She and Her 14 Quirky Brothers on Raksha Bandhan: A Poetry in Prose (Part 1/2)

This Rakhi 2022, we present you a short story on RakshaBandhan. It's a playful take on a sister with 14 brothers. Read on.

~*~

Once upon a few Rakhis, there lived a girl who had 14 brothers. Now, you must be telling yourself, ‘Wow! That’s way too many in the 21^st century.’ Well, to tell you the truth, this lass had a class --a quite extraordinary girl whose heart was as precious as a pearl. Her concept of family extended way beyond biology. For her, family is what we make it. And I agree. Isn’t that the reason why I am writing about her at this time of the year?

Well, if it makes sense, let her story further commence.

So she had one brother from the same mother. But he being not her favourite was never a secret. A fact that everyone in the family accepted wholeheartedly.

“Who were these other brothers,” you ask. They were cousins, friends of hers and her brothers’-- men who were once strangers to her but swore to protect her from all kinds of dangers.

“We’d like to meet them, please?” you press.

“Of course without further discourse,” I say.

“But wait. Does this girl have a name at least?” you ask.

“Everyone called her She, and her charming smile was her USP.”

“We want more of her, too. Do continue without further ado.”

“With pleasure, for they were a treasure!”

Meet Brother No. 1. He was the eldest but not the tallest. One Rakhi afternoon, he was browsing through a popular fast food restaurant online. She perched her chin on his shoulder and asked,

“Planning on ordering?”

“Yup!” he answered.

“Pizza?”

“As usual. Any other idea?”

“You’re open to other options?”

“As long as you have coupons!”

Unfortunately, She didn’t have any. So she handed him a Bhukkad Bhai (PizzaFoodie) Bro Brass Metal Rakhi instead. He was more than happy to accept it and gave her a hug as tight as a snug.

Brother No. 2 loved to party but never made anyone worry. He liked beer, but he liked it brewed more. So he took the matter at heart and made his own brand grand. On a Rakhi day, that fell on Thursday, She gave him Chill Bro Brass Metal Rakhi and said, “Happy Rakhi Cheersday, big brother!”

Both laughed. (Even you, I believe, laughed as well.)

She nicknamed his Brother No.3 Roadie, for he travelled a lot even to destinations travellers considered the least hotspot. He would rather ride his bike than take a hike. On the same Rakhi day that fell on Thursday, Roadie was miles away. She waited for him to give him Roadie (Brass Metal) Rakhi that she bought from Snooplay. Though she waited for hours, She was just more than glad that he showed up with, in hand, a bouquet of flowers.

Brother No.4 was a gym hardcore. He enlisted himself in a contest called power-lifting, an impulsive decision that later on he admitted to being so overwhelming. On one Rakhi morning, he wailed in pain and swore with bated breath. His muscles were so sore that he believed he had invited death. She comforted him and said, "If you can't go to the gym, let the gym come to you," and tied Gym Bro (Brass Metal) Rakhi on his wrist instead.

She's fifth brother had a knack for business, but some investors differed and called his business ideas absurd. When he made his first million, he thought he'd make it to a billion and buy a dozen sedans. But the universe had other plans. His first two start-ups tanked and emptied his bank account. But thanks to his family, his third venture soared; his products were adored. To celebrate its success, they planned a get-together and held it on Raksha Bandhan where She gave Brother No. 5 a Startup Wala Bhai Rakhi that he treasures to this day.

Brother No. 6 is six foot six. His towering height always put him in the spotlight, especially when he received a scholarship from Fulbright. For his size, he was definitely wise. 'There's only one life, don't act reckless and hasten your demise' was his advice.

On one Rakhi evening, She asked him to sit with her on a swing where She tied a Brother of the Year Brass Metal Rakhi on his hand. Little did She know that Six came prepared. He made a video of their moments together and titled it, 'She who makes hearts flutter. If you break hers, yours will be found in the gutter'. It sounded like a threat, but for a brother like Six, everything that concerned his sister was a serious matter.

She's seventh brother was the coolest brother ever.‭ ‬He was her classmate when they were in seventh grade.‭ ‬Their friendship was forged when he tutored her physics as though it was as simple as piling bricks.‭ ‬Since then,‭ ‬Seven became her confidant.‭ ‬He was the first to know‭ ‬who made her eyes glow,‭ ‬and he was the first to know who made her their foe.‭ Every month that Aunt Flo paid her a visit, he would be the first to ask a handful of questions. ‘Is everything alright? Is your tummy upset? Should we skip classes and binge-watch on Netflix?'

So on a Rakhi day, She made Seven a Cool Bro Brass Metal Rakhi that sealed their friendship forever.

Read the second part of this tale here.

In the meantime, browse through our collection of quirky rakhis for your brothers with quirky personalities.