by A. Mani
Sag froze and looked back
“who is there?” he shouted.
“You don’t recognize my voice?” she asked as she came out of the shadows. It was Emerdi. She came back home for a short vacation.
“My love…” Sag whispered “I have missed you so much”.
“It does not look that way” Emerdi said. She heard Sag’s words to me and got really mad.
“I thought that was our plan?’ Sag asked.
“I thought you were going to trust me and wait for me to find a better solution.” she answered with a bitter voice.
“did you?” he asked while his eyes walked through Emerdi’s curved body.
Emerdi did not answer. she just looked into his eyes and smiled. Sag smiled back. They both knew it. They had the perfect solution.
The sun came half way down and Shadea and I started walking towards the lake. As we were walking, the trees were moving in an edgy way, like they were trying to warn me. Shadea kept growling at me, I thought she was trying to warn me about an upcoming storm.
“It is all good Shadea, we’ll just meet with Sag and then go straight home, I promise” I was trying to calm her down but she did not stop growling until she finally roared. It was the first time I ever heard my cat roaring. My sweet Shadea, if only I have listened to you.
“Hello, little diamond” I looked up and saw my big sister standing by the lake with Sag.
‘I told you, I have prepared something for you. Surprise!!!” Sag pointed at my sister.
“I did not know you were back” I said to her, still preoccupied with Shadea’s behavior.
“just for a few days. a little break from Eygra- Rama. Little sister, we are going to have so much fun. haven’t you missed me?” she asked with a smile.
“I have missed you Emerdi” and I was not lying. Although she was not nice to me and she took away all Sag’s attention, I was really happy to have my big sister back home.
Emerdi put her arm around me and we started walking by the lake. Sag took Shadea with him, since she was restless. I thought it would be fine- Sag was practically family, Emerdi was my sister- nothing could go wrong.
It was a long walk till we got to kingdom square. This was the place where all citizens were gathered together on their free time. The square was filled that afternoon. Almost everybody was there. We could barely move. Emerdi said, I should go up on the little stage, that was placed in the center.
“Everyone is here” she said “go on, show them your dance.. I promise, I will not tell mother.” she whispered to me and smiled.
“My cat is not here” I said to her “I can not dance without Shadea” I giggled.
“You can do it” she said and pushed me to the stage, making everyone around us applause.
As I was walking up the stage, I noticed a dark shadow passing me by. I looked back and saw, the shadow was getting bigger and bigger and had covered the entire sky of Anomaly.
Suddenly, I heard a shout:
“That was her! I saw her! She stole it! she stole the sun!”
I was almost sure that was my sister’s voice screaming but I could not see clear, due to the darkness. After that single scream, turmoil began by the crowd. I felt some people holding me tightly and carrying me somewhere. I thought these were my father’s people, trying to get me home safely. But I was wrong. Very wrong.
Next thing I remember, was a strong bump in the back of my head and darkness. Total darkness.
My eyes were wide open but I could not see. I was laying with my face down the cold, wet ground, trying to understand where I was. I was not at home. I looked around, it seemed like, I was inside of a long tunnel with endless walls surrounding it. I looked up, I saw a thin ray of light, all across the endless tunnel.
‘Could it be? Was I inside of Didam Valley?’
I touched the back of my head, not only was it hurting, I felt a burned mark on the back of my neck. I started screaming for help. I knew nobody could hear me. I knew all about Didam valley. I knew, Once you get in, you can never get out. I knew that this was the end. So I cried. I cried for my losses: I cried for my father, my mother, my sister… I cried for my life, as I knew them. I cried for sunny days that would never come. but most of all, I cried for my cat, Shadea.
I was celebrating 9 springs in the knowing, I would never know again. I would never know what had happened on that day, at kingdom square. I would never know What had led to the events that happened later and brought me to where I was.
I decided to search the valley and see what I could find. I noticed, as I went dipper and dipper, the walls of the pit were not blank anymore. They had marks on them. Black and red marks. I wondered what these marks were. I knew they were symbols. But symbols of what? maybe they were traces, someone had left there. Someone like me. We were not allowed to leave any kind of marks in the civilized world. My father explained to me, traces could lead future generations to false stories. Stories we did not wish them to know. And where there were no traces, there were no stories. Where there were no stories, there were no life. On that moment, I wished I had left traces in my kingdom. I wish someone would had known, I existed.
I decided it was not too late to start at that time, and I started making marks on the walls my self. every time I saw the ray of light coming up the top of the pit, I made a thin mark with my fingers on the sandy walls. A thin line, as a symbol to the thin sunbeam, I was so eager to feel on my face again. First I had one mark, then I had two, two became four and then, I just stopped counting.
As the thin ray of light disappeared, I knew it was night. That was my sign to go look for a shelter. At night time, bats were flying all over the valley and I did not wish to come in their way. Also, I could hear roaring from the north side of the valley. Probably cats from the wild zone, looking for a place to mate. I did not want to come any closer to them, since I had remembered my meeting with the wild boy and the bruises he had on his body. I had survived with the help of rain’s water and sweet fruits, that grew inside the valley. I spent my mornings exploring my surrounding and my nights hiding myself from it.
At one of my rounds in the valley, I discovered snakes. That was the first time I was introduced to this animal. I knew, from my father’s stories, some could be deadly, and some could be harmless. He did not tell me how to know the deference between them. I had stayed away but could not resist staring at them for hours. Their serpentine motion reminded me of my sister’s forbidden dance. Their movement on the ground was so smooth, you could not feel their presence. My father told me snakes were deaf, so I thought that was only fair, We could not feel them while they could not hear us.
Days and nights went by and one morning, I felt something wet on my face. I opened my eyes and saw a little black, dark cub licking my face. I got up and saw another one standing at my feet. I was happy to find these new friends although I knew, with every cub, came a mother and since this was a cub from the wild zone, I should be careful. Only I could not resist the warmth I got from these two cubs. I was lonely for so long and suddenly I had company, and the sweetest company, I could had ever asked. I missed my connection with cats. And these two made me feel like I was home again.
days became more and more bearable since the cubs arrival. I had a good reason to open my eyes on every ray of light. These cubs were lonely, there was no sign of mother cat during the day, so I took care of them. I even named them: one I named Sapron and the other Narnegi. Those were the names of my father’s big tigers. Sapron and Narnegi were my best friends after Shadea, whom I missed very much and naming the wild cubs after them, just made me feel closer to them. I was determined to take care of these cubs as they were my own civilized cats. I was going to train them, teach them everything I knew in hope, I would leave my traces and one day, someone would learn about me.
I noticed from the beginning, these cats were different from the civilized cats. They were faster, they could climb a vertical wall as almost as they were flying. Every day they grew a lit
tle bit more and I have noticed, they became stronger and faster and could climb higher on the valley’s walls. At nights the cubs were with their mother and I went back to my shelter. Away from bats, deadly snakes and wild cats. Every morning, I felt my cats and I were taking two steps back. I was trying to train them by mornings, yet mother cat encouraged their wildness at nights. Cats were night’s animals. If only I could be one.
I kept marking the walls every ray of light, yet my cats became my indication of time. every time I felt, they were keeping away from me, I knew they were growing bigger and were spending more time with their wild family. I could not blame them, why would you want to stay between walls if you could fly out? I was teaching them the catwalk and got caught in my sweet Shadea’s memories. I missed my cat.
My new cats were not the only ones who grew and developed. I was growing too. I was no longer a child. My body had changed and started to look more and more like my sister’s. Although Sapron and Narnegi were old enough to get out of the pit, they did not forget me and used to visit me every ray of light. Since they were already big wild cats, I stayed away, Watching them from a distance. Avoiding their expression of affection. Avoiding their cuts and bruises. Avoiding pain. Avoiding love. Avoiding life.
“What will it take?”
I heard an old voice talking to me. At first, I thought I was imagining. A human voice? Here, at Didam Valley? I thought I was the only human here. I looked around, trying to find somebody. I saw nothing and put my head back on the cold ground.
“Try again” the old voice said and made me jump on my feet.
“Who is there?” I asked in a trembling voice.
“Hello my sweet child”. I looked down and there she was, right in front of me, Sia the witch. My heart was beating so fast, I could not believe my eyes.
“Am I dreaming?” I quietly mumbled.
“No dear. You are not.” she said in her old, weak voice.
At first I was excited to see her. Another living creature in this pit together with me. I was not alone. But then, I remembered that was Sia, Sia the witch.
“did you put me here?” I asked angrily. “Are you the reason I am here?”.
“You tell me” she said without moving.
What did she mean? I was there for so long. Maybe years. How was I the one to tell her what had happened?
“Sia, you have to help me, I do not belong here! how did I get here? Is there a way out?” I tried to reason with her.
“Where there is a way in, There is always a way out, my child” she said with a smile.
“Then what are we waiting for?” I asked “show me the way”. I started walking towards her, when she suddenly raised her hand up, causing me to pause at my place.
“You are not ready, my child”. she said.
Since I had no words in my mouth for a moment or two, Sia kept talking:
“I could show you the way out, my child. But then what? Where would you go? What would you do? Do you even know why you are here?”
“No” I cried “I do not know why I am here. I do not even remember how I got here. All I have is this weird burn in the back of my neck, as a painful reminder to that night that separated me from the life, I once had and knew so well.”
“knew so well…” she laughed “that is an interesting way to describe your life”.
“Why is that important?” I asked “how would the knowing would advance me anyway?”
“The knowing can help you by preventing you from falling again to the same places. The knowing gives you the advantage over others. The knowing would prevent you from doing the same mistakes.” Sia answered.
“Fine!” I said angrily “then tell me what happened!”
“I will tell you my child. In time”
“Time?” I cried “I have been here for years! Years! You can check all the marks I made on the walls. I have stopped counting them but you are welcomed to do so, if you do not believe me”.
“Oh, you made marks?” she asked “That is an improvement…” she said to herself.
“I will tell you everything but first, let me see this burn you said you have on your neck.”
I let her take a look. She was quiet for a moment and then said:
“Come with me!”
Sia and I went dipper into Didam valley, these were parts I had not seen before. The walls had special dark marks, not like the marks I had made nor the marks I had seen before.
“Who made these symbols?’ I asked her. Sia did not answer, just kept on going further and further into the valley.
“See this?” she pointed a round dark symbol with a serpentine line in the middle.
“What is it?” I asked
“The round mark is the symbol of the sun” she said “The line in the middle is the symbol of a stealer”.
“A stealer?” I asked.
“That is the mark you have on the back of your neck” she said “The mark of a stealer. The sun stealer!”
I was trying to understand, what Sia had told me. I kept touching my burn on my neck, tried to feel it’s figure. Was it true? Was that the same mark? Finally, I asked:
“What is the sun stealer? Why do I have that sign on my neck? And how can anybody steal the sun?” I almost laughed at her face.
“You are asking all the right questions, my child. And I am here to give you the answers.” she said and sat down on the ground, next to the marked wall. I sat down in front of her, waiting for her words to come out of her mouth. This was all I could see out of her black gown and this was all I needed at that time.
“The story of the sun stealer is a forbidden story in the civilized zone” she said “That is why you have never heard about it before, it is a wild zone’s story, the one we pass on to future generations.”
“Why is it forbidden?” I asked.
“When you can not handle something, you prefer to avoid it. You would do anything in you power to cover it until it is gone.” she said sadly and I could feel the pain in her voice.
“The Sun Stealer was a leader with special powers. The story claims The Sun Stealer had the ability to communicate with all cats, civilized and wild ones. Therefore she was able to conquer Anomaly and dominate both zones.”
“She?” I asked
“She was a young woman, just like you. Nobody knew who she really was. who were her parents? Were they civilized? Were they wild? But she did not care. Nothing could stop the sun stealer.”
“Stop her from what?” I asked.
“From doing what she wanted to do. The way she wanted to do it!” she answered with pride.
“When people of Anomaly understood her powers, they united against her, caught her and threw her to this pit. They claimed, her powers were so strong, she could steal the sun and leave Anomaly in the darkness. That is why they chose Didam Valley, because it was law enough to keep her away from the sun. the legend clamed this mark was made by the sun stealer herself.”
“Sia, did you know her?” I asked.
Sia smiled to herself and whispered:
“No… but I am about to.” she lifted her head as if she was looking at me. I still could not see her eyes.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Sia hesitated for a moment and then said:
“This mark, the sun stealer mark is 500 years old”.
“Oh” I laughed “so there is no way you could have known her”.
“No. not in the past anyway.” Sia said. “Not in the past?” I asked her with confusion.
“What if the sun stealer is not a story that happened in the past?” Sia asked me, as if I knew the answer. “What if the sun stealer is a hidden code? a sign for the future?”
“What are you talking about? A sign for the future?” I looked at the marked wall, trying to understand where she was coming from.
“You carry the mark of the sun stealer, my child. It is time for you to accept it. You are the Sun Stealer!” she said with a loud voice.
I was trying to make
sense out of Sia’s words, when suddenly a short memory came to my mind. The words that Sia said to me sounded familiar, like I heard them before.
“I heard that… where have I heard that?” I asked my self.
“kingdom square. Years ago” Sia answered.
“You remember now?” she asked me “That day in kingdom square, the sky became dark and someone had shouted ‘…it was her, she stole the sun…’ they were talking about you, my child. You were accused of stealing the sun. You were accused of bringing the darkness. You were accused by your own people. By your own family. They are the reason to your misery. This is why you ended up in Didam Valley!”
“No! No!” I cried “This is a lie!”
“Is it?” she asked me.
“Why would any of my people, my family, whom I adore and love would do that to me?”
“Simple, my child” Sia answered “Greediness. That is the answer you were looking for. One simple word. So many complicated consequence.”
“Greediness?” I asked.
“Your father decided to pass Ko-Ey-Nor’s kingdom to you. Your sister, Emerdi, learned about it and together with Sag, they decided to get rid of you and get a hold of the crown.”
“My sister? My own blood?” I cried.
“I know you do not wish to believe it, but that was your sister shouting on kingdom square, that was her voice”. she said.
I fell on the cold ground, drowning my self in my own tears. The truth was too painful for me to handle. I just cried and cried on Didam valley’s ground. In the background, I could hear Sia saying to me:
“First comes lose, then comes sorrow. I will let you grieve, my child. Come to me, when you are ready.”
“How can you steal something, that belongs to nobody?” I whispered with my last strength.
“You can not.” she said “There is no such option and there is no sense in it. Sometimes all you need is a belief. It was their belief that imprison you in Didam Valley. It would be your belief, that would release you.” Sia continued “believing in their lie would be believing in yourself. You will convert their lie to the truth and that truth would set you free”.