𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-44

The sky had turned a pale shade of black; the sun had already dipped below the horizon, revealing a few stars that glimmered faintly behind the veil of clouds.

From the neighbourhood came the gentle tinkling of bells, announcing the hour of evening prayer. The ladies, with pallu draped over their heads, walked through houses and corridors. Carved brass diyas cradled in their palms, the tiny flames flickering with each step they took.

Ira had completed the rituals a while ago, and now she sat cross-legged on a chair in the balcony of her house. Her unblinking gaze fixed at some invisible point in the distance, face carrying no particular emotion.

What must have happened? She didn't seem suicidal. For once, one can call me that, but, Nidhi...

"Ira!" Nakul's voice came from inside.

She blinked, but her lips remained shut.

"Ira! Where are you?!" His voice was louder this time. "I've something to show you."

She sat frozen, her shoulders rigid, her body present but her mind drifting somewhere far away.

The sound of Nakul's footsteps halted as he reached her, standing beside her with a proud smile and a small thick book in his hand.

"If, Aanand, women had not gone forth from household life into homelessness in the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One, the True Teaching would have lasted a long time - one thousand years," he read out loud, flipping to the next page. "But because women have gone forth... the True Teaching will not last long and will endure only five hundred years."

Ira closed her eyes, drawing in a silent breath, her fingers curling against the armrest of the chair.

He snapped the book shut and held it at his side. "And the prophecy turned out to be true." That familiar, irritating smile tugged at his lips. "As soon as women entered the monastic Sangha, it started to decline. Instead of the full 1000 years, the Dharma lasted for only 500, because their presence was a source of temptation for men."

Ira tilted her head, looking sharply at him. "Would you please let me live in peace for once?"

Nakul tossed the book lightly in the air, letting it spin before it landed back in his palms. "First admit that what I said is true."

Her jaw tightened, eyes closing briefly. "I'm in no mood to listen to your shit." She rose from the chair in a single swift movement. "Move!"

He stepped into her path, spreading his arms wide across the doorway, his chest puffed forward. "It's written text. Accept it, then I'll let you go."

Ira's fist lifted, trembling, her teeth grinding beneath pursed lips. "It declined not because women ruined the Dharma, but because men could not control their desires!" she spat. "Now move!" Shoving him hard by the shoulders, she forced her way past and disappeared into the house.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

The gurgle of running water filled the air as Rudraksh rinsed his right wrist beneath the cold stream trickling from the government tap at the corner. The porch light caught the tension in his face, throwing sharp shadows across his features.

Behind him, the road buzzed with movement - vehicles passing, vendors calling, voices colliding in a constant hum. Yet his mind stayed fixed on the event from a moment ago.

People seriously have no civic senses.

He twisted the tap shut and shook his hand briskly, scattering droplets into the night. Sliding it into his pocket, he pulled out a black handkerchief.