legs?”
“They have to or it might charge into the crowd,” Fareeda explained.
“Why?” he asked again.
She shrugged. “Maybe elephants don’t like it when people make them do things they don’t want to do.”
“But why do people make them do things they don’t want to do?”
Obi had turned pale suddenly.
“They just do, OK,” sighed Fareeda.
I saw Obi really look at the elephant with its rusty chains. Then I saw him properly take in his surroundings: the claustrophobic street, garbage piled in front of doorways, an open channel running down the middle filled with stinking water and worse. His eyes anxiously returned to the elephant.
I understood then why he needed to live with the monks. Obi might be in a human body now, but he felt the suffering of the world just as much as if he was an angel. He needed to be protected from the world’s pain until he was older and stronger. Normal parents couldn’t do that. The monks, with their centuries old experience of training bodhisattvas , could.
The narrow street was getting unpleasantly congested as people streamed in. Anything could be lurking in a crowd this size, I thought.
Brice was tensely scanning faces. He’d felt it too, the fairground vibe subtly switching to something darker.
So had Obi. “I want to go back,” he quavered. “This isn’t a nice fair.”
“But there’s still loads to see,” Nansi objected.
“I’ll carry him.” Fareeda hoisted him on to her hip. “Shall we go and see the magicians, darling? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Fareeda was trying hard to act like a real mummy, even though she didn’t actually have one herself.
As we got closer to the end of the dead-end street, I felt uneasy. This felt too much like a trap.
We watched street magicians doing tricks with baskets, tricks with snakes, tricks with ropes in baskets that turned into snakes. Fareeda quickly got tired of carrying Obi and made him walk. He stumbled along looking bewildered.
The last magician sat in a dingy doorway, his bearded face in shadow, producing an endless stream of silk scarves from his sleeve. He did it slowly, almost lazily, like this was such a dumb trick he could do it in his sleep. In front of him was an old enamel tub with a rusting rim. The girls peered in, but it was empty.
As they turned away he called, “Don’t go. You haven’t seen my little ducklings!”
“He’s with them,” Brice rapped. “Tell Obi we’re going back.”
He hadn’t said pothole. The magician wasn’t a PODS, just a human working for the Dark Agencies.
“Obi, we’re leaving now.” I hoped he couldn’t hear my heart pounding.
Unfortunately Fareeda talked over me. “What ducklings?” she said scornfully. “I don’t see any little ducklings.”
The magician’s smile came and went in his beard. “You can’t see them because they haven’t been created yet.”
He shook out a blue silk scarf. People gasped as it became a glittering stream of water pouring into the tub. “First we have to bring these little spirits from the Light realms on to the material plane,” he said, smiling at Obi, “and for that I need an assistant with very special powers.”
“Walk away from the man, Obi,” I said firmly and calmly. “He’s not a nice man and we need to leave right now.”
“I’m right, aren’t I?” the magician was saying. “You do have very special powers, don’t you, little one?”
Obi nodded solemnly. “Aksherly I do,” he whispered.
“Will you help me with this very important mission?”
“Yes, I will.” Obi went like a trusting little lamb.
“Don’t make me tell you again, Obi!” I was literally shrieking at him now like I’d have shrieked at my little sister, Jade. “Come away THIS MINUTE or there’s going to be BIG TROUBLE!”
I could see a genuine struggle going on in Obi. The bodhisattva in him knew he should listen to his guardian angel. But the four-year-old totally couldn’t resist a special mission
“They have to or it might charge into the crowd,” Fareeda explained.
“Why?” he asked again.
She shrugged. “Maybe elephants don’t like it when people make them do things they don’t want to do.”
“But why do people make them do things they don’t want to do?”
Obi had turned pale suddenly.
“They just do, OK,” sighed Fareeda.
I saw Obi really look at the elephant with its rusty chains. Then I saw him properly take in his surroundings: the claustrophobic street, garbage piled in front of doorways, an open channel running down the middle filled with stinking water and worse. His eyes anxiously returned to the elephant.
I understood then why he needed to live with the monks. Obi might be in a human body now, but he felt the suffering of the world just as much as if he was an angel. He needed to be protected from the world’s pain until he was older and stronger. Normal parents couldn’t do that. The monks, with their centuries old experience of training bodhisattvas , could.
The narrow street was getting unpleasantly congested as people streamed in. Anything could be lurking in a crowd this size, I thought.
Brice was tensely scanning faces. He’d felt it too, the fairground vibe subtly switching to something darker.
So had Obi. “I want to go back,” he quavered. “This isn’t a nice fair.”
“But there’s still loads to see,” Nansi objected.
“I’ll carry him.” Fareeda hoisted him on to her hip. “Shall we go and see the magicians, darling? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Fareeda was trying hard to act like a real mummy, even though she didn’t actually have one herself.
As we got closer to the end of the dead-end street, I felt uneasy. This felt too much like a trap.
We watched street magicians doing tricks with baskets, tricks with snakes, tricks with ropes in baskets that turned into snakes. Fareeda quickly got tired of carrying Obi and made him walk. He stumbled along looking bewildered.
The last magician sat in a dingy doorway, his bearded face in shadow, producing an endless stream of silk scarves from his sleeve. He did it slowly, almost lazily, like this was such a dumb trick he could do it in his sleep. In front of him was an old enamel tub with a rusting rim. The girls peered in, but it was empty.
As they turned away he called, “Don’t go. You haven’t seen my little ducklings!”
“He’s with them,” Brice rapped. “Tell Obi we’re going back.”
He hadn’t said pothole. The magician wasn’t a PODS, just a human working for the Dark Agencies.
“Obi, we’re leaving now.” I hoped he couldn’t hear my heart pounding.
Unfortunately Fareeda talked over me. “What ducklings?” she said scornfully. “I don’t see any little ducklings.”
The magician’s smile came and went in his beard. “You can’t see them because they haven’t been created yet.”
He shook out a blue silk scarf. People gasped as it became a glittering stream of water pouring into the tub. “First we have to bring these little spirits from the Light realms on to the material plane,” he said, smiling at Obi, “and for that I need an assistant with very special powers.”
“Walk away from the man, Obi,” I said firmly and calmly. “He’s not a nice man and we need to leave right now.”
“I’m right, aren’t I?” the magician was saying. “You do have very special powers, don’t you, little one?”
Obi nodded solemnly. “Aksherly I do,” he whispered.
“Will you help me with this very important mission?”
“Yes, I will.” Obi went like a trusting little lamb.
“Don’t make me tell you again, Obi!” I was literally shrieking at him now like I’d have shrieked at my little sister, Jade. “Come away THIS MINUTE or there’s going to be BIG TROUBLE!”
I could see a genuine struggle going on in Obi. The bodhisattva in him knew he should listen to his guardian angel. But the four-year-old totally couldn’t resist a special mission
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