**Five Years Later – Yamuna Riverside Villa, Diwali Eve**
The twin butterfly trees now towered thirty feet, their intertwined trunks forming a natural arch over the lawn.
Pink lotuses from Priya's tree, silver lotuses from Arjun's.
Tonight they bloomed together for the first time, lighting the entire estate like a thousand soft moons.
Rajesh Kumar (forty-two going on immortal in everyone's eyes) stood barefoot on the terrace, silver hair now shoulder-length, tied with a simple black thread.
In his arms: **Arjun** (4 years 9 months), wearing a tiny sherwani, silver eyes shining with mischief.
Beside him: **Priya** (now 8), no longer in wings but in a golden lehenga, directing twenty village kids with a megaphone made of rolled chart-paper.
Anjali (radiant at thirty-six) lit the last diya on the rangoli—an enormous **butterfly-lotus** that covered half the lawn.
Little Sheru (still in Pug form for the children's comfort) wore a **Diwali bandi** and a sign: **"Official Spark Distributor – Age 10,009"**.
---
### 6:00 p.m. – The Village Arrives
**Priya's Village** had officially become **Yamuna Riverside Parivaar**:
- **Neha Patel** – now a National Award-winning cinematographer, live-streaming the festival on Instagram (@PriyasVillage – 18 million followers).
- **Grandpa Brijesh** – retired, white beard longer than his talwar, telling Garuda Force stories (heavily censored).
- **Grandma Saras** – Dr. Iyer, composing the **Silver Lotus Raga** on a veena strung with Priya's and Arjun's baby hair.
- **Nani ji** (Big Bazaar Aunty) – head of the **besan-laddoo assembly line**, 500 laddoos stacked like ammunition.
- **Vikram Malhotra** – producer of the **Pink Lotus franchise** (now five films), arriving in a helicopter dropping **edible gold foil**.
---
### 7:00 p.m. – The Silver Lotus Ceremony
Priya climbed the wooden stage under the trees.
She held a **silver diya** shaped like the original lotus seed.
Arjun stood beside her, clutching a matching **pink diya**.
Priya's voice rang clear (trained by Grandma Saras):
"Five years ago, Papa gave up forever to stay with us.
Tonight, we give him forever back—in memories."
She and Arjun lit the main diya together.
The twin trees **exploded into light**—pink and silver petals raining like soft fireworks.
Every child in the crowd received a petal that turned into a **glow-lotus lantern**.
Rajesh's eyes stung.
Anjali squeezed his hand. "They planned this for six months."
---
### 7:30 p.m. – The Surprise Film
Neha dimmed the lights.
A white sheet unfurled from the banyan.
Title card in Priya's handwriting:
**"The Grey-Haired Dragon – A Film by Priya & Arjun Kumar"**
20-minute masterpiece shot on phones:
- Rajesh burning rotis (dramatised with slow-motion smoke).
- Anjali acting as the "Time Queen".
- Sheru as the "Divine Pug of Destiny".
- Final scene: the whole family planting the silver lotus seed in the rain.
The last frame froze on present-day Rajesh watching this very screening, silver hair glowing under the tree lights.
Caption in Arjun's wobbly writing:
**"Thank you for choosing burnt rotis over godhood, Papa."**
Rajesh openly cried.
Priya and Arjun tackled him in a hug.
Anjali joined, whispering, "You big mortal idiot."
---
### 8:30 p.m. – The Fireworks That Remember
Brijesh lit the first rocket.
Instead of bangs, the sky bloomed into **silent memories**:
- Their drunken college night.
- Priya's first steps.
- Arjun's first cry.
- Every Sunday play-date, every burnt roti, every kulfi stain.
The final firework formed a giant **silver-haired man** holding his family under twin lotus trees.
It lingered for a full minute, then dissolved into **real butterflies** that settled on every guest.
---
### 10:00 p.m. – The Quiet After
The crowd gone.
Just the four of them (five, counting Sheru) on a blanket under the trees.
Priya asleep on Rajesh's chest.
Arjun curled against Anjali, silver eye peeking open.
Arjun whispered, "Papa, when I grow up, will I get grey hair too?"
Rajesh stroked his son's dark curls. "Only if you love this much."
Arjun considered. "Then I want lots of grey hair."
Anjali laughed softly.
Priya stirred, mumbled, "Best Diwali ever."
The butterfly trees hummed their twin lullaby—pink and silver notes weaving together.
The Yamuna reflected a thousand glowing lotuses and one silver-haired family.
Rajesh looked up at the stars he once ruled, now content to watch from the ground.
**Day 1955.**
No thrones.
No wars.
Just **burnt rotis, bedtime stories, and a heart too full for immortality**.
He kissed three foreheads—Anjali, Priya, Arjun—and one wet Pug nose.
**The Supreme Daddy was gone.
The Silver-Haired Father reigned eternal.**
And under the twin lotus trees,
the family slept,
wrapped in light that would never fade.