The Choice

The Choice

(2,441 words)

                   “Get some rest, pals,” Dana said, ‘it’s very draining.” 

                  “Thanks,” I smiled, absentmindedly.

                   “Much of this region is wilderness,” Diana smiled appreciatively.

Dana folded up her red wings and descended upon a mound while Diana landed by wrapping up her greenish wings. The fairies gave me a gift of extraordinary powers. We climbed the rocky height which promised a wide view, and on reaching the top we were able to see the surrounding dense shrubs and forest trees.                                                              

                   “My friend,” Dana said to Diana, “we may be miserable, but we’ll not go down below just yet.” She sounded like a leader.

“Yeah, you are right,” Diana replied, softly. 

“I’m ready for the remaining journey,” I said to my new fairy friends, flapping my orange wings which were a huge boon for me. 

 I sneaked a peek at the wilderness. Diana’s face blazed from hard work, and she was a little weary after the long journey. Dana talked spiritedly about her adventures to raise our spirits.

A stream flowed nearby. The silence of the land deafened us.  It jazzed up the quirkiness of the place which attracted us. 

Dana said, “I’m in constant worry for the princess of Richboro as well as for her embryo.” 

                  “Tell me in detail because I’ve joined later,” I said.  

In the dim light the landscape appeared unbelievable to us. With a musky smell, the land captivated the senses.

“The princess is pregnant,” Dana said.

                “Oh!” I exclaimed.

Diana asked in a surprising tone, “who is the father?

“One of the slaves of the palace is the man responsible.” replied Dana.

“What are the consequences of such an act as princess Lugi is an unmarried girl?”   Diana asked. 

                 “It’s too bad, dear,” said Dana.

 Diana got curious about what happened to the princess.  The royal guards threw the lover into prison, and the princess awaited a forced abortion.

                                          “Tell us more about it, Dana,” I solicited.

                                          “The princess has to make a decision of giving birth against her father’s will,” said Dana.

                                           “She is a courageous woman,” I said in an admiring tone.

                                           “Her decision speaks of her dignity and self-respect too. King Angus thinks that she has no power over her own life, society, or her community,” said Dana.

                                       “So this conflict has drawn us here,” said Diana.

                                       “I think so,” Dana answered. 

 We had got into the womb of the princess assuming tiny shapes.                                         

                                   Diana said, “The land seems a bit creepy.”

                                     Dana said, “I’m pooped. Cocktail of emotions is flowing through me.” 

 Diana stood on the grassy floor, tall and still, gazing absently at the blurred distance.

 Dana smiled politely as we approached a cavern. A thick verdant copse of tall trees sheltered the cave. Trailing round the very mouth of the cavern, some bunches of wild berries hung languidly. The temperature dropped.  We shivered, thrilled to the bones.

Shaken by no wind, drenched by no showers, and invaded by no snows, the mound was set in a sea of exotic air with a purple glow playing over all. Suddenly, a canopy of mauve clouds swept down on us. A wisp of smoke arose from a distant spot. 

I gazed at the excess of beauty all around. It was a watercolour landscape. After enough rest we left the place and went on with the journey. Wandering through blue farmlands, yellow hillocks, orange rainforests, and blackish rivers we finally hit an elevated region.                   

                        “Have a peek, buddies,” said Diana in a jumpy tone as she looked straight ahead.

                         “What is it, mate?” Dana asked.

Diana pointed to some unfamiliar flames. They were scary. We stood still and eyed the scene.  

                          “Wow, how strange!” Dana said.

                          “It looks like a blacksmith’s fire! I exclaimed. 

 We stared so hard that our eyes seemed about to pop out of her heads. A colourful display of indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red streaks of light appeared to undulate like waves in front of our eyes. We gazed upwards till our neck ached.

                                      Diana said, “I’m in something of a tizzy!”  

                                      “These bands look jazzy, aren’t they?” Dana asked, turning to us. 

                                     “Absolutely mates,” Diana replied.  

                                     “This is truly an extraordinary spectacle, pals,” I said.

 All other colours faded from our views, but a small red ball hung amid clearer darkness. In front of us lay a vast expanse, wreathed in mystery and calm. Dana rubbed her eyes sleepily and settled down to rest while Diana gazed at the long passage lying ahead.

                                       “Let me go, Dana,” Diana said. 

                                        Dana replied in a commanding tone, “I can’t allow you to go, Diana.”

Faraway, small microscopic particles zipped ahead leaving trails of light. The clarity worsened radically. A dark pit lurked in the middle of a red crescent-shaped pattern silhouetted by a gleaming border. I had a distant look in my eyes.

                                        “A chill is going down my spine,” Diana said.

Strong winds blew off in the thinner atmosphere. After a while the wind speed died out leaving us relieved. A breathless calm set in while we were busy preparing food. The beauty of the unknown and the abyss was mind-boggling.

                                         Dana asked, “Are you anxious, my friend?”

                         “No, my dear,” I replied, “but now I’m in no mood for thrills and chills.” 

                       “But I’m in good humour,” Dana said, whistling to a tune.

Despite the energetic spirit, we worried about the surroundings. Suddenly, more darkness fell upon the sleepy little land and swallowed all the tracks. We got to sleep eventually. A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurred in my mind during the sleep. Waking with a start, I drew a warm sense of comfort from the vividness of the dream that had flown to me through the darkness. 

A purple light shone inside the long tunnel when Dana woke up from sleep.

                  “Have a look at this gleam, buds,” Dana pointed to another striking sight. 

                  “There are some tiny objects in the fluid. Their tails are light and flexible, yet stiff enough to generate thrust to push them forward,” Diana said.

We saw countless humanlike forms which made low humming sounds. 

                 “Ooh, what gorgeous creatures!” Dana blurted out.

Diana reflected, “I guess they are searching for salvation, to which everything else looks paltry.”

We stood spellbound at the sight, for no lovelier view ever existed.

In due course we reached a river, where clean water was always bubbling up and swirling by. We stopped in order to relax.

“My friends,” said Dana, “drop the clothes into the dark water.”

 Diana sang in a beautiful voice as she dropped the dirtiest clothes into the pool. All of us were fond of fun and frolic. We loved dearly to be in the water with each other. We gave pleasure to each other in various ways. When engaged with beautiful Diana in the water-sport, Dana intentionally held her hand. She practised upon her various kinds of embraces. Diana let her touch her, but did not yield herself up to her. But eventually she gave herself up to her passions and enticements. After bathing and rubbing ourselves with oil we ate blue food. Then we got ready for the journey.  We left the riverside and resumed travel a little later.

 We reached a terrain where the trees grew tall and the light conditions were poor and simulating. The alien land and the leafy cover sent shivers down our spines.

“This place gives me goose bumps,” Diana said.

“Light can’t escape from here,” remarked Dana.

 Suddenly, we came across an opening. It communicated above with a hollow and inverted pear-shaped structure with thick walls. It lied in a deep cavity between two structures. There was another opening below. It liaised with the grim tunnel we had crossed earlier. The pear-shaped form was attached to the wall by a double fold of natural garters. We entered the lean overlay to explore it.

“This may be the body of the main part,” said Diana.

“Perhaps, you are right, bud,” I reflected.

We went inside to the upper corners. Two tube-like structures entered from the openings. 

                 “Two clear ducts are visible there,” Dana said. 

                 “Let’s move forward, Dana,” Diana said.

 We crawled towards a palpitating lump of flesh.

                   “It is the embryo!” Dana cried out as she observed the fragile and vulnerable shape.

Leaving the claustrophobic tunnel, Dana flied up to the court premises of the illustrious Angus-the-Conqueror. I accompanied her. Outside the courtyard but stretching close up the gates, lay a large orchard, where trees hang their greenery on high, the mango and the pear; while from four separate springs four crystal rivulets were trained to run this way and that; and in soft meadows on either side the iris and the parsley flourished. It was indeed a spot where even an immortal visitor must pause to gaze in wonder and delight.  Our heart was filled with doubt and we hesitated before setting foot on the bronze threshold. For a kind radiance, like that of the sun or moon, lit up the high-roofed halls of the great palace. Walls of bronze, topped with the white marble tiles, ran round to left and right from the threshold to the back of the court. The interior of the well-built mansion was guarded by golden doors hung on posts of silver which sprang from the bronze threshold.

Some palace-girls practised singing and dancing. Certain young girls prepared different perfumes and fragrances. 

We reached the great courtroom and gazed in wonder and delight. The courtiers wore glittering clothes.  A minstrel sang divinely to the lyre, and a couple of acrobats drew cartwheels in and out among the courtiers. King Angus and his courtiers came to a standstill in their seats. The hall gleamed with copper, gold, amber, silver, and ivory. The lofty hall of King Angus was lit by something of the sun’s splendour or the moon’s.  We stood still and enjoyed all the beauty. We knew King Angus the moment she raised to his face. We kept up our pretence of innocence. The king had neither the wisdom, nor the foresight of his illustrious predecessors. He invited us to sit down on brightly polished chairs, and questioned his visitors.

                         “Are you a goddess or a mortal woman? Do you haunt the steep hill-tops, the springs of rivers, or the grassy meadows? Your beauty, grace, and stature remind me of the immortal gods!” the king asked.

                         “You ask us where we hail from. I will tell you. We’ve come from a far-off land to sing and dance before you,” said Dana.

                         “Why the delay then,” asked the musically-inclined king.

 From then till dusk the king gave himself up to the pleasures of dancing and the delights of music. Night fell and found him making merry still; but our studied behaviour was planned and deliberate. Our presence perhaps pleased the king. All eyes turned on us in awe and wonder. In King Angus desire perhaps became firm and secure. He couldn’t observe our hidden ideas and thoughts. His heart glowed with pleasure with every expression, and he stood spellbound at the sight. Our performance was so attractive that the king did not notice anything else around him. After completion of her act the king went along with us, stopping occasionally to satisfy our queries on grand artefacts and dazzling paintings: 

                      “Take a look at these masterpieces,” said the king. “These are very colourful and traditional.” 

                     “Painting is such a great way of expressing,” Dana said. 

 Dana began to show her interest in the king by outward signs and motions. It was just an act.  The king tried to gain her over by various ways and means.   

                     “I want to meet you in the pleasure room,” the king said to Dana with some awe in his tone. Empathy and grace replaced his characteristic roughness. Dana hesitated for a moment, but in the end she consented to his proposal.

 The pleasure room was made visible to my eyes by the magic. It was decorated with flowers, and fragrant with perfumes. Dana welcomed the king with an alluring smile. When the king feasted his eyes on her beauty, he went and bathed in polished baths, and after the maidservants had washed him, rubbed him with oil and dressed him in warm cloaks and tunics, she took her place beside King Angus. The king seated himself on a golden chair while Dana laid at his side the various kinds of food and drink that mortal men consume. Then she sat down herself facing her royal admirer; some maids set nectar beside him, and the two helped themselves to the dainties spread before them. The king held her hand intentionally and sprinkled upon her the water brought for rinsing his mouth. Apart from beauty and other winning qualities she was also well-versed in the art of enticement. When the king tried to kiss her, Dana opposed him; she resisted his attempts to have her. She only sat on the lap of King Angus. The king became blind with passions and engaged in embrace before forgetting the world around him. He closed his eyes in pleasure.  Dana grabbed the opportunity and threw a drug into his wine. The drug had the power of robbing virility and consciousness of their sting and banishing all memories temporarily. The tyrant was reduced to a mere soft flower before Dana and suddenly became unconscious.

 Our magical powers enabled us to witness the terrible warfare which raged on over the embryo. The royal herbalist and his associates fought for the king and Diana fought for princess Lugi. Before the start of the war Diana tried to delve deep into the capabilities of the royal doctor. In the beginning, the royal army gave stiff resistance. So advantageous was the herbalist’s position and so well did he resist themselves that in that afternoon they still held their ground. 

                             “Take the consequences, pretty,” said the herbalist.

                              “It’s always easy to brag when you are in a better position,” replied Diana as she hurled an explosive fizzy stew of energy at the herbalist.

The herbalist fled to the nearby forest. The royal army became disorganised. They burst into sobs and the tears streamed down their cheeks. Diana was quick to profit by the situation, and the imperial force was compelled to retreat. Finally, we succeeded in saving the embryo from forced abortion. 

In her boudoir, Lugi, looked at her bloated belly and smiled drowning her sorrows. It was an extension of her body. It breathed with her. It moved with her. Life was pretty tumultuous, and she couldn’t run away from it. 

A full moon took the sky. It oozed a pleasant, balmy light.

                                                                                     The End