“Allow me my fun,” said Ranitamasi. “Ravana will be here before we know it. He’s waited for millennia, and we’ve seen the signs.”
Shaila saw Divya tremble slightly at the mention of her drawings. Remembering them, she shuddered too.
Her dad shook his head. “I didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime. Or Shaila’s lifetime, goddammit.”
“Kavi,” said her mom.
“Vishnu be damned if he allows Ravana to rise again,” seethed her dad. Shaila had never heard him so angry, though he was keeping quiet to avoid disturbing the other customers. “He’s not going to kidnap my daughter.”
“We’ve made sure of that,” said Ranitamasi. “How’s Manju doing, by the way?”
Divya perked up at the mention of her mother.
“She’s lovely,” said Shaila’s mom. “She makes the best idli, you know that?”
Ranitamasi smiled. “I know that. You know what’s in it, don’t you?”
Her mom stared back in shock. “No.”
“I hope Shaila ate a lot of it too.”
“It’s her favorite!” said her dad. Shaila nodded enthusiastically to Divya.
“Good!” said Ranitamasi. “No way she’s being kidnapped.” Shaila’s mom was still staring at her. “Don’t worry, the enchantments will have no effect on you, bad or good. They’re designed to work on children.”
Shaila’s dad looked at the floor. “I want her to grow up, Ranita. I want her to be—”
Suddenly the image went fuzzy and the sound became distorted. “What’s going on?” demanded Shaila, banging on the metal doorframe to improve the reception.
“Maybe you do need the dryer sheet,” said Divya.
Shaila groaned. “What were they talking about, with the chaa and the enchantments? Are they magic-drugging me?”
“It’s to protect you,” said Divya. “When he comes. You know he likes to kidnap girls.”
Shaila remembered the story. Ravana had kidnapped Sita, Rama’s wife, and Rama had slain him. Apparently not enough. “But Sita was much older than me.”
“We know about her because of the Ramayana, but I think there were others. They don’t all get stories.” Shaila wondered whether she would get a story if Ravana took her.
“What was in the chaa?”
“He won’t be able to touch you,” promised Divya.
Shaila’s voice rose, frantic. “But what if he sends someone else?”
“They’re working on modifications to the spell.” Divya remained calm, but Shaila sensed some uncertainty.
The window into the sari store returned with a slight buzz. Her parents and Ranitamasi were still talking.
“Different line, honey,” said Ranitamasi.
“Yeah, my line’s got this,” her mom said, and held up her left hand to show off the sixth finger dangling from her thumb.
“It’s not the most attractive appendage,” noted Ranitamasi.
“Well, it attracted him,” her mom said, shoving her sixth finger in her dad’s direction.
“I was not attracted to your finger,” said her dad. “Your figure, on the other hand …”
Shaila buried her face in her hands.
“Quit it, you two, or my fingers will be doing things you won’t like.” Ranitamasi shook a finger in their direction, but no sparks came out.
“My mother thought it was a sign when I was born.”
“Of course she did. Anything abnormal is a sign. We know more about signs now, though, and that isn’t one of them. What you’ve got is an appendix hanging from your thumb, basically useless. I’m surprised you didn’t have it removed.”
“I’m used to it. It makes me feel different. A bit special.”
Shaila braced herself for another cheesy remark from her dad, but Ranitamasi cut him off. “You’re special, K.”
Her mom looked up with alarm. “You don’t think she’ll find the lotus, do you?”
Ranitamasi laughed. “Who would look in a cereal box?”
“I would!” Shaila declared with gusto. “Accidentally,” she added.
* * *
Blue sparks shot out of Divya’s fingers and dissipated before they hit the lotus. “Ranitamasi hasn’t taught me how to change the color yet. I know they mean something different, but she wants me to ‘reach for the colors inside me, for that is where the magic lies.’”
Shaila sat across from her at the kitchen table. She focused intently on the lotus between them and wiggled all her fingers at once. Nothing happened.
“You only use one hand,” said Divya.
“I thought I would have twice the shot at success.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“How does it work?”
Divya sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Then let me see you do it again.” Divya repeated the gesture, and Shaila observed the motions of her fingers. They weren’t as erratic as they seemed; it was as if she were playing an invisible piano. Her thumb hardly moved. Shaila asked her to do it one more time, noting which fingers moved when.
Shaila stretched her right hand out toward the lotus. Divya abruptly pushed her chair back and stood up. Shaila laughed. “I’m not going to blow you up or anything.”
She wasn’t even wearing safety goggles. She hoped she wasn’t going to blow anything up.
Closing her eyes, she replayed the image of Divya’s fingers and moved her fingers in the same way, up and down, up and down, humming the imaginary tune to herself. She expected to feel a surge of power, perhaps heat.
Nothing happened.
She kept her eyes closed for another minute, picturing Stick Figure Shaila and her stick figure sword. She added in sparkles around it because of course it was magic. Her mom would be so proud if she could do what Divya could. She’d be an A+ girl.
When she opened her eyes, Divya had sat back down. “It didn’t happen for me at first,” she said, not looking at Shaila. “Ranitamasi came and told me the whole story about Ravana and the demons, all sealed in another dimension. She said we were descended from disciples of Saraswati, blessed with special gifts. I didn’t believe her, and then she turned my stuffed cow into a frog.”
“Not a cow?”
Divya shrugged. “It’s Ranitamasi. That’s how she is.” One year Ranitamasi had given Shaila $27 for her birthday. The other aunties gave her $25 or $51, traditional amounts, but Ranitamasi gave her $27.
“My mom has told me some funny stories from when they were in college. Nothing about turning anything into frogs, though.”
“It didn’t come easily for me. I had to practice. They said they were telling you today. When you start practicing, I can help you.”
“And then we can fight Ravana together,” added Shaila, hardly wanting to say the words out loud not only because of their absurdity but also because of their gravity. She hadn’t been prepared to believe in demons, let alone fight them.
Shaila heard a car pull up outside. Divya heard it too. “Should we put the lotus back?”
“No,” said Shaila. “It’s a catalyst. I want to see their reaction.”
* * *
The front door opened, and Shaila heard the adults enter, chatting about their recent purchases.
“Put the bags in the bedroom,” said Ranitamasi. “I’ll check on Shaila.” Then she stepped into the kitchen. “Divya?” she said. “I didn’t see—” Her confusion turned to understanding. She clicked her tongue. “I do see. We’ll talk later.”
Shaila had cleaned up the cereal, but the white lotus remained on the table. “Look what I found,” she said.
Her parents walked in behind Ranitamasi. “Shaila!” said her mom.
Her dad started laughing. “We shouldn’t have left her alone here. Divya’s been talking, hasn’t she?”
Divya crossed her arms, defiant. Shaila crossed her arms, disappointed. Some reaction that was.
Ranitamasi picked up the lotus. “Let’s begin then, shall we? I assume Divya has told you all about�
��” She wiggled the fingers of her other hand in the air, letting out bright white sparks.
“I know Ravana is coming, and we have to fight him, and you’ve been poisoning my chaa—”
“If we were poisoning you, you’d be far too dead right now. Let’s call it an elixir. And it’s derived from this very flower. Here, smell it.” Ranitamasi held it to Shaila’s nose, and Shaila inhaled deeply. “What do you smell?”
It smelled like … a flower. She didn’t know the right answer. “A flower.”
“No questions about flowers to get your science trophy, then.” Ranitamasi brought it to her own nose, closed her eyes, and breathed in. “It smells like history,” she said. “This flower is thousands of years old.”
Thousands of years old? Thousands? It looked like it was gathered this morning. “That’s impossible,” said Shaila.
“I told you she would say that,” said her dad.
Her mom reached into her purse and handed him a five-dollar bill.
Shaila stared at her parents, aghast. “You bet on me?”
“It was his idea,” said her mom.
“Ranitamasi,” said Divya, getting up from the table, “what does it do?” Shaila got up and stood by her.
“Close your eyes,” said Ranitamasi.
Divya closed her eyes. Shaila crossed her arms and took a step back. “Why? What are you going to do?”
“I told you she would do that,” said her mom, and her dad handed the bill back.
Ranitamasi grinned. “I am going to show you something that will change how you perceive the world.”
Shaila returned her grin. “Divya already did that by turning the dryer into a … scryer.”
“You were watching us,” said her mom as she handed the bill to Ranitamasi.
“Close your eyes,” repeated Ranitamasi.
Shaila hesitated, afraid not of what would happen but of what she would find out. She hadn’t been able to do what Divya could.
“Shaila, beta,” her mom said. And that was all it took, that one term of endearment, and Shaila felt like a two-year-old, but she welcomed it. She felt calm, supported, safe.
Shaila closed her eyes.
She felt a light, soft touch on each eyelid.
“You can open your eyes now,” said Ranitamasi, and Shaila opened her eyes and yelped.
Ranitamasi was glowing.
Not like a lightbulb. She had a faint yellow aura around her as she bent down to Divya, who glowed lavender, the color shimmering slightly. Shaila looked to her parents, who were not glowing. They had their eyes closed, and Ranitamasi touched their eyelids with the white lotus, then closed her own eyes and did the same.
“Well, now that we’re all on the same page.”
“Ranitamasi …”
“Oh, you think that’s weird, look at the wall.”
Shaila did.
There was a doorknob. Not a door, just a doorknob protruding from the wall. Shaila closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. It was still there.
“I’ll let you do the honors.” Ranitamasi extended her arm toward the wall. “Divya, I’m sorry for not bringing you earlier. But we can take care of some business while we’re there.”
Shaila cautiously approached the doorknob and slowly grasped it, ready to retract her hand if the knob burned or froze her, the two most likely ways a mysterious doorknob could hurt her. It did neither. Steeling herself, she turned the knob, and pushed.
She found herself outside in front of a forest, a dark forest with thick foliage from which no light could escape. She felt no wind; the air was cool on her skin, a welcome change from the oppressive heat of the motel. The grass beneath her bare feet tickled. The sky was a deep pink, with shades of purple in the clouds.
“Welcome to the Land of Eternal Sunset,” said Ranitamasi, coming up behind her with her parents and Divya. When they had come through, Ranitamasi kicked the door closed without turning, and the door disappeared, doorknob and all. Shaila gasped. Ranitamasi sighed. “Ah, I’ve stranded us here forever, how careless of me.” Shaila relaxed, her shoulders slumping. “Really, Shaila. Really.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve been here,” said her mom, looking around with wonder. “Not since I was your age, Shaila.” She held her dad’s hand tightly.
Her dad simply smiled, looking more at peace than he ever had. “You never told me how beautiful it was, Kirti,” he said.
Ranitamasi gazed upon them with amusement, then understanding. “It is a beautiful place. A terrible place, but beautiful.”
“Where are we?” asked Shaila.
“The Land of Eternal Sunset,” said Ranitamasi. “Weren’t you paying attention? You’re going to have to keep up; it only gets weirder from here.”
“But where is this place? I opened a door in the wall.” Today Shaila had spied on her parents with a dryer and discovered an invulnerable flower, but she still couldn’t accept interdimensional travel. “You can’t do that.”
“Throw away your can’ts today, child. Today is about can.” Ranitamasi closed her right hand into a fist, squeezed, and flung her fingers out in the direction of the forest. A rainbow of colors shot out like fireworks, bright against the dull twilight.
Divya whispered to Shaila, “She says things like that all the time.” They shared a giggle.
Seconds later, a figure appeared from inside the forest. As it walked closer, Shaila recoiled in horror. The blue-skinned beast, clad in rags, had a mop of green hair that partially obscured its face, which was covered in scabs and boils. A large pink tongue hung out of its mouth, and Shaila could make out two rows of sharp teeth. It swayed back and forth as it walked, groaning with greater intensity each time it pulled itself back to the path.
It stopped in front of Ranitamasi and folded its hands, bowing its head. She did the same.
“Shaila and Divya, meet Bhagho.”
“Kem cho,” growled the beast in perfect Gujarati.
Divya gasped. “A rakshasa. I’ve drawn him.” She hesitated to approach, simply returning its greeting. Shaila timidly raised a hand and waved.
“Shaila,” said her mom. “What do you do?”
She had a suspicion that this demon was her elder. She walked up to it, folded her hands, and bowed. “Namaste.” The beast ran its hands over her head in blessing, and she tried not to cringe as she felt its claws in her hair.
Ranitamasi gestured to Divya to move closer. “Don’t worry, Bhagho won’t hurt you. We’re old friends.” Divya bowed as well, and Bhagho blessed her.
Divya stepped back to stand by Shaila. “Should we be here, Ranitamasi? Isn’t … isn’t he here?”
“Ravana’s around. But not close by. Right, Bhagho?” The demon nodded.
Shaila had to admit that Ranitamasi had been right. The way she perceived the world had gone out the window. How did this place exist? “Is this like another dimension?”
Ranitamasi tilted her head. “Kind of. I prefer the word ‘realm.’ This is where the stories come from. It’s where the stories stay.” Bhagho growled a word. “Yes,” she added. “Trapped.”
“But last month things changed.” Seven motels in one day. Shaila’s parents must have been terrified. They’d wanted to protect her.
“I was drawing him more than I ever had,” said Divya. “Sometimes dead girls lay at his feet. Never the same arrangement. Faces up, hands clutching his legs … if they still had their …” She trailed off.
Ranitamasi nodded grimly. “Ravana has found a conduit, a way to breach the barriers we put up so many thousands of years ago. They’re weakening.”
“Will I … will I have to fight him?” Shaila looked at her mom, her hand clutching the idea of a sword.
“Bhagho, what’s the verdict?”
Shaila understood now. That hadn’t been a blessing. The creature had been testing them.
It raised one clawed hand and pointed to Divya.
“Good to have that confirmed.” Ranitamasi glanced at Shaila, and the dem
on shook its head.
Shaila released her imaginary sword, letting her hand fall to her side. Like her mom, who wasn’t glowing, she had failed the test. After all that had happened today, she had expected the natural conclusion. A not-so-obvious talent that would give her direction. Shaila Patel, teenage scientist/witch. She knew Divya was special. She’d hoped she was special too.
But she was a teenage scientist who knew a witch, and something fell into place. “Divya, your mom doesn’t let you drive alone. How did you get here?”
Divya looked at Ranitamasi guiltily. Ranitamasi gave a light laugh. “She’s a little too powerful for her own good.”
Shaila held a hand in front of her face, turning it from side to side. “So I don’t have any magic at all?”
“I didn’t tell you this to make you feel bad,” said Ranitamasi. “You’re a part of this too. You all are. Divya won’t be able to do this alone. I need you to be ready to step up.”
“But what can I do?” Shaila wanted to replace herself with Stick Figure Shaila.
“You’ll think of something,” her mom said. “I know you will.” She hugged Shaila tightly. “I believe in you,” she whispered. And then Shaila understood what those comics had been about. Stick Figure Shaila wasn’t the girl her mother wished Shaila was: it was the girl she saw.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the first time Divya had touched her. “I need you to help me figure things out. Like you did with the lotus.”
Shaila looked up at the otherworldly sky. How could she be disappointed standing in the realm where her childhood stories were true? She didn’t need magic inside her when she’d found so much magic outside her. Ranitamasi had presented her with a whole new world to try to understand, and she would have a scientific objectivity Ranitamasi and Divya wouldn’t. Shaila could address questions no one had tried to answer before because they’d never been asked. The promise of knowledge was dizzying.
For some reason, all she could think to say was, “Can we go home? I have a lot of homework to do.”
Clockwork Phoenix 5 Page 15
