Sojourn : mahabharata's era

CHAPTER 14 : Rain

Last week, we experienced lots of rain. Thunderstorms and hail storms were common. The ashram was wet. We placed water pots everywhere. The trees were dripping with water. A mild scent of wet earth filled the air. Pelicans flew in the cloudy sky. And the rain wasn't stopping.

I dashed through the meadows for my everyday chores, everyone in the ashram seemed cheerful that morning, their mood elevated inexplicably. Was it the weather or something unknown sparkling such happiness? I cleaned the tree platform of the towering banyan, invisible from the back due to its size. Collecting the tree's dropped leaves into a bin, I saved them for future compost.

A gentle wind swept the locality, stirring memories of Ashwattama. He had been unseen since morning; I pondered his whereabouts with pals. As I sat, I felt an absence on my ankle. Lifting my skirt, I saw my assumption was correct: my silver anklet was lost. I bit my lips, straining to recall its possible location.

My memory jogged - I was in the ashram all day. So, the ashram was a possible spot to find my blanket. I kept picking up leaves, then a known voice echoed around. My pulse quickened, and my face immediately flushed. I turned and there was Ashwattama.

"What are you doing Nihira." He spoke very softly as he came and took the support of the platform while folding his hands thoroughly.

"Picking up leaves. Why-" I asked with a decent smile.

He pulled out something unexpected -my silver anklet. Swinging it gently, a soft jingle echoed in the wind. He wore a small smile, leaving me surprised about where he found it. I found myself more captivated by his eyes than the anklet. They felt rarer, more valuable than the accessory. His gaze linked with mine, and for a moment, I lost sense of myself. I felt intertwined with him, as though part of his being. That illusion lasted until, accidentally, he let the anklet fall.

"I'm sorry." He let out leaning toward up the anklet. My eyes were still stuck on him.

"Where did you find it?" I wondered, feeling a flutter in my heart. His blush matched mine. His gaze mirrored my feelings. Smiling gently, his face looked clean and bright. Bathed in the golden sun, his face glowed. His diamond accessory gleamed with a distinct sparkle. We stood there, quietly studying each other before he began to speak.

But words could not portray what eyes could do, his eyes spoke a thousand times more than his mouth, he was rude, cold-hearted and arrogant in the initial days, but now it felt like he had something that nobody wanted to know, he was a treasure, a hidden gem that had been veiled from thousands of ages of god, never attempted to be found out. I wanted that to be hidden, for I wanted to be selfish this time, and take all of the treasure to myself.

"I found it outside your tent." He said.

"I thought I just lost my anklet."

"How did you even know that it belonged to me-" I doubted, coming beside him and taking the support of the platform.

"I-just knew it." He said looking at me, with those cat-brown eyes, the wild wind eased into a whisper, as if the world was holding its breaths, even the expectant storm paused, listening to our conversation from above.

"My mother too had an anklet like this." He said looking away.

I suddenly remembered his mother, nobody ever talked about his mother, where is she and why is she not with him anymore. I had a puddle full of questions, but at that moment I only thought about him and how he had endured without his mother for all of these years, he needed love and affection more than anyone.

"She was the most beautiful woman, she was my world, even today she's my world." He said slowly.

"Wh-where is she now," I questioned, with some reluctance in my voice. I just couldn't stop glancing at him, he was more powerful than anyone, he clutched his jaw tightly, mashing his lips. His pitch-black hair moved along the cinch, and he was scented like fresh flowers, everything about him was captivating.