The Lost Fragrance Read online

‘Bizarre,’ he told himself.

  By now, Crow had undergone a frightening transformation. Instead of a little bird, a strange creature of enormous dimensions sat on the rock, half crow, half panther with vicious claws and terrifying fangs. What kind of strange bird this was, nobody knew. But, it looked monstrous and unfriendly.

  Crow gave an enormous roar that shook the earth. ‘I will shield her from The Serpent and the forces of evil. I am her guardian and I promise you, Master, that I will always be by her side!’ The voice came from deep inside Crow.

  The Master smiled. ‘You have just experienced the power of your mind, the innermost wondrous magic with no illusions or deceptions. That was Lesson Three.’

  Crow shrank back to his normal size.

  ‘Things,’ said The Master, ‘seem to be going according to plan.’

  Little Girl closed her eyes and remembered her father’s teachings. ‘Learn to look with your mind’s eye, quietly, silently, gently,’ he had said. ‘There is no need for impatience and hurry. If you have faith in yourself, when the time comes, you can bend a spoon. You can even bend a fang, or hold the slithering tongues.’ And as she closed her eyes, she could hear the music and visualise the scent of the blue jasmine.

  The Master said, ‘Go to the river and anoint yourself with the sacred waters.’

  As she bent down and gazed at the river, she saw images of her parents in the water. She saw her mother by the jasmine tree and her father with a flute. She closed her eyes and said, ‘I miss you and I wish you were here. Come to me, for I need your strength dearly!’

  Other images also came to her. She saw the village she had left behind, the old balloon-maker and his wife, the children from the school, the postman, the bicycle man, and everyone else. She could see how cruel and unkind the villagers had been to the balloon-maker and his wife on the day of the picnic. She saw how the un-dead had turned unjust and bitter, and how quickly their dark side had taken control of them. What would killing The Serpent achieve, she wondered. Did she wish only to avenge the death of her parents, she wondered. Would that be enough, she asked herself.

  ‘I am glad your mind is awake,’ said The Master. ‘You question your purpose and rightly ask if defeating The Serpent is only to avenge the death of your parents. If that were the only purpose, you would simply be scoring points. Today, it might be you who returns victorious, and tomorrow it might well be he. What you are truly asking yourself is if you can rid the world of evil for once and all, when you vanquish The Serpent.’

  ‘Yes it is,’ replied the little girl, ‘will evil die with The Serpent’s death? Will there only be goodness and justice after that? Will people be kind to each other? Will love matter? Will human indecency become a distant memory and then fade away altogether?’

  ‘Alas, no,’ replied The Master, ‘for evil resides in us all like cancer. Evil, like good, is timeless. Killing The Serpent will temporarily rid us all of evil but remember always, we can awaken it when, once again, we succumb to temptation. The Serpent will be reborn, and that is life’s tragedy.’

  ‘I know that this has to do with the next lesson you have for me, Master,’ said the little girl, ‘teach me so that I might know and not fail my parents or you, or more importantly, myself.’

  ‘Your last lesson is simply to realise that if this is only your battle, your victory will be temporary, for The Serpent will always know that the un-dead continue to remain vulnerable to temptation. On the other hand, if they were to join you, The Serpent would be handed over a more telling defeat,’ saidThe Master.

  The little girl understood exactly what he had said. And so, she closed her eyes and prayed as she said, ‘Come with me, dear companions, as you remember your children and your grand children. What you have suffered is nothing compared to what they might have had to undergo. Join me, in righting the wrong that you have done!’

  Her voice echoed through the skies. The villagers, who were in their homes, knew the little child was going to face The Serpent. They shuddered as they heard the words. In the village she had left behind, the old balloon-maker and his wife heard it too. As indeed did many others, including The Serpent.

  The old man with one leg knew that if the villagers joined in, the little girl would have been handed a most powerful weapon against The Serpent. He needed to distract her mind, so that she might not call out any longer to the villagers. He hobbled across to her and said, ‘You are powerful enough to destroy them all by yourself. Leave the others alone for they will only hold you back.’

  The little boy exchanged glances with the little girl, for they had talked about this man. They had to be careful that he did not know that they suspected him all along.

  ‘I have given you your final lesson,’ said The Master with a smile.

  ‘Will you be here when I return?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I will watch over you from the sky. If you win, I will have companions with me. It does get lonely up there,’ he chuckled. ‘But I will leave behind my flute for you on this rock. Should you ever have need for me, play the flute.’

  It was the final goodbye and so, she folded her palms and bowed deeply as she looked at The Master. Then, she began her walk to The Serpent Hill with the little boy. Crow was on her shoulder and Balloon neatly tucked in her backpack. Hobbling on his staff, the old man with one leg led the way.

  No news had come from his shadow and The Serpent was getting impatient. He touched the magic window to find out what was happening.

  Myriad images flowed in, rapidly switching from one to another. The window seemed to know what The Serpent was looking for as it settled on the little girl, followed by a quick zoom and focus. There he was, hobbling on a staff, whispering to the little girl. The Serpent frowned for he had heard the little girl call out to the villagers to join her in battle. ‘They will not join,’ he hissed, ‘for they are a bunch of sissies!’ He knew the pieces were set and the game was about to begin.

  He stared into the distance. This would, indeed, be a deadly encounter.

  ‘Come,’ he said to his consorts, ‘let us prepare to welcome our guests!’

  Thirty-nine

  They realised that if The Serpent knew they were coming, for the evil stench was everywhere. Their walk through the placid meadows was determined and purposeful, but slowed down by the old man with one leg. ‘It’s a delaying tactic. He is giving The Serpent sufficient time to get ready,’ whispered the little boy to Little Girl.

  As they approached the evil castle, Little Girl thought of the lessons she had been taught by The Master. She realised that this was for real and worried a little at what might lie in store.

  She saw the little boy smile. He seemed to know what she was thinking of.

  ‘The Serpent preys on our doubts and our fears,’ he said. ‘We must not lose faith.’

  Little Girl nodded in agreement.

  Crow tried to sit on the boy’s shoulders but kept falling through. ‘This is too complicated,’ he told himself and flew off to sit on Little Girl’s shoulders.

  Balloon peeped furtively out of the bag. It was understandable that she was terrified.

  They were alert and cautious, since they did not know what sinister games might be afoot. They had to remain vigilant. And so, each of them was on the lookout. They knew that they needed to be extra careful because they could easily walk into a trap, especially since their guide was surely The Serpent’s ally.

  The castle stood silhouetted in the dying rays of the setting sun. The windows were shut but on the glass panes, the grotesque Dance of the Shadows could clearly be seen.

  They stood at the foot of the hill to catch their breath. By the light of the full moon, they saw that it was going to be a long and arduous climb. The entire hill seemed to be wearing a slimy green cloak covered with thick bushes. Not an inch had been spared.

  ‘Walk on,’ said the old man with one leg, as he urged them on. ‘Let us not dawdle for there is a killing to be done!’

  But there was somethin
g quite strange about the bushes. It was as if they were all alive! And dangerous, thought Little Girl. She could have sworn that each branch and twig was moving to the sinister rhythm of some reptilian dance.

  ‘Good that you could see it!’ said the little boy, reading her mind. ‘Watch,’ he said as he threw a handful of jasmine flowers into the nearest bush. With lightning movements, the branches snatched the jasmine from the air. Then, they burnt them to cinder in a matter of seconds.

  ‘We call it The Snake Bush,’ said the little boy, ‘because each branch is a snake. The hill is filled with millions and millions of them. Nothing can live here other than snakes, for this is The Serpent Hill.’

  They stood in horrified silence, watching the serpentine branches. ‘We need to find another way to get to the castle,’ said Little Girl.

  ‘We must go ahead this way,’ the old man with one leg insisted. ‘We’ve come too far to turn back now! Let us move on!’

  ‘The pump!’ cried Balloon, ‘I could fly you up to the castle.’

  ‘No, no!’ said the old man with one leg. ‘This is absurd! Walk on!’ Plans were going awry, he whispered to himself. The idea had been to let the bushes trap them.

  ‘It just might work,’ agreed the little boy quickly, looking at Balloon.

  They filled Balloon with air. Little Girl fixed the chair and sat on it. The old man with one leg reluctantly crawled up. The little boy sat beside the little girl. She thought it would be quite a squeeze but it wasn’t, because neither he nor the old man with one leg appeared to be really there! Crow sat on top of Balloon to guide them, for it was Balloon’s first night flight. Little Girl tied the black string so that the air would be sealed tight and then, she released Balloon. In a matter of seconds, they rose gracefully, escaping the snapping bushes. A short journey and then, Little Girl released the air and they slowly descended and stood opposite the castle gates.

  ‘We would never have known if you hadn’t warned us about the bushes,’ said Little Girl gratefully to the little boy.

  ‘Fried stuff by now, old chap!’ said Crow. ‘Fortunately, no one likes barbequed crows. At least, not as yet!’

  The old man with one leg descended with difficulty. He looked angry and when he turned towards Balloon, his look was one of despise.

  ‘Thanks Balloon,’ said Little Girl.

  ‘Good job,’ said the little boy.

  Balloon blushed. So many compliments in one night! She had hoped that Crow would say something nice. Little Girl folded her up and tucked her into the bag. When Balloon settled into a comfortable position in the bag, after some wiggling around, she looked up and almost screamed in fright! She found herself staring at the heavy doors to the castle. They were shaped like the hoods of a double-headed serpent, and looked hideous and terrifying. The hollow eyes seemed to be alive for they ominously moved from side to side, as they stared at them. Balloon felt her throat go dry.

  ‘Beware,’ sniggered the old man with one leg, ‘this is The Serpent’s castle.’ Little Girl could have sworn that she heard the man hiss.

  A hushed silence followed. And then, Crow said, ‘Don’t worry, Balloon. I can take care of all of you!’

  ‘So be it,’ said Little Girl. She briefly closed her eyes in prayer, and then, she firmly pushed open the doors.

  They all stepped into The Serpent’s lair.

  Forty

  In the village, the old balloon-maker and his wife had a strange dream. They could hear the little girl call out to all of them to join in the battle against The Serpent. Was it all true then, they wondered.

  The next morning, the whole village turned up at their doorstep. ‘We had a dream!’ they said excitedly. ‘It was the little girl on the balloon. She needs us!’

  ‘We had the same dream,’ said the old couple. ‘There must be something to it.’

  ‘Dreams are important,’ said the principal, ‘especially if so many have the same dream at the same time!’

  ‘But none of us has the faintest clue as to where she went!’ said the baker’s wife.

  ‘The balloon-maker is a teacher of geography,’ the principal said sternly, ‘he will give us directions. Something simple about latitude and longitude.’

  ‘But then, the moot point is how do we find a mode of transport to cover such large distances and not lose our way?’ said the principal wisely.

  ‘Ask the old balloon-maker to think quickly!’ snapped the policeman because, as we all know, policemen are used to snapping and giving orders.

  ‘Perhaps we should get all the other balloons together,’ said the postman, ‘maybe build a kind of raft and tie it to the balloons. A raft in the sky made of balloons!’ He looked at the sky dreamily and marvelled at his wonderful idea.

  The other villagers looked at the postman disbelievingly.

  ‘Absurd,’ said one.

  ‘Silly,’ said another.

  ‘Can’t possibly work,’ replied the physics teacher authoritatively.

  ‘Think outside the box,’ responded another.

  The balloons looked all excited. Since the little girl had left with Balloon, they had remained neglected and ignored. The villagers had gone into a kind of shell, never forgetting how bitter and cruel they had been at the picnic and how they had hurt the old couple. They were remorseful and wanted to, or rather needed to, make amends.

  ‘Can’t harm to try,’ said the postman, ‘unless someone has a better suggestion.’

  The bicycle man nodded and collected a group of villagers to dust and wash the balloons till they were shining and as good as new. They pumped air into them all. There was excitement all around as Banana Balloon and Fruit Balloon and Maths Balloon and Good Manners Balloon and Geography Balloon and Literature Balloon and Dictionary Balloon and History Lessons Parts I–V Balloon, not to forget the majestic Star Balloon, and all the other balloons, small and big in size, bent and stretched and exercised and readied themselves for their important flight.

  ‘Deep breathing, deep breathing,’ snapped the policeman, as he instructed the balloons, ‘is the key to good health. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…keep doing it one hundred times.’

  The old balloon-maker and his wife were quite puzzled by all of this and stood silently, watching the activity.

  The postman had by now collected a large group who brought along beds and other pieces of flat furniture from their homes. They worked through the day and through the night and built an enormous raft. To this, they tied the balloons, and found the raft gracefully lifting in the air.

  ‘Good,’ said the postman, ‘we tie up the raft and collect what we need for the flight. Take only what is essential. And then, we go to the little child.’

  The villagers nodded.

  The old balloon-maker and his wife wept in joy, for they saw the villagers awash with a sense of humility, decency and goodness. ‘We will join you, dear child,’ they whispered, ‘and it will not just be us but the entire village!’

  In his castle, The Serpent scowled. Things were simply not going according to the plan.

  Forty-one

  The instant Little Girl and her companions entered The Serpent Castle, they were greeted by a cackling hyena laugh.

  ‘Welcome,’ a horrible voice hissed, ‘we’ve been expecting you for such a long time!’ There was a pause before it continued, ‘Let me introduce myself. But then, it is quite possible that you’ve heard of me already. Well, for those of you who haven’t, I am The Serpent.’

  And then, he laughed and hissed, and hissed and laughed, like a serpent and a hyena.

  It was pitch-dark and so, they could not see The Serpent. They knew he was somewhere around as the whole place seemed to be bathed with an overpowering stench. They gasped as they covered their noses with their hands. This was far worse than the stench that they had experienced in the village. But Little Girl recognised it instantly, for it was akin to the one she remembered the day her parents died.

  They knew immediately that they were in the pres
ence of the dark forces. It was as if they were surrounded by demons and by death.

  ‘This stench is nauseating,’ choked the old man with one leg.

  ‘We need to have faith,’ said Balloon, in a voice that sounded extremely scared but, at the same time, wise and brave.

  ‘Yes,’ said the little boy loudly, as if he wanted to be heard by all who were, or might be around, ‘stay alert so that we might know where our adversary hides. Fear thrives in fettered minds and our minds are free.’

  Little Girl realised that the little boy was taunting The Serpent, in the hope that he might flush him out.

  ‘Brave words,’ The Serpent hissed, ‘why not then try the ambience of my nest, dear warriors?’ His words seemed to slither into the room. It became instantly cold and clammy. All at once, the room seemed to be filled with a million glowworms. In the flickering light, they saw a sight that they would never forget.

  Every wall in that strange room was filled with the portraits of The Serpent in the various and hideous forms that he had taken over the centuries and through distant lands.

  But it was the ceiling that caught their eye. It was a mosaic of vapour and of gas in which The Serpent and his consorts were entwined in some macabre eternal dance as they dissolved, one into the other, in deadly frenzy, only to emerge yet again.

  It was their eyes—bloodshot, sunken and glassy—that haunted them, for they followed their movements in the room. The shadows danced on the portraits and the mosaic, looking grotesque and alive. This was the dance of death.

  ‘He means to scare us,’ said the little boy. ‘See how little light there is, for he thrives in darkness.’

  The Serpent hissed. He had hoped to frighten them. The little boy was spoiling his plans.

  ‘Call Lightning then!’ said the little girl in a frenzy.

  ‘No,’ said the little boy firmly, ‘this we can handle and must.’

  The old man with one leg looked at Little Girl and the little boy with slit eyes. His tongue was serpentine. ‘Shometimesss,’ he said, with a sinister smile, ‘thingsss are not what they sheeem.’ Then, he spat venomously through his fangs and a fresh wave of the death-stench filled the room. He shrank as he slithered on to the floor and became a shadow, ‘Try thissss!’ he said as he slithered up the wall.