3 Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still!

Mandh Mountain, 30 kms away from Dima, the capital city

"Ahhh… no! Mother, no! No, please no!" A pair of terrified, unfocussed eyes shot open to blink rapidly in the darkness.

Katyayani pushed away the warm blanket from her shoulders and sat up on the canopy bed. She was breathless, as always, after this recurring nightmare.

Trying to calm herself down, she pushed away the double layered drape, which consisted of a pale white sheer lace and a mosquito net hanging from the top of the four poster bed. She turned to look at the window which was a few feet away from the bed.

Judging by the darkness outside, the first prahar (period of 3 hours, starting from 4 a.m.) of the day hadn't unfolded yet.

She removed the heavy, silken weight of the blanket from her body and stepped onto the thickly carpeted, wooden floor. The coals in the stone fireplace had died out sometime during the night but the carpet had retained the heat from it.

Barefeet, she walked to the window and pushed away the lilac coloured, velvet curtain to peer outside. Her long, black hair tendrils were unbound and rested against her back in waves, reaching up to her waist.

In the sky, the moon was trying its level best to maintain the brilliance but was beginning to lose its sparkle.

She hadn't experienced this dream in a long time now. In order to distract herself, the fifteen year old muttered to herself. "I might as well have an early start to the day."

Enjoying the faint warmth below her dainty toes, she moved around the square room with ease in the darkness, while her heartbeat slowly returned to normalcy.

Katyayani picked up the all white ensemble which was hanging at the coat rack in one corner of the room, prepared the previous night. She removed her thin, single robe which she had worn during the night and which was currently soaked in sweat. Swiftly, she put on the soft woolen top and leggings in fluid, nimble motions.

With her dainty toes, she explored the carpet in darkness and found her well-worn pair of brown, thick soled shoes which were lying on the floor next to the rack.

Stepping into the shoes which had rabbit fur sewn in as the inner lining, she wiggled her feet, letting them find the familiar comfort inside.

Katyayani opened the intricately carved, rosewood door noiselessly and peered outside.

A small lamp was at its last leg of illumination and showed the relaxed features of the homely woman who lay asleep on the diwan* against the wall on the left side of the door.

Katyayani tiptoed out of the small living area of her chamber and stepped into a small hallway which opened into a circular maze of corridors. Someone unfamiliar with this place would be hard-pressed to find the head or tail of this simple looking wooden cabin.

After ten minutes, Katyayani opened the main door of the house and stood at the top of the steps. She was hit by the freezing cold air.

Looking down, she came face-to-face with another woman, but this lady was wide awake and alert, unlike the previous one.

"You are early today, Young Miss," said Trini and began to climb up the steps.

"So are you," Katayani gave a small smile and said, "I will see you at the mountain top in sometime."

Without waiting for her response, Katyayani climbed down and moved past the woman.

She walked to the freshwater well which was located in the corner of the courtyard. A pail of water had been drawn and covered with a broad fan made out of leaves to avoid the intrusion of insects in the bucket overnight.

Shivering slightly in her white, long sleeved kurta* which reached below her knees and fitted leggings, Katyayani braved the impact of her hands dipping into the cold water. She scooped out the water repeatedly and splashed her face with it. After using the utilities, she ran her fingers through her jet-black tresses and nimbly tied them into a braid, while stomping her feet to warm herself up.

After a few minutes, she pushed open the ordinary looking, but sturdy, metal gate which defined the boundary of her residence and stepped out.

Turning around, she looked at the place which had been her residence for the past decade.

The wooden cabin facing her looked serene and quiet with just a few lamps lit across the entire area. Even though this part of the mountain had no residences nearby, the cabin and its occupants had always maintained a low-key appearance.

Never did the place emit too much light nor created a lot of noise, almost as if the place was trying to reduce its presence perched atop the Mandh mountain.

Spread over approximately 5000 square feet, the cabin had been built on sturdy and long wooden beams which were fixed into the ground. As a result, the raised structure was located about 10-15 feet above the ground.

This design helped keep the attack of wild animals at bay and also saved the occupants from the hassle of water seeping in during the heavy rainfall which the area received.

Turning her back towards the cabin, she started with her daily trek. Katyayani never carried a lamp with her while going up the mountain. Depending completely upon her senses, she didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention towards her movements, especially when there was no other nearby area lit at this hour.

Her body was always in a state of alert caution, like a coiled serpent waiting to strike. This had been her practice for more than nine years and was now almost an instinctive behavior.

She reached the top of the Mandh mountain after twenty minutes of a light jog. Facing the east, Katyayani folded her hands and bent her head towards the sky, as a homage to the young sun which wasn't visible yet.

On the other side, her four female attendants, including Trini, had started with their morning routine, despite it being a foggy, and cold winter morning.

"Has Young Miss already gone up to the mountaintop? Did she wake up earlier than usual today?" It was the soft-spoken Eka who asked the question as she folded the cream colored silk blanket and straightened the bedding of her mistress.

*Diwan - a backless sofa or couch, designed to be set against a wall

*Kurta - a loose collarless shirt worn by both men and women