“No, Mummy, I want to go there!” Vihan said.
“Dear, the planet you want to go to is not safe. It hasn't even been fully discovered by our scientists,” Sara replied.
“Noooooo! I want to go there at any cost!” Vihan insisted.
It was the 26th century, the year 2572. Eighteen-year-old Vihan and his parents, Sara and Richard, lived in Ahmedabad. Vihan was in the first year of his B.Tech. Both his parents worked as scientists at ISRO. In this modern age of advanced technology, a trend had begun where every year scientists discovered a new planet that was habitable for mankind. Recently, a planet named IAF-404 had been discovered. It was declared habitable for humans and other organisms.
Vihan, being stubborn, insisted on going there. Despite Sara and Richard trying hard to convince him otherwise, he wouldn’t give up. Eventually, Vihan won the argument, and his parents allowed him to go to the planet. At that time, the government had started allowing civilians to travel to space, so there was no chance of rejection.
Vihan’s space shuttle was equipped with an auto-return mechanism: if he decided not to stay on IAF-404, it would take off automatically and return to Earth. He was completely unaware of the deeper consequences of his journey. Just a few years earlier, in 2565, scientists had discovered something incredible—a wormhole, a shortcut to travel to far-off planets. This wormhole was located a few light-months away from the Sun. Since then, scientists had discovered several wormholes within the solar system and were exploring more secrets of the universe.
Vihan left Earth many days ago. He was now the only human in that part of the solar system. However, space probes from different countries, launched long ago, were still accompanying him. Back in the 20th century, NASA’s Voyager 1 had been launched and succeeded in the 21st century. Since then, many more probes had been launched.
It had been 100 days of travel at the speed of light. Now, Vihan’s shuttle was about to enter the wormhole. The wormhole had no visible boundaries but was detectable by the solar waves emitted from that area. As the shuttle approached the wormhole, it experienced infinite gravity. But thanks to ISRO’s advanced engineering, the shuttle was built to withstand it.
After passing through the wormhole, Vihan continued his journey. A few days later, he saw the planet IAF-404. After 15 more days, traveling at light speed, it was finally time to land.
After five hours of observation and preparation, the shuttle landed at 4:00 PM Earth time. IAF-404 was partially habitable. The second half of the planet experienced rainfall—not of water, but of ethanol. Due to this, only one half of the planet was safe for humans. The planet orbited a star in its early life stage.
Vihan stepped out of the shuttle. He was completely alone—not just on the planet, but in the entire universe. Fear and loneliness gripped him. He realized that his parents had been right. He began to cry and wanted to return home. As he walked around, he suddenly heard a voice behind him:
“Vihan, what are you doing here?”
He turned around and was shocked. His grandfather, Bhairavnath, stood before him.
Three years ago, Bhairavnath had passed away at the age of 84 due to age-related illness. Yet here he was, standing alive in front of Vihan.
Bhairavnath: “What are you doing here? Are you dead?”
Vihan was frozen in shock. Bhairavnath raised his voice:
“Vihan! I’m talking to you! Are you dead on Earth?”
Vihan finally managed to speak:
Vihan: “Dadaji, I’m alive. I traveled from Earth to visit this newly discovered planet.”
Bhairavnath: “Do you know where you are?”
Vihan: “No, Dadaji. This is planet IAF-404.”
Bhairavnath: “This is not any IAF planet. This is the World of Death. It’s a completely different universe from yours.”
Vihan: “World of Death?!! Am I dead now?”
Bhairavnath: “I don’t know. But every human who dies on Earth comes here. I died in 2069 and began living here.”
Vihan (surprised): “What?!! You’re alive here?”
Bhairavnath: “Yes, my child. You cremated my body there, and I started my life here.”
Vihan: “Amazing! Dadaji, please tell me about your journey.”
Bhairavnath: “There’s no specific place called Heaven or Hell. It all depends on a person’s karma. After death, every person must pass through a canal-like structure. It’s a painful journey that reflects their karma. Luckily, I didn’t feel that pain, but others might.”
Vihan: “Dada ji, can we find Earth-like places here—schools, colleges, cities?”
Bhairavnath: “No cities or nations. But yes, there are institutions, just like on Earth. Meet this man—I think you know him well.”
He pointed to one side. Vihan looked and saw his chemistry teacher, Ravikant Sinha.
Ravikant (smiling): “How are you, my child?”
Vihan: “Sir!! Oh my God!!”
Ravikant had passed away a few months ago due to multiple organ failure. Vihan had been his favorite student.
Ravikant: “Dear Vihan, there’s much to talk about, but I’m getting late for class.”
Vihan: “Class?!!”
Ravikant: “Yes, bachha. I’m a chemistry teacher here too. Bye, see you later.”
He walked away.
Bhairavnath: “This is non-agricultural land, so you won’t see many people around.”
Vihan: “Dadaji, tell me about your daily life.”
Bhairavnath: “I don’t have much to do. I’m just waiting for my next birth. I died before my destined age of 100. I ended my life because I was tired of the pain. Your parents were busy with their work; I had no one to share my pain with.”
He paused, then continued:
Bhairavnath: “Your teacher Ravi also died before his time. That’s why he came here and resumed his work.”
Vihan (smiling): “Same work? Teaching chemical science?”
Bhairavnath (laughing): “Exactly!”
Both laughed.
Bhairavnath: “Vihan, it’s time. You must leave. This world is not for you.”
Vihan: “No, Dadaji! You have to come with me!”
Bhairavnath: “That’s not possible.”
Tears welled up in Vihan’s eyes. He hugged his grandfather tightly and cried.
Bhairavnath: “Please go. I promise I will return to you in different forms.”
Vihan: “What do you mean?”
Bhairavnath (gently): “You don’t respect animals. You annoy cows, dogs, cats. Please, respect them—they are part of our lives and society.”
Vihan: “Okay, Dadaji.”
Bhairavnath: “I will return to you in the chirping of birds, the cuteness of a puppy, the meow of a cat, the rhythm of gentle rain…”
Vihan touched his grandfather’s finger, hugged him one last time, and boarded the shuttle. The shuttle took off.
After a few days of travel at the speed of light, Vihan returned to Earth. But he remembered nothing. Even the shuttle’s cameras had captured no data from the planet. Scientists tried to locate IAF-404, but it had vanished from their telescopes. Every effort to find it failed.
Meanwhile, light years away, on the actual World of Death, Bhairavnath and Ravikant were in conversation.
Ravikant: “Uncle, why did you reveal our planet’s secret to Vihan? He might tell the humans.”
Bhairavnath: “Don’t worry, Ravi. He won’t remember anything. When I hugged him the last time, I absorbed his memory. He’ll only remember up to the moment he landed. And... I changed the pathway to our planet—we must keep it secret."
