Saturday, 28 May 2016

Alistonia

The damp terrace felt extremely good on our sunburnt tan backs.
My new found best friend raised herself up on her elbows and inquired the time.
1:42 am. Flaunted my digital watch.
We were supposed to be sleeping in our dorm rooms an hour back.
But when the forty degree atmosphere was rapidly drenched by rains and petrichor made itself known, who would sleep, inspite the time being this late.
We didn’t. Studies had taken a toll on our sanity and we planned to enjoy this “moon-bathing” quite well.
“Do you smell that?”, she asked. Noora was her name.
“What?”
She inhaled deep. Smiled. Waited.
I sniffed the air like a dog.
“Inhale, lady. Deep.”
So I did.
Some tree had blossomed in the middle of the night. And the fragrance was divine.
“Jasmine?”, she asked.
“Alla, Palapoo”, I replied in my mother tongue. Blank stare.
“Alistonia Scholaris. In Malayalam, it’s called 'Ezhilam Pala'. English, Indian Devil Tree. It’s fragrance is known for spooking the heck out of people.”, I explained.
“And why is that?”
“It ruled our 'Yakshi' stories. My mother used to scare me up pretty good when I was a kid. About how the fragrance lured lost men into the hands of extremely good looking female ghosts.” I said grinning.
She sat up straight. To add effects to my convincing story, nature sent a slow spine-chilling wind.
“They were vampires too.” I said, noticing how the goosebumps stood on her hand.
“I officially hate you now.” She said. And I laughed.
I laughed till suddenly I realized an eerie silence had engulfed the place.
She noticed my expression. Panicked.
And then the crickets started chirping again.
Both Noora and I sighed in relief.
“It’s funny how sometimes the crickets sound like 'chelanga'.” I continued, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
“Chela-what?”
“Anklets, in your language.”
“Maybe we should go sleep.”, she said rising.
I stretched and noticed that the sounds of my assumed 'chelanga' increased and then stopped suddenly.
Noora’s eyes drifted to my face. I stretched again suppressing a smile. I looked up at the stars and started counting them so as to not buckle in laughter.
Trouble started when she called my name in a trembling voice.
I turned to look and followed her shaking fingers pointing to something in the distance.
There, next to the Devil Tree, stood a figure draped in flowy white, hair so lusciously curly like serpent coils, staring at me.
I froze as fear crawled menacingly up my feet.
“Run Noora.”
I turned around to look for her. She stood at the end of the terrace. Draped in flowy white, hair so lusciously curly like serpent coils, staring at me.
It was she who smiled now.
.
-The Violet Woman
Lilliput #2
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