FAIRY GODMOTHER
I was shushed into the veil of darkness by the gentle breeze. My eyes drooped as if enjoying the evening’s silence, undesirable ideas slowly emptying from my mind. The wind snagged my everyday details and deceived me into believing that everything in this amazing universe revolved around me. The busy metropolis has a certain banality to it. There isn’t enough calm these days due to the constant hum, so we have to look elsewhere. The large banyan tree, however, seemed too spacious for me. As sleep took precedence, I drifted into a dreamlike state. I still have a fresh heart and a world that I will never forget.
Suddenly, I noticed an odd illumination that seemed to be slicing through lightning. I saw an angel, and I dilated my pupils so I could see her even more vividly. She had a motherly kindness in her eyes, flowing black hair, a simple diamond crown, and she was dressed in white. I thought, “Enough details,” yet I kept looking up at her. Oh, I commented, just as Cinderella had said. “My fairy godmother, are you one?”
She giggled at my innocence, her eyes softly lit.
“You may say so!” She remarked pointing her flagstaff toward me.
“Am I dead?” I inquired appearing rather foolish.
She chuckled once more. I recall falling asleep a little while ago, and now I see a figure coming straight out of heaven to knock on my door. At this point, what else could I possibly imagine? She took my arm in hers and caressed my forehead tenderly. My weak temples felt stronger, and I started to open up to her about the ordinary things in life. How horrible it is to trust a stranger with your secrets. However, I cherished her soft fingertips caressing my temples.
“I can take you to a new world,” she said.
“New world!” I queried appearing surprised. She answered, “I live in a whole new paradise.” That’s when it truly hit me—she wasn’t from Indra’s paradise. I gasped with excitement as I tried to move the topic along by thinking of Indra, Vaayu, Agni, and Varuna. Oh my! I wondered whether they could have sent her to me. However, I figured that I hadn’t done anything particularly noteworthy to attract the celestial Devas’ attention. I decided to ask her more questions. “About Indraloka, I have read quite a bit. Is everything exactly as it has been written? I think Yama is a little better. According to the Garuda Purana, he is objective and more sensible when making decisions, at least that is how I interpret the text.”
My temples felt as though they were under a little more strain now. I was unable to precisely wince in agony. But I was aware that my constant barrage of questions had irritated her. I didn’t think I had enough information from the syllabus to question her. I also realized that she probably had little idea of the subject matter I was discussing. Having no other option except to forcefully prevent her from treating me poorly, I asked, “So, what does your paradise look like?” She answered, “Oh, that looks a lot like the wonderland of Alice,” with passion in her voice. There was less pressure on my temples now, but I continued to feel a knot in my gut.
Alice was a well-known figure who most likely got caught in unsuitable places. But Alice was fortunate to discover a means of escape. Could I return or was this a one-way ticket? I pondered.
She gestured to the massive branch of the banyan tree, and I saw a large aperture that undoubtedly extended deep into the ground. The feeling was not very positive. But she was determined to tell me more about her world. A realm into which no man could enter. Her depiction of her world, which would have skeletons and bones hanging everywhere, sounded quite unpleasant. Rat blood, squirrel hearts, rabbit limbs, and cat purring.
The concoction of raccoon eyes in a volatile combination of human blood, dragon claws, and charring smoke only reminded me of witches’ brew. My eyes widened as I felt something in my throat growling at me and I spun to face her. Her soft fingertips vanished, much to my dismay, and all I could see was her long, thick, disheveled black nails. Her gorgeous face was riddled with horrible boils, and her nose resembled that of a stork. Her hair was hidden behind a black veil, and she had long since lost her crown. Her flagstaff had become a broom when I finally decided to carefully lift my neck out of her lap.
“A witch,” I thought to myself as I gasped.
I was unable to wake up. My eyes were clenched tight and my limbs didn’t move. For once, I missed the hustle and bustle of the city. I would have survived nonetheless. I was concerned about the suffering I would experience when she tossed me into her mixture of witches’ brew. I begged for death to come quickly. Swimming among dead rats, dragons, and raccoons was a dream I could never conceive. I wondered what sin I had committed to end up with these beasts.
“Dear God! I prayed more today than any other, please help me return to the hectic pace of the city.”
I prayed to gods, demons, ancestors, and other entities that were once on the earth. I even thought of dinosaurs. They had, of course, previously walked before. Perhaps they would be at the house of the Lord now. I thought they would be able to assist me. The celestial dancers sprung to mind, and I imagined Rambha and Urvashi as slender women. But I pondered, what good is it all? I was hardly able to move an inch.
She had begun chanting some incomprehensible prayers but I could feel my head spinning too much. All of a sudden, I saw my deceased dog barking, my dead aunt slurping a cup of tea, and my deceased grandfather scrubbing his spectacles. Did they all want to keep me alive? Were they attempting to rouse me? No, but her pressure on my temples was so alluring that I wouldn’t be able to wake up. My mother approached me while carrying a bowl full of laddus. She laughed like a raucous witch ready to put her teeth into me as I grinned at her with excitement.
“Get up! You foolish human being, get out of sleep! Who authorized you to fall asleep under this banyan tree? Haughty individuals from the city! Wake up, you arrogant beast!”
Like there was a dead body, someone shook me. I got out of the lazy trans, the witch gradually fading from my view.
I began coughing and gasping for air. When I looked around, I saw that the villagers were attempting to save me, not wake me up.
An old man, who was busily massaging my back, asked, “Did she get you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Who invited you to spend the night beneath this banyan tree?” With some curiosity, he inquired.
The elderly woman remarked, “How lucky are you?” before I could respond.
I learned from our ongoing conversations that the witch was capable of effortlessly transporting people to a place where they could never return by teleporting them there through dreams.
The commotion of the metropolis seemed peaceful….
DR ANITHA CHAKRAVARTHY SRIRAM
