The second chapter starts exactly where chapter 1 ended.
Shweta is actually shocked now. She's totally convinced this is a dream.
Instead of saying anything to the 10-year-old Shweta, she grabs her own head with both hands, trying to calm herself.
She starts pinching herself, closing and opening her eyes again and again—hoping to wake up.
But after opening her eyes, everything is still the same.
She is still there.
That's when she finally believes… she has time-travelled to the past.
She sits on the bench, holding her head in her hands, lost in tension and anxiety.
The 10-year-old Shweta, who was crying, slowly stops when she sees her.
She's now just staring at the 25-year-old version of herself—confused and curious.
In her mind, the little girl asks herself,
"Is she mad or what?"
Still watching her strangely, the little girl slowly moves her hand forward and gently touches Shweta's arm.
She softly asks,
"What happened to you?"
With a tense and lost face, 25-year-old Shweta looks at her and says,
"I'm stuck here."
There's a pause.
Then the 10-year-old Shweta—still innocent, sweet, and full of positivity—smiles brightly and says,
"But… you can breathe na?"
After hearing those words—"But you can breathe na?"—
Shweta actually pauses… and feels it.
Yes. She is breathing.
Yes. She is alive.
A strange calmness washes over her anxious heart.
She finally makes herself believe:
"Whether I've actually time-travelled… or it's just a dream… it's okay. In fact, whatever this is, I'm fine."
She exhales deeply and gently smiles to herself.
Just then, 10-year-old Shweta offers her a water bottle.
25-year-old Shweta accepts it and takes a sip.
Then, the little girl—being her usual extroverted self—asks cheerfully,
"What's your name?"
Shweta smiles and replies softly,
"Myself, Shweta."
The 10-year-old lights up with excitement.
"Ohh wow! Me too—Shweta!"
Shweta chuckles and replies,
"I know."
The little girl blinks in surprise.
"How do you know?"
Now the elder Shweta pauses, unsure.
"Can I say everything to her?" she thinks.
"Will she even understand it?"
While she's lost in that thought, the younger Shweta says something unexpected:
"You know… I feel like this exact moment has happened before. But this is the first time I'm crying at the bus stop. Actually, this happens to me a lot—whatever I'm doing , it always feels like I've already done it before."
That stuns the elder Shweta.
She softly says,
"I know… I was crying here too when I was 10 years old. But as far as I remember, at that time… I didn't realize this had already happened with me before."
She thinks again.
"Because… if I've time-travelled to my past, then this same thing must have happened to me back then too."
After listening to 25-year-old Shweta's words, 10-year-old Shweta said,
"Ohh, how do you think like that? I'm saying this because..., déjà vu hit me."
Shweta said,
"Déjà vu means—"
She was about to explain, but before she could finish, 10-year-old Shweta excitedly interrupted her and started explaining:
"Déjà vu means… a same universe like ours is existing somewhere in this galaxy. And in that universe, the same Shweta—just like me—is living her life. But the thing I just did… she already did it before. And that's why, now, as I am also Shweta from my world and my universe… déjà vu hits me."
After hearing 10-year-old Shweta's words, 25-year-old Shweta was stunned.
She started thinking,
"Did I actually travel through universes? Am I in another universe now? And in this universe, my own self is living a 10-year-old life? Does that mean... this universe is 15 years behind my own universe?"
Shweta was still thinking about her universe travel, completely shocked.
She held her head in her hands, looking stressed and full of anxiety.
At that very moment, 10-year-old Shweta looked at her and asked softly,
"What happened to you?"
When little Shweta asked, "What happened to you?"
25-year-old Shweta looked at her, speechless.
In her mind, thoughts spiraled.
"Do I tell her what's happening with me? Did I really travel to another universe? Am I truly in her world now? But… will she even believe me?"
She questioned herself silently, unsure of what to say.
But 10-year-old Shweta, with her innocent face and helping nature, kept looking at her with curious eyes.
Seeing that calm, trusting expression, 25-year-old Shweta took a deep breath.
"Okay, fine," she said to herself, "I'll explain it to her."
She turned to the little girl and began, slowly and gently:
"See Shweta… I'm also Shweta. And honestly, I don't know if you'll believe me or not… but you're the only person I know here.
This might sound weird, but I don't have any other option.
I think I've traveled from my universe to your universe… and your world is 15 years behind mine.
The most important part? I'm 25-year-old Shweta from my universe… and you're the 10-year-old version of me from this universe.
Maybe… that's why you felt that déjà vu. Because I already lived through everything you're going through now."
10-year-old Shweta looked at 25-year-old Shweta carefully and cluelessly after listening to her. Then, 25-year-old Shweta rolled her eyes with disappointment and said,
"I know that you won't believe me."
Then, little Shweta said,
"Maybe I'm the only one who believes you."
25-year-old Shweta, with surprise, looked at little Shweta and smiled gently.
Here we realized,
"We forget sometimes that we can't guarantee others will believe in us. But we must always believe in ourselves, because when you forget to believe in yourself, you can't accept others believing in you."
Then, 10-year-old Shweta asked 25-year-old Shweta,
"If you're me from another universe, does that mean your universe is actually like mine?"
25-year-old Shweta replied, "Yes."
Then, she asked,
"And you're me, right? A oldest version of me."
25-year-old Shweta said, "Yes."
"Then why are you so sad? Are you always like this, or is it because you got lost in the galaxy and ended up in my universe, far from home? Is that why you're looking so sad?"
25-year-old Shweta looked at 10-year-old Shweta and said,
"My life is not good. Actually, I used to be like you — full of life."
After listening to her words, 10-year-old Shweta said to 25-year-old Shweta,
"If at the age of 25, I turn out to be like you, then I hate you. And I don't want to be 25 years old then."
25-year-old Shweta looked so sad after hearing those words from 10-year-old Shweta. She looked at her with a sad expression on her face.
After seeing her expression, 10-year-old Shweta, a bit hesitant, quickly said,
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I was just trying to say... I don't want to be sad and stressed like you."
25-year-old Shweta replied,
"It's okay."
Then she paused and asked,
"But I want to know—how can you trust me so easily? I thought you wouldn't believe me."
10-year-old Shweta smiled and said,
"You know, I always tell God that I want to go on an adventure. And maybe... this is my dream. In this dream, I'm meeting myself—15 years older. That's why I believed you so quickly."
After hearing this, 25-year-old Shweta looked disappointed. Her face showed frustration, but she still calmly explained,
"Shweta, this is not a dream."
10-year-old Shweta smiled and said,
"Really?"
25-year-old Shweta nodded with a gentle expression on her face, silently saying yes.
Then 10-year-old Shweta said playfully,
"Oh no! Pinch me! I said, pinch me!" — pointing to 25-year-old Shweta.
25-year-old Shweta smiled and lightly pinched her hand.
"Ow!" shouted 10-year-old Shweta.
Then she said,
"Okay, okay, I believe you... but can you please prove it to me? That this is all really true?"
25-year-old Shweta replied,
"If this universe is a reflection of mine, and I'm really from the future... then maybe you have the same family I had."
She began naming each member of their family.
10-year-old Shweta looked a little more satisfied but still had a confused look on her face.
Sensing her unease, 25-year-old Shweta gently took her hand in hers and said,
"Shweta, I know why you were crying here."
10-year-old Shweta looked up at her, surprised.
25-year-old Shweta continued softly,
"Your friend Kavya isn't speaking to you… and you don't even know why. Still, you keep saying sorry to her, hoping things will be okay."
10-year-old Shweta looked absolutely shocked. That incident had happened just today — and she hadn't told anyone. How could this girl possibly know?
After that, the two Shwetas walked together along the quiet road. 10-year-old Shweta kept looking at 25-year-old Shweta curiously, her eyes full of wonder.
25-year-old Shweta noticed and asked with a small smile,
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
10-year-old Shweta replied,
"Are you really from another universe? I mean… from the future universe?"
25-year-old Shweta smiled gently and nodded,
"Yes."
With innocent eyes and a hopeful smile, 10-year-old Shweta asked,
"So what do you do there? Are you a fashion designer? Or a poet? Or maybe someone famous? I've always dreamed of becoming something like that in my future."
25-year-old Shweta's smile faded. She looked down, her face turning somber.
She replied softly,
"No... I'm just an employee in a big company."
10-year-old Shweta's face dropped instantly. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed a little, and her disappointment was clearly visible.
They both walked in silence for a while, their hearts a little heavy.
But suddenly, 10-year-old Shweta broke the silence with a soft smile and said,
"It's okay. At least you have a job. I always thought... since I'm not that good at studies, maybe I'll never have one in the future. But look at you—you're taking responsibilities. That's something I always dreamed of. And now... Mom and Dad don't have any financial problems, right?"
For the first time, 25-year-old Shweta felt truly content with her job.
She had always been hard on herself, constantly thinking about what she wanted to be versus what she was doing.
But after hearing those innocent, honest words from her younger self, she realized something important—
She was doing all this for a reason.
She had responsibilities. She is the elder child of her family.
And that mattered.
For the first time in a long while, a quiet peace settled over her face.
25-year-old Shweta looked truly satisfied from within, and that quiet beauty reflected on her face—calm, content, and gentle.
10-year-old Shweta looked up at her and said with a bright smile,
"Ohh... this was something missing. Now I can really believe you're actually me—from the future universe."
They both looked at each other…
And smiled.
10-year-old Shweta looked at her curiously and asked,
"So... where are you going to stay?"
25-year-old Shweta looked a bit surprised and replied,
"Where? I don't know... I don't know anyone here except you. And I don't even have any money with me."
10-year-old Shweta frowned a little and said,
"Ae! You just said you have a job!"
25-year-old Shweta gave a small laugh and said,
"Yes, I do have a job... but I use e-pay. I don't carry cash anymore."
She showed her phone while saying it.
10-year-old Shweta looked at her smartphone with wide eyes and said,
"You have this? I've seen it before on TV, but no one in my family has one yet."
10-year-old Shweta curiously examined the smartphone—turning it front and back, tapping the screen, completely fascinated.
25-year-old Shweta watched her with a slight smirk and said,
"Shweta, if you're done inspecting my phone, can we please talk about where I'm going to stay?"
10-year-old Shweta giggled and replied,
"Well… I'm actually proud of you."
25-year-old Shweta raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
10-year-old Shweta beamed,
"Because you have this touch screen phone! That means… in my future, I'll have one too!"
25-year-old Shweta smiled,
"Yes, of course you will. And maybe even cooler ones."
Then 10-year-old Shweta's expression changed a bit as she thought out loud,
"About your stay… hmm… I don't have any secret place. In this universe, me and my family live in one room, as you probably know."
She added that with a playful grin.
They both went quiet for a moment, lost in thought.
Suddenly, their eyes locked onto something at the same time—
the horror bungalow down the street.
The abandoned, creepy house that all the kids in the area were scared of.
They both looked at each other... and slowly, the same mischievous, slightly nervous smile spread across their faces.
"No way…"
"Are we really thinking the same thing?"
Both 25-year-old Shweta and 10-year-old Shweta stood in front of the horror bungalow, their eyes fixed on the eerie, decaying house. The wind howled softly, sending a shiver down their spines.
For a moment, they just stared at it. The place looked abandoned, with broken windows, overgrown vines, and an unsettling silence surrounding it. It was the kind of house kids in the neighborhood whispered about, daring each other to go near it but never stepping inside.
Suddenly, almost as if they were in sync, both of them spoke in unison,
"I always wanted to go inside this house."
There was a brief pause, and then they looked at each other, their expressions mirroring a mix of excitement and nervousness.
25-year-old Shweta grinned nervously,
"You first."
10-year-old Shweta, eyes wide with both fear and curiosity, replied,
"No, you go first! You're from the future. Maybe you know what's inside."
They both laughed, the tension breaking, but neither made the first move toward the creepy house. They stood frozen for a moment longer, both wondering if they really wanted to go through with it.
Then, a strange creaking sound echoed from within the bungalow, like a door opening on its own.
Both of them took a deep breath... and with a shared look of determination, they stepped forward.
Both 25-year-old Shweta and 10-year-old Shweta stepped inside the horror bungalow, fully expecting the eerie, creepy atmosphere to surround them. But to their surprise, there was nothing scary inside. The house felt oddly... peaceful. It was quiet, but there was a strange calmness that seemed to fill the air.
The place was vast, with old but charming furniture scattered around. moonlight filtered in through cracked windows, casting warm beams across the dusty floors. The house, despite its outward appearance, felt more welcoming than they'd imagined.
10-year-old Shweta looked around with wide eyes,
"Wow, it's so big! And they even have furniture inside! It's not like how I thought it would be."
But 25-year-old Shweta stood still, looking tense and a little uneasy. She scanned the room, her mind racing with a mix of fear and confusion. Despite the peaceful setting, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off.
10-year-old Shweta noticed her discomfort and turned to her with a raised eyebrow,
"Are you scared?"
25-year-old Shweta quickly snapped back,
"No, I'm not scared. If you're not, then I'm not."
But 10-year-old Shweta grinned, her excitement still palpable,
"Of course, I'm not scared! I'm so happy. This was on my bucket list! I always wanted to come inside this house, and finally, I did it!"
She sighed with relief, flopping onto one of the sofas.
"I'm so tired. A lot has happened today, and I wasn't prepared for all of it. But I did a lot of things I never thought I would do... and now I can just rest!"
25-year-old Shweta watched her with a sad smile, her thoughts wandering.
When we were children, we were fearless and daring, taking on any challenge without hesitation. But as we grow older, we become scared, cautious… Why?
She glanced at 10-year-old Shweta, who was so carefree, so happy with everything she had accomplished today, and felt a wave of longing.
Look at her. She's so fearless, so full of life. Maybe we should never lose that spirit. Maybe we can still be happy, even with all the fears we face in adulthood.
Note:For all the readers wondering why 25-year-old Shweta travels through universes instead of simply going back in time — here's the logic.
If 25-year-old Shweta had time-traveled within her own timeline, she wouldn't be able to meet her 10-year-old self. That's because in her own universe, she would become the 10-year-old version of herself, not exist alongside her.
But if she travels through a parallel universe — one where 10-year-old Shweta is currently living her life — only then can 25-year-old Shweta meet and interact with her younger self.
And logically speaking, time travel to the past isn't scientifically possible. But traveling to the future? That's theoretically more acceptable.
Chapter two ends here.