A Different Path

Nightmare

"Alright, we started on removing mud and silt from the houses yesterday, and that is what we are going to do today as well. I want some of you to begin watering the hard surfaces. This is to prevent any mold growth. Drying up will take a week or so, hence it is imperative that we finish these tasks off as quickly as possible. Any questions?"

When no hands were raised, Karna quickly divided the soldiers into pairs of four and allocated them each a house. He took Debyendu with him and continued from where he had left off. There were still layers and layers of mud and silt atop the floors, and Karna worked quickly, letting his frustration expedite his digging.

"Debyendu, not like that. Bend your knees if you want to avoid straining your back. Why don't you help out the rest of the force and I'll take care of this? I'll call you when we start with the watering."

Debyendu saluted him smartly and hurried off in the direction of the other guesthouses. Karna's clothes clung to him due to the heat and moisture, the sweat beads rolling down his back. The air was damp and humid despite a mostly clear sky. He worked quietly and efficiently, wiping his forehead at regular intervals while keeping a check on the rest of the force through the crack in the broken window. With the numbers on their side, he was confident that the work could be accomplished in a matter of days if the timeline was followed diligently and all objectives were met on time.

He was aroused from his pondering at the sound of squelching boots on the muddy surface and he turned around to find Abhimanyu standing near him, holding a shovel.

"The rations have been accounted for and are ready for distribution. There's not much left for me to do. I was informed of the work going on here, so I thought I'd help." Abhimanyu actively avoided any form of eye contact and chose to keep his gaze lowered. Karna's shoulders slumped at his nephew's obvious discomfort.

"Are you sure? You must be tired from the journey and besides, this isn't what you are here for."

"I rested well last night. And the sooner we get done with this, the better," Abhimanyu replied, gesturing at the ruined guesthouse.

"But still you are a prince and it would be unbecoming-"

"Then why are you here?"

Karna shook his head. "I am not royalty."

"Well, I would do this regardless of whether I was a prince or a pauper."

Karna was stupefied by Abhimanyu's response, a facsimile of his argument from before, when Lakshman had attempted to deter him from helping out in the rebuilding of the guesthouses. Defeated by his own words. How poetic.

Abhimanyu picked up the shovel lying against the door and began digging into the ground. Not left with anything to say, Karna decided to do the same.

By afternoon, they had managed to get the floorboards clean, and the evening was spent splashing buckets full of water to clear away the remaining sludge. Karna took the pail filled to its brim from Debyendu, and spattered it all on the walls, watching the dirt and silt fall to the ground in periodic ripples.