Just Call it Love, Valli

Check out the theme here: A Retelling of Valli and Karttikeya’s Love Story

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026.

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Skanda continued to be a tree as he watched Valli and her friend, Nila, sew patches of colorful cloth into a blanket. Though he was far, he could clearly hear their gossip and giggles. She had such a lovely tinkling laugh, he thought, enjoying the sound wash through his branches.

He was delighted to spot the little clay murti, his avatara with six heads and twelve arms, decorated with a fresh flower garland. Narada muni had said Valli made it herself and talked to it too. This gave him another idea. He moved from the tree to the murti and occupied it. He was closer to her and enjoyed it much.

A while later, two little girls came running and shrieking into the field. It was hard to say who was chasing whom. Maybe they were chasing each other in some kind of game. They came straight to Valli and her friend and plonked onto the ground. Skanda watched them with interest as Valli set aside her needlework and tugged one of the girls to sit in front of her. She then carefully undid her tangled hair, while her friend did the same to the other one, her sister. The girls were about a year apart and could pass off as twins.

“Did you pray to Skanda today?” Valli asked the girl.

The girl tried to nod and winced. “I dwid…” she replied, her words muffled from eating what looked like some kind of sweet made from corn milk.

“What did you offer him today?”

The girl showed the sweet she bit into and said, “Twhis… he won’t ewat, so I eat.”

Valli and Nila shared an amused look and laughed. The other girl giggled too, poking her sister with her toe.

Skanda enjoyed the chatter. It was a world totally different from his own. He was amidst humans, mortals with short lifespans. People who appeared to feel deeply and express it strangely.

At one point, the little girl tried to grab a berry placed in front of him. Valli cleared her throat, and her arm retreated, a flash of a grimace on her features. “But he won’t eat, akka!”

Winding the plait around the girl’s head like a band, Valli sighed. “As I tell you every time, he eats when none of us are watching. Don’t touch his food. Will you like it if someone ate your food?”

The other girl complained. “She bit my arm because I tried to take some pickle from her plate.”

“See? If you don’t like it, don’t do it to others.”

Skanda was beyond impressed. Valli was not only beautiful but was a wise young woman, too. Her devotion to him filled his heart. He had seen berries often appear in the offerings from earth, but had never wondered who gave them. Now that he knew, he vowed to eat every single one.

At last, the girls stood, turning this way and that to flaunt their new hairstyles. They kissed Valli and Nila on the cheeks before running off again.

“Uff! These little rascals! Let’s complete this tomorrow. It’s getting late.” Nila said with a smile.

Valli looked at the sun that was close to the horizon and agreed. They packed the cloth in the basket and stood to leave. Since Valli left her murti in the field, Skanda decided he would approach her as the hunter again. He didn’t want to part with her yet.

Skanda transformed into his hunter form and walked toward Valli and Nila from the opposite direction.

“Oh, you again!” Valli said.

He gave her a charming smile and nodded to her friend. “I thought to explore your village a little. It’s a nice place. I like it.”

“Does it mean you will stay here? You need permission from the elders first.” Valli replied. Nali eyed him suspiciously.

Skanda took his chances. “I might if you agree… I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Will you be mine, beautiful devi?”

Nali’s eyes widened at the sudden proposal, but Valli glared at him. She squared her shoulders and shook her head.

“No. I belong only to Skanda.”

“But I am Skanda!” he said. “Didn’t I tell you I have many names?”

Valli shook her head. “You are named after him. I’m talking about the deva himself. Now leave before I complain about you to my father.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, Valli and Nila walked away from the field.

Skanda didn’t stop them. He would have to find another way. He returned to Tanikai.