Page 82 of Tiger's Curse
The snake wound its way closer to me. Ren backed up a few steps as it slithered between his paws.
I was terrified. My mouth was dry. My throat closed, and I felt as if a stiff wind could easily blow me over. I looked up at the goddess. She had a serene smile plastered on her face as she watched her pet draw nearer to me.
The snake approached my shoe, flicked its tongue again, and wound its head around my leg. It circled my calf and twisted its body around several times. I could feel its muscles clench my limb tightly as it undulated and slowly ascended. Around and around it went. My limbs were quaking, and I wavered like a flower in a hard rain. I heard myself whimper. Ren half-growled and half-whined, apparently not knowing what to do to help me. The snake reached the top of my thigh. My elbows were locked stiff, and my arms were quivering as I held them slightly out and away from my sides. The snake gripped my thigh with the lower half of its body and stretched its head toward my hand.
I watched in rapt alarm as it reached my wrist and quickly shot over. Curling under my arm, it continued its slow progress and began climbing up that limb. The scales felt cool, smooth, and polished, like onyx disks slipping over my bare skin. The snake was gripping me in a powerful vise. As it squeezed my arm and moved up, my blood flow stopped, and then began pounding again, as if I’d wrapped a faulty tourniquet around the limb.
When most of its body was bound around my upper arm the snake stretched its head up to my shoulder and brushed against my neck. Its tongue shot out and tasted the salty perspiration on my throat, causing my lower lip to quiver. Beads of sweat trickled down my face as I breathed heavily. I could feel its head pass my neck, brush against my chin, and then, there it was, open hooded and looking right in my face with its jeweled eyes. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, it descended to my arm again, wrapped itself around two more times, and then froze, its head facing Durga.
I cautiously dropped my eyes to look at it and was awed to see that it had become jewelry. It looked like one of the snake armlets that ancient Egyptians wore. Its emerald eyes stared unblinkingly ahead.
I tentatively reached my other arm over to touch it. I could still feel the smooth scales, but it felt metallic, definitely not living flesh. I shuddered and turned toward the goddess.
Like thegada, the snake was relatively light.If I have to wear a golden snake on my arm, at least it didn’t weigh me down, I thought. Now that I was brave enough to look more closely, I could see that the snake had shrunk. The large serpent had diminished in size to become a small wraparound piece of jewelry.
The goddess spoke, “She is called Fanindra, the Queen of the Serpents. She is a guide and will help you to find what you seek. She can conduct you on safe paths and will light your way through darkness. Do not be afraid of her, for she wishes you no harm.”
The goddess reached out to stroke the snake’s immobile head and counseled, “She is sensitive to the emotions of others and longs to be loved for who she is. She has a purpose, as do all of her children, and we must learn to accept that all creatures, however fearsome they may be, are of divine origin.”
I bowed my head and said, “I will try to overcome my fear and give her the respect she deserves.”
The goddess smiled and said, “That is all I ask.”
As Durga gathered her arms and began to return them to their original positions, she gazed down at Ren and me. “Now, may I give you some advice before you leave?”
I demurred, “Of course, Goddess.”
“Remember to stay by each other. If you get separated, do not trust your eyes. Use your hearts. They will tell you what is real and what is not. When you obtain the fruit, hide it well, for there are others who would take it and use it for evil and selfish purposes.”
“But aren’t we supposed to bring the fruit back to you as an offering?”
The hand stroking the tiger froze on his fur, and the flesh dulled until it became rough and gray. “You have made your offering. The fruit has another purpose, which you will understand in due time.”
“What about the other gifts, the other offerings?” I was desperate to learn more, and it was obvious my time was running out.
“You may present the other offerings to me at my other temples, but the gifts you must keep until—”
Her red lips seized in midsentence, and her eyes dimmed and became sightless orbs once more. She, and her golden jewels and bright clothing, faded to become a rough sculpture once again.
I reached out and touched Damon’s head, and then I dusted my hands on my jeans after grazing over a gritty ear. Ren brushed up next to me, and I trailed my fingers over his furry back, deep in thought. The sound of pebbles falling brought me out of my reverie.
I hugged Ren around his thick neck, carefully picked up thegada, and walked with Ren to the entryway of the temple. He stood there for a minute while I grabbed a tree branch and dusted away all of his paw prints.
As we walked down the dirt path back to the Jeep, I was surprised to see the sun had traveled a long way across the sky.
We’d been in the temple a while, much longer than I’d thought. Mr. Kadam was parked in the shade with the windows down, napping. He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes as we approached.
I asked, “Did you feel the earthquake?”
“An earthquake? No. It’s been as quiet as a church out here.”
He chuckled at his own joke. “What happened in there?”
Mr. Kadam looked from my face down to my new gifts and gasped in surprise. “Miss Kelsey! May I?”
I passed thegadato him. He tentatively reached out both of his hands and took it from me. He seemed to struggle a bit with its weight, which made me wonder if he was weaker than he looked in his old age. Pure delight and scholarly interest reflected on his face. “It’s beautiful!” he exclaimed.
I nodded. “You should see it in action.” I lay my hand on his arm. “You were right, Mr. Kadam. I would say that we definitely received Durga’s blessing.” I pointed to the snake wrapped around my arm. “Say hello to Fanindra.”
