Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Oblations


The Dragon spat mantra after insulted mantra. The fire glowered. One of the pale white beings with bloodshot eyes prodded the Child awake. The Child looked terrified at the Dragon, his eyes pleading forgiveness. Did all dragons braid their mane? Haw! He just thought all paap! Will God punish him?
He reluctantly fed the rice to the fire; then the fruits, the ghee, the milk...oh! How his stomach growled deeply! Was that growl like the lion's in National Park? More ghee into the fire! The fire crackled, content. White Mummy with red eyes stroked the Child's head.
"Mummy, just one banana? Please, no? I am hungry!!!" "Shh! God will get angry. I have made puri-sheera and chana for later." Puri and sheera? GROWL! No! No! God will get angry.
The fire burped. Sparks arose and thick black smoke meandered through the house. The Child choked. His eyes started streaming. He began to get up. White Pappa widens his red eyes angrily and holds the Child down. It is holy smoke.It is supposed to enter you and purify your soul. It is good that you are coughing and your eyes are watering. Your paap is being cleaned. Paap? Like lying to your Mummy Pappa, not obeying them, 'back-answering' them, all the things that make you a bad boy.
Cough cough..have I already..cough cough...done a lot of paap? "Not praying to God or thinking about other things while praying or doing puja.." the Dragon was saying. "Is also paap!" White Mummy says getting up. "Then God won't make everything happen all nice-nice for you." She says entering the room with a plate of puri-sheera and chana.
GROWL! GROWL! GROWL!
"Isn't it Panditji?" Ghost Mummy asks. The Dragon smiles and takes the plate from her. They all nod their head as if they secretly know some joke about the Child. The Child rubs his tearing eyes and watches all of them. Then he watches the plate going on the other side of the fire. The fire roars in evil amusement. Cough cough! Eyes still didn't stop burning. Stomach just growled again. Yawn! Oops! Will God get angry now? But..cough cough.. I am sleepy!!! Haw! I am a bad boy! Now God won't make everything happen all nice-nice for me? Cough cough cough cough!
Water is sprinkled on the child and his thoughts have gone poof! He sees the sacred Dragon taking a big bite of the puri and sheera. His eyes are welling up. Not because of the holy smoke this time, is it? Om Shanti Shanti Shanti!