Ahalya's Infidelity: A Conscious Decision?

Ahalya.  She may seem innocent, but we shall see if this holds true after Hanuman and I investigate whether or not she knew that it was an impostor, Indra, acting as her husband, Gautama, in her infidelity.

Again, I rode Hanuman's back to the destination: Gautama's Hermitage.  By now, I had gotten accustomed to the jolt that happened when Hanuman jumped.  Since each jump would take us soaring high through the air, the force experienced from the take-off was massively overwhelming for me; I felt like a train hit me each time.  Surprisingly, though, the landing was very smooth, almost like landing on a ground padded with feathered pillows.  With one last landing, we were at the location.  It was quiet; it was early in the morning.  There were birds chirping, flowers showing off their petals by dancing to the wind's breeze, tall trees filled with the greenest of leaves squirrels zooming from tree limb to tree limb.  I enjoyed the beauty and tranquility.  We stood outside Gautama's hermitage, waiting to see if anyone had detected our presence.  When nothing changed, we knocked on the door.  No response.  Again, we tried.  Still, no response.  Hanuman began to get antsy, and his restlessness made the door fly out of its hinges the third time we knocked.  We looked in from outside, but we saw no movement or anyone.  We heard someone approaching from a distance, so we hid in the bushes nearby.  We saw her, Ahalya.  No doubt it was her.  Her beauty was incomparable, flawless, and irresistible.  Hanuman and I looked at each other, having the same thought in mind--we knew that this was the perfect time to implement the plan we conceived before arriving here. 

Hanuman transformed himself into Gautama, and approached the Hermitage entrance where a confused Ahalya stood.  I watched hidden in the bushes.  Hanuman disrupted Ahalya, "Hey, Honey.  What happened to our door?"
"I'm not sure.  Perhaps someone broke in, but nothing seems to be missing.  Maybe the wind?" questioned Ahalya in a sarcastic manner.
"Yeah, you may be right.  Well, I'll fix it no problem," replied Hanuman.  With that, Hanuman grabbed the wooden door and slid it back into its hinges and fixed it in a flash.  Ahalya was intrigued by her husband's (Hanuman's) handiwork, and felt drawn to him.
"Wow, Gautama.  You are so strong and muscular...I want you."
Hanuman was surprised by the sudden attraction, but he continued with the role and said, "Well, I ate my Wheaties this morning."  Ahalya chuckled, and it only made her even more attracted to Hanuman.
She approached Hanuman, wrapped her hands around him, and whispered into his ear, "I know you're not Gautama."  Hanuman was shocked; he stood paralyzed, and a chill that started from the soles of his feet to the top of his head pervaded through him from the sudden surprise.  "Well, why don't you show me your true form?  My husband won't be back for a while, as he's performing his daily rituals and pujas," Ahalya pressed seductively.  Hanuman could no longer continue the bluff; he transformed into his true form.  I knew it was time for me to step in.
"Ahalya, what a pleasant surprise," I intruded.  "Hanuman and I came here to find out whether or not you knew it was really Indra under the disguise of your husband years ago.  You remember, right?" I asked rhetorically.
Ahalya didn't know what to say.  She bawled loudly and tears dripped from her eyes at the shame that came upon her.  I knew we had solved the mystery, but an epiphany suddenly struck me.  At that same moment, the sage Gautama leaped in the scene.

"What's going on here?  Who are you two?  Why is my wife crying?  I need answers now, or you two are dead!" the great sage demanded.
"Sir, I am Mr. Avila and this is my long-time friend Hanuman.  We were simply passing through the area, and since we had been dying of hunger from travel and saw your hermitage, we thought we'd try to see if anyone was home," I reasoned.  "Hanuman, here, was impatient and broke down your door.  When your wife came to see what the ruckus was about, she discovered the door unhinged and started to panic because she thought we were robbers.  Sir, we fixed the door no problem, but your wife was still terrified even after we explained to her that we were no thieves."
"Are you OK, Ahalya?" lovingly asked the sage.
"Yes.  I'm fine, My Love," whimpered Ahalya.
"We are very sorry for the distress, and we ask your permission to leave now," I implored.
After a pause that seemed to last an eternity, Gautama announced, "Fine.  But do not return to my hermitage.  For if you do, you will never see the sun rise or set again.  Farewell, disturbers of peace."  With that, Hanuman and I walked until we made sure we were out of sight, and then took off with one of his grander leaps. 

As we flew though the air, Hanuman couldn't help but ask, "What happened back there?  I thought we were supposed to catch her promiscuity and inform Gautama of it."
"Hanuman, it suddenly struck me as I saw Ahalya filled with tears of shame.  Although Ahalya was aware that it was Indra and not her husband years ago, she truly loves Gautama.  She has always loved him.  Every person has a weakness, and it was we who unearthed Ahalya's.  I discovered why the sage chose to live in such a secluded area; he knew of her weakness but also knew that she loved him.  He wanted to prevent what happened years ago from recurring.  Oh, and not to mention that Gautama would have crushed us into smithereens had he found out our real reason for being there..."
Hanuman understood, and smiled at the thought of us weaseling our way out of our comeuppance.



Below is your next clue to the fourth case.  Good luck.
I am strong


Author's Note
I declared the purpose of this investigation in the first paragraph of the story.  Detective Avila seems to not care about any one's feelings, but seeks only the truth.  He desires to discover Ahalya's secrets.  He's not really interested about the consequences of his investigation, and so he only seeks the excitement and joy that comes from solving or "cracking" a case.  Before arriving at Gautama's hermitage, Hanuman and Detective Avila developed a plan that would allow them to solve the mystery.  This is not mentioned or given away until Hanuman and Detective Avila see Ahalya at the hermitage after Hanuman had broken the door.  The plan is to set up the exact same scene as years before, when Indra disguised himself as Gautama.  Detective Avila wanted to see how Ahalya would react, and it turned out that she did it in a way that he expected--unfaithful to Gautama.  When confronting her and seeing her in tears, he realizes Ahalya's weakness is a part of who she is and difficult to control, and that she truly loves Gautama.  At that same time, Gautama arrives after hearing his wife's cry.  Detective Avila doesn't want Gautama to find out what just happened, because he knew that it would only separate the couple.  Here, Detective Avila shows empathy for others, and a slight glimpse of his true emotions.  Detective Avila confesses to Hanuman why he chose not to give Ahalya away in the end.


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Image Information
This clue should tip you off about the fourth case.  If it doesn't, well, being an investigator isn't a job for everyone.
Source: Say Hi


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