The Constant Gardener

The Constant Gardener

aka
The Magical Gardener
aka
The Silent Gardener

The little girl squinted upwards. The roar of thunder sounded as if the skies had a bad throat and were trying to clear it. Just then a big drop of rain fell into her right eye. "Ewe..." was the groan as the little mind put two and two together and connected sore throat, thunder and raindrops together... the very thought of sky spitting on her face was gross enough. But it was the muddy brown water splashed by a boy on a bicycle that made her twist her face in weird ways.

The sky was getting darker and rains heavy. Almost everyone else had left by now. She stood on edge of her toes to peek out from under the shelter of defunct bus-stop to spot the familiar metallic silver of her daddy's car around the corner. All she found was gray and brown. It was getting cold and she rubbed her own arms to keep herself warm. The whiff of ginger flavored tea tickled her nose. She turned her head as much to right as she could.

Steaming kettle on a fiery stove, tea boiling over, sending out enchanted wafts of bewitchment, promising comfort of mother's hug in every sip.

"Good kids don’t drink tea." Mama's words rang in her ear. Suddenly a pit made its presence felt in her stomach, growing with every warm gingerly breath that victoriously fought with cold air for right to run down the her nasal hallways. She turned her back towards the tea-stall and once again turned her gaze to the corner of the road.

The sight made her smile. It wasn't her dad's car, but the very same boy who had splashed water all over her school dress, walking back, dragging his bicycle along with him. He was waist deep in water. When the boy came near, she made it a point to display her delight at his plight. The boy gave her a stupid grin and moved on. Then he stopped and turned, saw her anxiously scanning the road.

"The road is flooded for as far as I could see, and could also see a few cars floating in water." And with those words he let out a satisfying smile and pedaled off into the clear roads.

Of course, she said to herself. That's why daddy couldn't send the driver. It gave her some comfort, but cold comfort. She suddenly realized that phones will not be working and she might be stuck here for a long long time. All kinds of monstrous thoughts started poking her mind. She put up rocky walls of defiance, but monsters were relentless. Dark clouds rumbled and brandished their silver sword of lightening. It had the effect. A small breach in the walls. And resistance began to flow, ever so slowly from tired eyes. Another thunder, and lightening, and the walls came crashing down.

Tears and rain ran down her face. She stood there shivering, eyes still transfixed on the corner of the road, which was getting blurry with every moment. Initially she tried to be brave and not cry too loudly, lest she catch the attention of scary looking men in the teashop. Finally she sat on her schoolbag, buried her head in her knees and let the tears flow.

A soft touch on back of her head ruffled her hair. "You'll be alright now, I am here." said the voice in her head. Was it a dream? No, if it were, it would have sounded like dad.

She looked up. The wrinkled, tired and muddy face of Buddha Baba stared back at her. Buddha Baba, old man, that's what she always called him. She liked calling him Goonga Baba, mute old man. But her father was very strict about not calling him that. He was the gardener who lived in the servant quarters and tended the huge garden that surrounded the officers' bungalow. Her dad treated him with a respect which really irritated her. Her dad was the Sahib ji and he was just one of the many servants. Normally she would have screamed and kicked if he had even called her by name. But now, the girl just got her first lesson in perspective and how powerful it is.

He was carrying a polythene sheet to shield himself from rain. He hoisted the little girl on his shoulders and wrapped the polythene around her. And then he walked towards the corner of the road. She sat in his shoulders, stiff and straight backed, holding on to her shoulders. Soon, the hand wrapped around his forehead and chin rested on his head as her eyes gave up the fight to stay open, what was there to see but brown water and gray skies?



I am floating on a soft white cloud. It moves at the command of my thoughts and carries me across the rainbow, into the land full of warm hot chocolate. I land near the tea garden. A hug sign outside says kids not allowed. An old man is in the garden, he asks me to come over and have some tea. He has mossy teeth and long clawed hands. The tea vines from the garden start to snake towards me. I run towards my white cloud, which is struggling to get across the river of milk to me. The vines are getting near, I can’t swim. But I have to get to my cloud. I am scared of jumping into the river as I know I will drown. The vines catch up with me. The old man in garden runs up to me and smiles at me. The vines snake around my ankles. "I got you now." he says. He takes a deep breath and lets out a deep roar and I fall into the river.



He sneezed and his knees almost gave away, water splashed onto little girl’s knees and she woke up from her dream, slightly disoriented. Water was beyond her ankles now, up to his neck. The sky had gotten even darker and rain was as relentless as ever. And then, she too sneezed. The polythene protected from water, not from cold. A frail but coarse hand caressed her cheek and then pointed somewhere ahead. She could see the bungalow. She was almost home.

*******

"What is this ma?" the little girl asked, staring into the strange brew swirling in her cup. She tried to decipher the aroma, but it was a strange one, she'd never had anything like this before. Thunder roared outside, it didn't seem so threatening from the comfort of her cozy Mickey Mouse blanket.

"It’s a kahwa"

"Ka---? kya?"

"Kahwa... like a tea." Those words made the little girl go wide eyed. "Yes, like a tea for kids when they catch cold."

"Why did you not give it to me before ma?" the little one asked as she took a sip of it. A strong honey flavor to it which, unknown to her masked the drab taste of a dozen herbs that went into it.

"Because...” said Ma as she pulled her into her lap, "I only got it yesterday. You know the story of the magical gardener?" Then she went on to tell her a magical story about a magician, who could harness the magic in plants and flowers.

He had a little daughter who died from a sickness, which his magic couldn't cure. He decided to spend all his life, knowing all that there was to know about magical plants and herbs. He talked to them to know what their qualities were, understood there problems and chose whom to marry to whom to ensure their kids have the magic of both of them. Slowly he found the cure of every disease known to man, and even the ones yet unknown. But the one that killed his daughter eluded him. The common cold. Then one day a little girl came to his garden. She reminded him of his own little daughter. He smiled at her, but she got scared and ran away. But unknown to little girl, there was some magic within her. Wherever her feet touched the garden's soil, it changed color. And it was from that soil that he managed to create a new plant, a new magical herb that could cure everything, even common cold.

"So you see, this kahwa is made from that magical herb that can cure everything. If it hadn't been for maali kaka, you would have been very sick. No doctor could come yesterday because of all the rains." Ma smiled at her daughter. She took a deep swig from her cup.

"Even if doctor had come, he would have given me a BIG injection." She was about to finish off the contents of her cup in one final swig when she suddenly stopped, as if spotted a fly in her soup. "Where is maali kaka ma?"

Maali kaka... this was the first time she had called him maali kaka.

"I don't know, haven't seen him since he gave the herbs yesterday. Must be in his quarters"

And in that moment mind was made. The moment mom got off the bed, she got down and ran for the door, barefooted. It was still raining outside. She sprinted across the garden.

*******

Ma ran, screaming and shouting after her errant daughter. When she reached the ajar door of servant quarters, she was panting from the exercise. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, keep her anger in check... barely. But the moment she opened the door, all those deep breaths were knocked out in one swift stroke. She saw her little daughter's little hands wrapped around the cup as she carefully poured the not-so-steaming-anymore kahwa into mouth of the shivering old man on lying on the cot.

*******

"Then what happened ma?"

My little one asks me as she stares into the strange brew swirling in the cup in her hands.

"Then, maali kaka was cured, like magic and from that day onwards the little girl was always playing with him in the garden."

"And they lived happily ever after?"

"Ha ha ha ha..." I can't stop the laughter, "Yes they did." or the tears that sneakily follow as my eyes turn towards the window and catch the potted plant, occupying the central position in the small garden I have tried to come up with in our cramped apartment's balcony.

As I see my daughter finish up the kahwa, I think of many more tales to tell her. As everything around that little girl fell apart, one by one, over the years, he was the one constant in her life. Whether it was Ma and Daddy's divorce, Chhotu's death in a road accident, or my own failed first marriage, if one thing that was constant, it was the silent presence of maali kaka. The day I first went to college, he gave me that magical herb he had himself cultivated. He died a few weeks later, but to me he still lives. But those tales can wait, for some other day.

If he had a scientific education, he would have become a great bio-scientist. But now, he is much more. He was a magician. And he was always present, around me. Taking care of me, and my family. As I look at my daughter, am not sure of what future beholds for her, if I will be there for her or not. But there is one thing am sure of, maali kaka will always be there. He shall be hers, as he is mine...
silent,
magical,
eternal...

...Constant.

Monster In The Park

Monster In The Park

"Hey shorty, go get the ball."

This was the easy way out for all the big boys. They started to grumble about the heat and how difficult it was to field and bowl in such tiring conditions.

The little boy turned to look at the garbage dump at the north western corner of the park and what looked like a pile of rags shuffling amidst the heap of filth. It was officially a park for kids to play. But its convenient location, away from most of the residential complexes, meant it was the place where decent and nice folks came in night to throw their filth, only stopping to exchange uneasy nods. There was a huge fine to pay if they were caught dumping trash, everyone caught everyone else all the time.

"Didn't you hear me?" The biggest of all pushed him hard in the chest. The little boy fell down. It made the big boys feel better, helped them hide the fear that was clouding their faces.

The lil boy got up, brushed dust and grass off his clothes and started to walk towards the northwestern corner, turning every now and then to take a look at all the big guys grinning and sneering. The lil boy took a deep gulp as he reached his destination and spotted the ball in its hands.


"Can I have..." and words froze in his mouth for a while as the thing turned around.

Underneath the dirty ragged sack was the most twisted face he'd ever seen. Fat stubby fingers shoved an almost green loaf of bread into a black gaping hole with fiery yellow claws that reached out and grabbed the green bread and shredded and ground it to dust till a long blackish tongue came and pulled the greenish yellow mass into the darkness... could almost hear a thousand little fiendish dwarves squirming inside that abyss, waiting to pounce on whatever came down that black hole, never to escape... ever.

It stared at the lil boy... sweaty and dirty, then at the big boys standing at far corner of the park who shuffled on their feet as they caught his gaze... trying to hide behind each other, and then at the yellow ball in his hands... rolling it slowly and throwing it in air and catching it. A glint, barely perceptible to normal eye, shone in its eyes every time they followed the ball’s rise in air. And a barely audible grunt of triumph gushed forth every time blackened hands took the ball in their grip, like a vice, only to hurl it up again leaving behind tell tale streaks. Tiger stripes.

And then suddenly fear took over as a stray dog waged a war over _its_ carefully assembled five course meal. The red ball found itself rolling in banana skins as there was none to break its fall. The lil boy answered its expectant stares and picked it up, as the monster was distracted by a scrawny stray. It was too late; the dog won. After staring at the dog run away till it turned a corner on the street, it turned to look for the ball.


The lil boy almost gasped in horror.


Gone were its monstrous claws and teeth. Instead there were hands blackened by bruises and dirt. The hideous face had given way to a 40 year old face twisted by pain. Eyes, red and fiery earlier, seemed have burnt too much in their own fury and ached to put out the fire, bucketful of hunger ready to douse it out and streak across the face, giving it the salty bath they hadn't had in a long time... which would be since morning.

"Hurry up bozo, we aint got all day" a voice screamed from behind him and suddenly everything seemed to change as others followed the suit.

In that one moment the lil boy felt all the big bullies shrink in size, there voices no more than squeak of mouse to his ears, fading further away into distance as they returned to comfort of their AC rooms.

In that moment the boy felt something swell inside his chest and overflow to his eyes.

And in that moment, eyes clouded by something he just discovered, the lil boy saw It, turn into Him.


Also in that moment the boy's hands discovered something inside his shorts' pockets.


"Will you play with me?"

The boy made the offer with a handful of chocolates. Chocolates… the bullies were to snatch from him later.

The Yellow Balloon

The Yellow Balloon

a.k.a.
The Sleeping Buddha

Author's Note: This story was inspired by the title... I've had the title with me for over three months now alongwith the prologue. This was written after a long night in office, to relax. No doubt, was rather shaky and sleepy when wrote it... some part could've been written better, but once I reached the end, I was refreshed enough to work for next 24 hours. Hope you too feel the way I did by the time you reach The End... and if yoy do, you'll know THIS is the only way this should have been written.



[ PROLOGUE ]


Hesitantly, and very slowly, pair of bright lil eyes open and peek from beneath the covers. They take a while to adjust to the light in the room and blink once. The crayon sketches on the wall come a bit into focus. They blink again as they search for something in the colorful little room, the calendar. They follow a trail of red 'X's and rest at the big red 'O' right next to the last 'X'. Suddenly clarity rushes in and a pair of lil feet jump out of the bed and onto the floor, mimicking the heart trying to race away from the grasp of a fragile ribcage. The soft pitter-patter of lil naked feet follows the trail of the lil boy in his pajamas as he runs across the small hallway into the master bedroom, the door is ajar. Pair of eyes, as clear and charming as a vanilla sky reflect the sliver of darkness beyond the door. Suddenly, maybe responding to the whining of feet fighting a losing battle with cold floor, right hand pushes the door open.

The window curtain is slightly off and a solitary streak of silver cuts her into half. She stirs and her left cheek catches some moonlight. The bright lil eyes stare at the angelic face, then at the clock on the wall, time of morning when both hands combine to form one long hand, and then again at the signs of sun about to wake up from its dreamy eyed slumber in the eastern window. As if to help him with his quandary, she curls up a little, with exactly enough space between her chin and knees for him to fit into. He walks up to the bed, rests his chin on its edge and smiles. He takes in the most beautiful sight in the world... the calm bliss on his Momma’s face. He pulls himself up and snuggles into her arms. Momma takes the lil boy in as if she was waiting for him all along. Five minutes ago he was too perked up and excited about the day to even blink for too long. Five minutes later he is sleeping as if he never wants to wake up again.

******

She wakes up, her arm and bosom warmer than it normally is and they smell different from the perfume she had on her when she went to sleep. A giant invisible hand seems to squeeze her brain, limiting the room for any comprehension that may creep in. But moist footprints left by lil warm feet on cold floor wrings that hand away and warmth fills her body like hot chocolate... and nose too. She follows the aroma as if under a spell. A quick glance at wall clock tells her its just 7:30am, has slept for measly three hours, but even that doesn't weigh on her much. Once she reaches the kitchen, a gasp sprints up and her hand is a bit too late to stop it from escaping. On the dining table are two butter toasts, a pair of boiled eggs and a steaming cup of hot chocolate. And right next to them, a bowl of cereal with only a few cereals left in the milk, which are scooped up by the spoon and gobbled up by a lil mouth. Suddenly, aware of her presence, the lil boy puts the spoon down, looks up at her and smiles. She tries to decipher the smile, angelic, they always are, but they’re more than that. An expectant smile, smile of an obedient child who has not put a wrong foot for weeks and finally day he reaps his rewards has come.

"Oh my God! I totally forgot." she gasps again as realization dawns on her.

The smile still remains, but the light in the eyes begins to flicker out. It doesn't take her a moment to decipher what it means.

"Oh no baby, don’t be sad. Momma promised you and she will keep her promise, this time nothing comes before you." she says as she lifts him form the chair and holds him close to her. Tears streak down her face and wet his right shoulder.

She spends the next half an hour making a few calls, taking shower and then making up and dressing for the big day. She doesn't need to dress up, but she knows her lil boy loves to watch her get all decked up. And she absolutely loves the look of reverence in his eyes when she is all dressed up... like a Barbie doll... though mostly it makes her very sad, afraid how much more time she has before he finds out that... but no, no time for such thoughts. Right now she is dressing up, not for work, not for herself either... but for her solitary source of joy, her beacon. It’s the least she could do for him... more so today... maybe the only thing she can...

[ The Yellow Balloon ]

He sits on the bench, his legs dangling down, and looks around. This is what he loves about town fair. Lots of people, colors, sights and sounds. He looks around, trying to figure out how to best spend the money Momma gave to him before she went.

She got a call from work when they were about to leave. She had his head resting on her right shoulder and her cell phone clutched between her left one and head during most of the walk to the fair. Then that uncle came to meet her, he didn't like that uncle, yet he couldn't tell Momma not to go with him. No, he was a brave kid, not afraid to be alone... at least not for long. Besides, he knew Momma would come back, for he was all she had, just as she was all he had... she loved him as much as he loved her, if not more.

It was not so long time ago. And the sights and sounds of the fair kept him busy. He loved the different colorful cutouts put up by the outside different tents, loved the lights on the merry-go-round. Then he sees her, the little girl with the yellow balloon. Most of the kids around, crying or whining, but she... blissfully playing with the yellow balloon. Once she catches his eye, he smiles, she smiles back. He knows what he wants... a yellow balloon. For his Momma, so that she can also be as happy as that little girl.

He stands on the bench, looks around. He spots a few colorful blobs in the distance, red blue green orange... but none yellow. Finally he spots a yellow one too. Gingerly, gets off the bench and carves his path amongst a sea of legs and reaches the balloon seller.

"What do you want?" he asks.

The lil boy points at the yellow balloon.

"This one?" he plucks at the string of the blue one. The lil boy rotates his head left to right and then back again a couple of times and points a lil to the right of blue one.

"This?" but he doesn't wait for answer. The boy's face lights up and he knows he wants the yellow one.

The lil boy hands out the money to the balloon man, takes the yellow balloon and runs back towards the bench, where Momma is standing, talking to another uncle. She doesn't look to happy. He smiles, knows what will make her happy and runs towards her, unaware of outstretched hand of the balloon seller trying to give him change. He sees Momma, she looks a lil anxious as she looks around, at her watch and starts to move away from the bench.

The lil boy breaks into a sprint, eyes a lil wider, if it were possible for his eyes to be wider and bigger than they already were, from worry. He watches Momma go away from him. He runs faster, yet she seems to be moving away. He runs faster, but his feet can't catch up with his mind or heartbeat and he trips. His chin hits the dusty ground, hand lets go of the string.

His vision gets clouded, but not a single tear escapes, he is a strong boy. His Momma is lost in sea of people. He looks up, the yellow balloon flies away from him. He bites his lower lip, gets up and dusts off his clothes. He doesn't like to get his clothes dirty coz Momma has tough time to wash them. He walks upto the bench and climbs it again. He looks upwards, squinting against the sun, his yellow balloon a mere speck. He watches it till it disappears into the sky. Then he looks around. No other yellow balloon. He consoles himself by saying he didn't even have money either. Suddenly the fair feels too crowded, too noisy, and he wants to get away from it.

He gets off the bench and runs to the nearest exit and sits away from it all in the grass, and starts to cry.




"Hello. Why are you so blue?"

He looks around, can't see anyone.

"Tsk... over here."

And there it is, a Yellow Balloon. Not his, but the one that the lil girl was carrying, only it had a pair of eyes, small nose and a mouth too... all yellow, of course.

"You can talk?" the boy said, almost surprised to hear his own voice... he had never spoken a word before, which worried his Momma too.

"Of course I can"

"Are you a magical balloon?"

"Why? Just coz I can talk?"

"Yes. Balloons can't talk. No one ever heard of a talking balloon."

"Well, then you must be magical too."

"Why?"

"Because you can hear me talking. We balloons can talk, all the time, but no one listens. All they ever hear is the hiss sound and they think we're leaking. Pffft... Humans."

The boy thinks about it. Even he never talks to anyone, but his Momma. Momma. He starts to cry, rather sob.

"Why are you sad?"

"I lost my balloon." he lies.

"Maybe you didn't lose it, it went away coz you didn't treat it well. Maybe it wanted to be lost. Where did it get lost?"

"Means?"

"Like look at me. You saw the lil girl who was playing with me? She was nice. But she doesn't know how to play with balloons. She would hit me gently and throw me up in air. I would go up and then come back to her. She would hit me again, this time harder than before, but still gently enough. I went even higher, but still came back to her, coz she was a nice girl. But all balloons have a limit to how much they will take. If you hit them more strongly than they can take... they will go really high, catch the tails of some passing wind and then go away, never come back to you. So one has to be very careful with balloons. I kept explaining same to her, but she won't listen, too old to listen to what a balloon has to say, already has her mind made up about most things. So, she kept hitting me harder and harder, laughing and jumping with joy each time. I came back to her every single time, because she was a nice girl. But then she went too far, so I just caught some wind, bounced off a few people's head and got out of there. The trick is to know when to stop, or know the limits. There is only so much we balloons can take. Now, you can hear us, so I don't think it would have been problem with you. So, what happened? Was your balloon a dumb?"


Dumb... the word sounded familiar, isn't that what other kids used to call him and tease him?

"One who can't speak...?" The boy still had a confused, rather pained expression on his face. "Okay, tell me where did your balloon go?"

The boy points his finger towards heavens.

"Aha! That explains it. Don't worry about that one. They are the worst of the lot. Obnoxious. I mean, we all balloons have big heads full of air, in fact heads are all we have, but their heads are full of hot gas. Yep, nothing but hot gas in there which makes them very 'floaty'" The balloon twirls his string into a loop as he says the word floaty. "They think they're smarter than all other species. Well, in fact all we balloons think so, and in fact consider it beyond our dignity to talk to lesser species like humans and all who are too deaf to even listen to words of wisdom we have to offer, that's the main reason why you mostly don’t get to hear any balloon talking as it was decided during the... wait, am digressing here. Oh my folly, you don't even know the meaning of the word digressing..."

"I know what digressing means, don’t be so condescending."

"Oh my, you are a smart one. Well, all in all, don’t worry about that one. Eventually he will run out of gas and fall and be trampled and ground to dust. But you can't own me forever either. Even I will eventually wear out and lose all the air. That is the fate that awaits us all." A distant pensive shadow falls across the balloon's face. "Of course, when I deflate, they can inflate me again, but it won’t be me. I'll be part of the atmosphere, till someone breathes me in and I'll become part of him or her.. or it. That's why I said we're a higher species... the yellow skin is just temporary, it’s the air that truly defines us. We can become humans, animals, birds... anything and everything that can breathe... or we can be just part of atmosphere in our purest form, unlike any other being. And only the truly blessed ones, are breathed in by a human and breathed out into a rubbery skin..."

*******

"I found you!"

Just when boy has forgotten everything but joy of the moment, he hears a voice. He turns around.

It’s the lil girl. Her eyes are red and puffy and cheeks are full of stains running down them... she's been crying. Her expectant stares go from the lil boy to the yellow balloon.

The lil boy looks at the balloon, who nods and smiles at him. The lil boy gives the yellow balloon to the girl. The girl smiles and says thank you to him. She turns back to look at him once as she goes, then once more, and then again. The boy waves goodbye to them, both. The lil boy slowly walks past the crowd, which suddenly seems very quiet. He feels as if he is walking through a sea of mannequins. He still doesn't know the words to describe what he feels. But he doesn't need them. He walks to the bench, climbs and sits on top of it. Looks around, sea of mannequins, moving around. He waits for his Momma to come back, wonders if she will come back. He takes a deep breath, lies down and closes his eyes.

[ EPILOGUE ]

People just walk past the bench near the western exit of the fair. But a few stop for a few moments, to look at the lil boy sleeping on the bench. A calm and serene glow on his face. A few take pictures of him. Soon they would appear on postcards and websites, with the caption... The Sleeping Buddha. But if they really knew the truth, if they could hear the balloons talking, they would caption them...

The Yellow Balloon.

[ The End ]

Hensel... Forgotten

Hensel and Gretel
Part-I

Hensel… Forgotten

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a village, surrounded by a thick dark forest so old that no one really knew what its name was. The village was founded by two brothers known only as The Grimm Brothers, though if they were alive now they would tell you they are actually The Brothers Grimm. The settlers in the village were all brave souls who had once upon a time went through dark times to finally find their happily ever afters. That's why the village was named Everafter and everyone lived happily in Everafter.

But that was long ago. There was a severe drought and food was hard to come by. No one dared venture into the forest. It was believed that in the forest dwelled the dark soul of every evil stepmother and witch and wolves that they had vanquished at one time or another. Some said in the forest lived a great red dragon, others believed it to be a demon from hell while most believed it was just an evil witch. No one knew for sure and none in the village were as brave as the fairy tales made them out to be, except for two. Hensel and Gretel.

Hensel was the son of the woodcutter. The woodcutter was the only one who dared venture into the woods, though even he went only as far as from where he could still see the white cat perched on the roof of his house. Gretel was the daughter of... no one really knew. She was found in the forest and brought up by the last surviving of the seven dwarves. Hensel and Gretel had something in them that all others had long forgotten, an innocence that knows no fear. It was that innocent fearlessness that made them an outcast amongst other kids, and brought them together.

But this is not story about how they found each other, but how they lost.

Gretel, The Goddess

"Hensel, I am scared."

Hensel looked at her, there were tears in her eyes. She was really scared.

"Don't be. I'll be there with you. There is nothing to be afraid of. I'll never let you go." With these words he took Gretel's hand in his and gave them a tight squeeze. Final drops of tears left her eyes and they were wet no more. She felt a reassuring calm surround her in its protection. It was first time ever she had felt need for such a calm and it had overwhelmed her to find it in him. She slept peacefully that night, not worrying about the perils that lay ahead.

Gretel had been chosen as the Goddess for a ritual to reverse fortunes of the village. The sacrifice required someone pure enough to be worthy of being called a goddess. Gretel was that, but mainly she got selected because she was the only girl who had no elder to speak for her. Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White all ensured that their daughters didn't get selected. The fact that Gretel was a couple of years too young was also conveniently overlooked.

That evening Gretel was dressed like a Goddess and taken to the heart of the forest in a sombre procession. Once they reached the Marshes of Forgetfulness she was stripped of all her jewels, made to sit in a small boat and the boat was pushed away. At that very moment the Mist of Lost Memories begin to form on the surface of the marshes. Many screamed with fear as they swore they saw a claw reaching out for them through the mist. The sun was setting and the forest took on an eerie red hue. The entire forest seemed to bleed. A shrill scream rang through the forest and all ran as fast as their legs would carry them.

A Walk in the Woods

Gretel looked around at the mist, it seemed to say something to her, something she couldn't decipher. The boat was drifting aimlessly in the marshes. She was careful enough to not touch the water. Suddenly she heard a shrill scream, it had a familiar ring to it.

"Hensel!"

She suddenly stood up to look for him and the boat begin to rock. She sat down again, her heart beating wildly as she frantically looked around. Suddenly she felt the boat jerk. It started to move in a particular direction, the direction where the mist was much more dense. The thought of a monster in the marshes reeling her in ran through her mind. She wondered if it would be a good idea to jump into the marshes. The mist grew heavy and she found it even more difficult to breathe. The boat begin to move faster and faster and then...

THUD!

It suddenly stopped. Gretel closed her eyes tight, afraid to see.

"Gretel. Gretel"

She thought she heard someone call her name. The voice seemed familiar. She opened her eyes.

"Hensel..." she jumped in joy the moment she saw him, almost falling into the marshes. In fact would have if Hensel hadn't caught her arm.

"Be careful girl. If you fall in there you won't remember anything, not even me."

"I was so afraid, I thought you'd never come"

"I had to, promised you I would, didn't I?"

Gretel smiled at those words. Hensel wound the rope he had tied to the boat when no one was looking.

"Now, how do we go back?" asked Gretel.

"Easy. When we were coming to the forest, I made a trail of silver coins so that we could find our way back." He noticed the questioning look on her face and said, "Silver shines brightly in moonlight, that’s why."

So they started to walk around the marshes. Every now and then some wolf howled in the distance. Every now and then Gretel held on to Hensel's arm, nails digging deep. The marshes and the mist and the dark forest suddenly seemed very beautiful in the moonlight. The mist shone like silver and looked as if the marshes held a silver moon within them, was beautiful. They found a spot under the trees, decked up a bed of leaves and lay on their backs, staring at the sky. Soon they fell asleep. A pair of eyes watched them.

Hensel, The Forgotten

"Hensel. HENSEL!"

Hensel slowly opened his eyes. A scared Gretel stared back at her, fear all over her face.

"We must leave now, there is... something."

Hensel got up on his elbows, ears straining to hear. A faint rustle of the leaves, a cold rush of the wind and then...

"What was that? Rustle of wings? What is it? Some beast?"

A pair of glowing red eyes shone in the distance, then another and another.

"Wolves. RUN!"

They both started to run. The wolves followed them. Gretel turned to... "DONT LOOK BACK. Keep running." screamed Hensel. He stopped and turned around to face the wolves. A couple of them ran past him. The rest stopped. He reached for the ground and picked up a thick branch. The wolves started to circle him. The silver mist went back to the depths of marshes as the moon covered its eyes with a dark cloud. Another pair of eyes watched from above, silently.

Meanwhile Gretel kept running till she couldn't hear the wolves follow her. She stopped to catch her breath. Sun was about to rise. Gretel looked towards the horizon and could see Hensel's house and a pigeon perched on the roof.

"Somebody help." She ran towards the house. First rays of sun swept through Everafter, first rays of a new beginning.

The woodcutter came out the moment he heard Gretel's voice. Soon others also came running.

"Somebody help. He's in there, wolves are after him. Somebody has to save him."

"Save who?" asked the woodcutter.

"Save He.." Gretel felt a severe pain in her head as she tried to say his name. "Your son."

"Gretel, I have no son." the woodcutter laughed, so did others.

"No you do, his name is..." No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember his name. Her head throbbed with a severe pain everytime she tried to remember. Everything around her seemed to go dark, last thing she heard in her head was a distant echo of someone calling out her name, a voice that once sounded so familiar.

Gretel slept through the whole day and night. Villagers kept coming to check on her, she was always everyone's favourite. Cinderella brought pumpkin pudding, Rapunzel a scarf woven from her own silver hair and Snow White brought the magic mirror for her. All others also brought gifts for her.

Next morning when first rays of sun shone on her window, Gretel woke up. She had a vague memory of a dream she had last night. It was of a boy she couldn't recall name or even face of, though he had a very familiar ring to him. And when she tried to remember, she felt severe pain in her head.

From that day onwards prosperity returned to Everafter and all lived very happily. All but one. Gretel. From that day onwards she started to have dreams that won't let her rest. Every time she stared towards the forest she felt a voice call out to her. A voice that gnawed at her mind, a memory she couldn't place, that won't let her rest and be happy.

And she was lonely in Everafter.

*****

I wish I could tell you more, but this is where the story pauses for now. I know you have many questions, but only Gretel can find the answers. So we will have to wait, till she finds the courage to walk into the forest and search for them. Am waiting for the day she would find the courage and come to me. The day she does, you too would know. Till then, I wait and hope. And that's all you can do...

Wait and hope, and pray. Pray that she may find her Hensel, and live with him happily in Everafter.

[to be concluded in - Gretel... Remembers]

The Dark Angel, His Promise

The Dark Angel
II
His Promise

[ finale to The Dark Angel, Her Prayer ]

Give me a few dreams
without the shadows
or stifled screams
touch of tears in eyes forlorn
hollow laughter
innocence to mourn

No, these may not be her words. But these are the words that I see as I look around the walls within me, the walls that once held that lil girl. The graffiti on the walls by a lil girl clawing for an escape, an escape that almost never came.

*******

That day she was severely 'punished' for running away. She couldn't walk for next few days. Every night she sat by the window in her room, staring out into the dark forest, silently. The chilly winds reminded her of his touch and whipping of his wings. Many a times she thought she saw him rise in the night sky to catch a glimpse of her. The sudden warmth around her told her it was really him. It was only then she could go to sleep, to be woken up by nightmares. And then again she stared out towards the dark forest till she felt that warmth again, and went to sleep, again.

The day she was fit to walk again she waited for sun to set. And the moment sky turned black she slipped into the backyard. Just like that day she was aware of 'them' following her. Just like that day she ran towards the perimeter wall and went down on her knees and elbows as she made her way out through a small hole in the wall. Just like that day, she got up, brushed dust off her baby pink pyjamas and started to run again. She kept running till she could hear nothing but her own heavy breathing and a stray cricket here and there. And just like that day, she ran into the pack of wolves.

But this time 'they' were prepared, they had torches with them. The wolves of the forest versus the wolves of the civilised world. The forest wolves had no chance, they weren't savage enough. With wolves gone 'they' turned towards her, grotesque smiles in the shadows of flickering torchlight. She screamed, turned to run but tripped on a stone and fell on her head. She passed out. One of 'them' stepped towards her.

Swoosh!

One instant he was there, next he was gone. Others exchanged glances, waved torches to scare away an invisible enemy that wasn't there. An extinguished torch fell amongst them, a headless torso followed. The predator turned to prey and huddled close to each other.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

A rush of air blew out all the torches. They looked around. The hair at back of their necks stood up. Ice-cold air filled up their lungs and pinned them down to their stomachs. And then, night descended amongst them. Their hair were blown by the sudden rush of wind as he spread his wings. They couldn't see his face underneath long black hair but could make out his head was bent. They died a thousand deaths from one heartbeat to another before he took a deep breath and slowly looked up at them. All they could see were a pair of fiery red eyes, literally glowing with fire.

"Boo".

And they all ran away, falling over each other.

He turned towards her and lifted her gently in her arms. He ran his clawed hand gently over her forehead, her wound disappeared as black blood oozed from his forehead. He started to sing a melancholic lullaby, the only kind he knew, to wake her up. The wolves of the forest returned and sat in a circle around them, mesmerised, along with other animals of the woods.

She stirred in her arms and slowly opened her eyes. He smiled, surprised that he still knew how to smile. The wolves howled in joy. She threw her tiny arms around him and hugged him tight. Suddenly the wolves became very quiet, something was wrong. They all turned towards the edge of the forest. Dozens of torches coming their way.

"You must leave now." he said to her. She whined and cried but finally relented. She started to run towards the orphanage, careful to avoid the mob. She was almost at the edge of the forest when she heard a wolf howl. She could see a fire in the distance, a fire that was growing at a rapid pace. Soon she saw the mob running towards her. She got out of its way. The mob ran out of the forest, screaming. The forest was on fire.

"The light burns my wings" His words echoed in her ears. She looked at eastern sky, sun was about to rise, already the horizon was a deep shade of red. She ran towards the center of the forest, where she had left him, or so she thought.

There were blazing fires all around. Before she knew she was surrounded by fire, but she wasn't concerned about herself. A wolf writhed in agony as it got caught in flames. She looked around to find huge trees on fire all around her, and one of them falling towards her. She screamed and closed her eyes. It all went dark. She never felt a thing again.

Burn my soul
washaway their sins
make me new
just like you

Hold my hand
take me to a dream
of you and me
where we are free
Free to laugh,
free to cry
Free of joy,
free of pain
Free to die
and live again

The dark angel took her in his embrace, his wings all around her. The burning tree landed on his back. Soon fiery remains of other trees also rained fire on his wings. His hair caught fire, revealing the scarred face underneath. But the fireballs just bounced off his wings. So he stood, holding her in his arms, his wings around her till final remnants of fire prepared for the last sigh. Entire forest was reduced to ash and in middle of the smoldering ruins stood an ashen angel with lil girl in his arms.

Finally the wings moved, the ash fell off his back and he stood tall. He took a long look at her... Fortunate Asleep. He looked at the skies, first rays of sun were streaming across the sky. With the forest gone, there was no place to hide for him. And he had no more reason to hide. Clouds of ash went up in air as he flapped his wings once, twice and again and again.

Slowly he rose into the air, holding her close. As a sunbeam caught his wing and burnt a hole in it, he kissed her forehead. As he rose further his wings caught fire, yet he continued to rise with her. Soon his wings were on fire, wings of fire. The black angel turned to fire, a fire that got brighter and brighter. Soon he was white as light and so was she, a light so white that sun looked like a pale shadow of its usual bright self. And then, suddenly the light went out. There was nothing in the sky, a vanilla sky. Sun slowly regained its color. Life went on.

The little girl was gone, taken by her dark angel, never to return. In the middle of the ashen wasteland lay a woman born in the scarred body of a little girl.

*******

This is the story of the lil girl I once was, story of her end and my beginning. I am nothing but ashen remains of sins wrought upon her, my life is nothing but a penance for her. Do I miss her? Do I wish she was still around? Definitely not. Only reason I am able to sleep in the morning is the knowledge that she still lives, in a world made for her, in the only world fit enough for her. But I do wish to be that little girl, again.

So I put myself in front of wolves every night, for them to feast on my flesh and bone. Every time they rip a chunk off me, it feels like a step closer to that lil girl. I don't cry, I don't scream but I do pray and this is my prayer...

Burn my soul
washaway their sins
make me new
just like you

Hold my hand
take me to a dream
of you and me
where we are free
Free to laugh,
free to cry
Free of joy,
free of pain
Free to die
and live again

Hope sustains life, and I hope the Dark Angel remembers his promise, once again.

[ The End ]

The Dark Angel, Her Prayer

The Dark Angel
I
Her Prayer

You know who I am. But how you know me depends on who you are. I am the truth that stares back at you whenever you dare to look deep into the mirror. If not, then I am the lie that you refuse to see when you stare into her eyes and ask her if she loves you. A true reflection of the lies you live, or the lies reflected in her eyes you believe. An ugly truth, a comfortable lie. I've lost the count of times my body has lied to a man as his asked me if I love him.

But this story is not about any of us. This story is about a little girl, the little girl I once was. No, that lil girl doesn't stare back at me in the mirror, for she is long gone. An innocence lost forever, never to return to indifferent world. This is the story of that little girl.

And of the dark angel who took her away, never to return.

*******

She ran down the long corridor on the second floor. She hurried down the stairs, paused briefly as she looked around and then headed for the window. She sneaked out of the window into the backyard. She ran towards the perimeter wall and went down on her knees and elbows as she made her way out through a small hole in the wall, she had seen many a rabbits hop around the backyard and go through that hole.

Once on the other side she got up, brushed dust off her baby pink pyjamas and started to run again. She kept running till she she could hear nothing but her own heavy breathing and a stray cricket here and there. Crickets! She looked around, suddenly she realised where she was. Anyone else would have frozen in fear or be brave enough to scream. But all that she managed was...

"WoW".

Everyone knew you were not supposed to go into the woods. The woods were just beyond the walls of the orphanage. No one ventured near the woods, even during the day. But she was a little girl who wasn't afraid of the dark woods. In fact she wasn't afraid of anything. She was fearless in ways only the innocent can be, their biggest gift, their fatal curse. That's why when she realised where she was she was amazed by her own feat as by the fact that it looked so beautiful.

The crescent moon shone through canopy of the leaves above her. A calm breeze rustled the leaves, wolves howled somewhere in the distance and she couldn't see her hand in front of her. But she could see a pair of glowing eyes in the dark. The eyes came nearer to her and gleaming white fangs bared themselves, she didn't move an inch. A low growling echoed around as a few more pairs of eyes appeared around her. Soon she was surrounded by a pack of wolves from three sides. As she turned around the wolves growled louder and she stopped dead in her tracks. The wolves inched closer, their intentions dripping from their fangs. Anyone else would have frozen in fear, too scared to even scream. But she quickly turned and ran.

She could hear the wolves following her, gaining on her. And just when she thought they would be upon her, something strange happened. A wolf fell down with a loud thud. She turned around, she couldn't see any wolves, but hear them whimper. A whipping sound, a rush of wind and she briefly saw the wolves cowering away before the were again blotted out by darkness.

She looked up, from where the whipping sound seemed to come. She realised she was in a clearing in the forest for she could see the black sky and the stars at its periphery. Suddenly the stars seemed to move inwards and take up their place in the empty dark sky. It took her a moment to figure out what she was witnessing, it would take few more to sink in...

"Are they wings?" No reply. But she was sure he was folding his wings. She couldn't see him at all, but knew when he moved for that part of sky and forest seemed to go black. "Are you an angel?" Still no reply. But rustle of leaves told her he was moving away from her. A similar rustle of leaves told him she was following him. He stopped, so did the rustling sound. He turned around, she was smiling back at him.

"They are wings, aren't they? Can I touch them, please? I've never touched wings of an angel."

"I am no angel". The breeze suddenly went still. The crickets went silent. Suddenly a dead calm took over the forest, a frozen dead calm. The lil girl seemed to be the only one not affected by it. She went ahead and touched his half outstretched wing, glistening black leather. Her fingers followed the trail of cold black blood to a small wound. The wing shuddered at her warm touch, a sensation they had long forgotten. Reflexively his hand grabbed her wrists. She winced at the cold steely grip.

"Sorry" he apologetically let go, staring at his hand as if it was no longer his, the warm sensation felt so unreal.

A couple of fingers touched his forefinger and curled themselves around them. Soon his finger was in grip of her tiny hand, a grip far stronger than of any demon he had fought in the depths of hell.

That is how the lil girl met her Dark Angel. And that is how an angel outcast from heavens met his lil angel. That night he walked her and they talked all the way. She told him she was playing hide and seek and lost her way in the forest. He told her he was also lost and searching for a way home. Her innocence and love filled him with hope. When they reached the edge of the woods dawn was about to break in the easern sky. She wanted him to come with her but he refused. He couldn't step out of the woods, definitely not into the light.

"The light burns my wings".

"When will I see you again?"

"Whenever you need me."

"Promise?"

"Yes." And with that promise he spread his wings, rose and flew back into the dark forest.

And she watched him fly away. Finally she turned and the imposing orphanage and its cathedral seemed to rise like a behemoth. She waited for first rays of sun to paint the horizon red before she went back in, steps heavy with trepidation.

******

Later that night that lil girl wrote a prayer, a song for her dark angel. Words that went with her, words I don't remember. But few days ago I heard a song and that was what triggered all these memories that made me write this story.

Will tell rest of the story later. I got kohl streaming down my face and tears are very bad for business. I have to remove all their traces and get ready for next one. Need to turn off the lights. I'll put the song on and you can listen to it. Maybe you will hear that lil girls cries that I never heard, that no one heard. No one, but her Dark Angel.

Angel - put sad wings around me now
Protect me from this world of sin
So that we can rise again

Oh angel - we can find our way somehow
Escaping from the world we're in
To a place where we began

And I know we'll find
A better place and peace of mind
Just tell me that it's all you want - for you and me
Angel won't you set me free

Angel remember how we'd chase the sun
Then reaching for the stars at night
As our lives had just begun

When I close my eyes I hear your velvet wings and cry
I'm waiting here with open arms - oh can't you see
Angel shine your light on me

Oh angel will we meet once more - I'll pay
When all my sins are washed away
Hold me inside your wings and stay
Oh! Angel take me away

Put sad wings around me now
Angel take me far away
Put sad wings around me now
So that we can rise again
[ Judas Priest - Angel ]

[ the story concludes in - The Dark Angel, His Promise ]