The Princes of Ayodhya-The Ramayan Through Short Stories

The Shakti Saga Part 6-Part 2

"This thing is confusing me now."-Author

"He will die. At the first ray of sunrise, he will die." Sushen managed to choke out, before turning away uneasily, not being able to meet anyone's eyes. But if he would have seen, if he would have had the courage, then he would have seen Ram's face morphing into horror once more. He would have seen the body being dropped in shock.

He would have seen the monkey army recoil in shock. He would have seen Angad run off to vomit. Sugriv knocking his crown off of his head in his rapid shaking of head. Nal and Neel would have adopted twisted, turned faces of shock. Vibhishan's face would suddenly grow into something of extreme guilt, the type to forever scar the soul and the drive to live; it was indeed he who had suggested Lakshman for the job. Knowing of the shakti astra.

But Hanuman did no such thing. If anything, his shoulders just squared even more, his rippling muscle and the veins popping up in his arms suddenly showing. The adam's apple in his neck bobbled angry, and the thin red lines in his bloodshot eyes became more obvious. "And there is nothing we can do?" he asked, his voice angry. "Absolutely nothing we can do?" He leaned in, as if he could clarify the question.

Sushen seemed to consider it for a second, and Hanuman (and everyone else, Sushen was the star of the show at this point, and an open book of emotions) noticed the hesitation. "N-No." he said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "There is absolutely nothing you can do. He will die at sunrise. Such is the curse of the Shakti Astra."

But Hanuman wasn't about to give up as easily, and neither was Ram. "I assure you-" Ram said, his voice firm. "That you may tell us anything. We are offering asylum. We do not intend to hurt you in any way, shape, or form. Please, just figure out a way to heal my brother. You are our last hope. If anything is holding you back, STOP-stop letting it hold you back!"

Sushen shook his head rapidly, his face suddenly devoid of all color and emotion but terror. "The only other option is-well-quite frankly, it's-" he paused, wiping leftover sweat from his face with a handkerchief from his bag. "Impossible!"

"IMPOSSIBLE?!" Hanuman roared. "Nothing is impossible! Just tell us, Sushen sahib! I have some beef (this is a sacred story, beef shall not be mentioned) tension left over with the sun! Sucky thing, that Surya is!" he glared openly at the sky, at the mountains in between which the sun would rise like a beckon of hope. "I will figure out a way. If I have to imprison the sun and keep it in my hold, I will!"

"Well, there is something." Sushen said, clearing his throat. "A herb, a booti, called the Sanjeevani. It is located on a secluded mountain in the Himalayas, the mountain range of the Great North. If you could get that before the sun rises-Well, the chances of survival are pretty certain. It is a marvel he is still alive with the blood lost. A machine, this one is-anyways. It would be quite impossible, I-"

Sushen choked on his words as Hanuman grew a few thousand in size, towering over all of them like a God, like Vaman over Mahabali. "I can assure you," Sugriv laughed in spite of himself as he craned his neck to stare at Hanuman. "That nothing is impossible for our Hanuman." Then, his face darkened. "Nothing. Lakshman bhaiyya will live. He has to live!"

Without allowing anyone else a chance to interfere, Hanuman was standing again, growing ten sizes more and inhaling another deep breath. Humongous monkeys and their unusual powers had quickly become a normal sight to see for poor Sushen (who was adjusting poorly to the environment), it seemed. "I, and only I can make it to the mountain in time." The sky was no longer orange, a deep saffron. The sun had long set, and was soon to rise. The odds were against him.

But Hanuman would twist the odds. It was like a game of cards, all of this, with a devil dividing the hand, and eyes watching his every move and play. But Hanuman, too, could play against the rules. Who said that the sun had to rise so soon? No one might miss it for a few more hours, perhaps!