Chapter 62
**Tzalmon Point of View**
"Please everyone, have a seat and enjoy the refreshments while I do all the talking." She joked and waved her hand at the group of servants to serve refreshments for the guests.
On the dais, other than herself and Igses, there was no other accompanying her or helping her in her speech. She explicitly assured that she can handle the speech by herself and need no assistance.
While we, I, Azar, Eelk and the other close and direct subordinates to her stood a step below.
The crowd calmed down and gave her the full attention which was rather surprising.
For such high profiled men to wait and listen to a woman was highly demeaning and below their status quo.
For such people to give her a listening ear was both surprising and suspicious.
"When I was a child, I once dreamt of a story. There was a vast area of grasslands surrounded by forest." She started with a smile, garnering the attention of everyone.
This woman... what is she doing?
Is this a story telling time?
"There was a young couple who were traveling came to a halt to take few minutes of rest by a tall apple tree. After resting for a while, they realized they don't have enough food. Fortunately they were sitting near an apple tree so they planned to get few apples to eat then and pack them for future. However the branches of the tree were rather high." She said sighing in despair.
By now, every single person, from servant to guests, were immersed in the story. Forget about others, even I found her rather charming when she starting narrating a story with such interesting tones modulations.
"They tried hard to pluck apples but couldn't even get one apple. After trying for a long time, they flopped down on the grass from exhaustion. When they flopped down, both of them saw a fallen apple not far from them. It was a big red juicy apple that could satisfy their hunger. However, there was only one apple and two people. Both of them ran to the apple and took it at the same time; both telling each other that they were the first one to touch it so it should belong to them."
"The man said that he was a man and her husband so he has the right to take the apple while the woman said that she was a woman and his wife so he should be a gentleman and give the apple to her. Tell me, who should get the apple?" She suddenly asked glancing at the attentive crowd.
The crowd who were listening to her intently started to give out their answers one after the other.
"Of course, as a superior and as the head of the household, the man should get to eat."
"A man earns livelihood for the family. Isn't it given that the man should have the apple?"
"Man should eat it."
"Why, man should have it."
"Why show courtesy in the face of hunger death? If he ate it and was alive, he can take another wife. What if he was dead then who will look after his family and earn for the family?"
Several similar answers flowed for a while. The calm and serene look on Eblilis face did not change however.
I thought she was a woman activist, how come she did not mind such comments?
It's not like her!
"So you all say the man should have it and if his wife died from hunger, he can marry another woman." She asked silencing everyone. "Alright, I heard answers from men. What about ladies here, don't you want to say anything? Who should get the apple?"
The ladies in the gathering paled when they were asked to comment and express their views. Women are not allowed to get involved in public discussions nor do they have knowledge of these matters. When they were suddenly asked the question, all the ladies lowered their heads anxiously and started to shiver at the attention.
"Please do not feel pressured. Feel free to share your views on this. This is just a casual discussion and no answer is a right answer or wrong answer. Gentleman, I implore you keep a broad mind when ladies from your family speaks up." She said soothingly with a smile, lulling people in to her web of words gracefully.
Men who came with their families nodded curtly, giving permission to them speak; alniet reluctantly.
"Without husband, how can wife live? I think husband should eat the apple."
"Woman was just a puny character in game, how can she have a right to compete with a man?"
Replies supporting men came from ladies in the gathering. Still, the calm and gentle smile did not vanish from Eblilis lips.
How gorgeous!
I felt that this certain look of hers, so serene and graceful, was quite charming.
Why am I finding her pleasing to eyes and heart so suddenly?
"Tell us, Lady Dawn, what happened next? Who ate the apple?" Someone from the crowd asked.
"Alright. Both the husband and wife bickered about who was more eligible to have the apple. Husband said, he was a man of responsibilities so he should live a long life to carry them. Wife said she was human as well and she has her own responsibilities to carry out so she should eat. Husband said he should live so he can sire heirs and extend the family to next generations. Wife said no matter it was her or another woman, if it wasn't for them he cannot have a chance to have heirs because it was a woman who painstakingly carry and give birth even risking their own lives so a woman is more important than a man so she should have the apple."
"Both of them bickered for quite some time until they heard a such voice of someone interrupting them. The voice said 'both of you are not eligible to get my fruit. Leave immediately'.'" She changed her tone to a much rougher one when she said the words the third person said.
"Was it the tree?" Someone from the crowd exclaimed.
"Indeed." Eblilis smiled at the crowd. "The tree who has been watching the scene from the beginning lost its patience and spoke finally. The couple couldn't take the rejection and asked the tree why they aren't eligible. Husband said to the tree that he was a male as well so he should give the fruit to him. Wife asked the tree that the fruit was the result of flower and flower was a female so she should get it. But the tree was adamant in not allowing any of them to have the apple. When the couple asked why he was being so mean with just one apple, guess what the tree said."
None spoke. Everyone's eyes were stuck to her and ears open to hear the story. They were so involved in the story that I didn't even hear the sound of their breathing.
"The tree said 'I am not a male, not a female, not higher nor lower, not superior nor inferior, not the cause not the effect. I am my own world and the male and female you both are talking about are a part of me. If I lose one branch, I can grow it back but if I lose the ability to produce flowers and fruits, I have no use for you people. Without flower, the fruit cannot grow, without fruit, the next tree cannot grow. Everything is interdependent and every leaf, every root of mine is important. If you both wished, you could've shared the fruit with each other but one was feeling superior over the other while other has no stand of her own beside quarreling. In that case, this fruit will not go to either of you."
This little fox!
She does have way with her words. Even I was mesmerized by her. Every word she said caused a ripple in my heart.
As if, her smiling words slapped everyone here, the crowd has different emotions playing on their faces.
"The moment I woke up from my dream, I decided that one day, I will have my own place in this world. I will be just me and no one else possession. I breathe for myself. I eat and drink to keep my own life. My life is as important to me as the King of this empire's life is important to him. Both of us came to this world on our own purpose have our own life to live. That day I realized that I want to live in a world that the tree has talked about. Not superior over any kind nor inferior to any. I am me and I live for myself."
What a powerful way to convince crowd. Emotional and realistic, not supporting any one side, yet affecting both parties to her will.
How powerful her simple words are.
"I am Lady Dawn and I welcome you all to witness, support and be a part of this joyous ceremony of commencing of Dawn Incorporation and launching of our first product. The piece of metal that the bicycle was made of was no male or female. So I present 'Bicycle' a two wheel vehicle for shorter and feasible trips -"
"For everyone!"
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Hello Sweeties,
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