Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion

The Ethereal Visitor

The Elapsed Era:

The girls sat in a circle pounding sandalwood pieces and the tempo of their movement matched the rhythm of the folk song that they belted out, reflecting their blissful spirits. Chatting and singing, they passed the heavy pestle to the next girl after each one's turn.

"Hanneli, where did you get so much sandalwood? They don't grow in this region."

"Father brought them from Kuntala Kingdom when he had gone on a visit some time back. It was a gift from the king," Hanneli explained enjoying the wafting fragrance of the sandal.

"I heard that oil is also extracted from sandalwood," one of them commented.

"But Hanneli, how did Yaksha Amogha reach Kuntala Country? I believe Nagas live in the country and they are supposed to be the most powerful of the tribes," one of the girls asked, having heard stories about the ferocious tribe of Nagas.

Hanneli shrugged, "Father has a cordial relationship with most of the tribal chiefs, and moreover the king had invited him, so he had no trouble with the Nagas."

"This Kuntala Country? Is it far?" another girl asked curiously.

"Oh, it is! You have to cross mighty rivers and dense forests," Hanneli explained, remembering when her father described his trip to Kuntala.

The pounding continued till the day turned hotter. When it became sultry, the girls decided to stop the work and resume it the next day. Hanneli reached home smelling of sandalwood and wild herbs. Her father had not returned home from his trip and she was beginning to worry about his absence. It had been two days since he left and she had not heard a word from him. She contemplated going to the palace, and learn the details of his journey. Standing in the backyard of her house and viewing the heavy clouds that hung over the forest, Hanneli hoped fervently that her father was not travelling by boat in this weather. The river could get turbulent and choppy. As Hanneli mulled over her father's trip, she heard the sound of rustling leaves. Hoping that it was her father, she hurried to the front door but at first glance, she found no one. While she turned back in disappointment, she caught a fleeting glimpse of something white in the deep woods. Curious, she wandered into the woods.

The narrow path that led her to the thick woods, deepened into a dark coppice where the trees that survived the last Great Storm, still made their presence. Hanneli paused in the center of the small clearing, the grounds abound with long grotesquely shaped thick roots that snaked deep into the lap of the earth. Her eyes searched through the impenetrably dense growth of the primeval forest. Moving forward, she stepped on the twining trunks of a giant tree and tripped. Cursing herself for being careless, she checked her ankle which was hurting. Straightening, she looked up and then froze in astonishment. She caught her breath at the ethereal vision in front of her.

An exquisite white horse!

It stood some feet away from her. Hanneli realized that the graceful white horse was the one that lured her to the dark timberland. With the translucent eyes of the horse and its breath-taking beauty, the vision transcended it from an ordinary one to an ethereal one. Rooted to the spot, the horse gazed at her in wide-eyed innocence, poised to leap. An inexplicable need urged her to touch the horse. Hanneli moved tentatively towards it but the horse retreated in faltering steps. She paused, trying not to frighten the fragile beauty. Beyond the spot where the horse stood, the swampy banks of the river Yakshagni stretched. Hanneli wanted to halt the horse from going near the slippery bank but she didn't know how. With every step she took closer to the horse, it scampered back. Over the din of the gushing river, Hanneli was unable to shout out a warning. She was at a loss and looked at the white beauty with helplessness. As they gazed at each other, Hanneli sensed a strange confusion about the presence of the animal. So far, she had never come across a white horse in Alakapuri. Even the city's stables did not have a white horse. So, from where did this gorgeous creature appear? With a soft neigh, the horse ambled further back.