Sankatmochan staggered drunkenly along the lonely road in the middle of the night. When he lurched too much, he banged against a tree by the roadside, and giving up the effort to reach home, he sank down under its canopy. 

In any case, he didn't want to go home….didn't want to face his friend, knowing that he was responsible for destroying that precious warm light in his young eyes. 

Earlier in the evening, he had fruitlessly struggled to talk to a coldly unresponsive Prithvi about it, continuously swearing that he had been fully drunk and stupid when he'd made the phone call, and that he had completely exaggerated the seriousness of the events.

But just when he was going full throttle, Prithvi had turned away and quietly said, "You're most truthful and least imaginative when you're drunk. And if it was not true, she could have denied it, but I only heard justifications, and her impressive plans for both of us," he said bitterly. "She could have said just once that I had misunderstood everything. The matter would have ended there. Why didn't she say it, Mochi?"

He could have handled that last question…but the subdued torment that he heard in it was too much to bear. He'd tried to clear his throat and begin again, but without turning around, Prithvi had raised a hand very slightly and then walked away. The long-standing, forceful gesture had been enough to strike him dumb.

What would he do now…. How would he face Nandini….

But he knew he would have to talk to her soon. He would help her in whichever way needed to win back Prithvi. He had been instrumental in creating this mess, and he would help clear it up, no matter what it took.

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

Nandini sat alone in the temple, looking silently at the idol of the god. She had come to shut the doors for the evening, as her grandfather had felt unwell and returned home and Sankatmochan hadn't shown up all day. But the peace in the shrine was so soothing that she had found herself sitting down in a corner.

How had everything shattered like this…..

That terrible evening after Prithvi had stormed out in anger from her house, Sankatmochan had guiltily told her everything that he'd told Prithvi on the phone.  In a way, it had been a relief to know that he at least knew the reason for her misgivings. It was true that she'd succumbed to the pressure temporarily. But most of her nervousness about their relationship had almost evaporated when she had seen him at the door of the house. And his furious solution of severing all ties had been enough to wipe out her already wavering resolution.

Mochi's hopeful words had put in some courage into her, but those positive feelings had evaporated long ago. She was feeling increasingly sure that she would never be able to repair her relationship with Prithvi. Since yesterday, she had tried everything humanly possible to convince him to listen to her just once. But he wasn't willing to budge an inch from his adamant stance. Years seemed to have passed since he had looked at her with anything but aversion. She had rushed to the terrace in the morning to wait for him when he'd come for the Suryanamaskar, but he was already leaving when she had reached and had been utterly indifferent to her pleas to stop.

Having learnt from Sankatmochan that he had left for college, she had missed her classes to search for him but had failed to see him in the sprawling campus. And every single time she'd approached him outside the house, he either shut her out, walked away or looked through her with terrifying casualness.

It was frightening enough to worsen the doubts that had never fully left her heart. She had opened her soul to him from the start. Given him as much freedom over her body as conscience permitted.  In return, he had reluctantly given her a miniscule spot in his world, and now he was taking that away in anger.

The emotional strain was killing her. But how easily he had reverted to the same insensitive behaviour that had made her life hell when he'd just arrived….

"Nandini! Why are you sitting here like this?"

Startled, she looked up to see Manju Sharma staring at her bemusedly.

"Nothing, aunty," she said swiftly, rising to her feet, "I had come to close the temple, but it was so peaceful that I felt like sitting here for some time," she smiled.

"It really is very peaceful at this time," Manju said, "I was sure the temple would be closed by now, but I thought I'd just try my luck and give the idol for the pooja."

"Idol? Oh yes. Grandpa had told me about it," she said quickly, remembering just in time. She had barely registered anything her family had told her in the past 2 days. But she did vaguely recollect being told about the important ceremony that was to be held two days later. It was a rarely held pooja, and had been specially requested by a very rich family in Shamli. To reap its supposed benefits, many households in the area were giving the idols and photographs they used in their own private worship, so that they could be sanctified once again.

She took the idol from the elderly woman and kept it reverentially with the others.

"I'm glad I met you here. I was looking for you anyways to tell you that Naresh's family is coming down for some days," Manju smiled, referring to her son who was a businessman in a distant city. Nandini looked upon him as her older brother, and faithfully tied rakhis on his wrist every year when he was in town. His wife was also a very sweet and friendly woman and got along with everyone easily.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Nandini said happily, "But wont bhaiya come too?"

"No, he is too busy with the business," Manju sighed. "But my daughter-in-law and grandson will soon be here."

Manju aunty's grandson. Nandini recalled seeing the photograph of a bundled up infant whose plump rosy cheeks were beginning to show the hint of dimples. And a little of the weight pressing against her heart lifted.

She smiled warmly and eagerly asked, "When are they coming?"

"I'm not sure yet, but they said they'll be here very soon. You know, you would have known the news much before if you visited us regularly like you used to in the past," Manju said in gentle reproach.

Nandini flushed uncomfortably.

It was true. In the last couple of months, the people and everyday routine that had formed the fabric of her life had all been replaced with new entries. Those loving souls who had always returned her affection wholeheartedly had disappeared into the shadows without her knowledge. And all of it for someone who was treating her like filth at the moment...

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

"Nandini?" Vrinda prompted again.

Nandini looked at the anxious faces of her friends, and felt a lump rise in her throat. They had been infinitely patient with her, accepting her reluctance to talk about her relationship with Prithvi. While the teasing had been relentless, they had not forced her to reveal the truth. Even now, all they wanted to know was the reason for her sadness. She couldn't be evasive with them anymore.

"I made a mistake....and he's very angry with me," she said miserably.

Nishi and Vrinda looked at each other apprehensively. There was no need to clarify the 'he', of course. There was only one man who could reduce their usually cheerful and lively Nandini to this pitiable state.

"Errrrr….did you try talking to him?" Nishi asked.

 "I tried to, but he won't listen."

"He won't be able to stay angry with you for long," Vrinda assured her. No one could stay angry with Nandini for long, as she could say confidently from experience.

"He can and he will," she answered resignedly. "He avoids me at home, and anyway I cant talk freely with him there, and I don't know if he's coming to college today - "

"Nandini, is that him?" Vrinda asked, staring somewhere behind her.

"Where?" Nandini asked eagerly, turning around quickly. A long distance away, at the beautifully arched stone entrance to the research wing, there was a tall figure…Yes…it was him, she saw in exultation, engrossed in conversation with some boys. 

"Listen, I'll be right back, I just need to -"

"All the best!" Vrinda interrupted anxiously.

"I'm sure everything will be sorted," Nishi said gently.

Nandini  smiled gratefully, and swiftly set off in his direction. If only he had not been surrounded by people. It was intimidating to approach him with all those boys watching. What would she do if he snubbed her in front of strangers….

But she had to take the risk.

By the time she reached the hallowed interior of this much revered department, she was uncomfortably hot around the face and neck, and her legs did not feel very steady. His back was to her, and there were no less than six people around him.

As she approached, those who saw her fell silent, and following their gaze, Prithvi turned. Most of the men were staring at her expectantly, with expressions ranging from curious to appreciative. But she only saw one face, one pair of frosty, derisive eyes. For an instant, she regretted her decision to approach him like this, but now there was nothing to do but speak up.

 "I need to talk to you," she mumbled with a dry mouth, not looking at anyone else.

His cool stare almost convinced her that he was going to rip into her, but then to her overwhelming relief, he turned to his friends and said, "I'll see you guys later."

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

They walked in silence away from the students. She didn't know where they were heading to, but just followed the direction of his steps. She looked at him frequently, trying to get some idea of his thoughts, but his face was shuttered, and not once did he return her gaze.

When they had reached a fairly secluded, shaded enclave to a corner of the ground, he finally looked at her. "If you get the pleading over with fast, I could return to more important work," he mocked, regarding her cynically.

Reddening, Nandini lifted her head and said, "I just want to – to - explain all that happened."

"It's not going change anything, but if you still want to waste my time, go ahead," he said callously.

Trying to keep her voice steady, she uneasily said, "It is true that I did think about….but I didn't mean for it to be permanent….I hadn't thought of what we were going to do. I was just confused and scared, and I only thought….maybe…we could step back a little….just for some time."

She knew from the dangerous flash in his eyes that he was about to say something, and she hastily mumbled, "Please let me finish. When you returned, and I saw you, I – I realized I won't be able to do it myself, so please, please forget that I even thought about it."

She didn't know what she was saying, couldn't think of the right things to convince him. All she wanted to say was that she loved him and wanted to be with him, but the words wouldn't come easily. Especially since there was every possibility that he would throw her heart back into her face.

Prithvi looked away for a moment, but when he gazed at her again and something had softened in his eyes. "I'll forget…..on one condition," he said finally.

"What?" she asked unsurely.

"Give me your word that no matter what your family or society says….no matter what is at stake….you will never think about breaking up again," he said quietly. 

She looked at him in mute bewilderment. Her family flashed before her eyes, and she moved a step backwards unconsciously. How could she give him that assurance…

She pulled her gaze away from his. "I can't do that," she said miserably.

He smiled coldly. "Then I won't forget. I don't want you in my life, and the faster you accept that, the better for both of us," he said savagely.

Was their relationship that dispensable for him, she wondered dismally, trying to ignore the stinging of tears.

"Do you really care so little?" she asked helplessly.   

"No, even less," he retorted ironically. And to her dismay, he turned and began walking back to the building. 

"You cannot walk away like this!" she snapped fiercely, moved more by sheer desperation than anger.

At the sharp order, Prithvi stopped and looked at her with a menacing light in his eyes. "Remember not to use that tone with me again," he said grimly. "I won't warn you the next time."

"I don't think you could hurt me anymore than you already have," she said bitterly despite the increasingly painful block in her throat.

"I can…Believe it or not, you haven't seen the worst of me," he retorted softly.

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

"You can stop running every time you see me, Mochi bhaiya."

Sankatmochan froze at the doors of Ayodhya and awkwardly swung around towards Nandini, who was smiling wryly at him from the other side of the wall with a watering can in her hands.

He shuffled on the spot, feeling too embarrassed to meet her eyes. "Nandini, I've been trying to talk to him but he -"

"Doesn't want to listen," she finished lightly.

Sankatmochan nodded glumly, and limped nearer to the wall. He looked at Vrindavan apprehensively.

"They've gone to the market in the town," Nandini said, correctly interpreting his thoughts. "To buy all the material needed for a special pooja in the temple."

Reassured, Sankatmochan urgently said, "He won't listen to me, but he'll definitely listen to you, Nandini. Just don't give up hope!"

Nandini shook her head tiredly, and then after a pause, said, ""He's being too cruel.  I don't know how long I'll be able to endure it. I've always wondered if he cared for me as much I do for him….but now….I'm starting to think he doesn't truly feel anything for me at all.

"No, Nandini. I'm sure he – but it's just that, over the past few years, he has gotten used to getting everything he wants….no one to question or demand. For a long time now, everyone in his life has always bent backwards to accommodate his wishes."

"I know….I'm one of those people," she said with slight bitterness. Was this why Prithvi was being so cruel….because he was confident that she would remain a doormat for him. Did he believe that he could treat her as badly as he wanted, but she'd never retaliate? Then again, why wouldn't he believe that. She hadn't given him any reason to think otherwise.

Sankatmochan squirmed but didn't deny the statement. "I won't lie that I know exactly how he is thinking or feeling, because it is impossible to tell. But I think he's being stubborn only because he knows that you will always be there for him. He'll unbend soon, you only have to -

"Grovel at his feet?" she asked bitterly.

"NO! That's not what I was saying," Sankatmochan said, horrified. This talk was backfiring on him big time. Everything he wanted to say was coming out in a fashion that was only worsening the situation.
 
He hoarsely continued, "In all these days, no one – not Sumer Singh, not me, not any of his friends who've known him for years – has been able to get through to him in the way that you have within weeks. He's happiest and most peaceful when you are around him. I've seen it in his eyes. He has changed a lot, Nandini. He smiles more easily. He may not know the depth of his feelings, but -"

"How long should I wait for him to find out?" she returned wearily. "It has been so easy for him….to pretend like we've never been more than just acquaintances."

Sankatmochan gulped and rubbed his eyes furiously with the back of his hand. "Nandini, look at the huge difference between the earth on both sides of this wall. The land in front of Vrindavan is very green, beautiful, and well-kept….because it has received a lot of love and care from the start. But this side….it has run wild, because there was no one to tend it when it needed care the most. But with love and patience, it can also be made beautiful, cant it?" he asked pleadingly.

Troubled by the words, she stared at him. From random incidents and words that had slipped out unknowingly, she knew that Prithvi had endured a difficult past. Sankatmochan was only confirming her vague suspicions.

Don't deny him the love in your heart….he's had little of it so far….

She melted slightly despite herself. 

After remaining quiet awhile, Nandini hesitantly said, "For the big pooja that is being held, many people have given us the idols and photos they use for their private worship and grandpa consecrates -"

 "I know….Bhoothnathji had told me about it, because I was in the temple when that family came to request for the pooja," Sankatmochan muttered, confused by the change in topic

She nodded, and then said, "A long time back, I had given Sumer uncle a very small idol of Krishna to keep in Ayodhya. If you could give it to me, I'll keep it with the others, and after it is consecrated, I'll return it. It will be auspicious for - all of you," she mumbled.

Suddenly seeing some light, Sankatmochan smiled widely in relief.  "Don't worry! I'll take it with me when I go to the temple tomorrow and I'll make sure that it is blessed."

Nandini blushed inexplicably and looked intently at the can in her hand. "Ma and grandpa don't know that I've given it to Sumer uncle," she said uncomfortably. "It's been with me for more than 15 years and I had never parted from it before. So if they find out somehow, they may find it a little strange that I -"

"No more explanation needed," Sankatmochan declared. "I'll give it to you immediately. Do you know where Sumer Singh has kept it?"

"It is on the topmost shelf of the cabinet in the living room."

"Small idol, on top of shelf. Understood," Sankatmochan said, privately thinking that Sumer Singh had been wise to keep it there, out of immediate sight, because Prithvi didn't like seeing anything religious in the house.

On hearing familiar voices, Nandini turned to see her mother, grandfather and one of his friends walking towards the gate, holding shopping bags.

"I'll take it later!" she told Sankatmochan hastily and rushed to open the gate.

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

Nandini kept the heavy lamp carefully in the centre of the religious design on the floor, and wiped away the light film of perspiration from her forehead with a kerchief.

"There is only a small basket of flowers remaining. Could you go and bring that?" she asked her brother tiredly.

"After THAT at least can I go and play with my friends?" Prakash asked grumpily.

He and Nandini had been travelling between the house and the shrine for well more than an hour now, transporting and arranging some necessary items. There were only the flowers left now, everything else was set. Her mother and grandfather were extremely busy with other preparations and would be free only by night. 

"Yes, you can," Nandini laughed, and with happy, renewed energy, her brother ran towards the house again.

"Nandini, go home and rest for some time," Bhoothnath said from the inner sanctum.

"But - "

"But nothing. You've been working hard for hours now," her grandfather frowned. "Go home. Your mother will return soon and we both will take care of the remaining tasks."

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

As she walked back home in absolute exhaustion, Nandini winced at the pain in her back. The thought of a glass of cold water and her little bed seemed so welcoming at this moment. She was entering the gate, when Sumer Singh looked through the window and called out, "Nandini! Could you just wait for a minute?"

She stopped and looked at him with a puzzled smile. "What is it, uncle?"

As he opened the doors of Ayodhya and stepped into the courtyard, a bike's growl came from the vicinity, and within seconds, it was standing in front of Ayodhya's gate

Sumer Singh hurried to open the gates for Prithvi, and reprovingly said, "Haven't I told you not to race like that. It's dangerous."

Nandini wished he would be sterner. Her own heart had stopped for an instant when she'd seen the rash speed at which Prithvi had been riding the bike.

Prithvi didn't answer as he entered the yard, paying as much attention to Sumer Singh and her as to the walls.

Sumer Singh closed the gate and walked towards Nandini with a cheque in hand.  "Could you give this to your grandfather? I think he is very busy in the temple, and the rent is already delayed." 

Before Nandini could respond, Prithvi mockingly said, "You shouldn't be late with the money, when you know there are people who depend on our generosity to live." 

"Prithvi!" Sumer Singh said, aghast.

Unconcerned, Prithvi parked the vehicle and walked into the house.

"Sumer uncle, it would be better if you give it to grandpa yourself,"

Sumer Singh turned to the pale girl in front of him. "Nandini, I am very sorry," he said hastily. "He's been in such a bad mood for days now. I can barely get one polite word out of him."

"Please don't apologise for him, uncle. I'm sure he doesn't think he's said anything wrong," she said flatly.

Looking highly embarrassed, Sumer Singh muttered something about meeting her grandfather, and swiftly left in the direction of the temple.

She had restrained her anger in front of Sumer Singh, but the instant he departed, she opened the little gate in between.

In a towering temper, she pushed the half-open doors wide to see Prithvi tossing his luxurious watch onto the table carelessly. He spun on the spot at the sound of her entry, and looked at her with a mild frown. Sankatmochan was sitting at the table, writing something. When she entered, he smiled and tried to stand up.

 "You can believe and say anything you want about me, Prithvi," she said furiously. "But don't you dare insult my family!"

The smile on Sankatmochan's face dried up as he looked from one to the other. 

 "I'll talk about anyone I want, whichever way I want. Now get out," Prithvi said tersely.

"Nandini, here is the idol you wanted!" Sankatmochan said cheerfully, frantic to quash the tension somehow. He picked up the tiny idol from the table and held it out to Nandini.

But before she could take it, Prithvi reached out and casually picked up the crystal from the outstretched palm. 

"Who brought this into the house, Mochi?" he demanded.

"It is mine. I had given it to Sumer uncle," Nandini returned sharply.  

Prithvi looked at the miniature crystal idol derisively. "I should have guessed. Anything so worthless would have to be related to you," he mused.

 "You're going too far," she hissed, feeling more enraged by the minute.

"Not as much as I want to," he said candidly, "Take this trash and get out," he said brutally, and tossed the idol irreverently onto the floor in front of her.

Nandini's eyes widened in shocked distress, and to her frozen senses, the little Krishna seemed to take an inordinately long while to fall. Even when it finally fell to the ground with a small chink, though her face turned ashen with disbelief and rage, no sound of horror escaped her lips.

Unmoved by her distraught reaction, Prithvi casually said, "If you step into this house again, I'll throw you out by force."

And he began walking around her towards the stairs.

Without taking her eyes from the piece of crystal, Nandini quietly said, "Pick it up."

Though uttered very serenely, there was no mistaking the tenor of the words. It wasn't a request, it was a command. Unlike the past, there was no gentleness or veiled love in her tone, not even an attempt at it. It was an icy instruction given by one stranger to another.

Sankatmochan stared at Nandini. He had never heard her speak in that tone. Scared stiff, he swallowed convulsively and tried to catch her eye, wanting to appeal to her to modify the tone. But she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were fixed on the idol.

He wanted to tell her that no one ever spoke to Prithvi like that if they knew what was good for them. Even as a defenseless 7 year old he'd been the same, and had been the only soul in the palace who not submitted to the authority of his terrorizing grandfather, preferring to endure horrific punishments rather than accept autocratic commands. In the end, failing miserably to crush the young boy's spirit, the old man had resorted to simply ignoring him in frustration. And even though the family had ill-treated him so viciously, he had been the darling of the palace staff and only had to raise a finger to have them run to do his bidding simply out of love.

Prithvi halted and turned slowly.  "What did you say?" he asked with amusement. 

It was an amusement that was a billion times worse than anger, Sankatmochan reflected in fright.

That expression in his eyes had sent brave men running for cover in the past. But when Nandini tore her eyes from the ground and looked at him directly, there was no hint of fear or hesitation on her face, only shadowy traces of a dangerous fire that was slowly reaching the surface.

Sankatmochan's mopped his sweaty face with his sleeves. He had been in highly dangerous situations before, when death was just a whisker away. But even in those petrifying events, he hadn't been half as afraid as he was at this moment.

"This is the last chance I'm giving you….pick up the idol - right - now," she said harshly, and Sankatmochan winced at the increased chill in her voice. Giving orders to Prithvi was dangerous enough, but a threat like that was equivalent to offering to keep your head under the guillotine.

And yet, her miraculous calm abruptly seemed as frightening as Prithvi's amusement. To his incredulous surprise, for the first time in a fight that involved Prithvi, he wasn't entirely sure who was more dangerous at this moment. It was just a battle of wills, he tried to convince himself.

Prithvi was a lethal combination of intellectual and physical power and grit. But he would never raise his hand on her…..would he…..

Nandini….nave, sweet Nandini who was incapable of hurting a fly….she wouldn't do anything rash….would she….

So why was he instinctively wishing to heaven that he wasn't here at this moment. He could still retire into one of the rooms and become inconspicuous. But he was feeling bizarrely scared to even blink, forget move.

But to his intense relief, Prithvi didn't say anything unkind or react roughly. In fact, to his rapidly growing amazement, his friend silently walked back to the place where the idol lay.  

Sankatmochan started breathing again. This wasn't going to blow up after all. The same thought seemed to be going on in Nandini's mind, as her icy expression had softened a bit as Prithvi reached the spot.

But then instead of picking up the tiny idol, he turned and looked at her. There was a terrible ruthlessness in his eyes, and in a second, her hands and feet turned cold with impending terror.

Prithvi kept a foot on the exquisite piece, gazing at her with blatant cruelty. 

"I warned you not to forget your place," he said softly.

And before anyone in the room could do anything, his shoe crunched upon the crystal and ground it into the floor.

The small sound of its destruction was deafening to Nandini's ears. She reeled backwards a little, dazed by a pain so intense….. it was as though a sword slashed through her soul, brutally hacking it into half.

Sankatmochan groaned and clutched his head, not daring to look at Nandini. But when there was no motion, no noise of feminine outburst, he cautiously looked at her. He expected anger and tears. There was a terrible blend of soul-shattering shock and anguish on her chalk-white face, but she still didn't cry or scream…. didn't utter a word or sound of distress. 

Not bothering to look at her, Prithvi walked to one of the chairs, began taking off his shoes and coolly said, "Mochi, stop grabbing your head and clean that rubbish from the floor."

Sankatmochan was still transfixed to the spot with the terrifying turn of events, but the words seemed to jerk Nandini back to reality.

She slowly walked to the small glittering pile on the floor, and knelt down on the floor. Very tenderly, she began gathering the mixture of big and small jagged pieces and shining dust with trembling hands.

Keeping the shoes aside, Prithvi stood up and looked at her with mild curiosity and then with reluctant concern as she painstakingly scraped up dangerously sharp pieces and powdered glass.

"What are you doing? Hoarding the souvenir of your stupidity?" he asked resentfully.

Nandini didn't answer until she had collected the last tiny fragment. Then she stood up unsteadily and turned to face him.

There was a violent inferno of pure hate and anger in her eyes, but her voice was very calm when she spoke at last.  "I don't need a souvenir to remember that I despise you," she said softly.

Prithvi said nothing, but simply looked at her in shock….utterly stunned by the genuine loathing in her gaze and words. 

Sankatmochan clutched the side of the armchair and sank down on the floor next to it.

"You are a heartless monster, and don't deserve love or happiness. You only deserve hate," she whispered, backing away lifelessly, "And that is all you will get. I will never forgive you for this. Never."

She awkwardly spun towards the doors and stumbled out in a daze.

Looking very troubled, Prithvi raised a hand to stop her by the arm. But then, some of the old insolence returned to his features and the fingers became a fist and dropped to his side. As Nandini stepped out the door, he also turned and silently walked towards the stairs that led to his room, leaving Sankatmochan to dwell desolately on the dreadful wreckage they had left behind.

*******************
 
Nandini entered the house and closed the doors firmly with one hand. In a dull haze, she went up to her room, shut the doors and leaned against it. Only then did she look at the sparkling debris in her palm.

Her heartbreaking cry of pain echoed helplessly in the room's confines, as she crumpled to the floor.

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

She opened her cupboard and took out the little jewellery box that had once held all of her trinkets. Now it only held a single gold chain, with all of her jewelry having been stuffed into a plastic container.

Nandini took out the gold chain and looked at it in silence for a few moments. Prithvi's mother's gold chain….given to her for safekeeping. She had treasured it more than all of her  own possessions. It had happened so long ago…..when there their turbulent relationship had just started to take an identifiable but disturbing shape…..

She had felt almost blessed by some unseen force when he had dropped it in her palm. Now, however, the harmless piece of gold was scalding her flesh….right down to her soul….

She gently kept it on the table, and returned her meager jewellery to their original home. She was about to shut the door when she saw the tattered doll that she had held onto for years….the one that she often offloaded her grievances to…

Bitterness suddenly rose inside her, and she removed it from its safe location, feeling disgusted with herself.  She had been holding onto fragments of her childhood, refusing to accept that she could no longer claim the defense of innocence it offered.

She kept it next to the chain, not wanting to even look at it now. It was no longer in any condition to even be given to small children in the neighbourhood. She'd just give it to her mother for disposing off as required.

Her unwilling gaze fell upon a book kept carefully below the pile of tomes on the table.  She reached for it and flipped through the pages. It easily opened to the pages she'd been looking for.

She stared at the dried but still fragrant petals of the flower and lifted it from the pages very gently. She had cherished it.... had intended to preserve it forever. 

But now….

Quivering with rage, she crushed the flower and vehemently threw the pathetic remains out of the window into the dark arms of the approaching night.

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