Rumi, a young shepherd boy of ten, returned home where his grandmother welcomed him with a glass of cool buttermilk. He gulped down the drink in no time and was about to start his daily prattle when the old lady put a finger on her mouth signalling him to stop talking. “First freshen up, eat dinner with me and then at bed-time we will talk.”
“Ok, Dadi.”
After dinner, the woman cleaned
up the place while the boy rolled out their bedding on the mud floor of their
hut, the thatched roof of which had quite a few uncovered patches. When the
weather was dry, the two would admire the clear starry skies through those
gaps, but on wet days the bed had to be moved away and pots and pans had to be
placed strategically to collect the rainwater.
She was too old to repair the hut herself and had limited resources to
get it done by someone. But, somehow, neither of them complained. They were
happy in their simple lives, in each other’s company.
“Dadi, I have been seeing
something very unusual over the past few days. Sometimes, around midday, I see
a horseman in full armour galloping down the castle path. He jumps off his
horse under the big banyan tree, ties the animal to the tree trunk, and then
starts running towards the middle of the field. He normally runs for a short
distance and then with every few steps he shrinks in size till he reaches a
small wet patch. By the time he reaches the spot, he has already shrunk to no
more than a small creature like a mouse which then jumps and vanishes into the
soil. The last few days I have tried to follow him, hiding behind the trees and
the bushes, and have also tried digging the soil at the point where I have seen
the man vanish but it always turns out to be a dead end. All I find there is
soil and more soil and no trace of the man or the mouse or whatever he had
become. Later, I end up filling the hole that I have dug and levelling the
ground to its original state. You have lived for so long here, do you know what
this is all about?”
“How many times have I asked you
not to take the sheep to the side where they grow the grains? You should take
them to the other side where there is only grass which is good for the animals.
Stop going to the other side and go to sleep now. I don’t have answers to all
your silly questions,” said an angry and disturbed Dadi.
“Your anger tells me, Dadi, that
you know about this vanishing act and you want me to stay away from it. Tell me,
Dadi, what’s the mystery behind this?
The old woman went silent and the
little one’s reply calmed her down. She now spoke with a quiver in her voice.
“What you have been seeing is
trickery and black magic and getting close to it means you will get sucked into
it and, finally, it will devour you brutally. I know who is doing this black
magic and how dangerous that person is. I want you safe and so am asking you to
avoid going to the other side and observing whatever is happening there.”
“I get your point Dadi but what
is this ritual?”
Fed up with his constant
questions, the old woman broke her silence.
“Long ago there lived in these
lands a man who was, possibly, the greatest magician of all times. He had twin
daughters who trained under him for years together. The younger one, Bela, was
very pretty and was loved by all in the Kingdom of Kano. The king had a son,
Prince Hano, and when the time came for him to marry, he ignored Bela and
married the only daughter of the neighbouring king. Everyone was invited for
the celebrations at the castle. Bela never forgot the slight and envied the
woman who was to become the queen. As time passed, Hano ascended the throne. Bela,
meanwhile, took to dark magic and slowly mastered it. She would practise the
dark art on the villagers. Some people simply vanished; others were found badly
mauled in the mornings as if some wild animal had attacked them. The master
magician, on realising that he had helped create a dangerous entity, tried
reasoning with the girl to mend her ways but she refused. One day the sad
father, who blamed himself for the actions of Bela, jumped off the cliff and
was never seen by anyone again. Bela’s sister was heartbroken and decided to
give up magic altogether and cut off her ties with her twin.”
“Why then did the magician teach
Bela the art of black magic?”
“Magic is neither good nor bad. It
is how people use it. Some use it for entertainment, for creating something
good while others use it for harming others. The father was just passing down
to his daughters the life skills he knew hoping that the knowledge would help
them in life.”
“What happened to Bela then?”
“What I am going to tell you is
something unknown to anyone in the land. So just listen carefully but make sure
you do not share it with anyone or it will get you into trouble. People who
want to keep this a secret will go to any length to ensure it is never revealed.”
“I promise Dadi, I will not talk
to anyone about it. Tell me.”
“King Hano and his lovely wife
did not have a child for many years. And then, finally, they were blessed with
a daughter. However, the little one was very sick from the time she came into
the world and doctors tried their level best to keep her weak heart beating.
Bela came to know about this tragedy and saw this as an opportunity to change
her fortune. She went to the king and told him about her magic powers to cure
all ailments. The king and the queen were very happy to hear this but then the
witch spoke…
‘’I have a garden full of
magical berries and if the princess were to have just one berry a day, she would
have no issues with her health. She would be able to live a normal life. But I
have a condition that you must fulfil or else I shall destroy the garden
forever.’’
The king and the queen said that
she could ask for anything for they treasured their daughter more than
anything.
‘‘I will bring one magic berry
a day for the princess and no more. No one will try and search for this garden
of mine. In return, the queen will have to be banished from the kingdom and I
will have to be given a place on the throne beside you.”
The king was about to put his
hand on the sword when the queen stopped him and said, “We agree to your
demands. As long as my daughter lives to be healthy and you stay on the throne,
my going away is a small price to pay. My only concern is how Princess Sumi will
take to a new mother?”
“You need not worry about that
for I will change my appearance to become an exact replica of you. No one
except the king will ever know.”
In the middle of the night, the
real queen was put in a carriage and taken away by soldiers who appeared loyal
to Bela, and by the time the sun rose in the morning, a silent coup had taken
place in the palace.”
“So, you mean to say the queen in
the palace is actually Bela. Where is the real queen now?” asked Rumi.
“She lives somewhere in a small
house in the direction where you usually take the sheep out to graze. The house
is guarded by soldiers and she is not allowed to step out of the house. Her
daily requirements are provided for by the soldiers from time to time. She is
under what you might call a total house arrest.”
“Bela is an evil woman. Why can
the king not kill her?”
“The king is helpless. On the one
hand the life of his daughter is at stake, and on the other his wife is held in
captivity by an impersonator. It is like in the game of chess where he is in a
checkmate situation.”
“Dadi, you always say that evil
must be defeated and forces of good must come together. Why don’t you do
something now?”
“How can I fight Bela, the witch?
She is far too powerful.”
“Dadi, I have seen a picture kept
inside your iron trunk. You had a sister who looked exactly like you. It means,
you are the twin sister of Bela and the good magician who your father trained
as well. You definitely are the only person who can match her in this art.”
The old woman froze and had no
heart to refute the boy. She softly said, “Rumi, I have not practised the art
of magic for years now and do not wish to get involved. I have one purpose in
life now and that is to take care of you.”
“Dadi, now that I know the story,
if you refuse to rise to the occasion, then you have to teach me the art. I am
willing to step forward.”
“You are far too young and
learning this art will take you years. Why don’t you go to sleep now while I
think over this? I will let you know my decision by tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, Dadi. Sweet dreams.”
As Rumi slept soundly, the old
lady opened up the big trunk. She first looked at the picture of her with Bela
and then she saw one photo of her father performing on stage. She remembered
him and his final words, “The world is a place to love and live and magic must
play its role in keeping it like that.” There were books inside which had not
been opened for long and some pieces of ropes, magic wands and other props of
illusion, possibly meant to be used on stage during live performances.
She closed her eyes and asked
herself a few questions and the answers that came to her mind:
a. Is
Bela doing wrong? Yes
b. Should
she be stopped? Yes
c. Do
I have the ability to fight Bela? Maybe not, for I am rusty and old.
d. Should
I take her on? Maybe not, it is not my fight after all.
She slept off after a while and
in the morning was woken up by the gentle hands of Rumi who was pushing against
her shoulders. When she opened her eyes
reluctantly, he kissed her on her cheeks… “Dadi, please say yes.”
She could not say no and simply
nodded her head and the boy jumped with joy.
To be continued.
SS
