At The Threshold of Time

10.

In ten minutes, she had run through enough alleys and had asked enough people for directions to find herself at the fortress gates. The bustle of people pouring in for court that day made a perfect camouflage, and Shivali had no trouble sneaking past the gates without any questions or made-up excuses. 

She skipped briskly down the stone steps, unbothered by the heat already starting to emanate from them. The sun had properly risen and was making its presence known. However, Shivali took no heed of the crowd passing her or the sweat trickling down her back. Bakula's horrid, contemptuous face stared down at her in the air, following her every step. 

Cursing at it, she found herself at the foot of the hill and entering the city only an hour later. Realising she had been positively running for quite a while, she slowed her steps down and caught her breath. The looming mansions on either side of the road offered no cool shade and only helped to make the dry heat press onto her with more pressure. The blood rushing into her ears and her heart throbbing in her face felt refreshingly familiar. She could almost smell her school grounds, almost hear the cheers of her friends as she crossed the finish line, the feeling of victory coursing through her skin. Shivali laughed out loud at the ridiculous vividness of such a distant memory forcing itself onto her in this random empty street in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of no-when.

As she made her slow way through the wide empty lanes of these seemingly rich neighbourhoods, Shivali continued to think of her track club, and of the clubs she had planned on joining in university. Her freshman year must have already started, she observed bitterly to herself, as she turned into a noisier lane, hoping to find some place to eat or drink. 

An old stone arch rose high above the buildings flanking it on each side. Wagons, bullock and horse carts stood dotted across the pavements, waiting for passengers. Few of them were passing slowly by, making their careful way through the throng that filled the rest of the street. People entered the arch, pushing themselves through the fattened crowds and leaving with bags stuffed full to the brim.

Shivali stood on her toe-tips, trying to make sense of what lay beyond the arch, but to no avail. She had no money on herself. She wasn't feeling especially hungry, despite all the anger and exercise, but knew she would soon be. Her only hope was to steal something. Her heart shrunk from such an idea, but the unfairness of her lot riled her up and soon she strode through the crowd and the arch, her guilt almost entirely suppressed, stealth in her intentions.

What lie beyond was a wide ground, with stalls of all sorts propped up haphazardly. Shivali managed to catch a glimpse of vendors selling fruits, vegetables, cloth from various places, and, Shivali blinked to make sure, gold and even gems. Men, women and children moved around with purpose, pushing Shivali along with them. The air was mixed with the sweet smell of fruits lingering low and the cries of children who had failed to annoy their parents into buying them things. These children butted into Shivali many times as they ran around with their friends with no restraint.

After being pushed here and there for a while she realised it took skill and practice to make one's way to the stalls in this crowd. Dejected, she tried moving towards the less crowded spots, and found herself before a tree trunk. This tree trunk spanned almost as wide as a boat, and took up all of Shivali's view. It's branches hung wide and low, offering a cool roof to the people sitting in clusters on the stone platform surrounding it. They were watching a play, also being performed on this platform. People in gaudy colourful costumes and exaggerated makeup jumped around, delivering their dialogues with distinct emotions, their voices somehow managing to reach the audience over the general commotion. Passing around the tree, she neared anther stone arch, which she assumed was on the other end of the fair. This latter portion was mostly selling animals and tools for work, men being most of the customers. It was also relatively less populated, and it took her only half an hour to squeeze herself out of it.

Here the huge mansions with front porches dwindled into smaller homes with mostly shops on the lower floors. The shops were of course closed presently, and Shivali continued walking around aimlessly, still in search of food. The sun was right above her head, and her throat had begun feeling constricted from a lack of water. She shuddered at the possibility of starving again. Should she go right back to the fortress? She could reach there before the gates closed for the day. She felt an impulse to go upto the river and sneak into the palace. Ajay Pratap would not like that. Tempting. But Shivali had too much pride. She moved ahead, though slowly, dragging her feet lazily, looking up to see if anyone was looking out their windows so she could ask for some water. But those who stayed back home were probably having their afternoon nap.

A bell ringing nearby brought her out of her thoughts. A temple bell. Shivali's head perked up. Of course! A temple. Why had she not thought of that? With a new spring to her step, she practically ran through the lanes trying to find its source. Surely enough, there it was. A temple on the smaller side, probably unvisited except by the neighbourhood families. The garbhagriha(1) was just being closed up for the afternoon, but Shivali managed to say her prayers and ring the bell herself. The priest offered her some payasam(2) in a cup. Thanking him for the prasadam(3), she settled down in a corner of the temple, untying her bundle of clothes from her back where she had kept it tied. The payasam was eaten in a minute, and by the next, she was dozing in an afternoon slumber, her head lolling against the stone wall by which she had sat.

When she woke up again, it was already late evening. Wiping her mouth, she sat up straight and looked around. There were people at the temple now. Very few, dotted here and there. They kept trying, and failing, to not glance at her as they walked past for their pradakshanams(4). One woman however, on seeing her, stopped, and smiled. Shivali smiled back uncertainly at the vaguely familiar face.

'It is you, isn't it, the one who was sleeping on the way to the fortress?' the lady asked, approaching her. Shivali now placed her. She was the lady who had given her her clothes and sent her to the river all those days ago.

(1) the sactum sanctorum of hindu or jain temples.

(2) a sweet that is used as offerings to gods.

(3) a term for offerings for gods.

(4) a ritual of walking around a sacred place such as the gabhagriha of a temple.