Viha Dixit
The rickety bus wheezed into Udupi, and Pixie practically bounced off her seat. 'Finally! I thought that driver was touring every pothole in Karnataka!'
'Welcome to Udupi,' Noddie chuckled, 'where potholes are just speed bumps with attitude.'
At Sri Krishna Matha, Pixie's irreverent mood shifted as she stared at the Navagraha Kitiki. 'Nine little windows to peek at divinity. It's like Krishna is playing hide-and-seek with the universe.'
Their peaceful moment shattered when a temple elephant decided Pixie’s bright yellow dupatta looked delicious. 'NODDIE! Your sacred elephant is trying to eat my scarf!'
Twenty minutes and several bananas later, they escaped to Kaup Beach. Pixie kicked off her sandals and ran toward the waves. 'That lighthouse looks like it's judging me,' she called out, pointing at the 1901 structure.
'It's probably wondering why you're doing interpretive dance in the sand,' Noddie replied.
'This isn't dance—it's my victory celebration for surviving the Great Elephant Incident of 2024!'
'I'm officially the Queen of St. Mary's Island!' Pixie announced, perched on ancient basalt rocks.
'Your Majesty, those rocks are 88 million years old,' Noddie said, trying not to laugh.
'Perfect! I've always wanted to rule something with solid geological foundation.' She scrambled down, nearly slipping. 'Okay, maybe queening is harder than it looks.'
The boat ride back was peaceful until Pixie spotted a dolphin. 'DOLPHIN! Did you see that? It totally waved at me!'
'Pixie, dolphins don't wave.'
'That one did! We're practically best friends now!'
At Maravanthe Beach, where the Arabian Sea met one side of the highway and Souparnika River flowed along the other, Pixie stood slack-jawed. 'This is impossible. Mother Nature couldn't decide between beach and river, so she said, 'Why not both?'
She sprinted toward the water, splashing through while fully clothed. 'I'm not wet—I'm baptized by adventure!'
At Kudlu Falls, Pixie attempted meditation beside the cascading water. She lasted thirty-seven seconds. 'Okay, I tried being zen, but this waterfall is nature's sound system playing my jam!'
Ratha Beedi Market hit Pixie like a colorful explosion. 'It's like someone took a rainbow, added spices, and set it loose!'
She haggled with a shopkeeper over a Krishna idol. 'Aunty, this Krishna is cute, but 200 rupees? Even gods practice reasonable pricing!'
'150, final offer!'
'Done! But throw in that keychain.'
'Deal, but you're tough, beta.'
'I learned from Bollywood movies!'
At Anantheshwara Temple, Pixie whispered to ancient stones, 'What stories could you tell?' Then louder: 'Noddie, think Lord Shiva ever gets tired of prayers?'
'You can't just ask philosophical questions in a temple!'
'Why not? If I were a god, I'd appreciate conversation variety.'
The 33-foot Parashurama statue left Pixie speechless—a personal record.
'This guy never skipped arm day,' she finally said, craning her neck upward.
'Legend says he created Kerala and the Konkan coast,' Noddie explained.
'A divine real estate developer. Respect.' She attempted a heroic pose, nearly toppling over.
At Dr. Kota Shivarama Karantha Theme Park, they found shade under flowering trees. Pixie scrolled through photos—elephant encounters, dramatic poses, Noddie's patient smiles.
'You know what's funny?' she said, leaning against his shoulder. 'I expected boring temple tours and history lessons.'
'And instead?'
'Instead, I got chased by an elephant, crowned myself island queen, got baptized by a waterfall, and haggled with a shopkeeper who called me 'beta.' This was like a Bollywood movie, except songs were in my head and drama was real!'
'So my tour guide skills aren't terrible?'
'Terrible? Noddie, you're like walking Wikipedia with humor and infinite patience for my shenanigans. Plus, you didn't abandon me when I befriended that dolphin.'
As their bus arrived, Pixie grabbed his arm. 'Next time, I plan the adventure. Fair warning, I'm thinking tigers and hill stations.'
'Deal, but I'm packing extra band-aids.'
'You know me so well.'
As Udupi faded behind them, Pixie pressed her face to the window. 'Thanks for the magic, Udupi!'
'Already planning our return?' Noddie asked.
'Always. Life's too short for boring adventures.'
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