7. The Lost Diamond

Kris woke up early that day. He was somewhat excited about the contract. It has been centuries since he was human the last time. It was a different time and setting altogether. A village in the heart of a glorious nation which was unaware of the ills that were about to happen. Oblivious of the perils of human greed which would swarm their children and theirs too like hungry wolves, blinded by desire. He had seen all that ; in fact, he was the architect of the greatest war of the century, the human embodiment of its zeitgeist.

This life seemed to be much more fun; Kris truly appreciated the man-made technologies. The heavens should learn from this, he thought. If and when he goes back, he would definitely upgrade heaven to match its daughter-planet. He wondered if Sive would enjoy this. His best friend, although hot-tempered god of highest rankings, was truly very down to earth and appreciated a humble living. This was one of the prime reasons why he chose to live in the heaven's cemetery. Sive made him proud everytime, especially in the face of chaos. He was truly the most powerful, but for his terrible anger. He knew this, which is why he avoided being the supreme god of heaven most of the time. The last time he did, his entire life had turned upside down. Kris shuddered from the mere thought.

There was a knock at the door. Mira looked as if she was sleepwalking. The disheveled hair somehow added to her charm. She looked like a Hispanic beauty.

"What is it?" Kris asked.

"There's somebody waiting for you outside."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Now get going. The person is very loud. Go quickly so as to not disturb our neighbours, please."

Kris pulled over a T-shirt and jogged down immediately. He opened the door and the foulest of language popped up in his head.

"What in the name of...! What are you doing here?"

Mira was peeping from upstairs, kneeling down near the railings.

"Well, hello darling. Care to invite in your wife. Should I say 'ex-wife'? But hey, technically we're still married."

The woman wore a hot red dress, short enough to reveal a wild rose tattooed on her inner thighs. Mira felt disgusted for some reason. She loved tattoos but this woman was totally not the kind she liked. And she said 'wife'? Kris was married? Wtf?

"How did you know to get here?" Kris wasn't falling for her crap.

"Why did you not contact me, husband? Do I not interest you anymore? You could have contacted sister, then? She was your favourite wife, after all."

"How did you know to find me? I'm asking you how!" Kris sounded menacing.

"How do you think? Someone set me up. Now, now, I'm not giving away names. My benefactor would be mad. I don't want that. YOU don't want that."

Kris understood. This was Sive's sweet revenge. But dealing with this woman would take his entire energy away.

"How about this? You ask me one gift, anything, and I'll give it to you. But you must leave, then, Pama."

"Hawww..Come on, husband. Are you trying to bribe me? Want to get rid of me so easily? What do you know! Good thinking. I have just one thing I want."

"Name it."

"Cyamantak"

Kris felt as if he was struck by a thousand lightning bolts. The Cyamantak once belonged to Pama's father, Satya, but after a many attempts to own it, it reached Krsna, his soon-to-be son-in-law. It was after that he married Pama. But over the years, it was passed on and later, during the modern era, it was taken by the English during one of their incursions. It was now in their capital city and within the most celebrated Palace in the world, guarded by the most fearsome security and with the best of security.

"Okay. Consider it done."

"When?"

"By evening."

"Okay, I'll wait here, then".

"No.. I don't think that's a good..." When did she ever listen to anyone? Pama pushed past him and entered the house.

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Not wanting to pry into someone else's personal life, Mira had gone to her room without listening to the entire conversation. She got freshened up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Kris was already there and was making something which looked like rice papers used to make rolls. But this was slightly thicker and crispy-looking. Seeing Mira stare so hard, Kris responded, "It's called Dosa, it's an Indian breakfast dish. Made a curry to go with it too. I'd be elated if you were to join us for breakfast."

Hearing 'us', Mira spun around to see who's there. It was that woman from earlier. Quietly, Mira settled down on the kitchen chair, while nodding yes to Kris.

" So you're living with this young lady, Krsna? "

Mira felt as if her heart stopped. 'Krsna'??? Oh, yeah. Kris Nadet. KrisNa(det). It dawned upon her. Why didn't this occur to her before? What kind of coincidence was this? And why the hell was she called a 'young lady?' The woman herself did not look older than 25, so why was Mira the 'young lady' here.

"Pama, stop calling me by that name. I don't go by that name anymore. I'm Kris." He looked embarrassed, Mira thought.

"Well, nice to meet you... Your name?"

"Mira. Nice to meet you too."

"Mira??" The woman looked from her to Kris and again at her.

"Really?" She asked Kris.

"What? What do you mean?" Mira asked them both.

"Nothing. She's probably mistaken you for... Erm.. Someone else from my past." Kris had a grim expression on his face.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here." Mira had started to get this very bad feeling. Something was not right.

"Mira, stop. I apologise for her. Don't go. Eat." Kris panicked.

"Yes, dear, please stay. I'd feel terrible if you leave." Pama wanted to see more of this legendary character.

It was a quiet affair afterwards. Mira had breakfast and left. Pama accompanied Kris to sign the contract.

The café owner was waiting for Kris as he entered the shop. Seeing Pama with him, the old man smiled. They had a cup of coffee as they discussed the terms. Pama sat there, observing, without interrupting. When Kris was done with the document signing and they left the cafe, she asked,

"Do you really want me gone? Are you sure you'd be able to handle the cafe alone? I could be a partner, you know. I don't want an answer right away. Think about it. I won't interfere in your personal life, and you shouldn't interfere in mine. How's that?"

"Hmm.. I'll think about it."

"Okay, cool. Now off we go?"

"Yep. Before that, let's stop somewhere for a few minutes."

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Leibniz was working in his lab underground when he heard a loud thud. Someone has entered his territory. He could sense strong energies. Droplets of sweat trickled down his face. He felt nervous to the point of having a breakdown. Two pairs of footsteps approached him.

"OMG Lord Krsna!"

Kris grinned. He had met Leibniz during one of his stints on earth a few centuries ago. He truly liked the guy, he was a genius. And on top of that, he had a secret Kris loved: he was a vampire.

"Hey buddy. I need a quick help."

"Shoot away, my lord. What's it?"

"Make me an exact replica of the Noor."

"Dafuq!? Are you serious?"

"Hell, yeah."

"Five minutes."

Kris and Pama watched as the guy performed magic of another kind. He was a different species, after all. They had their ways. Within few minutes, there sat before them a blue sapphire, studded with ultra-gorgeous diamonds around it.

"I owe you one."

"I'll write that down."

"We'll catch up soon," Kris said as he grabbed the jewel and vanished.

In the Palace vault, they appeared in their true forms. They emerged as bright lights which cannot be captured by human equipments. In a moment, they replaced the original with the replica.

Back in the house, they were panting as it was a nerve-wracking task even for a god. Kris looked at Pama. She was holding the jewel tight in her hand. He grinned.

"You know what? Let's be business partners."

Pama's face broke into a broad smile. She was a gorgeous woman, especially when she was on your side.

"Deal."

She extended her hands and Kris took it.