The Destiny of Shaitan

by Laxmi Hariharan

  “No, the feelings,” says Tiina.

  Mimir laughs “Enjoy the feeling for you are just beginning to find out what were truly meant to do.”

  “So where do we begin?”

  “Never a better place than the beginning. See where it takes you,” he chuckles.

  Tiina presses him. “Mimir, you are a true words wizard. But give us a clue, a direction — something to go on.”

  “You are too impatient, Tiina.” He hesitates then gives in and says, “Go to Bombay on Earth. Find the gateway to the other side, which will lead you directly to Shaitan’s kingdom. You will face many challenges, many obstacles and interesting situations on the way. However, know this — reach there you will. So don’t give up!”

  “You mean we’ll make it in one piece?”

  “Much improved for the experience.”

  “Much wiser, no doubt?” asks Rai

  “All you have to do is cross over to the other side, then follow the signs to your destination.”

  “Is that all you have for us? Not much to go on, then, is it?” exclaims Yudi.

  “You are as mortal or as invincible as you feel, Yudi.”

  “At least tell us how we can enhance our strength.” says Tiina. “How do we fight Shaitan without weapons?”

  “With our bare hands?” ventures Yudi.

  Mimir walks up to Yudi and holds up his palm. “There’s more power in your finger than in the entire universe.”

  “It’s all those connections & inter-connections!” exclaims Tiina.

  “What do you mean?” asks Yudi. “I don’t get it. How can I possibly have more power than everything and everyone in the world put together?”

  “The energy of intent can move a thousand mountains,” smiles Mimir. “Yet given your doubts, here are a few real enough props to shore up your confidence.”

  They follow him through panels that melt away in front of him, and they step into the control room of a space ship.

  “Welcome to Artemis,” says Mimir.

  “Is that what you call these things now?” asks Rai.

  In response to his question, the walls around him promptly dissolve and change shape.

  “Not always. However, this is more than a ship. This is Artemis. She is alive, real, and quite responsive, as you are going to find out very soon.”

  Tiina walks over and places her palms on one of the two driving pods. She smiles delightedly. “I can sense her, an incredibly optimistic and adventurous soul.”

  In response, the lights of the ship brighten a shade, taking on a rose-tinted hue. The panel in front of Tiina illuminates and glows in shades of blue and violet. The outer beam at the head of the ship switches on suddenly, powerfully illuminating the way.

  Yudi nudges Tiina. “You said the right thing, obviously. Artemis sure seems ecstatic.”

  Mimir places his hand on the wall closest to him. “Artemis,” he commands the ship, “guide the three to their destiny. Protect them. But first, take them to the essence, the Elixir of Half Lives.”

  In response, the walls around them dissolve again and the ship changes shape once more. For a few seconds they are surrounded by shifting beams of light, some of which seem to have travelled many generations, and there are yet other energies of many frequencies all of which seem to focus right here in this space and time, to bring a massive boost to the moment. When Artemis settles down again, her shape is sleeker, like a powerful streamlined bullet. The nose of the ship extends out as if to pass right through any obstacles, the sides are tapered with flowing, arching wings, that fold over like a crane’s when not in flight, and she has an extended tail.

  Artemis is as slim as a bullet on the exterior, yet spacious enough on the inside so they have enough space not to get in each other’s way.

  Tiina, Yudi and Rai look at each other in amazement.

  “Wow,” Tiina gasps, “that was impressive. I do believe my doubts are receding … somewhat.”

  “The Elixir? So it does exist?” asks Yudi.

  “Yes, and it will certainly help activate your hidden energies in the most optimum manner. Nevertheless, it is just a catalyst. And each of you will react to it very differently. It will either supercharge you or else drain you completely of all your energy.”

  “I thought just the three of us coming together was catalyst enough!” exclaims Rai.

  “That is the minimum!”

  “Well,” Yudi concedes, “guess we’ll have some fun along the way, at least.”

  “And that’s important, Yudi. Spontaneity, living in the moment every step of the way. For when the adventure is over and you look back, you will regret that you did not make the most of every minute you spent in it.”

  “It is always easier to laugh in hindsight. No?” Tiina exclaims.

  “That is why you are human and you have faults. Enjoy them. For this is what the Gods envy.”

  Yudi interrupts. “So if we get the Elixir of Half Lives, then will we make it through alive?”

  Mimir looks at them, a hint of impatience now coming into his eyes. He says, “There are no guarantees, Yudi. I cannot foretell your destiny.”

  “But you are God, or close enough, right?”

  “Am I?” asks Mimir, enigmatically.

  Before Yudi can say anything else, Tiina interrupts. Rarely does Mimir lose his temper and it seems on this occasion he has been pushed to the brink of his infinite patience.

  Tiina says, “Let’s go, Yudi. I am sure we will find out more soon.”

  “In time, Yudi, when you are ready, we will speak again, and perhaps then you may have a different story,” says Mimir.

  In response to an imperceptible signal from Tiina, Rai walks up to take his place at the parallel driving pod. They both look at Yudi meaningfully. With a resigned look on his face, Yudi seats himself in the pod behind the two of them, so that they form a triangle, with Yudi bringing up the rear.

  Yudi turns to Mimir. “When do we see you again?”

  “At the appropriate juncture,” says Mimir, with that familiar all-knowing, all-seeing smile. He raises his hands in farewell. In response the entire array of front lights on Artemis fire up, casting an intensely bright beam, illuminating the path ahead.

  “Where to?” Rai asks Tiina.

  “Plot a course for Bombay” Yudi pipes up.

  “First stop, the Elixir,” Tiina corrects him.

  Rai slides the lever forward, and they prepare to take off towards the first destination.

  Ka Surya

  In form and feature, he looks so royal, thinks Athira, looking at the baby wrapped up in the bright orange cloth.

  It is an intermittent shining in the distance which first catches his eye. Thinking it is perhaps a piece of jewellery belonging to the royal family, he goes towards the starlight.

  It leaps at him right from the bushes; a snarling lion club.

  In surprise, Athira draws back, simultaneously whipping his sword out from its scabbard. They stare at each other, the lion cub and the charioteer. The cub finally quiets down. It cocks its head to the right as if listening to some sound in the distance. Then, purring softly, settles back on its haunches, licking its feet, now looking at the man with what seems to be joyous affection.

  Athira is surprised by the sea change in its attitude. He cautiously sheaths his sword and approaches the animal softly, hesitantly patting it on the head. The lion cub looks up; its unblinking brown eyes lock with Athira’s blue ones. It gets back on its feet and, turning around, walks into the bushes. Athira follows the animal into the undergrowth and is instantly blinded for a second, as the light reflects straight into his eyes.

  When it clears, he sees the lion cub just ahead. It circles the child and settles down next to it licking its paws and waiting.

  Athira approaches warily, realising that what he had seen earlier was the glow reflecting off the child who is, in fact, covered head to toe in some kind of shining body armour.

  He bends down and picks up the chil
d. The infant yawns and smiles, its indigo eyes gaze up at Athira. It snuggles into his arms, yawns again and, closing its eyes, falls asleep peacefully.

  Athira takes the baby back home with the lion cub in tow, purring softly following him.

  The boy is named Yudi, after Yudishtra, the righteous one, the one who never lies.

  Yudi the gardener’s son grows up in the shadow of the enormous palace of Ka Surya. The lion cub and Yudi are inseparable. They are firm playmates; two bodies, one soul, laughing, rolling together in the first blush of childhood; gawking at the universe in surprise.

  Yudi grows fast, shooting up like a tall sunflower. But Athira notices that the cub stays the same. The realisation dawns on him, that the lion cub is more than just a pet. In fact it is not ordinary by any means. The cub is growing just not as fast as the boy.... It is....divine in some form, blessed by something from beyond this realm. “Perhaps it has been sent just to see the boy to Athira” he thinks. ”And now that Yudi was safe, Athira wonders how long the cub would stay.” His answer is not long in coming.

  For on the day Yudi turns five, the lion cub suddenly disappears. The two of them are playing together by the waves on the beach. They are flush with the joy of youth. Caught up in the exuberance of life, they surf the crest of that place in which they are completely unaware of their surroundings. It is in that space that the lion cub suddenly comes to a complete standstill, looking into the distance as if it has sensed something. Then, its chest heaving with exertion, it looks at Yudi with those special melting brown eyes, as if engaging in a conversation from which there is no return.

  Abruptly it turns around and paddles out into the sea. Nimbly, the cub jumps over the waves and swims out, further and further, appearing first like a dolphin, then fading to a speck in the distance.

  Yudi watches the cub at first enjoying the sense of freedom the scene evokes in his mind, then following the strange antics of the animal it suddenly hits him that his friend is not coming back. It is the first loss of his young life and Yudi takes it to heart. But he grieves in very grown up style.

  He indulges in a flurry of activity; climbing walls, fighting imaginary dragons, bouncing around from room to room in the house, and the garden, and the mountains, trying to surf the waves, until finally he falls into a coma of desperate exhaustion on the sands. Spending his nights on the beach looking up at the night sky, which turns to day as the sunrise paints the skies red.

  Athira cannot bear to see Yudi in such pain.

  His soothing words are like silken cream poured to cover his child from head to toe, but Yudi just slithers away, crying harder as he does so.

  The stuffed toys remain untouched.

  When Athira tries a headstand to get his attention Yudi exclaims “Dad! I knew yoga long before you were born!”

  “Really?” Athira asks, surprised. “How is that?”

  Yudi shrugs. “Just do,” he says. “Just like I know this…” He walks up to Athira, takes his bow and arrow, aims at a bird flying in the distance, then lets loose and brings it down. He walks back and hands the weapon back to his dumbstruck father.

  This just confirms that Yudi himself is not going to stay for very long. “He is going to leave just like the lion cub” he realises. It lends his fatherly heart an edge of desperation. He understands that he now cannot avoid that which has been staring him to his face for a long time.

  He always suspected that Yudi had illustrious lineage. He had assumed he was an illegitimate son of one of the royal family of Ka Surya. But something he had never thought of earlier comes to mind... “What if, what if” he was actually the boy Shaitan was searching for...It was the only thing to explain why his sudden appearance had coincided with the world wide hunt for little boys born around the time Yudi had been found. News of Shaitan’s cruel hunt and kill of new born boy children had reached Ka Surya around the time that he had found Yudi. Yet he had never really thought to make the connection..... Until now when the series of events brought it all together. Could Yudi be related to the most powerful, the most evil in the galaxy? Athira does not want to believe it.... and yet it seems inevitable.

  He can already feel the pain of the forthcoming separation..... Then Athira has a brainwave. He gets Yudi a white horse. He hopes that it will replace the companionship of the cub, distract the boy a little bit. It is also wishful thinking on his part that the horse turn out to be the proverbial knight in shining armour, which would one day take Yudi to safety...far away from his current space to the wide-open fields of tomorrow. If only it were that simple....he thinks.

  And so the cub slowly fades from Yudi’s memory to be replaced by scenes of riding the horse, of looking to the horizon, to his future.

  Years later Yudi, now almost ten, is racing his horse. In his mind, he imagines being the hero who will save the world, little aware that his dream would come true very soon. He approaches the palace walls of Ka Surya. It is one of the biggest hurdles in his mind, one that he has consciously skirted around to date. However, on this particular day, he is filled with blind confidence, a “wanting to challenge the world to whatever is in store” feeling blooming in his heart.

  He makes up his mind, and making straight for the walls he jumps over, all in one movement. Breathless with excitement, heart thudding in anticipation, he lands inside the palace grounds, tearing a path through the bushes that grow close to the boundaries. He emerges onto open lawns and, before he is aware of its presence, knocks down a doll, forcing him to rein his horse to a standstill.

  Alarmed he dismounts and walks towards the figure to make sure he has not broken anything. Then another girl, runs towards him from the trees. She seems to be about the same age as him and he watches her with interest as she approaches him. She stops, wide-eyed with surprise, and asks him in a soft, melodious voice, “Is she dead?”

  “Dead?” he asks incredulously. “It is alive?”

  “Sure, and we were playing hide ‘n’ seek,” she replies, peering at him through the fringe of hair partially covering her eyes.

  “So that’s why she was here hiding near the grass next to the bushes” He points to where his horse had landed this side of the wall, torn a path through the boundary bushes emerging near the lawn, a hair’s breadth away from her.

  “You’ve killed her!” she declares, eyes flashing.

  “No I’ve not!” he says, enraged by her audacity.

  They are about to come to blows when the doll/girl/figure on the ground groans. They look at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise, and cease their quarrel long enough to run towards her.

  “Maya, how are you? Maya!” the girl exclaims, putting her palm softly on the brow of the doll-like figure on the ground.

  “Maya?” asks Yudi, rolling the name around in his mouth.

  “That’s her name,” says the other girl, looking at Yudi strangely.

  They both stand over the girl on the ground, who is utterly still. They peer into her face and wonder what to do next.

  When she suddenly sighs, rolls over, opens her eyes, and groans again. She looks straight at Yudi with the greenest eyes ever, consuming him in fierce concentration, and falls completely in love with him. Then she holds her breath and resumes the earlier stillness. Only her eyes are open, and she continues to look at Yudi, unwavering in her attention.

  “Maya, Maya are you OK?” the other girl asks again.

  Maya does not reply. She looks at Yudi, and holds out her arms to him. Yudi shrugs at the other girl, his eyes full of questions. Nevertheless, he proceeds to walk forward and picks up the figure from the ground. He follows the other girl through the grounds into the palace.

  They enter the palace and Yudi looks around, entranced at the high ceilings, the jewels in the arches, the plush carpets in the colours of the rainbow. He places the girl on a large soft couch which seems to be almost as big and as wide as the entire living room floor of his home.

  There is a sudden furore as the queen runs out of her rooms to meet
them. She drops down onto the couch pulling the girl to her chest, hugging her and running her hands all over her hair and body to make sure she is not hurt.

  “Oh!” exclaims the queen, looking at the girl who is still standing, “what has happened to her now?”

  All of a sudden Yudi understands that he has run into Tiina and Maya, the twin princesses, of whom he has heard his father speak many times.

  He folds his hands together in greeting to the queen, “I am Yudi, the Royal gardener’s son, at your service.”

  “Then you have to curtsy to me, too,” says Tiina, “for one day I will be queen of Ka Surya.”

  Her mother laughs, then, and says, “And so he should, Tiina. But first you should thank this young man for helping your younger sister.”

  Yudi smiles at her, not for the first time noticing how incredibly alike the two girls are. “So, the two of you really are identical twins?”

  “Yes,” she says, “except …”

  “Except for the eyes!” he exclaims.

  Where Maya has the greenest of eyes, Tiina has soft brown ones that sparkle as they look at him. He can feel his heart skip a beat and suddenly it is his turn to go pale.

  The queen notices and exclaims, “Quick, seat the boy down before he faints.”

  To Yudi’s embarrassment, Tiina takes a firm grip on his hands and guides him to the couch. Then, realising that this is his one chance to feel her hands on him, he gives in to the pure pleasure of being fussed over by the various women. He smiles and closes his eyes. He must have drifted off to sleep, because when he comes to it is dark outside. He is in a room, on a bed, covered by a soft feathered quilt. The bright light shining in his eyes. He realises, is the starlight pouring in through the window. He gets off the bed and pads towards the balcony, from which he can see the ocean crashing far below. It is far enough for him to see the white tops of the waves, but not hear them.

  He looks up at a shooting star in the sky, just as there is a gentle touch on his arm. Tiina asks, “Awake at last?”

  Yudi turns around to look down at her and notices the moonlight playing on her skin. A song from long ago plays in his mind, clouding his senses. With some effort he snaps out of his reverie. “I must have passed out,” he apologises.