Tiger's Curse

by Colleen Houck

  He dug through our lunch and pulled out an apple and a banana.

  “As for a bell, I did not think to bring one with me, but I believe that in many of these old temples a bell was installed. The disciples rang them when guests arrived, when worshipping, and to call others to a meal. Why not search the shrine for such a bell. Perhaps you will find one, and we will not have to drive back into town to buy one.”

  Taking the apple and the banana, I said, “I sure hope this works, and she blesses us because I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I hope you’re not expecting too much. Please don’t get your hopes up, Mr. Kadam, because you’re bound to be disappointed.”

  He reassured me that he could never be disappointed in me and shooed us on our way.

  Back inside the temple, Ren searched the altar area while I started digging through the rubble in the other room.

  After about fifteen minutes, I heard, “Kelsey, over here! I found it!”

  I quickly joined Ren who showed me a narrow wall at the edge of the room that couldn’t be seen from the doorway of the temple. Shallow stone shelves had been carved out like tiny alcoves. On the top shelf, far above my reach but still within Ren’s, sat a tiny rusty bronze bell covered in cobwebs and dust. It had a little ring at the top so it could hang from a hook.

  Ren took it off the shelf and used his shirt to clean it. Wiping off the grime and powdery rust, he shook it, and it emitted an airy tinkling sound. He grinned and offered his hand, walking with me back to the statue of Durga.

  “I think you should be the one to make the offering, Kells.” He brushed his hair away from his eyes. “You are the favored one of Durga, after all.”

  I grimaced. “Perhaps, but you forget that I’m a foreigner, and you are a prince of India. Surely, you know what you’re doing more than I do.”

  He shrugged. “I was never a Durga worshipper. I don’t really know the process.”

  “What did or do you worship?”

  “I participated in the rituals and holidays of my people, but my parents wanted Kishan and me to decide for ourselves what we believed. They had a great tolerance for different religious ideology because they were from two different cultures. What about you?”

  “I haven’t gone to church since my parents died.”

  He squeezed my hand and proposed, “Perhaps we both need to find a path to faith. I do believe there’s something more than just us, a good power in the universe that guides all things.”

  “How do you stay so optimistic when you’ve been stuck as a tiger for centuries?”

  He swiped a spot of dust from my nose with the tip of his finger. “My current level of optimism is a relatively new acquisition. Come on.”

  He smiled, kissed my forehead, and pulled me away from the column.

  We approached the statue, and Ren began dusting off the tiger. Cleaning the statue seemed like a good place to start. I unfolded the napkin Mr. Kadam had wrapped the fruit in and started to wipe years of dust off the statute. After we cleaned off all the dust and cobwebs from Durga and her tiger, including all eight of her arms, we dusted around the base and up the frame. At the base of the statue, Ren found a slightly hollowed-out rock that looked like a bowl. We decided that this may have been where people left their offerings.

  I set the apple and banana in the bowl and stood directly in front of the statue. Ren stood next to me and held my hand. I stammered, “I’m nervous. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Okay, I’ll start and then you add what feels natural.”

  He rang the small bell three times. Its tinkling sound echoed and bounced around the cavernous temple.

  In a loud, clear voice, he said, “Durga, we come to ask your blessing on our quest. Our faith is weak and simple. Our task is complex and mystifying. Please help us find understanding and strength.”

  He looked at me. I swallowed, tried to wet my dry lips, and added, “Please help these two princes of India. Restore to them what was taken. Help me be strong enough and wise enough to do what’s necessary. They both deserve a chance to have a life.”

  I gripped Ren’s hand firmly, and we waited.

  Another minute passed, and another. Still nothing happened. Ren hugged me briefly and whispered that he had to change back into a tiger again. I kissed his cheek, and he began to change. The minute he was a tiger again, the room began to vibrate, and the walls began to shake. A booming thunder sounded in the temple, followed by several bursts of white lightning.

  An earthquake! We’d both be buried alive!

  Rocks and stones began falling from overhead, and one of the great pillars cracked. I fell to the ground. Ren leapt over me and stood over my body, protecting me from falling debris.

  The quake gradually stopped, and the rumbling ceased. Ren moved away from me, as I staggered up slowly. I looked back at the statue in astonishment. A section of the stone wall had broken and slid to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

  On the wall where the rock had been was an imprint of a hand. I walked closer, and Ren growled softly. I traced the handprint with my finger and looked back at Ren. Mustering my courage, I lifted my hand and placed it in the print. I felt the stone grow hot like in the Cave of Kanheri. My skin glowed as if someone held a flashlight under my hand. Fascinated, I stared at the blue veins appearing as my skin became transparent.

  Phet’s henna design surfaced vividly again and blazed bright red. Crackling sparks leapt from my tingling fingers. I heard a tiger growl, but it wasn’t Ren. It was Damon, Durga’s tiger!

  The tiger’s eyes gleamed yellow. The stone changed from hard rock to living flesh and orange and black fur. It bared its teeth as it growled at Ren. Ren backed up a step and roared as his fur bristled around his neck. Suddenly, the tiger stopped, sat down, and turned its face up to its owner.

  I took my hand out of the print and began moving away. Slowly, I stepped backward until I was standing behind Ren. Chills shot down my spine, and I started quaking with fear. The rigid statue began breathing, and the pale oyster-colored stone melted away into flesh.

  The goddess Durga was a beautiful Indian woman, but with skin of gold. Dressed in a blue silk robe, she shifted, and I heard the whisper of material as it slid down a dainty limb. Jewels of every kind adorned each arm. They sparkled and glittered. Reflections in every color of the rainbow filled the temple and bounced from place to place as she moved. I sucked in a breath and held it as she blinked open her eyes and lowered her eight arms. Durga folded two pairs across her chest and tilted her head as she regarded us.

  Ren moved closer and brushed his side against me. It reassured me, and I was very grateful for his steady presence. I put my hand on his back and felt his muscles tense under my palm. He was ready to pounce, to attack, if it became necessary.

  The four of us considered each other silently for a time. Durga seemed to be particularly interested in my hand, which was currently stroking Ren’s back. Finally, she spoke.

  One of her golden limbs stretched out and gestured toward us. “Welcome to my temple, daughter.”

  I wanted to ask her why I was her favored one and why she called me daughter. I wasn’t even Indian. Phet had said the same thing, and the concept still baffled me, but I felt it was better to keep quiet.

  She pointed to the bowl at her feet and said, “Your offering has been accepted.”

  I looked down at the bowl. The food shimmered, sparkled, and then disappeared. Durga patted her tiger on the head for a while, seeming to forget we were there.

  I chose to say nothing and let her take her time.

  She looked at me and smiled. Her voice echoed like a tinkling bell through the cavern. “I see you have your own tiger to aid you in times of battle.”

  My voice sounded weak and frail compared to her rich, melodic tone. “Umm, yes. This is Ren, but he is more than just a tiger.”

  She smiled at me, and I found myself entranced by her splendor.

  “Yes. I know who he is and that you love him almos
t as much as I love my own Damon. Yes?”

  She tugged on her tiger’s ear affectionately while I mutely nodded in agreement.

  “You have come to seek my blessing, and my blessing I will give. Come closer to me and accept it.”

  Still frightened, I shuffled slightly closer. Ren maneuvered his body between the goddess and me and kept his attention trained on the tiger.

  Durga raised all eight arms and used them to beckon me closer still. I took a few more steps. Ren came nose to nose with Damon. They both sniffed loudly while wrinkling their faces to show their dislike of the position.

  The goddess ignored them, smiled warmly at me, and announced, “The prize you seek is hidden in Hanuman’s Kingdom. My sign will show you the gateway. Hanuman’s realm has many dangers. You and your tiger must stay together to make it safely through. If you separate, there is great danger for you.”

  Her arms began moving, and I took a small step back. She attached a conch shell to her belt and then began rotating the weapons in her hands. Passing them from limb to limb, she inspected each one carefully. When she came to the one she wanted, she stopped. She looked at the weapon lovingly and ran a free hand down the side of it.

  It was the gada. She held it out in front of her and indicated that I should take it. I reached out, wrapped my hand around the handle, and lifted it toward me. It looked to be made of gold, but, strangely, it wasn’t heavy. In fact, I could easily hold it in one hand.

  I ran a hand over the weapon. It was about the length of my arm. The handle was twisted and carved in a golden spiral. The hilt was a smooth, thin, gold bar two inches wide that ended with a heavy sphere about the size of a softball. Tiny crystal jewels dotted the entire surface of the orb. I was stunned to realize that they were probably diamonds.

  I thanked Durga as she smiled benevolently at me. She raised an arm and pointed at the pillar, then nodded, encouraging me.

  I pointed and asked, “You want me to go to the pillar?”

  She indicated the gada in my hand and then looked at the pillar again.

  I sucked in a breath. “Oh. You want me to test it out?”

  The goddess nodded once and began petting her tiger’s head.

  I turned toward the pillar and lifted the gada like a baseball bat. “Okay, but, just so you know, I’ve always been terrible at sports.”

  I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and swung weakly. I expected it to hit the stone, bounce off, and jar my arms painfully. I missed. Or, so I had thought.

  It all happened in slow motion. A thunderous boom shook the temple, and a chunk of stone shot across the temple like a missile. The piece hit with an echo and shattered, exploding into a million pieces. I watched as gritty dust rained down on the pile of rubble. The pillar was left with a huge gouge in its side.

  My mouth gaped open in amazement. I turned back to the goddess, who was smiling proudly at me.

  “I guess I’ll have to be really careful with this thing.”

  Durga nodded and explained, “Use the gada when necessary to protect yourself, but I expect it will mostly be wielded by the warrior at your side.”

  I briefly puzzled over how a tiger would use a gada, and then carefully set the weapon on the stone floor. When I looked up, Durga had extended another delicate arm adorned with a golden snake as alive as the goddess herself. The serpent’s tongue darted in and out, and it hissed slightly as it curled around her bicep.

  “This, however, is for you,” Durga announced, and I watched with horror as the golden snake slowly unwound itself from her arm and traveled down the dais. It stopped there and raised its head, bringing half its body up off the floor. It flicked its tongue, sensing the air around it. The eyes looked like tiny emeralds. As it fanned out the sides of its neck into the telltale hood, I trembled, realizing it was a cobra. The normal markings of the cobra were still there, but instead of brown and black scales, the markings of the hood were beige, amber, and cream swirled on a golden background. The skin of the belly was buttermilk white and its tongue was ivory.

  The snake wound its way closer to me. Ren backed up a few steps as it slithered between his paws.

  I was terrified. My mouth was dry. My throat closed, and I felt as if a stiff wind could easily blow me over. I looked up at the goddess. She had a serene smile plastered on her face as she watched her pet draw nearer to me.

  The snake approached my shoe, flicked its tongue again, and wound its head around my leg. It circled my calf and twisted its body around several times. I could feel its muscles clench my limb tightly as it undulated and slowly ascended. Around and around it went. My limbs were quaking, and I wavered like a flower in a hard rain. I heard myself whimper. Ren half-growled and half-whined, apparently not knowing what to do to help me. The snake reached the top of my thigh. My elbows were locked stiff, and my arms were quivering as I held them slightly out and away from my sides. The snake gripped my thigh with the lower half of its body and stretched its head toward my hand.

  I watched in rapt alarm as it reached my wrist and quickly shot over. Curling under my arm, it continued its slow progress and began climbing up that limb. The scales felt cool, smooth, and polished, like onyx disks slipping over my bare skin. The snake was gripping me in a powerful vise. As it squeezed my arm and moved up, my blood flow stopped, and then began pounding again, as if I’d wrapped a faulty tourniquet around the limb.

  When most of its body was bound around my upper arm the snake stretched its head up to my shoulder and brushed against my neck. Its tongue shot out and tasted the salty perspiration on my throat, causing my lower lip to quiver. Beads of sweat trickled down my face as I breathed heavily. I could feel its head pass my neck, brush against my chin, and then, there it was, open hooded and looking right in my face with its jeweled eyes. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, it descended to my arm again, wrapped itself around two more times, and then froze, its head facing Durga.

  I cautiously dropped my eyes to look at it and was awed to see that it had become jewelry. It looked like one of the snake armlets that ancient Egyptians wore. Its emerald eyes stared unblinkingly ahead.

  I tentatively reached my other arm over to touch it. I could still feel the smooth scales, but it felt metallic, definitely not living flesh. I shuddered and turned toward the goddess.

  Like the gada, the snake was relatively light. If I have to wear a golden snake on my arm, at least it didn’t weigh me down, I thought. Now that I was brave enough to look more closely, I could see that the snake had shrunk. The large serpent had diminished in size to become a small wraparound piece of jewelry.

  The goddess spoke, “She is called Fanindra, the Queen of the Serpents. She is a guide and will help you to find what you seek. She can conduct you on safe paths and will light your way through darkness. Do not be afraid of her, for she wishes you no harm.”

  The goddess reached out to stroke the snake’s immobile head and counseled, “She is sensitive to the emotions of others and longs to be loved for who she is. She has a purpose, as do all of her children, and we must learn to accept that all creatures, however fearsome they may be, are of divine origin.”

  I bowed my head and said, “I will try to overcome my fear and give her the respect she deserves.”

  The goddess smiled and said, “That is all I ask.”

  As Durga gathered her arms and began to return them to their original positions, she gazed down at Ren and me. “Now, may I give you some advice before you leave?”

  I demurred, “Of course, Goddess.”

  “Remember to stay by each other. If you get separated, do not trust your eyes. Use your hearts. They will tell you what is real and what is not. When you obtain the fruit, hide it well, for there are others who would take it and use it for evil and selfish purposes.”

  “But aren’t we supposed to bring the fruit back to you as an offering?”

  The hand stroking the tiger froze on his fur, and the flesh dulled until it became rough and gray. “You have made your
offering. The fruit has another purpose, which you will understand in due time.”

  “What about the other gifts, the other offerings?” I was desperate to learn more, and it was obvious my time was running out.

  “You may present the other offerings to me at my other temples, but the gifts you must keep until—”

  Her red lips seized in midsentence, and her eyes dimmed and became sightless orbs once more. She, and her golden jewels and bright clothing, faded to become a rough sculpture once again.

  I reached out and touched Damon’s head, and then I dusted my hands on my jeans after grazing over a gritty ear. Ren brushed up next to me, and I trailed my fingers over his furry back, deep in thought. The sound of pebbles falling brought me out of my reverie.

  I hugged Ren around his thick neck, carefully picked up the gada, and walked with Ren to the entryway of the temple. He stood there for a minute while I grabbed a tree branch and dusted away all of his paw prints.

  As we walked down the dirt path back to the Jeep, I was surprised to see the sun had traveled a long way across the sky.

  We’d been in the temple a while, much longer than I’d thought. Mr. Kadam was parked in the shade with the windows down, napping. He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes as we approached.

  I asked, “Did you feel the earthquake?”

  “An earthquake? No. It’s been as quiet as a church out here.”

  He chuckled at his own joke. “What happened in there?”

  Mr. Kadam looked from my face down to my new gifts and gasped in surprise. “Miss Kelsey! May I?”

  I passed the gada to him. He tentatively reached out both of his hands and took it from me. He seemed to struggle a bit with its weight, which made me wonder if he was weaker than he looked in his old age. Pure delight and scholarly interest reflected on his face. “It’s beautiful!” he exclaimed.

  I nodded. “You should see it in action.” I lay my hand on his arm. “You were right, Mr. Kadam. I would say that we definitely received Durga’s blessing.” I pointed to the snake wrapped around my arm. “Say hello to Fanindra.”