Page 48 of Tiger's Curse
“Yes. This is fascinating! I’ve already translated the writing on the paper rubbing that you did, and I am now working on the pictures you took of the monolith.” He handed me his notes.
“Wow, you’ve been very busy!” I commented admiringly. “What do you think ‘four gifts’ and ‘five sacrifices’ means?”
“I am not completely sure,” Mr. Kadam replied. “But, I think it might mean that your quest isn’t over just yet. There may be more tasks that you and Ren need to complete before the spell can be broken. For example, I have finished translating one side of the monolith, and it indicates that you need to go somewhere else to obtain an object, a gift, that you’ll give to Durga. You will need to find four gifts. My guess is that there’s a different gift mentioned on each wall. I’m afraid you’re only at the first step of this journey.”
“Okay, so what does the first wall say?”
Mr. Kadam pushed a piece of paper toward me.
For protection, seek her temple
And take hold of Durga’s blessing.
Travel west and search Kishkindha
Where simians rule the ground.
Gada strike in Hanuman’s realm;
And hunt the branch that’s bound.
Thorny dangers grasp above;
Dazzling dangers lie below,
Strangle, ensnare, the ones you love—
And trap in brackish undertow.
Lurid phantoms thwart your route
And guardians wait to bar your way.
Beware once they begin pursuit
Or embrace their moldering decay.
But all of this you can refute
If serpents find forbidden fruit
And India’s hunger satisfy . . .
Lest all her people surely die.
“Mr. Kadam, what’s Hanuman’s realm?”
“I’ve been researching that,” he replied. “Hanuman is the monkey god. His realm is said to be Kishkindha, or the Monkey Kingdom. There is great debate as to where Kishkindha was located, but the current thought is that the ruins of Hampi are most likely to be on, or near, ancient Kishkindha.”
From the stack on the table, I pulled out a book that had detailed maps, found Hampi in the index, and thumbed through the pages. It was located in the bottom half of India in the southwestern region.
“Does that mean we have to go to Kishkindha, deal with a monkey god, and find a branch of some sort?”
Mr. Kadam answered, “I believe what you will be seeking is actually the forbidden fruit.”
“As in Adam and Eve? Is that the forbidden fruit you’re talking about?”
Mr. Kadam considered, “I don’t think so. Fruit is a common enough mythological prize, symbolic of life. People need to eat, and we depend upon the fruits of the ground for sustenance. Often, different cultures of the earth celebrate fruit or the harvest in a variety of ways.”
