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FORTY-THREE

Zhu Irzh and the badger stared up into the branches of the pillar. A vast column ascended into the cerulean skies, branching out toward its summit, stone changing to tree.

"I didn't even know this existed," the demon said, awed.

"It sometimes does not," the god replied. Krishna raised the flute to his lips and played a single, fragile phrase. Behind them, the women of the blue god's court whispered and murmured, and the deer gave a whistling cry. All these sounds floated up into the branches of the tree: glistening ebony black, as if containing captive stars, rustling with huge green leaves like curls of jade. High among these leaves, these sounds crystallized, forming a transparent lotus flower, which changed into a bird and flew down.

"This is your guide," Krishna said. The badger looked hard at the bird, which remained transparent and expressionless, a thing of light.

"Fair enough," Zhu Irzh replied. "What do you want us to do? Climb after it? I'm game, but I'm not sure about my friend here."

"I will manage!" the badger snapped.

"You need climb only a little way," Krishna told him. "Then, as you will see, things will become quite different."

The badger's head whipped around. Something on the wind, something rank and distinctly un-Celestial.

"Are you all right?" Zhu Irzh asked, but the little deer said, "I can smell it, too."

"What is it?" Krishna's voice was as soft and musical as ever, but something about it made the badger's hackles start to rise in sympathy.

"It smells like one of Agni's hounds," the badger growled.

Krishna turned to the demon. "You should start climbing."

"Hey, I'm all for getting ahead," Zhu Irzh protested. "But I'm not going to leave you to face that thing; you've been so kind, and—"

"Zhu Irzh." Still soft, but with force. "Go."

It had the impact of divine command, a wateriness of the joints with which the badger was entirely unfamiliar. The demon, however, bowed his head in fleeting acquiescence and put a hand on the pillar. His expression changed.

"This is weird!"

As he spoke, a racing, snarling shape burst out of the bushes. Agni's hound indeed: this must be one of the largest dogs, scaled like a dragon, flickers of fire emerging from its nostrils.

"Do the teakettle thing!" the demon commanded, and with great reluctance, the badger did as he was told. Zhu Irzh slung the iron pot over his shoulder and placed a foot on the pillar, the sole flat. From his limited perspective, the badger could see that they were suddenly on a long, snaking road. He looked back, and there was Krishna with the women, each throwing out a long silk scarf. With the final scarf caught in the deer's antlers, they began to spin, faster and faster until there was a whirling coil of color a little way behind.

"Go!" Krishna cried again, and Zhu Irzh started running. The badger heard growls and howls, saw the scarves whirl faster, a dark shape sucked within. Then the landscape changed and he and Zhu Irzh were picked up by the path on which they stood and taken upward.

Then the world was blue, the sky filled with sapphire light, and he walked on indigo earth. Women walked by, chattering and laughing, balancing jars upon their heads, their saris made out of water and crystal and speckled with diamond light. The demon had stopped walking and stared in open admiration.

"This can't be Hell," he said. And the badger looked up and saw a huge face bending down from the heavens, made out of sky, the dark eyes filled with a vast amusement. The horned moon rested upon his brow; in one hand, he held a trident that was mountain high. He said, in a voice of soft thunder, "You are in the wrong place."

"I won't argue with that," stammered Zhu Irzh. It was one of the few times that the badger had seen him discomposed.

"Then let me send you to the right place," the vast blue being said. His hand came down. Moments later, they were standing on the palm, fingers rising like blue columns, being raised up through streaming clouds.

"Go," the blue god said, and gently blew. The realm darkened into stormlight. Zhu Irzh and the badger floated downward, as lightly as leaves, into the humid air of Singapore Three.

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Framed

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Contents

FORTY-THREE

Zhu Irzh and the badger stared up into the branches of the pillar. A vast column ascended into the cerulean skies, branching out toward its summit, stone changing to tree.

"I didn't even know this existed," the demon said, awed.

"It sometimes does not," the god replied. Krishna raised the flute to his lips and played a single, fragile phrase. Behind them, the women of the blue god's court whispered and murmured, and the deer gave a whistling cry. All these sounds floated up into the branches of the tree: glistening ebony black, as if containing captive stars, rustling with huge green leaves like curls of jade. High among these leaves, these sounds crystallized, forming a transparent lotus flower, which changed into a bird and flew down.

"This is your guide," Krishna said. The badger looked hard at the bird, which remained transparent and expressionless, a thing of light.

"Fair enough," Zhu Irzh replied. "What do you want us to do? Climb after it? I'm game, but I'm not sure about my friend here."

"I will manage!" the badger snapped.

"You need climb only a little way," Krishna told him. "Then, as you will see, things will become quite different."

The badger's head whipped around. Something on the wind, something rank and distinctly un-Celestial.

"Are you all right?" Zhu Irzh asked, but the little deer said, "I can smell it, too."

"What is it?" Krishna's voice was as soft and musical as ever, but something about it made the badger's hackles start to rise in sympathy.

"It smells like one of Agni's hounds," the badger growled.

Krishna turned to the demon. "You should start climbing."

"Hey, I'm all for getting ahead," Zhu Irzh protested. "But I'm not going to leave you to face that thing; you've been so kind, and—"

"Zhu Irzh." Still soft, but with force. "Go."

It had the impact of divine command, a wateriness of the joints with which the badger was entirely unfamiliar. The demon, however, bowed his head in fleeting acquiescence and put a hand on the pillar. His expression changed.

"This is weird!"

As he spoke, a racing, snarling shape burst out of the bushes. Agni's hound indeed: this must be one of the largest dogs, scaled like a dragon, flickers of fire emerging from its nostrils.

"Do the teakettle thing!" the demon commanded, and with great reluctance, the badger did as he was told. Zhu Irzh slung the iron pot over his shoulder and placed a foot on the pillar, the sole flat. From his limited perspective, the badger could see that they were suddenly on a long, snaking road. He looked back, and there was Krishna with the women, each throwing out a long silk scarf. With the final scarf caught in the deer's antlers, they began to spin, faster and faster until there was a whirling coil of color a little way behind.

"Go!" Krishna cried again, and Zhu Irzh started running. The badger heard growls and howls, saw the scarves whirl faster, a dark shape sucked within. Then the landscape changed and he and Zhu Irzh were picked up by the path on which they stood and taken upward.

Then the world was blue, the sky filled with sapphire light, and he walked on indigo earth. Women walked by, chattering and laughing, balancing jars upon their heads, their saris made out of water and crystal and speckled with diamond light. The demon had stopped walking and stared in open admiration.

"This can't be Hell," he said. And the badger looked up and saw a huge face bending down from the heavens, made out of sky, the dark eyes filled with a vast amusement. The horned moon rested upon his brow; in one hand, he held a trident that was mountain high. He said, in a voice of soft thunder, "You are in the wrong place."

"I won't argue with that," stammered Zhu Irzh. It was one of the few times that the badger had seen him discomposed.

"Then let me send you to the right place," the vast blue being said. His hand came down. Moments later, they were standing on the palm, fingers rising like blue columns, being raised up through streaming clouds.

"Go," the blue god said, and gently blew. The realm darkened into stormlight. Zhu Irzh and the badger floated downward, as lightly as leaves, into the humid air of Singapore Three.

Back | Next
Framed