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The Ballad Of Nirvana
Chapter 23
Part 1
Although Agni said that time passed a little slowly in Nirvana, Indriya felt she had only stayed there for a week, when it was the last week of the second month. But Chag’s apartment and all the following incidents seemed ages ago. Indriya opened her eyes and looked at the slumbering sky. It was like the sky did not want to remove the sheets of clouds atop her but the sun was yanking them off the bed. It was just like her and Agni.
She smiled for some reason she didn’t know, but she yearned to wake up in the mornings nowadays. She waited for an entire day for her training sessions in the mornings, which were occasionally joined by Chag.
Indriya was brushing her teeth and rummaging through her bag when someone barged in through her door. To her surprise it was Mekhala Madhura who entered.
“There is someone here to see you.” She said as she shot a disapproving glance at Indriya. Indriya went inside the bathroom and finished brushing her teeth and washing her face.
“Who is it?” She asked, wiping her face with a towel.
“How am I supposed to know the kind of friends you have?” She smirked. Indriya heaved a sigh.
“Ms. Madhura, I finally understand you.” Indriya said with mocking sympathy, Mekhala raised a brow. “I understand why you don’t get my standards of choosing friends.” Indriya pursed her lips and nodded in that mocking sympathy.
“What do you mean?” Mekhala raised her voice.
“I mean to say that you don’t even have a right to choose the kind of standard you need to have.” Indriya dropped the sentence on Mekhala like a dead weight. “After you.”
Indriya shook her like Mekhala was dead and she was mourning for her.
Indriya was in night frock and she knew Agni wouldn’t approve of it but it’s not like he is going to be there, but whoever the visitor is she supposed they can go to hell if they don’t like the night gown. Mekhala descended a flight of stairs and walked fast through the hallway with a deftness Indriya supposed was a trait only specific to royals and nobles.
They reached an alley as the woman halted in front of a room, a study she didn't know existed. Indriya was astonishing to see who it was.
“How are you, Princess?” A cool feminine voice said as it was perched atop a sofa like a mermaid of a coral reef.
“Apramēya! What are you doing here?” She asked fruitily. The lady stood up with fluid grace as her golden and blue saree ruffled slightly. Indriya walked toward her and hugged the woman tightly, taking in the smell of silt as she did so.
“Well, well! You have grown stronger, Princess.” Apramēya said, wrapping her cool arms around Indriya.
“Courtesy of Agni.” She pulled apart and said, bowing in appreciation of the words.
“Is everything alright?” Apramēya asked, her cool, fresh and beautiful face melting into a tensed expression and her gold speckled brown eyes full of concern.
“Yes! Why do you ask?” Indriya lowered her eyes in confusion.
Indriya suddenly could hear a voice in her head.
‘I sense danger, Princess. I could feel a portal open from the depths of the city of gates of hell.’ Indriya froze. A portal?
‘Where? Was it here in Soorani?’ Indriya asked. She had a feeling the river goddess could read her thoughts, she remembered how she answered the questions Indriya had the first time they met.
‘No, it was near the south coast of Nirvana. I sense danger, Princess. I want you to be safe. Tell Prince Agni about this. I must leave now.’ She concluded.
“Not without breakfast.” Indriya insisted, as she squeezed Apramēya’s hand.
So they all had a hearty meal, the Madhuras frowned at the uninvited guest but Chag seemed to be quite happy to see her.
Agni's eyes lingered on her for a little too long due to the night frock but she didn’t react to it.
He and Mythri beamed at her when they saw her. Chag nearly got down to his knees at the sight of the river goddess, but since no one bowed he flushed slightly as he got back onto his feet. Breakfast was a good meal, all of them chatted about different things from how the weather was to why the egg came first and not the chicken.
Mekhala and Lekha on the other hand decided not to interfere in their conversation. Indriya noticed they seemed like they were greatly intimidated by the river goddess’s presence, for once she felt satisfied that a person was feeling uncomfortable because of her. Apramēya seemed to be happy, but there was something in there other than happiness. Indriya could sense it because it hovered over the goddess like rain filled dark clouds.
Apramēya tipped the chefs and the waiters heavily before she prepared to leave, but Indriya caught her hand and pulled her aside into an empty room.
“Princess, you should be doing this to someone else, not me!” Apramēya exclaimed with a glassy cool voice, giving her a sly, knowing smile.
“Not now, goddess.” Indriya rolled her eyes at her. “Is everything alright? You seemed to be troubled in some way. Is there anything I can do to help?” She asked Apramēya.
“Yes everything is fine. It’s just that it has been so long since I have eaten breakfast with someone. It was kind of you to let me eat with you. I am an outcast to my family and my husband and I have not been on talking terms for ages.” She smiled sadly.
“Wait, you have a family? And you are married?” Indriya was astonished to know that the lone goddess was actually married, somehow the thought of Aprameya with anyone else seemed out of the ordinary.
“Who do you think Vardhi is? And why do you think I call Wind, Earth, Sky and Sun to be my siblings and not the Sea?” She asked, pursing her lips together.
“Vardhi as in my mother or Vardhi as in the sea?” She asked again.
“Do you know that Vardhi, the sea that surrounds the land, is my husband?” Apramēya asked, lowering her eyebrows.
“What?! Really? No one told me that. I didn’t know, is that why you bend toward the sky instead of going into the sea.” It was strange asking a river about why it did not do something that it was supposed to.
“Yes, Princess. You are more stupid than I thought. How could you not read that in all the books you read about Nirvana?” She asked.
“Hey! No fair, Agni already tells me that, if you don’t start it, people will think it is true. Unlike you I respect people’s privacy, You practically know everything about me don’t you?.” She scoffed and huffed. Apramēya laughed airily.
“Do you want to talk about it? You sure seemed unhappy. I don’t think you deserve to be unhappy, no one on Nirvana does.” Indriya asserted.
“Will you listen to my story?”
“Of course, I will,” Indriya said.
© YDR
Part 1
Although Agni said that time passed a little slowly in Nirvana, Indriya felt she had only stayed there for a week, when it was the last week of the second month. But Chag’s apartment and all the following incidents seemed ages ago. Indriya opened her eyes and looked at the slumbering sky. It was like the sky did not want to remove the sheets of clouds atop her but the sun was yanking them off the bed. It was just like her and Agni.
She smiled for some reason she didn’t know, but she yearned to wake up in the mornings nowadays. She waited for an entire day for her training sessions in the mornings, which were occasionally joined by Chag.
Indriya was brushing her teeth and rummaging through her bag when someone barged in through her door. To her surprise it was Mekhala Madhura who entered.
“There is someone here to see you.” She said as she shot a disapproving glance at Indriya. Indriya went inside the bathroom and finished brushing her teeth and washing her face.
“Who is it?” She asked, wiping her face with a towel.
“How am I supposed to know the kind of friends you have?” She smirked. Indriya heaved a sigh.
“Ms. Madhura, I finally understand you.” Indriya said with mocking sympathy, Mekhala raised a brow. “I understand why you don’t get my standards of choosing friends.” Indriya pursed her lips and nodded in that mocking sympathy.
“What do you mean?” Mekhala raised her voice.
“I mean to say that you don’t even have a right to choose the kind of standard you need to have.” Indriya dropped the sentence on Mekhala like a dead weight. “After you.”
Indriya shook her like Mekhala was dead and she was mourning for her.
Indriya was in night frock and she knew Agni wouldn’t approve of it but it’s not like he is going to be there, but whoever the visitor is she supposed they can go to hell if they don’t like the night gown. Mekhala descended a flight of stairs and walked fast through the hallway with a deftness Indriya supposed was a trait only specific to royals and nobles.
They reached an alley as the woman halted in front of a room, a study she didn't know existed. Indriya was astonishing to see who it was.
“How are you, Princess?” A cool feminine voice said as it was perched atop a sofa like a mermaid of a coral reef.
“Apramēya! What are you doing here?” She asked fruitily. The lady stood up with fluid grace as her golden and blue saree ruffled slightly. Indriya walked toward her and hugged the woman tightly, taking in the smell of silt as she did so.
“Well, well! You have grown stronger, Princess.” Apramēya said, wrapping her cool arms around Indriya.
“Courtesy of Agni.” She pulled apart and said, bowing in appreciation of the words.
“Is everything alright?” Apramēya asked, her cool, fresh and beautiful face melting into a tensed expression and her gold speckled brown eyes full of concern.
“Yes! Why do you ask?” Indriya lowered her eyes in confusion.
Indriya suddenly could hear a voice in her head.
‘I sense danger, Princess. I could feel a portal open from the depths of the city of gates of hell.’ Indriya froze. A portal?
‘Where? Was it here in Soorani?’ Indriya asked. She had a feeling the river goddess could read her thoughts, she remembered how she answered the questions Indriya had the first time they met.
‘No, it was near the south coast of Nirvana. I sense danger, Princess. I want you to be safe. Tell Prince Agni about this. I must leave now.’ She concluded.
“Not without breakfast.” Indriya insisted, as she squeezed Apramēya’s hand.
So they all had a hearty meal, the Madhuras frowned at the uninvited guest but Chag seemed to be quite happy to see her.
Agni's eyes lingered on her for a little too long due to the night frock but she didn’t react to it.
He and Mythri beamed at her when they saw her. Chag nearly got down to his knees at the sight of the river goddess, but since no one bowed he flushed slightly as he got back onto his feet. Breakfast was a good meal, all of them chatted about different things from how the weather was to why the egg came first and not the chicken.
Mekhala and Lekha on the other hand decided not to interfere in their conversation. Indriya noticed they seemed like they were greatly intimidated by the river goddess’s presence, for once she felt satisfied that a person was feeling uncomfortable because of her. Apramēya seemed to be happy, but there was something in there other than happiness. Indriya could sense it because it hovered over the goddess like rain filled dark clouds.
Apramēya tipped the chefs and the waiters heavily before she prepared to leave, but Indriya caught her hand and pulled her aside into an empty room.
“Princess, you should be doing this to someone else, not me!” Apramēya exclaimed with a glassy cool voice, giving her a sly, knowing smile.
“Not now, goddess.” Indriya rolled her eyes at her. “Is everything alright? You seemed to be troubled in some way. Is there anything I can do to help?” She asked Apramēya.
“Yes everything is fine. It’s just that it has been so long since I have eaten breakfast with someone. It was kind of you to let me eat with you. I am an outcast to my family and my husband and I have not been on talking terms for ages.” She smiled sadly.
“Wait, you have a family? And you are married?” Indriya was astonished to know that the lone goddess was actually married, somehow the thought of Aprameya with anyone else seemed out of the ordinary.
“Who do you think Vardhi is? And why do you think I call Wind, Earth, Sky and Sun to be my siblings and not the Sea?” She asked, pursing her lips together.
“Vardhi as in my mother or Vardhi as in the sea?” She asked again.
“Do you know that Vardhi, the sea that surrounds the land, is my husband?” Apramēya asked, lowering her eyebrows.
“What?! Really? No one told me that. I didn’t know, is that why you bend toward the sky instead of going into the sea.” It was strange asking a river about why it did not do something that it was supposed to.
“Yes, Princess. You are more stupid than I thought. How could you not read that in all the books you read about Nirvana?” She asked.
“Hey! No fair, Agni already tells me that, if you don’t start it, people will think it is true. Unlike you I respect people’s privacy, You practically know everything about me don’t you?.” She scoffed and huffed. Apramēya laughed airily.
“Do you want to talk about it? You sure seemed unhappy. I don’t think you deserve to be unhappy, no one on Nirvana does.” Indriya asserted.
“Will you listen to my story?”
“Of course, I will,” Indriya said.
© YDR
