Jaggu picked him up and put him in a small cage. "Don’t worry, Mr. Lizard. I’ll feed you flies."
Chutki laughed. Kalia puffed his chest. And Bheem? He just asked for more laddoos.
"I have stolen the waking world from your elders," Gorgan hissed. "They will sleep forever unless you bring me the Nectar of Courage from the Cave of Whispers. But be warned—the cave will show you your deepest fears. Fail, and Dholakpur will sleep for a thousand years."
But one evening, as the sky turned the color of burnt orange, a strange mist rolled in from the forbidden forest of Andhakaara. The mist wasn’t ordinary. It shimmered with purple and green sparks. The villagers coughed and felt dizzy. Within minutes, all the grown-ups—including Raja Indraverma, Rajkumari Indumati, and even Tun Tun—fell into a deep, unnatural sleep.
Raju started crying. Jaggu’s tail curled in fright.
In the lush green land of Dholakpur, everything was peaceful. The sun shone brightly over the palace, children played by the Yamuna, and Bheem, the brave young hero, was enjoying a plate of laddoos from Bheem’s Halwai.
But Bheem said, "These are tricks. Close your eyes and hold hands."