In the potter's village: Chapter - 4

Within a few days of his arrival, Rahman was a much sought after member of the community. The potter had obtained special orders from the sheikh himself, courtesy the latest talent acquisition he had been gifted with, children flocked by him when he sat down to work, and the local traders vied for his work to be shipped to the farthest places in their imagination. The people also found themselves captivated by the refreshing change he brought to day to day conversations, that had grown numbing and trite otherwise.

People found themselves more interested in their own lives somehow, and even appreciated the elements that they had come to scowl at perennially. However, none of them was quite as affected by his presence, as Karim was. The sense of openness and liberation he experienced, and which he used when he viewed the world, would alternating-ly provide him with an overwhelming sense of joy, and a maddening sense of meaninglessness. He wasn't sure of whether it was really good, or even healthy to have such thoughts, but knew that he had 'grown', on some dimension scale, along some scale.

It was now 3 years since Rahman had arrived at Khemnuur. As with all objects of such beauty and shining quality, he too had managed to create rivals, emanating from a sense of jealousy, and being threatened. This emergent class of individuals comprised a disparate assortment, from high priests, to members of the royal court, to traders who had missed out on his business, and even the potter who employed him, Shimad. Being the owner of a business increasingly dependent on his output, and the aging husband of 3 young wives, he felt threatened on several fronts all at once. The cases with each of the other rising enemies was unique in the mix of factors that caused them to resent his presence, but exceedingly unifying in the impact they had on them.It wasn't long before these voices found company in each other, and attempted to better assess the situation. A social reformer might have been glad to see the manner in which the boundaries that separated these disparate individuals came melting down in the face of this common foe.

In the course of their discussions they couldn't come up with any substantial about the potter, leave alone against him. The manner in which he had just dropped by from an alien land meant there was little in terms of tracks that he had left behind. Upon inquiring, they discovered it was Karim that had first interacted with him in person. Thus the priest summoned up Karim one day, and spoke to him at great length about the mysterious ways in which God functions, and the need to keep the soul cleansed at all times. Discourse complete, they proceeded to the real matter at hand, asking him about Rahman, the nearly sacrilegiously gifted potter from an alien land. If the occasion of this special audience was not hint enough, Karim now knew something was amiss, and that this conversation was surely not in the realm of that which may be termed 'ordinary'. He started to analyze each question closely, and choose his words carefully, a fact that didn't miss the attentions of the eagle eyed priests. A few queries later, they ended this particular session, asking him to maintain a customary silence on the same. As he walked out their doors, a figure from behind the trees lining the exit follwoed him stealthily. A couple of hours later he would confirm to the priests what they had suspected, that Karim had visited Rahman straight after his meeting.