“Let it be known

that the righteous and beautiful

shall attain the glory of the heavens

Let it be known

that everyone will come to paradise

lest they forget their faith at hand

In the holiness which bears the leader fruit

all will sanction

nothing but eternal bliss

Above the earth and under the stars

thou stand before the great, the mighty

and thou shall be one with them.”

***

The gods had granted the wishes of the people. From the spiritual mission alone, they had become satisfied, and they held no more the anger and qualms upon the village. Thus once again the heavens settled into tranquility. On a good note, the war ended, in which the village attained victory after victory against the barbarians throughout the frontiers, and the latter were forced to sign a treaty relinquishing their resources and weapons. The barbarians were no more. Done and dusted, they would only exist in the history books. In addition, the economy boomed, and thanks to the newfound prosperity from mining minerals and gems, nobody was poor, and everybody became rich. From here all that followed turned into a new era of peace—the villagers rejoiced. Not a while ago, the High Order held a rally in celebration for such successes, and the people cried and bowed down to the Lama as he went through a procession, his palanquin being glittered with gold and good luck charms. Hysteria stampeded the event, but it never failed to make the Lama smile. He said to everybody that from the mission’s candidates being remarkable so far, the heavens would now bless the village with salvation for a thousand years. The people applauded, more then ever did they fuel their fanaticism. They considered this time to be the most spectacular moment in history—and soon Yebuka, the 28th Lama, would be immortalized as the greatest ruler to have ever reigned the village.

A day after, Sachen and her family hung out at a local lodging in the mountains. From the balcony, they eyed on the wonders of nature beyond them. The hills sloped and flowed over the landscape, and the flowers painted over them with their colors. The fragrance of the petals stirred the air, the noses of Datai, Saraji, and Monkhuba tingled. A flock of doves swooped down to the mountains and hunted for some seeds. A breeze coursed through the sky, and it made its way to the family. They soothed their breaths and slumped on their chairs.

A waitress coming to the balcony, she then served the family a stack of pancakes and other cuisines. Monkhuba, sitting next to his sister, clapped his hands and giggled. The pancakes jiggled on his plate.

“Happy fourth birthday Monkhuba!” Saraji pinched her son’s cheeks. “Isn’t it great that you get to come here and enjoy the scenic view? It’s all thanks to your daddy right here!”

“Hey hey, I spent my hard-earned money to stay at this lodging for three days, for our little boy.”

“That’s right! And also, we have to wait until next year when he reaches five years old, so that we can enroll him in kindergarten.”

“Honey, I don’t think we need to worry about that right now. Let’s have a good time.”

“Oh dear, you are right. I am thinking too much about it. Monkhuba! Eat properly, you’re getting syrup on your clothes.” Saraji snatched a napkin from the side and swabbed the kid’s mouth. She began to eat her chicken salad. “Sachen, are you happy that your brother is growing up? Soon, he will be a healthy, strong boy. He has not been sick lately, so that’s a good sign.”

Sachen leaned her arm against the balcony railing. Her heartbeat submerged into murmurs, and everything in her head transformed into fleeting bubbles. Her mother repeated herself again and again. Monkhuba nudged her elbow, and her sister leapt a little. She turned to her parents.

“What’s wrong little dear?” Datai asked, his legs were shaking. ”Something has been on your mind? Maybe it’s because you’ve been staying too long at school. I believe that the classes are taking a toll on the kids’ health. Have you seen the students Saraji? Their eyes look weary, and they look like their limbs are about to fall apart.”

Saraji grinned. “Well at least they’re studying hard. Due to the fact that a lot of students had caused an absolute riot a while ago, it is perfectly right for them to attend the re-education classes, so that they will start to learn what is correct.”

“I can’t disagree to that. But Sachen, if you are studying too much, lay off the pressure. There’s no need to cram the books and papers into your brain. Besides, the grades in that type of class don’t count. I presume you are just there to learn about the righteousness and virtue of history and the High Order.”

Sachen rolled her eyes, she plucked her fork and stabbed the pancakes in front of her. A goo of sugar and egg yolk liquidated throughout the porcelain dish. She looked at her brother, and Monkhuba curled his fingers around his sister’s sleeve and called out her name. She smiled for a moment—then her lips regressed into a frown. She leaned over to Monkhuba.

Her brother rolled his tongue, he slapped his palms on the table.

“What is it? You haven’t finished your pancakes halfway. I can’t possibly do that. It’s your birthday today, eat all you want.” Sachen patted Monkhuba’s head. He resumed making a mess of himself.

Datai cleaned his fingers and sighed. He let out a burp, and in turn, Saraji flicked the back of his head. “After we’re finished,” he said, “do you want to watch the stars together from the hills? I heard that there will be a meteor shower.”

Saraji’s eyes shimmered. “A meteor shower? That’d be fantastic! Oh, we haven’t seen one in a long time honey. The last time… I think it was ten years ago, when we were starting off as newlyweds. We were dancing under the meteor shower, and as funny as you are, you proposed that we should build a ship so that we can fly alongside the meteors.”

“Wait, I said that? Sounds embarrassing if you ask me.”

“I don’t think so at all. But anyways, I am looking forward to seeing it. You kids, make sure to stay up late, because we’re going to roam about the hills and find the highest spot. The balcony, the lodging for that matter, is not high enough. I want to experience the sightseeing, just the four of us.”

Monkhuba laughed, he babbled something about building a ship with wings in order to take his family throughout the trail of stars and galaxies. Datai and Saraji cheered and clapped for him, the latter said that it might be possible. They then returned to their meals. When they finished, the waitress pinned them a bill; Datai choked on his water from the triple digits.

The flowers spread their specks of pollen, they glittered the landscape in a yellow fuzz. The birds soared and set their course on the horizon, and they cawed, the view couldn’t get anymore better. But Sachen held eyes of glass—despair had wiped her away of everything she had fought for. She ran her hand along her chest, and the chills grew large as ever in her heart. From that fateful day, which she had no recollection of the ordeal and the aftermath, she only remembered that she was taken back to her parents, and the authorities said she was wandering about the forest alone. Supposedly it took them the entire night to find her, and they “ended up” seeing her sleeping in a ditch, marked by skeletons and dead cicadas. Her parents did not scold her however, as they seemed to be jubilant. So Sachen escaped from the possibility of being punished—it didn’t change the fact however, that she felt guilt for worrying them.

The bubbles in Sachen’s mind popped and sizzled into a cloud of fog. Her memories of recent times evaporated, those painful and blissful ones with the person she had cherished all her life until now. Nevermore would she cradle the warmth she once received from the one she loved the most.

THE END