He: (Shey) (Modern Classics (Penguin)) (13 page)

‘All that doesn’t make it any different from lots of other countries. Did you happen to see anything in the nature of a demon? With spikes, and a tongue hanging out?’

‘Yes, yes, he stuck out his tongue at me and disappeared.’

‘He does seem to slip through one’s fingers. Otherwise, I’d have seized him by the hair-tuft by now. Anyway, he must have borne you off in something. Was it in a chariot?’

‘No.’

‘On horseback?’

‘No.’

‘On an elephant?’

You blurted out, ‘On a rabbit!’ Thoughts of this animal had been springing to your mind every now and then of late: your father had given you a pair on your birthday.

I said, ‘Well, now we know who the villain is.’

With a mischievous smile, you said, ‘Tell me who it is.’

‘This, without doubt, is the doing of old Uncle Moon.’

‘How did you know?’

‘Keeping rabbits is an old habit with him too.’
⁶⁵

‘Where did he get them?’

‘Your father didn’t give them to him.’

‘Then who did?’

‘He slipped into Lord Brahma’s zoo
⁶⁶
and stole them.’

‘Shame on him!’

‘Shame on him, no question. That’s why Lord Brahma stained his body with black, as a punishment.’

‘Serve him right.’

‘But he doesn’t seem to have learnt his lesson. He’s gone back to his thieving ways, and actually stolen
you
this time! He probably wants you to feed his rabbits cauliflower leaves with your little hands.’

You were pleased to hear this. To test my cunning, you said, ‘Very well, let’s see if you know
how
the rabbit carried me off on his back.’

'You must have been asleep.'

'Do people become lighter when they sleep?'

'Of course. Haven't you ever flown in your sleep?'

'Yes, I've flown all right.'

'Then where's the problem? Why, it's easy for a rabbit. A
mere bullfrog could hoist you on his back and take you leaping
all over the field.'

‘A frog! Ugh, just to hear you say it makes me feel queer!’

‘Don’t worry. In the land of the moon, the frogs never get up to mischief. Let me ask you a question. Didn’t you meet the Byangama
⁶⁷
bird on the way?’

‘We certainly did!’

‘How was that?’

‘He swooped down from the top of the casuarina tree and stood straight up on his two feet. “Who dares carry off our Pupudidi?” he demanded. No sooner had the rabbit heard him than he was off at top speed. He ran so fast that the Byangama bird couldn’t catch him. What happened after that?’

‘After what?’

‘After the rabbit carried me off. Tell me what happened next.’

‘How can I?
You’re
the one who should tell
me.
’

‘Now that’s a fine thing to say! Wasn’t I asleep? How should I know?’

‘That’s where the trouble lies, you see. I don’t know where he’s taken you. And if I don’t know the address, which way am I to lead the rescue? All right, let me ask you something. As he bore you down the road, did you happen to hear any bells?’

‘Yes, yes, they went ding-dong, ding-dong.’

‘Then the road must have passed straight through the neighbourhood where the Bell-Ears live.’

‘Bell-Ears! What are they like?’

‘Their two ears are bells. And their two tails have hammers attached to their ends. With flicks of their tails, they ring a peal first on one ear, then on the other. Bell-Ears are of two species.

One is the fierce kind, whose bells have brassy, warlike tones. The bells of the other toll with grave, booming notes.'

'Do you ever hear their bells, Dadamashai?'

'I do indeed. Only last night, as 1lay reading a book, I heard
one striding through the darkness. When he had struck twelve, I couldn’t restrain myself. I dropped my book, started from my chair and ran to the bed. I buried my face in the pillow and lay there with my eyes shut tight.’

‘Are the Bell-Ears friends with the rabbits?’

‘Great friends. The sound of their bells guides the rabbit along the Milky Way, right through the home of the Seven Sages.’

‘And then?’

‘And then, when it strikes one, then two, then three and four and five, the road comes to an end.’

‘And then?’

‘Then he reaches the land of lights, on the far side of the meadow of sleep, and is seen no more.’

‘Have I reached the land of lights too?’

‘You must have.’

‘In that case, I’m not on the rabbit’s back any more?’

‘You’d break his back if you were.’

‘Oh, I forgot, I’ve become heavy once more. And then?’

‘Then I must rescue you.’

‘You certainly must. How will you do it?’

‘That’s what I’m thinking of. I think we’ll have to seek the help of a prince.’

‘Where will you find one?’

‘Right here, in your Sukumar.’

At once your face grew grave. In rather a stiff tone, you said, ‘You’re very fond of him. He comes to recite his lessons to you every evening. That’s why he’s ahead of me in Maths.’

His being ahead may be due to certain other reasons. However, I refrained from dwelling on the topic. Instead, I said, ‘Well, whether I’m fond of him or not, he’s the only prince available.’

‘How did you know?’

‘After certain negotiations with me, he has confirmed himself in the post.’

You frowned heavily and said, ‘All his negotiations seem to be with you.’

‘What am I to do? He just won’t accept that I’m a great deal older than him.’

‘You call him a prince! I wouldn’t even call him Jatayu.
⁶⁸
Prince indeed!’

‘Calm yourself a little: we’ve landed ourselves in great danger. We have no idea where you are. Let him carry out a rescue just this once, so that we can heave a sigh of relief. After that, I promise to turn him into a squirrel and set him to bridge-building.’

‘Why should he agree to rescue me? He’s busy studying for his exams.’

I have some hope that he’ll agree. I’d gone to his home the Saturday before last. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Having given his mother the slip, he was walking about on the terrace, in the blazing sun. I called up to him, ‘What’s the matter?’

He threw up his head and announced, ‘I’m a prince!’

‘Where’s your sword?’

A broken stick from a half-burnt firework had been lying on their terrace ever since the night of Diwali. He had tied it to his waist with a ribbon, and now displayed it to me.

I said, ‘A sword indeed! But you must have a horse as well!’

He answered, ‘It’s in the stables.’

So saying, he dragged out an ancient, shamelessly tattered umbrella of his uncle’s from a corner of the terrace. He wedged it between his knees, and with cries of'Giddy up!' rode it round
once at a gallop. I exclaimed, 'A noble beast!'

'Would you care to see its wings?'

'I certainly would.'

The umbrella opened with a swoosh. The feed-grains in its
belly scattered all over the terrace.

I exclaimed, 'Astonishing! Marvellous! That I should have
the fortune to see a real winged steed in this life surpasses all
my hopes!'

'Now I'm flying, Dada. Keep your eyes shut, and you'll realize
that I'm hovering by that cloud, right up there, in absolute
darkness!'

‘I don’t need to shut my eyes. It’s quite clear to me: you’re flying high, the wings of your steed are lost among the clouds.’

‘Now Dadamashai, give my horse a name.’

‘Chhatrapati,’
⁶⁹
I suggested.

He answered for his horse, ‘Yes, please, sir!’

Then he looked me in the face and said, ‘You think I said “Yes, please, sir”? It wasn’t me, it was the horse.’

‘Do you think you have to tell me that? Am I deaf?’

The prince declared, ‘Chhatrapati, I’m tired of sitting here quietly.’

From his own mouth came the reply, ‘What is your command?’

‘We must cross the field of Tepantar.’

‘I’m ready.’

I could stay no longer—I had work to do. I was forced to bring the fun to an end. ‘But, Prince, your tutor is waiting for you. I saw him—he’s in a foul temper.’

The prince grew restless when he heard this. Thumping the umbrella, he demanded, ‘Can’t you fly off with me just now?’

I had to reply for the poor horse. ‘He can’t fly unless it’s night. In the daytime he coyly disguises himself as an umbrella; he’ll spread his wings as soon as you fall asleep. For the time being you’d better go in for your lesson, otherwise there’ll be trouble.’

Sukumar went off for his lesson with the tutor. Before going, he warned me, ‘I’m not done talking to you yet.’

I answered, ‘Can a talk ever come to an end? Where’s the fun, in that case?’

‘My lesson gets over at five. Will you come then, Dadamashai?’

‘After a session with the Third Class Reader, a first-class story is just what’s needed to refresh the taste. I’ll come,’ I promised.

⁶²
Phalgun
: the eleventh month of the Bengali year (mid-February to mid-March).

⁶³
Kishori Chatto
: an employee of the Tagore household in Rabindranath’s own childhood, here imagined as belonging to Pupe’s times. Chatto is a short form of the surname Chattopadhyay or Chatterjee.

⁶⁴
Ravana
: the ten-headed demon-king whom Rama defeated in the
Ramayana
.

⁶⁵
In Bengali folk tales, the dark patches on the moon are often said to be in
the shape of a rabbit.

⁶⁶
Lord Brahma’s zoo
: presumably the entire animal kingdom, which was created
by Lord Brahma, creator of the universe.

⁶⁷
Byangama
: a mythical bird who, with his mate Byangami, often features in Bengali fairy tales.

⁶⁸
Jatayu
: a mythical bird. In the
Ramayana
, Jatayu carried to Rama the news of Sita’s abduction by Ravana.

⁶⁹
Chhatrapati
: a title often used by kings, most famously by the Maratha hero Shivaji. It refers to the royal umbrella and therefore suits Sukumar’s umbrella-horse.