The Destiny of Shaitan

by Laxmi Hariharan

“Gives a whole new meaning to communicating through the ages, you have to admit.”

  “How did he do that?” asks Tiina.

  “And why has he not said anything all through our rather long and tiresome journey? I would have worried less knowing he was looking out for us,” says Rai, ever the practical one.

  “Maybe that is why,” responds Tiina. “He did not want us to take it too easy ...”

  “You really believe that?” asks Rai.

  “No,” says Tiina, smiling back. “But he has a knack with timing. So well it makes me think that there is a really nasty surprise just around the corner.”

  As they wonder what to do next, the few remaining lights in the city flicker once, twice, and then go off. In the complete darkness that follows even the stars in the night sky seem dull. Artemis switches on her single powerful headlight, which lights up their way. As they watch, she shrinks down in size, further and further, until she can fit in the palm of Tiina’s hand.

  She then rises up into the air at about eye level to them, and glides towards them. Her headlight now reduced to torchlight proportions nevertheless is a steady beam cutting through the darkness.

  She stops in front of Tiina, dips her light a little as if in acknowledgement, and then continues further. When they show no signs of moving from their positions, she stops and then jumps up and down in impatience.

  “Oh!” Tiina exclaims, “she wants us to follow her.”

  “I could have told you that,” exclaims Yudi. “So there is no letting go of her then."

  “You weren’t thinking of leaving her behind now, were you?”

  Yudi shrugs his shoulders. “It did cross my mind.”

  “Well, I, for one, am glad she is with us.”

  Rai agrees. “Better Artemis, than us, to help negotiate our way through this dark city,” he says, looking out over the darkness stretching out in front of him.

  They follow his eye meeting the sea of darkness, spreading out in front of them. With Artemis’ torchlight now leading the way, they start through the narrow streets. As they walk, Tiina asks the others, “Do you guys ever think what would have happened if we had not met at Arkana?”

  “Keep your voice down,” Rai admonishes her, adding, “Not really. No.”

  “I guess it’s more of a girl thing,” says Yudi lowering his voice. Tiina looks at him, her eyebrows raised in warning. “I mean to think about ifs, buts, what could not have beens, as ifs …” his voice trails off.

  “You’ve put your foot in your mouth with that one. Good thinking, Yudi,” says Rai. He is laughing in anticipation of the expected comeback from Tiina, and is not disappointed.

  Tiina frowns, “That’s such a boy kind of remark, Yudi. You know it is.”

  “It’s true,” says Yudi, unrepentant.

  “No, it is not.” Tiina defends herself.

  Seeing that it is headed into a full-blown argument, Rai interrupts, trying to change the mood. “Well, I admit that since we embarked on this … this journey, for lack of a better word, I do find myself wondering what it would be like to lead a life where there is no adventure just around the corner.”

  “No tests we need to pass, no questions to answer,” says Yudi, “Just hang out and drink your beer at the pub in the evenings.”

  “Though you have to admit you were flattered by the proposition of the Goddess of Love,” chuckles Tiina.

  “Well …” Yudi hesitates, wondering if he should agree with Tiina.

  “Oh, go on,” says Tiina, “admit it, Yudi. It’s not every day when one comes across a real Goddess, who asks you to be her partner.”

  “Gross!” shudders Yudi.

  “Why?” asks Tiina. “She was good looking.”

  “Yeah,” he snorts, “sure, in a wicked witch kind of way. Not that I have anything against older women, mind you,” he adds, “but somehow being trapped forever, with someone who looks highly capable of whipping me, every time I don’t do as she wants …”

  “That would be character forming,” says Rai. “But think about what it would be like to make love to a real Goddess.”

  “Gives a whole new meaning to achieving heights of passion,” Yudi admits.

  “Seventh heaven”

  “Did the ground shake for you too literally, honey?” says Tiina.

  They chuckle and Tiina adds, “Here I thought that you liked being dominated.”

  “Interesting,” confesses Yudi. “But I had someone else in mind for that particular scene.”

  “Oh, really?” asks Tiina with interest.

  “Yes!” Yudi hesitates then decides he may as well say what was on his mind. “I kind of always had you in mind ...” He is walking ahead of Tiina and cannot see the reaction on her face.

  “Ah!” Tiina coughs. Rai, who is just behind her, pats her on the back.

  “Now, now! You have to be careful with the company you’ve been keeping of late.” Rai lowers his voice looking at Artemis, who is ahead. Tiina chuckles despite herself following his gaze. “That’s enough!” she scolds him, “Why are we speaking in whispers anyway?”

  “You don’t know what is out there,” says Rai.

  “Ah! Things which go bump in the night? Beware of the creepy-crawlies around the next corner,” jokes Yudi.

  Yet the words ring true for all of them. They subside into silence and follow Artemis, who continues to show them the way up ahead.

  No one disturbs them as they walk through the deserted streets.

  Then a thought strikes Yudi. “You lived in Bombay, didn’t you?” he asks Rai.

  “Yes, but that was a while ago,” replies Rai.

  “Oh, really?” Tiina asks, interested. “I didn’t know that.”

  “He doesn’t talk much about it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think he had a real heartbreak when he was here. So it brings back some not very good memories.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Hey,” protests Rai. “I am still here, you know.”

  “Of course,” says Tiina. “We just thought that you may not want to talk about it,” she continues in the same breath. “So tell us. Has Bombay changed much since you lived here?”

  Rai takes his time replying. “As much as you could imagine any place to change over the years,” he finally says.

  “Is that a lot? Or not that much?” asks Tiina.

  “No, it has changed,” he admits finally. “When I lived here, it was vibrant, a lot was happening, always. It was more human than Half Life. This was part of the attraction for me. I suppose you could say that I have always been attracted to those who are completely human.”

  “Not surprising, considering that humans are all emotion, unlike us Half Lives who are rather split in our emotional approach,” she replies.

  “Those were enjoyable times. Even hedonistic, but I cannot complain. This was before ascension became the new buzzword. Prior to finding out that those of us born of the union of humans and aliens could not live full lives. We didn’t realise that there were so many human emotions that we would never feel. That we could exist in more than one dimension at the same time. We didn’t know that as a Half Life you were forced to live only half your life on Earth and that the other half had to be spent on another planet.”

  “Painful,” she agrees. “So it was also before anyone found out the good stuff about being a Half Life?”

  “Such as superior powers to do with as we wanted, high IQ, partnering with Gods, laughable missions, crazed journeys?” chips in Yudi.

  “A chance at re-writing our own destinies,” Tiina corrects him and then tiring a little from the fast pace of the last few hours she calls a halt and comes to a standstill. The other two look at her. “Are you alright?” asks Yudi.

  She nods, yet does not look totally at ease. “You know,” she says, “for the last half hour or so … no, actually it is since we landed in Bombay. I just do not feel comfortable. As we have been walking, my discomfort grows.”

  �
�What is it?” asks Yudi.

  “It is as if not everything is right with the world,” she says. “I feel really nervous. I cannot help but wonder what would happen if we do not make it through the gateway. What if we don’t track down Shaitan? If we do not find the Isthmus?” She breaks off. It is as if by just voicing her fears, she is bringing them to life.

  “The big what if!” exclaims Yudi.

  “Yeah! What if we had never been born?” Rai echoes her.

  “I know I know what you are going to say. Especially after that rather long discussion about writing our own destiny and all of that,” says Tiina, sighing aloud. “And I seem to be repeating everything you said earlier Rai,” she says, “and you speak just like Mimir.”

  Rai pretends surprise. “Me?” he asks, an innocent look on his face.

  “Sure,” she smiles, “you are such a smooth operator! Of the three of us, it is you who has been longest in Arkana. After Yudi decided to uh! Follow his heart,” she stumbles on her words and looks at Yudi who is now walking ahead, yet she knows that he is following their conversation. “And after I left, you stayed and spent almost all your time with Mimir. And he is very good to make you see his point of view.”

  “He can be quite persuasive,” agrees Rai, smiling and looking at her with knowing eyes.

  “And you are good at convincing us. Yet I have to wonder about the events we triggered, what with breaking so many rules ...” her voice trails off as Yudi, surprised at her outburst of misgiving, cuts in.

  “Hey!” he exclaims, “that is not fair. You are stealing my lines.” He smiles, trying to tease her a bit, distract her from her misgivings. “I always thought you believed this was your big mission, the opportunity you were waiting for?” The words are barely out of his mouth when he realises that he is not helping to calm her down.

  “That does not sound very reassuring, now, does it?” he says, turning around to walk to her. He hugs her firmly and apologises. “I did not mean it that way.”

  She nods, not saying anything, yet not moving away from his comforting embrace.

  “You know what I mean,” says Yudi. “It is just that you are the one who’s been so confident, so gung ho about this journey the entire time. I was the unwilling, one. Yet here we are, on the threshold of something that will change the course of our lives, and then you stop and hesitate. I am surprised.”

  “Strange, right?”

  “You getting cold feet?”

  “No. Only an impending sense of calamity,” she says in a dejected voice, her gaze downcast, her brown eyes losing their normal sparkle.

  “Ah!” says Yudi. “That’s OK then. Check out the past few days. Hell, take a closer look at our lives so far. Surely not much else can catch us by surprise!” He laughs and hugs her.

  This brings a reluctant smile to Tiina’s face. She wipes her tears and, stepping away from him, takes her fingers to her brow, trying to smooth out the lines of worry etched there. She tries a fake grin, then a more genuine half smile. “Better?”

  Rai has been patiently watching the two of them. “Every action does have an equal and opposite reaction. Even when things do not go according to plan, they still are, except it is not the plan you thought it was. But it is still according to a plan, right?”

  “He’s back!” exclaims Yudi.

  “He’s here!” echoes Tiina, in mock surprise.

  “What? What?”

  “Good to see you are now once more your usual special comments kind of self,” says Yudi.

  “OK, OK, I promise to tone it down,” says Rai. “I just think in riddles. It is just the way I am.”

  “Enough, stop,” says Yudi. “Your wit is killing us.”

  Rai smiles “What I mean is, let us just trust and jump, shall we?” He looks at both of them.

  “OK,” says Tiina. “We have nothing to lose, do we?”

  Yudi does not bother to reply. He walks in silence, following Artemis who has been hovering in the foreground all along. As Yudi moves towards the ship, her colours immediately brighten up and she glides forward, leading them.

  Tiina is still worried, but she gathers herself together and draws strength from the fervent appeal to the cosmos. The sacred mantra that she received earlier is still lingering on her breath when, a few minutes later, Artemis guides them into the old decaying movie theatre at Churchgate on the northern most tip of Bombay city.

  As they step in, Tiina takes a deep breath and continues to repeat the words in her mind. It calms her a little. She tries to focus. “Courage,” she prays to the cosmos, “to make the decision at the important point. Right or wrong is another matter, just let me not hesitate,” she thinks. Then scolds herself. “How I hate those who cannot make up their mind!”

  “Churchgate!” exclaims Rai. “It has been a while.”

  “When were you here last?”

  “A long time ago. Before Arkana. When I was another person,” he replies.

  “What were you doing?” asks Yudi, “other than watching a movie?”

  Rai merely smiles.

  “Oh, hang on!” says Yudi, “you weren’t even watching a movie, now, were you?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Rai grins.

  Both Tiina and Yudi smile at that. “You never speak about your past,” says Tiina.

  “With good reason,” replies Rai.

  Meanwhile Artemis, who has again been waiting for them to take the first step forward towards the movie theatre, finally loses patience. She sidles up to Yudi and tries to get his attention by flashing her colours and beeping.

  “Ask and you shall receive,” says Rai and smiles.

  On realising that Yudi is going to ignore her unless she does something drastic, Artemis raps him smartly on his forehead. “Ow!” Yudi exclaims in pain, finally giving her his full attention. “OK, I notice you now. What is it that you would like us to do?”

  In response, Artemis sails right into the archway of the dark building and is instantly swallowed up by the darkness.

  “Come on or we’ll lose her,” says Tiina.

  “You talk of her as if she is human,” Yudi replies.

  “She is.”

  “Children, children!” exclaims Rai. “You either love each other or hate. There is no middle ground, it seems. Why don’t I take the first step?” So saying, he steps right in and is swallowed by the darkness as well.

  Yudi holds out his hand to Tiina, who takes it hesitantly. Then, holding hands, two peas in a pod, drumsticks banging on the gates of dawn, and to the accompaniment of this rather ceremonious inner music, they step into the darkness through the gateway of Churchgate. When their eyes adjust to the darkness, they can make out a faint glow up ahead as Artemis leads the way with Rai just behind. They have walked for not more than ten minutes through a spacious corridor which, despite the years, has a freshly cleaned air about it.

  As they continue walking, the corridor curves sharply and then opens onto a circular room. Artemis waits until Yudi, who is bringing up the rear, steps in completely. She then dips her lights to them in farewell and vanishes, dissolving completely into thin air.

  “Hey! Wait for … us?” Yudi’s voice peters out as he looks at the others, slightly alarmed. They stand there and look around as complete silence descends upon them. The oval-shaped area is spacious, enough to accommodate at least twenty people standing comfortably. The walls are inlaid with silver-coloured bricks that seem new, showing none of the wear of age. The entire décor of the room is quite plain, as if someone has tried to keep the decor very neutral.

  Rai takes a step forward. Finding that nothing untoward happens as he continues to walk around and explore, he makes his way to the other end of the room and pulls aside a steel curtain, something he assumes is a covering to the doorway. He looks through it and realises that it leads to a large screening theatre, unused for a long time.

  Rai walks back to where Tiina and Yudi are standing in the middle of the smaller room. It is Tiina who notices first w
hat she takes to be a shadow painting on the wall, except that something about it has been bothering her for a while. She walks up to it, looking at it closely, then impulsively puts her hand out to touch it. The eyes open in the wall, startling her so that Tiina half-screams and takes a few steps back, almost stepping on Yudi’s toes. He instinctively steps aside, but puts a hand out to steady her.

  They walk through the curtain and into the large cinema. Fu Zebox, asleep for a few hundred years, has just ascended to a higher stage of the sleep cycle, when the three of them grab the knocker and bring it crashing down on Fu’s subconscious.

  Fu lumbers to his feet, steps out of the old movie screen and walks towards them. His age-old face weathered by the Bombay sun, he wears his beads with pride and his chest is bare, covered with ash, the result of numerous holy rituals. In his forehead is an embedded sleek tip, capable of recording neuro-impulses. He seems to be in the category of people who seem ageless, in a purely time-defying kind of way.

  The three of them turn to look at him in fascination. Taken by surprise, but not completely shocked. Somehow it seemed quite appropriate, actually, that the next guide on their journey would be of the silver screen.

  “Welcome, welcome,” he booms.

  Out of a normal sense of protecting others that most tall people have, Yudi instinctively places his arms around Rai and Tiina’s shoulders.

  “Come,” Fu Zebox says again. “You took your time. I have been expecting you.”

  Tiina and Rai look at each other and shake their heads in bewilderment.

  The three of them walk carefully towards him, down the aisle between the faded red leather seats. Rai first and then Tiina step onto the stage before the large, flat, white screen. Yudi is the last. He has but placed a foot onto the stage when deafening laughter rings out from the direction of the screen. Yudi abruptly rears back to a standstill. The other two, already on the inside of the perimeter, turn around and look at him curiously. The events are reversed. It is now light on the inside, dark outside.

  “Uh–oh,” says Fu Zebox. “Take off your shirt.”

  ‘What?”

  “Well, I have to check if you still wear the sign.”

  “I don’t … understand …” says Yudi.