fail.
‘So, where you from, girl?’
There was no answer to that one. Kumari shrugged her shoulders.
‘You telling me you don’t know?’
Ma looked at her, incredulous. Kumari shook her head.
‘Guess I can’t talk,’ said Ma. ‘Me, I’m from all over the place. Puerto Rican, Irish, Jamaican, you name it. My blood is so mixed up it’s a wonder it
don’t need therapy. My folks moved around so much it just shook it up all some more.
How ’bout your folks, honey? Where are they now?’
Searching desperately for an answer, Kumari had a brainwave. She whipped Mamma’s portrait from her pocket.
‘M-mamma,’ she stammered.
Ma took it gently in her hands. ‘What you saying? That’s your mother? So where is she now, honey?’
At that, Kumari crumpled.
‘Someone killed her,’ she managed to whisper. As the tears trailed down her cheek, Ma’s eyes widened in shock and began to well up as she crushed Kumari to her chest.
‘There, there, sweetie, you let it out. Everything’s going to be just fine.’
Snuffling into the endless acres of Ma’s bosom, Kumari knew that this was not the case. It was good to hear it, though, to feel Ma’s reassuring pats. They reminded her of her Ayah.
She, too, was kind of big. Many a time she had taken Kumari on her lap and told her everything would be all right. The thought of her Ayah only intensified her longing. As her sobs increased, Ma
rocked her back and forth. Even if Ma were willing, there was no way she could help. The kingdom had no name, no location on any map. Kumari’s one hope was that someone would could come and
find her. Right now, it was a possibility that appeared frighteningly remote.
Many thousands of miles away, inside his palace, the god-king paced to and fro. His face was thunderous. The courtiers had never seen him so angry. In point of fact, they had
never seen him angry. But this was different. His only child was missing. Vanished without a trace. Somehow she must be in the World Beyond. And he blamed the night guard. Roused from the stupor
into which he had sunk, the god-king’s face ran with sweat. The very effort was weakening him, but still he raged.
‘You should have spotted her,’ he cried, as the Ayah wept noisily.
Before him, the guard hung his head. No words would suffice.
Beside the god-king stood the RHM. His eyes bore into the Ayah’s. They stared back at him, red-rimmed, glinting with suspicion.
‘RHM!’
‘Your Excellency?’
The RHM bowed low before his ruler.
‘You must be the one to go. You will find my daughter.’
The RHM stiffened momentarily.
‘Yes, your excellency,’ he murmured.
The RHM’s impassive face hid a multitude of emotions. It had been a long time since he had left the kingdom. A lifetime, in fact. He, too, was granted only a year and a day in the World
Beyond. He would have to move swiftly. And the king was ailing. It would be foolhardy to leave his side for long. Besides, there was another reason to keep any absence to the minimum. He stared at
the Ayah once more. He dared not leave her to her own devices.
The Ayah met the RHM’s gaze with equal mistrust then glanced away quickly. His eyes followed hers to the empty throne where once the queen had sat. On it, the queen’s portrait, a
picture at once lovely and terrible. So much was at stake here; so many possibilities.
Kumari’s life.
The royal line.
The very kingdom itself.
KUMARI’S JOURNAL
(TOP SECRET. FOR MY EYES ONLY.
EVERYONE ELSE KEEP OUT!)
THIS MEANS YOU!
The World Beyond
Day 5 – 361 days to go
At least now I’ve found the moon I can tell precisely how long I’ve been here. If I climb up and look through the bathroom window I can see it above the lights.
Almost a moon’s quarter has passed since I left home – Time really does move fast in the World Beyond. It’s easier now that I can understand them. It’s pretty cool, this
Gift of Tongues. Makes me think there’s good bits to being a goddess.
I
‘So, where you from, girl?’
There was no answer to that one. Kumari shrugged her shoulders.
‘You telling me you don’t know?’
Ma looked at her, incredulous. Kumari shook her head.
‘Guess I can’t talk,’ said Ma. ‘Me, I’m from all over the place. Puerto Rican, Irish, Jamaican, you name it. My blood is so mixed up it’s a wonder it
don’t need therapy. My folks moved around so much it just shook it up all some more.
How ’bout your folks, honey? Where are they now?’
Searching desperately for an answer, Kumari had a brainwave. She whipped Mamma’s portrait from her pocket.
‘M-mamma,’ she stammered.
Ma took it gently in her hands. ‘What you saying? That’s your mother? So where is she now, honey?’
At that, Kumari crumpled.
‘Someone killed her,’ she managed to whisper. As the tears trailed down her cheek, Ma’s eyes widened in shock and began to well up as she crushed Kumari to her chest.
‘There, there, sweetie, you let it out. Everything’s going to be just fine.’
Snuffling into the endless acres of Ma’s bosom, Kumari knew that this was not the case. It was good to hear it, though, to feel Ma’s reassuring pats. They reminded her of her Ayah.
She, too, was kind of big. Many a time she had taken Kumari on her lap and told her everything would be all right. The thought of her Ayah only intensified her longing. As her sobs increased, Ma
rocked her back and forth. Even if Ma were willing, there was no way she could help. The kingdom had no name, no location on any map. Kumari’s one hope was that someone would could come and
find her. Right now, it was a possibility that appeared frighteningly remote.
Many thousands of miles away, inside his palace, the god-king paced to and fro. His face was thunderous. The courtiers had never seen him so angry. In point of fact, they had
never seen him angry. But this was different. His only child was missing. Vanished without a trace. Somehow she must be in the World Beyond. And he blamed the night guard. Roused from the stupor
into which he had sunk, the god-king’s face ran with sweat. The very effort was weakening him, but still he raged.
‘You should have spotted her,’ he cried, as the Ayah wept noisily.
Before him, the guard hung his head. No words would suffice.
Beside the god-king stood the RHM. His eyes bore into the Ayah’s. They stared back at him, red-rimmed, glinting with suspicion.
‘RHM!’
‘Your Excellency?’
The RHM bowed low before his ruler.
‘You must be the one to go. You will find my daughter.’
The RHM stiffened momentarily.
‘Yes, your excellency,’ he murmured.
The RHM’s impassive face hid a multitude of emotions. It had been a long time since he had left the kingdom. A lifetime, in fact. He, too, was granted only a year and a day in the World
Beyond. He would have to move swiftly. And the king was ailing. It would be foolhardy to leave his side for long. Besides, there was another reason to keep any absence to the minimum. He stared at
the Ayah once more. He dared not leave her to her own devices.
The Ayah met the RHM’s gaze with equal mistrust then glanced away quickly. His eyes followed hers to the empty throne where once the queen had sat. On it, the queen’s portrait, a
picture at once lovely and terrible. So much was at stake here; so many possibilities.
Kumari’s life.
The royal line.
The very kingdom itself.
KUMARI’S JOURNAL
(TOP SECRET. FOR MY EYES ONLY.
EVERYONE ELSE KEEP OUT!)
THIS MEANS YOU!
The World Beyond
Day 5 – 361 days to go
At least now I’ve found the moon I can tell precisely how long I’ve been here. If I climb up and look through the bathroom window I can see it above the lights.
Almost a moon’s quarter has passed since I left home – Time really does move fast in the World Beyond. It’s easier now that I can understand them. It’s pretty cool, this
Gift of Tongues. Makes me think there’s good bits to being a goddess.
I
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