“Are those two women following us mummy?”
Limie turned back, “Which two woman, there is no one?
“No Mom, I saw there was. I saw them.” She squealed.
“You might be scared, sweetheart. Focus on being happy. We are no longer on the ship. I know all alone in the Sea with no human faces it’s quite creepy.”
“It’s not like that Mom, I swear I saw them.” Loimi was now looking all around but those two faces could not be seen.
“Okay come on, focus here. How do I look in this dress?” Limie was now holding a floral skirt and a blouse over her.
“Good.” Loimi nodded with a smile on her face.
“Shall I try it? Will you wait here? Don’t go anywhere, I will just go and come.” She ran to the changing room. There was no one in the mall then except an old lady, who sat behind the cash. But when Loimi looked at the old lady again, she saw two fangs and noodles for hair, pinning Loimi down with her looks this time.
“Who are you?” Loimi just screamed out when a hand suddenly caught her mouth from the back, long black talons, dirty, rugged hands, rough and quite grazed.
“”Stop shouting, you wretched little thing.” The voice came from behind. Loimi stood amidst clothes, and her height made it impossible for her to be seen from outside.
“Mother, shall I lift her up in the air? It would be fun.” Now the old lady behind the counter stood close to her, she actually flew out of her counter and stood close to Loimi.
“No, there might not be a need now.” Gondola said.
“Listen now child, if you don’t want to be lifted up in the air, then listen carefully to what I say. You will not talk to any lay man about what you heard from the Biranorrs and the Dolphins. If someone tries to ask you, make sure you will summon us, I will tell you how, if you promise you won’t scream out loud.”
“No, Mother; don’t open her mouth. Tell her everything; I am sure she is like any other humans, obeying is not one of their qualities.” The old woman gazed down upon Loimi suspiciously and spoke childishly through her nose.
“Fine, so you will summon us using this little grisly, here catch.” She stuffed it in her right arm.
“You will say,
“Gondola, Lesmila help me, help me survive.
I am deep in the waters; you have to drive.
I am in trouble and you are the Saviour.
I am loving and you both endeavour.”
They vanished the next moment and the old woman sat behind the counter as usual. She winked at her from behind the counter, just then her mother came out and asked,
“How do I look?” She was not looking at Loimi but was staring out at her own reflection in the mirror.
Loimi was still catching her breath and was trying to figure out what happened.
“You look beautiful Mam.” The old lady winked again at Loimi.
“How much would you take for the pair?”
“Nothing much Mam, pay is as per the tag.”
Loimi sat on the stool and slowly opened her arm, there was a crystalline bear in her palm now.
“Great. Come Loimi. What is that in your palm?”
“Nothing Mom….”
“Nothing Mam, I gave her a small gift. Come on child! Show it to your mother won’t you?”
“So Kind of you! Here please take it.” Limie gave her the money.
“Loimi, I am in the next shop, come out.” Limie moved briskly to the next dingy shop.
“What do I have to say?” Loimi went to the counter from her stool.
“Nothing much, repeat these lines.”
The old woman whispered.
“Gondola, Lesmila help me, help me survive.
I am deep in the waters; you have to drive.
I am in trouble and you are the Saviour.
I am loving and you both endeavour.”
“What sort of danger am I expecting?” Loimi was fiddling with the bear.
The old lady shrugged, “We too are not very sure,” she continued further,
“Just rub it thrice between your palms and whisper into any of its ears.”
“Great. I will do that.” Loimi was speaking again with gritted teeth.
“There are two of them, one with a crackly voice and one with a deeper voice. Who are you guys?”
“Crackly, oh my God! You called my mother crackly?” The old lady winced many times; Loimi could do nothing but steamed out of the shop.
“You know we are your saviors, no matter how much you hurt us.” The old woman as though whispered behind her back as she moved into the alley. But when Loimi turned, there was no one behind her and it wore a deserted look.
The rest of the day Limie and Loimi loitered through the streets of the capital of Bali, eating, having fun, shopping, talking to people.
Loimi almost forgot about the morning’s incident but then her hands went into the pocket and she felt the crystal bear.
She brought out the bear and admired it for its perfection, the shine and the beauty it exuded sitting on a bench with her chin on the table and the bear atop the table on her right hand. The light was dim and it was almost when the bulbs had not yet lit the street.
“Ahh! it’s pretty. She has given you such a beautiful souvenir, isn’t it?”
“Yes mother.”
“She said it’s magical.”
“Well, of course it is. Come let’s buy you a chain so that you can dangle it around your neck.”
Loimi looked at her mother for quite a while.
“What is it Loimi sweetheart?”
“Nothing mother, nothing at all.” She braved a smile.
“Very well then, let’s go and check out if we can find a good chain for it.”
Limie paid the bill and headed off towards the exit. Loimi was tired and the heat and the stress of being caught unnoticed by strangers had built up upon her.
After going around for quite some time, Limie found a chain for the bear and hung it from an extension wire around its body.
“Here, wear it, it’s nice.”
“Thanks Mommy.” She hugged her.
“Anytime, sweetheart.” The mother hugged back the child.
“”Shall we go home?” Loimi asked.
“Yes, let’s go. I want to attend a beach party. Some other day.”
“You like parties?” Loimi asked her mother.
“No, it’s not that baby. It’s just that I have never been to any such parties; I want to attend it once. I want to enjoy a bit of life.”
“Mother do not worry, we will surely get some ways to enjoy our lives. You don’t worry at all.”
“You are my sweet little girl. Do you know that?”
“Yes, and you are my sweet little mother, you know that right Mama?”
“Yes.” They hugged each other for a long time as the tiny lights shimmered on the streets brightly and the pink evening sky of Bali was beyond words.
Snehashree is a content creator by profession and writer by passion. She is a storyteller, poet, and abstract artist besides being a content writer. She has published her works of poetry on Amazon and several online magazines. She moved into full time writing after spending a few years in the healthcare industry. A solivagant and an ardent animal lover, she regularly crafts interesting articles for her blog - TST.
When not writing, she can be found reciting poetries in poetry clubs, teaching kids the art of poetry, and reading avidly. You could visit her website and chat with her on Instagram.
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