hira recalls the sound)
'Yes, I remember now, we were both arguing when suddenly a loud voice was heard. After that…'
'What happened after that?'
GRRRRSSSHHHH
'No, this sound was different from what we heard.'
'Who is even making these noises?'
I felt like I had travelled beyond 'infinity' and then came back.
'Huh, ' What am I thinking about? How can anyone even travel to infinity, let alone beyond it?
Why do I feel like everything is shaking?
RUMBLE
"aaggh!" A rock hit my forehead.
"Yaaasshh, now you have done it. How dare you hit me with a rock?"
As my eyes snapped open, I swept my gaze around in search of Yash, but before I could find him, a shadow loomed above me. A massive boulder teetering on the edge, ready to crush me beneath its weight.
For a heartbeat, time froze, and all I could hear was the rumble of the mountain breathing down my neck.
Instinct took over before thought could catch up. I rolled hard to the right, my palms scraping against the gravel as the rock thundered down beside me.
A burst of dust and splinters stung my face as I lay still for a moment, heart hammering, air thick with the taste of stone and fear- alive only because I'd moved a second faster than death.
The echo of the crash still hung in the air when I pushed myself up. My hands shook, my ears rang, but one thought cut through the chaos – Chote.
(Hira calls Yash, Chote. As a nickname.)
He had been right beside me when that sound came, and everything went black.
"Yash."
"CHOTE, where are you?"
I turned in every direction, shouting his name, but my voice was swallowed by the rumble of falling stones and the hiss of sliding gravel.
"Yash...YAAASSHH"
I am screaming his name, looking everywhere around me, as the earth shuddered beneath my feet, not once, but again and again, as if the mountain was tearing itself apart.
Still, I ran, stumbling, falling, pushing forward, my heart pounding louder than the thunder above. I didn't care about the rocks or the pain; I just needed to find him.
Before I could find him, the ground beneath my feet gave way. For the heartbeat, everything went silent, then the earth collapsed, and I was falling.
My hands clawed at empty air, trying to grab onto something, anything, but the mud and rocks slipped through my fingers.
As I tumbled helplessly down the slope, the only thought burning in my mind was, "I shouldn't have forced him to come with me."
I was falling, helpless, weightless, then a soaring pain burst through my skull, a massive rock had struck me. My vision blurred instantly; the world turned into streaks of dust and shadow.
"I am sorry, Chote, for dragging you here with me.
Now we will both meet in the afterlife. If there is any?"
My body grew heavy, slipping away from awareness, but just before darkness swallowed me completely, I felt something – a pair of arms, strong arms, catching me mid-fall.
Through the haze of my fading consciousness, I caught a glimpse of something unreal.
A giant man, about 3 meters tall, with long black hair tied in a rough bun that has some grey in it. He had a massive axe hanging across his back.
There was something unique in his presence. His body radiating a unique energy that makes others feel compelled to bow their head.
My head throbbed, my vision swam, but one thing was clear: he was carrying me effortlessly, through the air as the world crumbled below us. I couldn't tell if he was real or just the imagination of a dying man.
"Hehe, great, now I am even imagining things. How can a flying giant come to save me? Am I a princess or what?"
Before I could slip completely into the dark, I saw his lips move.
"मम विश्रामस्थाने ____ म्रियमाणं द्रष्टुं ______ शक्नोमि ।"
I couldn't make out the words, but from what I can understand, he seems to be speaking in one of the ancient languages – SANSKRIT.
Even if this is my imagination, I made an effort to tell him that my small brother was also trapped somewhere here. Please also save him,
"Please …save... my brot -
'KHUGH KHUGH', but even moving my jaw muscle is proving a daunting task.
Suddenly, I sensed that our surroundings were too quiet.
As I swept my gaze around us – I don't know when or how – the giant had carried me all the way back to an Inn from where Yash and I had started.
And then he vanished, right in front of me; he just disappeared into thin air. I didn't even get a chance to tell him to save my brother. Before I could understand what was happening, the last thread of consciousness snapped, and I fell into silence, with a single thought,
'Anyway, this is just a dream.'
A.N.- Tittle means, 'disappear' or 'vanish'.