Page 69 of Tiger's Curse
I glanced at Kishan, confused. He was smiling smugly at Ren. When I turned back to Ren again, his anger was white hot, and he glared at me with hatred and fiery contempt.
I struggled to free my hand from Kishan’s grasp, but he wouldn’t let me go. Before I could free myself, Ren changed into a tiger and ran into the jungle. I screamed after him, but he couldn’t hear me. Hewouldn’thear me.
Wind whipped the cream-colored drapes, and storm clouds rushed in, pushed along by the brisk wind. The clouds blanketed the trees and darkened the sky. Lightning struck in several places. I heard a mighty roar echo across the landscape. It was the impetus I needed. I wrenched my hand out of Kishan’s and ran into the squall.
Rain began to beat the ground, slowing my progress as I searched for Ren. My beautiful golden sandals were stripped away, stuck in the thick mud created by the downpour. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I pushed my dripping hair out of my eyes and shouted, “Ren! Ren! Where are you?”
A thunderbolt struck a nearby tree with a mighty boom. Fragments of bark shot out in every direction as the tree cracked, and the trunk twisted and splintered. It crashed down and pinned me to the ground with its branches.
“Ren!”
Muddy rainwater pooled under me. I carefully squirmed and twisted my bruised, aching body until I could slither out from under the tree. The golden dress was ripped and torn, and my skin was covered with bloody scratches.
I yelled again, “Ren! Please come back! I need you!”
I was cold and shaking, but I continued running through the jungle, tripping over roots and shoving aside gray, prickly undergrowth. Searching and yelling while running, I wove between trees looking for him. I forlornly begged, “Ren, please don’t leave me!”
Finally, I spotted a white form loping through the trees and doubled my efforts to catch up to him. My dress caught on a thorny bush, but I fiercely dug my way through it, determined to reach him. I followed the path of lightning strikes in the jungle nearby.
I wasn’t afraid of the lightning, though it hit close enough that I could smell burned wood. The lightning guided me to Ren. I found him lying on the ground. Large burn marks scorched his white fur where lightning bolts had repeatedly struck him. Somehow, I knew I had done it. I was the one responsible for his pain.
I stroked his head and the soft, silky fur of his neck and cried, “Ren, I didn’t want this. How could this happen?”
He changed to a man and whispered, “You lost faith in me, Kelsey.”
I shook my head in denial. Tears streaked down my cheeks. “No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t!”
He couldn’t look me in the eyes. “Iadala, you left me.”
I threw my arms around him desperately. “No, Ren! I’ll never leave you.”
“But you did. You walked away. Was it too much to ask you to wait for me? To believe in me?”
I sobbed forlornly. “But, I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”
“It’s too late now,priyatama. This time, I’m leaving you.” He closed his eyes and died.
I shook his limp body. “No. No! Ren come back. Please come back!”
Tears mixed with rain and blurred my vision. I angrily brushed them from my eyes, and when I opened them again, I saw not just him but also my parents, my grandmother, and Mr. Kadam. They were all lying on the ground dead. I was alone and surrounded by death.
I cried and shouted over and over, “No! It can’t be! Itcan’tbe!”
A black anguish seeped through my body. Thick and viscous, it oozed through my core and dribbled down my limbs. I felt so heavy, so full of despair, and so alone. I held onto Ren and rocked his body back and forth, unconsciously trying to comfort myself. But I found no relief.
Then, I wasn’t alone anymore. I realized that it wasn’t me rocking Ren, but someone else was rocking me, and holding me tightly. I became alert enough to know that I had been dreaming but the pain of the dream still engulfed me.
My face was wet with real tears and the storm had been real. Wind surged through the trees outside pushing a hard rain to beat against the canvas. A lightning bolt struck a nearby tree and briefly lit up my small tent. In the flash, I made out dark wet hair, golden skin, and a white shirt.
“Ren?”
I felt his thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Shh, Kelsey. I’m here. I’m not leaving you,priya. Mein yaha hoon.”
With great relief and a hiccupping sob, I reached up to wrap my arms around Ren’s neck. He slid his body farther into the little tent to get out of the rain, pulled me onto his lap, and tightened his arms around me. He stroked my hair and whispered, “Hush now.Mein aapka raksha karunga. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you,priyatama.”
He continued to soothe me with words from his native language until I felt the dream fade. After a few minutes, I was recovered enough to pull away, but I made a conscious choice to stay right where I was. I liked the feel of his arms around me.
The dream made me realize how alone I really felt. Since my parents had died, no one had held me like this. Of course, I hugged my foster parents and their kids, but no one had managed to break through my defenses—nor had I let anyone pull this depth of emotion from me in a long while.
