Prithvi - RT-MC FF - Link to Epi 45 on pg 157 (Page 7)

Hmm..Ok be ready Ranju di..coz rem bac

N yes wiv a real lonnnnnnnnnggggggg compli..longer than usual asssss…its for two prts okk..

N yes em sowie for bein lte..buh dear cudn't hav cum early..actually a lazy person like me had written prts for her two FF's for givin treat to all..buh as pre-decided My PD's neck broke..I knw it was stupid n foolish of me to use PD as a storing device rather than a Back-up buh still..It broke n thus I needed to update again…so em lte…

Ok not wastin u'r time nymre…

Here u go..

FOR PRT EIGHT..:

Aww the way it started..like wiv nanhi's n her grandpa's convo n the way he loves thrillers n suspense filled books. N she brought em wiv her own pocket money..Wowww…it was lovely..n the way she massages oil on her grandpa's feet..well I too do tht..I love doin so..

N loved the convo b/w em..n how grandpa ainimatedly told nanhi evrytin..

Hmm grandpa has faint hints of the two vry mysterious people..he doubts Baba Sumer Singh n Prithvi..well n how prakash was a saviour n an intruder..we cud hav known a lil mre had not prakash been so reluctant to go to bed..

N wow the siblings scene..it was awesum..chooo chweeeeetttt..mah sis does sleep on mah lap sum times n it's lovely..

Btw ranju di (Do u hav siblings)?????

Hmm so nanhi feelin bad for Prithvi..well tht's tken n its rilli true..Prithvi neva had known the love of his familyu as he stayed away from em..or was turned an Orphan when he was so small..such a kiddo..Gosh..tht seriously heart-wrenchin..livin wivout parents..

********

Serously Prithvi n nanhi's convo..I was in splits..It was rilli mind-blowin..Gazab yaar..fantastic..The whole scene was like..so gd..specially tht changing the house name from Ayodhya to Lanka one..lol..It was awesum…

Hmmm the vry nxt scene was jus simply outstandin..the way she gives bac prithvi replies tht wud definetly tell him tht she was no simple gal who cud be shooed away like tht..She was Nandini..His vry own Nandini…n then how she confided in Baba..n he was so gratefull..tht was superb..

I was in splits again wiv the rats wala scene..seriously too gd..

N then the confusion of the two wrkers as to where to put the cupboard..It was definetly sumfin I loved..

I seriously did..n I was grinning n laughin wiv tht..lolllll..awesum yet again..

*****

Hmmm n the anklet scene..I WAS surely displeased wiv Prithvi buh yes I loved nanhi retortin..It shud be like tis..n em lukin 4wrd to Prithvi getting even mre such answers…

Gosh now em happy I read the two prts together..coz u see the deadly suspense as to who tht man was n why did he beat the man n all..I seriously wud hav died in wait..n soooo em happy..Lucky me..

*touch wood*

****************************************************

Okk f999999999 nowwww…

PRT 9:

I loved tis prt..

When Indrajit walked inside, he saw Prithvi sitting in a comfortable chair, immersed in reading, with his feet resting one on top of the other on a small table in front of him.

He looked up casually at the entry of the two individuals, and then resumed his reading.

Indrajit looked unsurprised at the reception, while Kundan Singh's expression was a mixture of spitefulness and reluctant admiration.

"Aren't you curious about how I found you out so soon, Prithvi?"

Prithvi looked up from his book. "Actually I was wondering what took you so long. Did your tail make it difficult for you to walk," he asked with concern.

Indrajit's composure cracked.  "You dare to?," he said wrathfully, "you bloody - " he stopped abruptly and controlled himself with difficulty.

"I did not come for this....just tell me where is it."
 
"Your brain?" Prithvi enquired with raised eyebrows, keeping the book aside. "Haven't you finished searching for it as yet?."

Kundan Singh cringed at the acidic tone and words being hurled at his master, whom he hardly dared to look at boldly. At the same time, he inched a little closer to the door so he could escape with ease if the situation turned ugly.

"You know what I am asking for, Prithvi," Indrajit said angrily, "I've been told that you have the sword. Or have I been given false information?"  
 
"You've heard right," Prithvi confirmed with an air of increasing enjoyment, "I do have it. But even with your limited mental abilities, why would you think I would give the sword to you?"

"Because if you don't, I will kill you."

Prithvi shook his head disapprovingly. "You really should bring about some innovation in your threats, Indrajit. You've been giving me that same one for too long now."
 
"Where is the sword, Prithvi?" he asked malevolently.
 
Prithvi stood up slowly and patted his shirt and pant pockets with a quizzical look.
 
"Not here, I must have left in the pocket of my other shirt," he said regretfully.
  
 "So you won't give it up peacefully....You'll pay for this, Prithvi," Indrajit said menacingly.

"Look at me, I am terrified," Prithvi grinned.

N then the nxt prt..wiv nanhi n kids..it too was rilli vry gd…

N then the nahi, Prithvi, Indrajit n Kyundan singh scene together was equally amusing..

She knocked at the door, which was wide open, and three pairs of startled eyes turned towards the entrance at the sound. When Prithvi saw her, Nandini felt she saw some emotion cloud his eyes for a minute. Then it was gone.

The way Prithvi went out of ways n how they accused her n insulted her…

A second later she identified the look - it was one of pure abhorrence and scorn.

And all of a sudden, she felt instinctively afraid of the two men. Without meaning to do so, she unconsciously backed away from both of them till she was standing beside Prithvi on his right

Hey standin to the right..hmm wives stand there na..like at the right…

Gosh tht was kind of unbearable n then Prithvi called her his Friend..WOWWWWW

N the ltr scene was jus as gd…

N then how she took advantage of the red mrk on her so fair skin for him to tie the thread..It was so cute a scene..Nanhi takin ova him..wohooooooooooooo…My dill went hmmmmmmmmmm…seriously fantastic..n the death warrant wala…..lollllllll…I was in splits wiv tht……

"Prithvi moved towards her threateningly, gritting his teeth. Realising that he was going to actually throw her out himself this time, Nandini chuckled and sprinted out of Ayodhya."

Hmm nanhi actually did push her luck far..Okkk..n me too..coz now I know I'd get rotten eggs n tomatos in return if I keep continuing for long…

Hmmm…so here I end mah so lonnnnnnnngggg comment……….

Plzzzzzzzz do PM me n Do update asap……

Love ya loads my sweet heart ranju di…..t.cccccccc

                           -Ur's Ever Madhu

Chapter Ten

Sumer Singh was almost running down the sparsely crowded street in the late afternoon sunlight to get back to Ayodhya before Indrajit arrived. He had been reluctant to leave ever since Ramdas had said Indrajit was on his way, but Prithvi had been right about not letting Hari's son go alone.  Indrajit was not likely to recognize him, but his attendant Kundan might have identified Ramdas, which would have put his life in danger….

And then he saw the grey car, speeding down the road, and came to a halt. He had not been able to reach in time….as always, he thought bitterly.

 The car screeched slowed down as it neared him and then pulled over to the side where Sumer Singh was standing. Kundan Singh was smirking disparagingly from the front seat. The dark tinted windows rolled down, revealing Indrajit's scornful countenance.  Sumer Singh gave him a slight cursory bow, and then looked up.

"Here comes the old dog, running home to his master," he jeered, "But you don't need to be so concerned. I have left him alive and well….for now."

"I pity you if you think you present any danger to him, your highness," Sumer Singh said quietly, "He can single-handedly defeat a hundred like you. You should be grateful that even though you have tried to take his life innumerable times in the past, he still does not look upon you as an enemy. But I advise you to cease your attempts now at least…..because some day if you force him to change his mind and think you of a foe, all the wealth and clout in the world will fail to protect you from his anger."

The disdain on Indrajit's face rapidly transformed into ghastly rage, but Sumer Singh met his gaze unflinchingly.

"You made a mistake when you chose your loyalties, Sumer Singh," Indrajit hissed, "and you will pay for it with your life."

Then the windows rolled back up and the car roared to life and sped away, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Sumer Singh continued on his way, and despite what Indrajit had said, he did not lessen his speed. He needed to see with his own eyes that everything was alright. 

When he was just nearing the house, he saw Nandini hurry through the connecting gate and almost run towards Vrindavan's door. She came to a stop on the first step, wrapped her dupatta carefully around her left hand once and then went inside. What was that about, he wondered….

 He opened the main gate, found the door open and ran inside the house.

The living room was empty.

"Prithvi!" he shouted. 

"What's wrong, Baba?"

Relief washed over Sumer Singh as he saw an unscathed Prithvi come out of the bedroom.

Seeing the old man panting as if he had been running, Prithvi strode over to him, asking sharply, "Did something happen outside? Ramdas is -"

"He is fine," Sumer Singh said, still gasping for breath. "I was worried if Indrajit had….I mean…he has tried so many times before…" he murmured, and went and sank exhaustedly on the sofa.

Prithvi went into the kitchen and came out with a glass of water. He gave it to Sumer Singh and sat down on the opposite couch. Sumer Singh drank the whole glass in one go and kept the glass on the table in the middle.

"Indrajit has been making death threats and has been trying to kill me for as long as I can remember, Baba," Prithvi said dryly. "And he is not the only one who wants me dead, either. It's become a ritual now….I almost feel neglected if two months pass without a threat or an attack."

Sumer Singh smiled ruefully, and then became serious again. "What happened after he came..."

"The same that happens every time. We had a nice, pleasant chat and then we hugged and said a tearful goodbye."

Then catching Sumer Singh's grave look, he said "Oh alright, Baba...he asked about the sword. I told him I had it and he was never going to lay eyes on it, leave alone secure it. He told me he'll kill me, and I told him I'll be waiting for that happy occasion."

 Sumer Singh sighed. This was exactly what he had guessed would have happened.

"So he will come back...but why is he looking for the sword all of a sudden?" Sumer Singh wondered.

"What sword is this, Baba?"

"Well....I know it has been in the family for many centuries ...handed over from generation to generation. But it disappeared over 20 years ago, before you were even born...and I haven't heard of it since."

"So Indrajit is looking for a sword that is hundreds of years old. He seemed quite desperate for it, and now he thinks I have it. Let the good times begin," Prithvi grinned.

Sumer Singh couldn't help but laugh. And then his eyes fell on something unbelievable.

"Is that a sacred thread on your hand, my lord?" he asked in astonishment, staring at the red thread loosely wrapped around Prithvi's wrist. He had tried innumerable times over the past years to convince Prithvi to tie one of these, but the boy wouldn't even hear of it.  And yet, here it was on his wrist….how had this miracle happened…

Prithvi instantly got to his feet, muttering uncomfortably, "It's…Its nothing.... I was going to remove it anyway.." and he started to pull the thread off.

"No, my lord!." Sumer Singh jumped to his feet, and rushed over to Prithvi before he had removed it completely. He quickly began to retie the thread, securely this time.

"What are you doing, Baba," Prithvi said, irritated. "I am not going to walk around with this around my wrist."

"Please let it remain, my lord," Sumer Singh urged, "Wont you do this much at least for this old man's sake."

"First she and then you! What is this? World blackmailing day?" Prithvi snapped and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a totally baffled and amused Sumer Singh.

*********************

"Nandini."

Nandini started and looked around to see her mother peering with concern into her face. They were in the kitchen, washing and replacing the vessels in the stand after dinner.

"Is everything okay? Are you worried about something?"

"No ma, I'm not worried about anything, why did you ask," Nandini asked, surprised.

"You've been wiping that plate for 5 minutes now while looking out the window," her mother said dryly.

Embarrassed, Nandini quickly kept the plate along with the others and without meeting her mother's eyes, she said, "I'll go and check if all the doors are locked properly."

"No," her mother said firmly. "Go to sleep, you got up early today and haven't had any rest all day. I'll check the doors."

Needing to run away before she gave into the urge to cry, Nandini didn't protest and after giving her mother a good-night hug, she went up to her room.

The lightheartedness with which she had run out of Ayodhya had disappeared within minutes. And she was only left with a terrible weight on her heart. She had hardly eaten a few mouthfuls at dinner, but her mother had assumed it was because of tiredness.

Once inside her room, she closed the door, walked up to her cupboard and took out the bangle box and kept it on the table. She opened the very old wooden box, removed the bangles from her right hand and kept them inside. She hesitated for a minute, and then started to take out the ones on her left hand slowly. After the pooja, she had returned to her room and had removed her bangles before remembering that her mother had asked her to take prasad to their neighbours and the guests. And she had hurried off, leaving the bangles on the table. If the bangles had been on her hand, they would have been twisted out of shape.

Nandini looked at her wrist….the marks were still there, as red and unmistakable as they had been in the afternoon. Thankfully, she had remembered to keep her left hand hidden before entering Vrindavan; if her family had seen the marks, there would have been some answering to do. And then she had hurried to her room and worn the bangles again to keep her wrist hidden.

The marks had fallen when Prithvi had tightened his clasp in fury at something Indrajit had said. Something really strange…

She sat down on the chair near the table, feeling her head churn with a million thoughts.

The whole of evening, the events that had taken place in Ayodhya had kept running through her mind, and she felt more confused than ever….

There had been two men dressed in very costly-looking suits, with an aura of being important people.  Both were very frightening, especially Indrajit, even though he hadn't said a word to her. Who were those men, why had they been so threatening towards Prithvi? She had a feeling that the three men had known each other for a very long time...

Nandini remembered everything that had been said, but she had not understood any part of it. And every time she tried to decipher the meaning, the chaos in her mind and heart only intensified.

And to add to her misery was the memory of what she had done after they had left. For the first time ever, Prithvi had spoken in her favour, had defended her and had stopped them from insulting her, and had called her a friend. And in return, she had actually blackmailed him into doing something he had not wanted to. And now he probably hated her even more than before, if that was possible, she thought miserably. Just yesterday evening she had sworn not to do anything to alienate him further and less than 24 hours later, she had managed to do it again…She was the most ungrateful and foolish girl on this planet.

The guilt was eating her alive, but at that moment it had seemed the only way she could get him to tie the thread.… 

Even now, so many hours later, when she thought of the way they had looked at Prithvi, she felt a chill sweep through her. And when she had been entering the house, she had heard Indrajit say that he would be seeing Prithvi again. Because of all that she had seen, that innocent statement now sounded very sinister.

If the thread gave him even a little bit of protection, then she would willingly accept any amount of Prithvi's anger and loathing, and any punishment for her crime.

Her college bag was lying on one corner of the table. Nandini pulled it towards her and opened it. She unzipped a small compartment inside and took out a tiny crystal statue of the baby Krishna, and she closed her fingers around it, drawing comfort from it for a few minutes.

Then she opened her palm, and looked at the mischievous God.

"You'll look after him, wont you…" she implored softly.

 *********************

"Nandini, the lecture is over…wake up now," a voice hissed.

Nandini woke up from deep sleep with a start and for a minute wondered where she was. It took her a couple of minutes to realize that she was sitting in her classroom, with Nishi and Vrinda on either side of her. The rest of her classmates were either gossiping with their heads together, or strolling around the class, stretching their legs after a long lecture.

"You slept through the whole class," Nishi scolded.

"I did??" Nandini asked, horror-struck. She had only put her head down for a minute as she had found it difficult to keep her eyes open because she had not had much sleep last night again.

"Yes you did. It's good that we sit at the back of the class," Vrinda said, "Or the professor would have seen you for sure."

"Yes…Thank God," Nandini agreed fervently. 

"Why are you so sleepy today?" Nishi asked, as Nandini put her head back on the desk.  

 "I couldn't sleep properly last night," she answered drowsily.

Why? Nandini thought idly. Why hadn't she been able to sleep? And then she remembered what she had been thinking about late into the night and sat up abruptly, while simultaneously tugging the sleeve of her kurta over her left wrist. Her friends looked a little surprised at her sudden wakefulness but did not seem to have seen the marks. Her strategy of wearing a long-sleeved kurta along with a lot more bangles than usual had proved to be a success.

"Did he give lots of notes," Nandini asked anxiously.

"Not really," Nishi said relaxingly. "Just a couple of pages."

Nandini sighed in relief.

"So how is operation friendship coming on," Vrinda grinned.

I am terrible at it, she thought sadly, If I do one thing right, I follow it up with ten acts of stupidity.  Aunty should never have trusted me with this….

But not wanting to worry her friends unnecessarily, she grinned and said, "I think I'm making progress." And then asked, "When is the next class?"

"In another 15 minutes," Vrinda said.

"I need to return a book to the library. I'll come back in 10 minutes," Nandini said, rising to her feet.

"Okay, but hurry….you know Professor Mathews hates those who come in late."

***************

Suvek came out of his class a considerable time after the rest of his classmates, as he had been conversing with the professor about the latest trends in the IT industry. He had hung back for two reasons. Firstly, he really did admire and respect the professor for his knowledge and grasp of the subject. But the second and most important reason was that he had always believed in staying in the good books of people who held positions of some authority, because you never knew when they could come of use.  And the best way to be on their good side it was to flatter them a little with your attention and praise. And he had done both in the past half an hour, by listening to his professor attentively and dropping in a word of praise here and there.  

 So it was with a feeling of a job well done that he stepped out of the class. He was walking away when he heard a loud noise behind him. When he turned around he saw that their college's oldest peon had dropped a big stack of very heavy-looking books, just outside the library. The elderly man was down on his knees, gathering them all up. He wondered if he should help, but decided against it – his friends would be waiting for him at the college entrance; he began to walk away again. He had just gone a little way ahead when a recognizable voice floated over and he spun around elatedly.  

 Nandini was kneeling down and picking up the books and handing them over to the peon, chatting merrily to the old man, who was grinning toothlessly at something she had said.

 Suvek suppressed the urge to hit himself. Why had he not helped that man!! Nandini had evidently come out of the library just after the man. If she had seen him aiding someone as lowly as that peon, she would definitely have been impressed and then he could have accompanied her to wherever she had been going. It was rare opportunity to get her alone without those two friends of hers, and a precious chance to talk to her without the presence of a third party.

 Without wasting a second more, he rushed over to the two people. Nandini looked up at his approach.

 "Hi Suvek," she smiled.

 Suvek felt a wonderful warmth flood his heart at her lovely smile. But the feeling was immediately followed by an acute anguish at just how far he was from making her a part of his life. Why did she have to be so beautiful and cute…

 "Hi Nandini," he grinned and started to assist in gathering up the books. After all the books had been bundled into a stack, Suvek got to his feet, feeling a rising excitement. Once the man left, he would be able to spend some time alone with Nandini. But his hopes were dashed a minute later.

 "I'll carry all the books and come with you, Bahadur chacha," Nandini, who was still on her knees, said cheerfully and started to lift the stack from the floor. 

 "I can carry some books, bitiya," the old man insisted stubbornly and took some into his hands.

 "I'll pick up the rest, Nandini. It will be too heavy for you," Suvek intervened and quickly picked up rest of the pile. His initial disappointment had vanished and he had seen an opportunity in the setback.

 "The books are not very heavy, Suvek. I can - "

 "Ah Suvek, its good that you are still here..." All three turned to see the IT professor standing at his classroom's entrance a little distance away, with a magazine in his hand. "There is a very interesting magazine article I had kept aside to discuss with you," he called out, "I forgot to show it to you earlier." And he went back into the class.

 But Suvek did not make any attempt to give Nandini the books and run into the class where his professor was waiting. He was standing motionless, looking strangely frustrated.

He must be feeling bad at not being able to help chacha carry the books, Nandini concluded. "Please go ahead, Suvek," she smiled reassuringly, "Bahadur chacha and I can easily manage the books between us. Thank you so much for your help."

Suvek forced a smile onto his face and gave her the books. When Nandini stretched out her hands to take the books, the kurta's sleeves on her left arm moved back a little on her wrist. And through a gap in the pretty silver-coloured bangles that adorned her fair hand, he saw a curious red mark. But he only got a fleeting glimpse, and the bangles and the sleeves were back in place once she took the books. And chitchatting, Nandini and the peon moved on towards the other end of the corridor, leaving behind a downcast Suvek, who wanted to go inside the class and throttle the stupid professor for ruining such a golden chance for him. 

Nandini tried to read the title on the topmost book on the pile upside down. The old man saw her reading and said, "The books are for Professor Diwakar Jalaan."

"Professor Jalaan," Nandini said thoughtfully, "Isn't he the in-charge of an engineering department, chacha."

"Yes…he has been here for a very long time," Bahadur chacha said proudly. "Students come here from all over the country to learn under him. And I have heard that he got job offers from all over the world but he chose to remain in this college." As they neared the end of the corridor, his voice dropped to a whisper.

He came to a halt in front of a big door, on which hung a sign with golden lettering that read 'Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department.' This was the most famous and illustrious department of her college.

The old peon turned to Nandini and said in a very low voice, "You can give me the books now, bittiya. I just need to keep them inside and ask Jalaan sahib if he needs anything else."

"Ok chacha," Nandini whispered back, "but please call me if you need help again."

He gave another toothless smile. "You've already helped me, bittiya. Now just pray for me that Professor Jalaan should not be in a bad mood. He is busy making preparations for a meeting. A student has got admission for Phd after many years in this department and he will be coming tomorrow."

***************

It was early evening and Nandini was sitting on the steps of Vrindavan, taking pleasure in the pretty view of the trees that were swaying in the gentle breeze, the temple in their midst, and the few people idling away their time sitting in the shade of the leafy branches. She had not been able to do this for a long while now, and was enjoying the stillness in the surroundings.

She heard the sound of a door opening on her left and turned to see Prithvi come out of his house, with shoes and socks in one hand. He sat down on the topmost step, kept the shoes on the step below and started to pull on the socks.

Nandini sat undecided for a minute, wondering if this would be a good time to apologise to him for what she had done yesterday. Then she stood up and walked timidly over to the gate.

"Hi Prithvi," she said in a small voice.

Prithvi, who was tying the shoes now, didn't answer.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked with an uncertain smile, attempting to prolong the conversation while she mustered the courage and tried to decide what she would say to apologise.

"Yes…we are going house hunting," he retorted, without looking at her.

House hunting? Nandini felt confused. "But why are you -"

And then an awful realization dawned.

"Are you going to shift from here?" she asked, aghast.

"Yes," he answered. He rose to his feet, climbed down the steps and stood facing her.

"But why?" she asked distraughtly.

"Obviously, because of you," he said with raised eyebrows.

"Because…because of me?" Nandini asked in an anguished whisper, feeling horrified and upset beyond belief. Because of her….they were going away because of her… she had harassed him so much with her foolish resolve to become friends, that he had decided to move away…

"I am really sorry if I have troubled you, Prithvi. It won't happen again," she said earnestly.

"It's too late to apologise," he said, unmoved.  I've made up my mind."

"Please Prithvi, I won't come in your way again….." she pleaded, feeling perilously close to tears again for the third time in less than a week. "But please don't move to another house…"

"Move from here?" an astounded voice asked, and Sumer Singh came into the courtyard.

"Who told you that, Nandini?" he asked, very concerned at her disconsolate expression.

"Prithvi said you both were going out to look for another house."

Sumer Singh turned to his nephew. "Why would you tell her such a thing, Prithvi?" he asked disapprovingly.

Prithvi looked back at him without a trace of remorse and shrugged dispassionately. "If you had given me two minutes more, Baba, I could have made her promise not to step into our house again".

"Prithvi…" Sumer Singh shook his head in despair, and then smiled sympathetically at Nandini. "We were only going out for a stroll, Nandini. I haven't been out for a walk since we came here. I really enjoy walking at this time of the evening, and Prithvi was accompanying me"

Nandini felt almost light-headed with relief. They were only going out for a walk…and she had been just a minute away from bursting into tears thinking that they were moving out of Ayodhya because of her. 

Feeling extremely hurt, Nandini turned to Prithvi. "You….you are a very mean person, you know," she said indignantly, "I had only come to say sorry for making you tie that thread -"

"We've wasted enough time now, Baba, let's go," Prithvi interrupted angrily, glowering at her. And Nandini wondered why she was feeling like she had said something she shouldn't have.

Sumer Singh didn't answer for a moment; he was looking at Nandini with something close to shock.  Then he somehow pulled himself together and mumbled, "My watch…I left it in my room…I'll go and get it."

"No, Baba, you wait here. I'll get it for you."

Prithvi had just left to bring the watch, when Nandini's grandfather called her from inside Vrindavan. He must have misplaced his book again, Nandini thought and smiled to herself.

"Enjoy your walk, uncle" she told Sumer Singh cheerily, "I hope you'll like our town."

"I already love your town, Nandini," he smiled warmly.

Nandini grinned happily and then went inside Vrindavan, giving him a final wave at the door.

"And its people too," he added softly, once she had gone.

So it was Nandini who had made Prithvi tie the thread. Something that he had not been able to do for years, she had succeeded in doing within a week. He had been very touched and happy when she had confided in him the contents of Mrs Aruna Garewal's letter. But he had been a silent and helpless spectator to far too many terrible events, and so he had been too afraid to hope. And his old heart had become too weary and disillusioned to expect a miracle.  

Now, however, he was feeling as though he had been standing at the edge of the horizon all this while. And after a night that had seemed never-ending, the sky was finally lightening, as at the break of a new dawn…. 

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