Chapter 9 : new friend Vrishali
The Sun rose in the sky, heralding the arrival of light to banish the world's darkness with his soft yet radiant beams.
From the forest, birds chirped in gentle voices as they set out for their daily tasks, while the river flowed with a soothing, murmuring sound.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon me, as if saying, 'Your father is already awake; what are you doing still sleeping? Get up quickly.'
"Father, let me sleep, please," I muttered to myself.
But the light grew more intense, forcing me to finally stand up. I looked toward the Sun through the window. "I am awake now; please, dim your brilliance."
The intensity returned to normal. I no longer had any desire to sleep; I knew if I drifted off again, Father would surely wake me up.
I went over and closed the window, then turned and walked out of the bedroom. I put on my shoes kept near the door and stepped out of my house.
Outside, the light greeted me first. In this life, my father is Surya Dev—the Sun himself. Although he has never appeared before me, he has never abandoned me either.
Walking along, I approached a tree situated right by the riverbank. I had brought a fishing rod with me, which I had found in the house.
I sat down on the soft, grassy ground. Suddenly, I remembered that I didn't have any bait to catch fish.
I turned toward the ground and began digging the soil with my right hand. After digging for a few minutes, I found my bait—an earthworm.
I skewered the earthworm onto the sharp hook of my fishing rod. The poor creature writhed in agony before dying.
I paid it no further mind, raised the fishing rod, and cast the hook into the river.
There was a splash, and the hook sank into the river water. I sat there, waiting for a fish to take the bait.
...
Meanwhile, a girl, who appeared to be about ten years old, was walking nearby. She wore earrings, a necklace, and a beautiful dress, and her hair was braided. Carrying a clay pot in her hands, she was heading toward the river.
"Mom gives me this kind of work every single morning; I can't even have fun with my friends," the girl grumbled, complaining about her mother as she walked toward the river.
When she reached the riverbank and was about to fill her pot with water, she noticed someone.
She turned and looked at me. She came here every day but had never seen me before; indeed, she had never seen me in her life. Thinking I must be new, she decided to approach me and ask for an introduction.
She was walking toward me, but I was focused entirely on catching a fish. If I wanted to, I could catch not just one but many fish using my psychic powers, but where would the fun be in that?
The river was so clear that I could see exactly where the fish were. Slowly, a fish approached my bait, and just as it was about to bite...
"Hello, who are you? I have never seen you here before."
A girl's voice broke my concentration. My fishing rod shook slightly in my hand, alerting the fish, which swam away without taking the bait.
I looked at the girl. Her actions didn't anger me. I was a twenty-year-old man, and she was merely a ten-year-old girl. Would I really get angry at a child so much younger than me? Absolutely not.
The girl had quite an attitude. She knew she was the reason my fish had escaped, yet she wasn't ready to admit her mistake.
"My name is Karna; I am new here. Because of you, my fish got away. I was about to get angry, but since you are a girl, I held back. Just apologize to me, and I will forgive you."
I introduced myself first and asked her to apologize for her error.
"Why should I apologize? It is entirely your fault. I am the leader of my group; have you ever seen a leader apologize to anyone? Since you told me your name, I shall tell you mine. My name is Vrishali."
Vrishali puffed out her chest proudly and introduced herself. Hearing her name, it sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place where I had heard it.
I possess memories of my past life, but that does not mean I remember every single minor detail.
I looked at Vrishali. "Vrishali is a very nice name. Will you become my first friend? If you become my friend, I will take you to see my house."
I pointed into the distance. "Can you see that large two-story wooden house over there? That is my home."
Hearing this, she didn't believe me. "Don't lie. How can that house be yours? No one lives there."
I shrugged my shoulders. "If you don't want to be friends, then don't. But think about it; I will take you to see the house."
"If it is true, then take me inside and show me. Only then will I believe your words and accept you as my friend."
Vrishali said this with a smile; she was convinced that I would be proven a liar.
"Then follow me."
I began walking toward my house, and Vrishali followed behind. She had completely forgotten that she needed to fill her pot with water and return home; she had left the pot near the tree.
A few minutes later, we arrived at my house. I had locked the door before leaving. She was eager to see how I would open it; if I were lying, I wouldn't have the key.
I took the key from my pocket, inserted it into the lock, and turned it three times. With a sharp click, the lock opened.
She stood there, stunned and wide-eyed. "Is it really true, Karna? Is this your house? I couldn't believe that you actually live here."
Vrishali thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, Karna, I don't see your parents anywhere."
To be continued...