अन्तः अस्ति प्रारंभः।
The end is the beginning.
A caterpillar dies, to birth a butterfly. Water evaporates to rain down. Dead carcasses fill the stomachs of vultures.Life gives way to death and death to life. In a vicious circle of different karmas...
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Days passed with no activity but the feeble rays of hope one could find in the dark corners of monotony.
Word spread around of the farmer who failed to pay the tax and people whispered in caution, that the village had gained more bad faith than before and was under sharp gaze of the governor, one foot out of line and the village river would be poisoned.
Mihira, who had never heard of cruelty such as that, stared at the friend she had made.
"It is the truth!" Prakriti muttered with a fleeting petulant glare at Mihira before moving to continue cleaning the steps of the Saraswati Mata temple.
Mihira blinked a couple of times. "You heard that they would poison a whole village? For what, exactly, something as trivial as missed taxes? Taxes that are already excessive, mind you."
Prakriti shot a dubious look at Mihira once more before she gave up her task altogether and sat on the stone steps, staring up at Mihira, who was standing against the pillar, rough stone digging in her back. Prakriti asked,"Have you no sense anymore, Mihira? Have you incurred amnesia in your last scuffle with the soldiers?"
Mihira stared at her cluelessly, wondering what the head priest's daughter was talking about. The faux memories of the fake Mihira that the whole village had often threw herself off the loop. Whatever she had heard of small adventures the fake one had, Mihira knew she was untameable and perhaps even ruder than she'd like.
The fake Mihira would not survive more than one day in Kaliyug.
Prakriti threw her hands up dramatically, as if getting irritated by a particularly stubborn and inappropriately curious toddler. Mihira did not like the analogy.
"Woman, do you not remember the rules you have broken?" Prakriti yelled lowly, looking around in caution before continuing in a whisper,"Be glad that those were all disciplinary rules and not laws, or you'd have already been to meet Narayan the hard way! Especially with that disrespecting the retired Major! You realise that men like that have connections, no? The only reason you're still alive is your devotion to Mahalakshmi Mata and Narayan Prabhu."
Mihira stared at the girl owlishly. "I feel very appreciated, my friend." She said sardonically, before snatching an abandoned rag from the temple floor to continue cleaning. "And, aren't we all living on borrowed time?"
Prakriti rolled her eyes, seemingly getting more irritated with each moment,"Just complete your studies and leave this state, Mihira. You're a free soul, you won't survive in this mine of coal."
The other thing was, Mihira and Prakriti were the only girls still studying in the village aashram, among the boys. Prakriti was the daughter of the Priest, she had to carry the legacy of the magnificent temple and rituals, become the village Brahmin after her parents.
Mihira, on the other hand, much to everyone's resignation, was continuing to study of her own violation. She was going to be Brahmin too—an accountant— as far as she could collect.
