Lost Between Worlds

By Soumya Gudiyella and Abhilasha Khatri

Although Varun has lost his memory, when he wakes up in a strange time-traveling pod and steps into a jungle, he's sure of one thing: he has a long way to go before he will be home. With his faithful beagle, Spot, Varun discovers that he will be stuck in The Jungle Book unless he can find four clues and solve the mystery that will take him

• Language: English
• Publisher: Batani Books
• Release date: Aug 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781953927040

Book preview

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Introducing ...

Varun – The boy who is lost in a book world

Spot – Varun’s pet beagle and friend

Vayu – The book traveling machine

Avani – The virtual assistant of Vayu

Radha – Varun’s mother

Vivek – Varun’s father

Maya – The Goddess of Deceit

Vajra – The Rakshasa who works for Maya

Characters from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling:

Mowgli – the kid who is lost in the jungle and was reared by the wolves

Bagheera – Mowgli’s guardian

Baloo – Mowgli’s teacher

Akela – Leader of the wolf pack

Chil – The Kite

Bandarlog – Monkeys

Messua – Mowgli’s birth mother

Raksha – Mowgli’s wolf mother

Guldeo – The village hunter

GLOSSARY

Amma - Mother

Akasha Vani – Heavenly voice

Namaste – A respectful greeting

Vayu – Wind

(also name of the book traveling pod)

Chikki – An Indian sweet made with jaggery and peanuts

Bandar-log – Monkey-people

Dhoti – Traditional Indian trousers

Puja room – Prayer room

Chulah – A stove operated by burning wood

Roti – Flatbread

Sabzi – Curry

Tilak – Decorative mark on the forehead

Pakdo – Catch

Bhaag – Run

Hindi – One of the major spoken languages of India

Rs. – Rupee (the currency of India)

Moorthi – Idol

Haldi – Turmeric

Modak – food made with rice flour and water

Prasad – Offering to God

Mela – Village fair

Laddu – Indian sweet shaped like a sphere

Motichoor laddus, badusha, mysore pak, kaju katli and kala jamun – Indian sweets

Chil – Kite

Kohl – Eye make up

Bindi – Decorative mark which is worn on the middle of the forehead

Rakshasa – A demon

1

WHO AM I?

I woke up with a wet sensation on my cheek. I tried to drag my eyes open. It felt like I had been sleeping for an eternity. I forced my eyes open and found myself in a room bathed in white. I struggled to keep my eyes open in the brightness. The wet sensation on my face grew stronger, and something dripped down my cheek. I looked to my side and was startled to find a beagle. Standing with its face close to mine and blocking my view with its majestic brown and white coat, the dog fixed its gaze upon me, concerned about my current state. As I blinked to clear my vision, it wagged its tail and yelped joyfully.

As I sat up to observe my surroundings, I felt a throbbing pain in my forehead. I touched my temple and found dried blood. I swiped my fingers on my pants to clean them before looking around. I was sitting in a dome-shaped room. Across from me, I could see two chairs pulled up to a set of monitors and a console with buttons. Where am I? Who am I?

After a brief dizzy spell, I stumbled to my feet. As if on cue, the beagle stepped up to me with an envelope in its mouth and placed it near my feet. It wagged its tail, waiting for me to open this special delivery. I bent to retrieve the envelope, carefully opened it and found a letter inside, penned in the most beautiful cursive writing I had ever seen. I might have lost my memory, but I somehow remembered how good I was at reading, even though many of my ten-year-old friends showed little interest in books. The letter said,

Dear Varun,

I hope you never have to read this letter. If you are reading it, realize that I had to take this action to save you from her. I wanted to give you a fair childhood, rather than a life spent obeying commands, compelled to do tasks that eat away your spirit.

You are in a time machine that travels through the realm of books. Do you remember how many times you asked to accompany your father and me on our time travels? By a weird twist of fate, it is your turn to travel without us. The time machine will take you from one world to the next. In each world, you will find people who will help you and people who will harm you. The most important thing is that in every world, you will find four coordinates or four numbers which will allow you to travel to the next world. All you have to do is to punch in the numbers on the central screen. In all the worlds you visit, remember to look for patterns, anything that stands apart from the surroundings and has a numeric significance.

You might ask me, why should I do all this? When can I come home? I am not sure how many worlds you have to travel before you come home. In the last world, you will find the coordinates to come home. It pains me to send you away. But remember that I did not have an option. I will never forgive your father for making a deal with the devil.

Regarding the operation of the pod, it is autonomous and is controlled by the pod assistant called Akasha Vani. You have to say, Akasha Vani and provide voice commands. The assistant should also be able to guide you through anything regarding the pod, such as the location of the food or the first-aid kit, how to activate the stealth mode on the pod to keep it undetected, and how to turn on the external cameras, just to mention a few.

Another great helper will be Spot. He has been with us for the past five years. You two have been thick as thieves from day one. He never left your side. I know that he will not mind traveling to these new places with you.

Until we meet again, remember that your mother loves you, thinks about you every single moment, and awaits the day you will come home.

Love,

Amma

With trembling hands, I folded the letter back into the envelope and looked at the beagle. Spot? He jumped and barked in joy at hearing his name. The next name I called out was, A...kasha Vani.

Immediately a smooth female voice responded, Namaste, so glad to hear your voice, Varun.

"Can I call you Avani? Akasha Vani is too long."

Avani, I like that name.

I blurted out, Do you know who my mother is? Do you know the coordinates to go home?

I am sorry. I cannot help you with that.

When I heard Avani’s answer, I pinched myself to make sure that I was not in a dream. Once I grasped the reality of the situation, I shouted at Avani, You have to send me back! I want to go home!

I am sorry. I cannot help you with that, the voice replied. I pleaded with Avani to send me home, but I just kept getting the same reply. Overcome with despair, I slumped to the floor and pounded my fist, sobbing uncontrollably. Spot