Danger Averted

By Amatullah Padghawala

“Coooooo! Cooooo!” “Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! The birds sung their melody in unison and I instantly looked up from the laptop with a wide grin and pushed open the windows to let the cool breeze tickle my senses. Shortly, a yellow butterfly ushered in and settled on the keyboard as if intending to befriend me. I patted it gently, allowing it to sit on my wrist. I couldn’t help discontinue writing, for the nature and its lap seemed so welcoming. I arose and made my way out into the woods to explore the beauty that had awoken with dawn. The squirrels squeaked as they disappeared into that little hole, holding walnuts in their trembling hands. I laughed seeing them stumble and drop all their walnuts while making their way in. The squirrels however, helped each other and stacked walnuts one by one into the tree trunk. ‘How I wish humans too would support each other without hesitation, in their difficult times,’ I thought. A nest on the tree was filled with infant sparrows that seemed to learn flight. The adult sparrow would repeatedly hover around the nest and return. The infants would try imitating her. One of the infants collapsed to the ground. I caressed it while the adult sparrow flew down to me, demanding her child. Of course, I am no kidnapper who would claim a ransom for the child! I swiftly placed the baby in my palm and held it out to her. She grabbed the infant between her legs and retreated to the huge mango tree. I looked at how the pigeons flew in herds blanketing the vast sky, creating enormous formations. My soul leaped on seeing the rustling leaves of trees that seemed to be composing a song, ‘rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat’ followed by a lone white feather that gradually rested on my head. I picked and cherished its very presence, thanking the heavens for this gift. Vanilla fragrance soon surrounded me and I sniffed wildly like a dog, constantly trying to pump that aroma in, to rejuvenate my soul. ‘No essential oil can smell as divine as this one,’ I thought. The smell dispersed in a few seconds, leaving me upset. “This wasn’t a smell, but a spell that placed me in trance. Thank you so much for making this day memorable,” I said with my eyes fixated on the clouds.

I decided to head to the nearest lake in order to splash a few drops of cool water to make my knackered eyelids squeal. I was greeted by a plethora of animals who were there for a morning sip. I hid in the bushes and watched them enjoy. Elephants trumpeted while slurping water through their gigantic trunks. The deer herd stuck close together while drinking so that they wouldn’t fall prey to enemies. The frogs croaked while jumping aggressively from one leaf to another. Hares were proficient in high- jumps and directly landed into the lake, splashing a gush on other animals. The astounding part was that the other animals were neither disturbed nor annoyed. They simply continued drinking in spite of such distraction. ‘I wish humans would learn to co-operate with each other as these animals. Look at how patient they are,’ I thought. “If I choose to go there now, the animals may end up being petrified. I don’t want to invade their water-party after all.” Considering this, I made a detour for good. Exploring the woods wouldn’t be a bad idea. I dilly- dallied and chuckled on seeing the monkeys bounce from one tree to another. I grinned at the kangaroos springing with babies in their bellies. ‘Who could have sewed those velvet compartments to hold the kids?” I anticipated God literally embroidering this design with a thread and needle on their bellies! I saw an owl hooting on the branch and wondered why it would during the day. ‘Perhaps the owl feels helpless due to blinded vision. Poor little thing!’ I pitied and brushed off the thought while continuing to walk further. To my serendipity, I ran into a group of nightingales busily singing on a banyan tree. Each bird sang elegantly, way better than the others in the group. ‘Are they competing?’ I wondered.

Of course, I was benefitted by the ‘singing idols’ since dewdrops of nectar poured into my ears and I stood still, with my eyelids closed, feeling the song, and escorting it into my soul. Suddenly, all felt silent. The birds stopped singing, forcing me to open my eyes in a jiff. I scanned the tree branch to find it empty. “Why did the birds flee? What could have happened?” I questioned, knowing it to be rhetorical. A chill of loneliness ran down my spine and I utterly wished for the presence of someone I could demand answers from.

“I am the reason.”

A soft voice, sweeter than the nightingales’ echoed through my ears. Slowly, I turned to find an angel with a harp. Dressed in white and exuding royalty through its graceful light, it stood still and ran its sparkling hands over the harp, producing a tune no human could ever compose. I froze with ambivalent emotions of terror and exhilaration. My jaw dropped on the sight of this perfect aesthetic. Blonde hair with locks and rosy cheeks which were partly visible due to the dazzling light. The smile he wore, made him look like an oyster harboring thousands of pearls instead of teeth. After completing the divine melody, he sprouted the rainbow wings and beckoned to follow him. I was dumbstruck. This beauty had left impact such intense, that my mouth was glued and words refused to fall out. I felt like a toddler, not being able to speak or take decisions. I felt like a robot who was programmed to follow and not reason.

The trance broke after we reached the cottage. I slapped myself gently to acquire consciousness. The angel landed near the cottage and said, “Go inside and don’t leave until dusk.” My emotions changed from admiration to confusion. What was happening? Why was I being forced by this angel here, to not leave the house? For the first time, I spoke to the angel, “What is the matter? Is everything okay?” I queried. “This is not the time to question. Go inside now and lock all the doors and windows! I am handing you this amulet. Keep wearing it at all times,” Saying this, the angel disappeared in thin air. The turquoise pendant glistened in the sunlight. The moment I wore it, a golden light encircled me forming a protective cover. I wondered what I was being protected from until I saw my open laptop and hurried to resume work not before obeying the angel’s words. Being bored, I used my headphones to enjoy some music while I worked.

I had completely forgotten about the angel until I left the cottage, yet again the next morning. I saw a scintillating figure standing right next to the cottage, staring at me with a wide smile. That is when I experienced a flashback of my abrupt interaction with this angel and the turquoise amulet which still hung around my neck. The figure approached me in the blink of an eye and said, “Danger averted.” I smiled back with pleasure and questioned, “What do you mean? Which danger are you referring to?” As usual, the angel flapped its wings and disappeared into the clouds as a response. “Wait! Don’t you want this amulet back?” I screamed after him, but in vain! “I’ll consider this as a souvenir,” I said while dearly rubbing the pendant.

A week had passed and it was time to return home. Booking a cottage in the woods was definitely a great idea to work on multiple writing projects. The peace and soothing breeze had really encouraged the flow of creative juices in me as I composed interesting content enough to impress my boss who gifted me a promotion. All went well and I kissed the pendant every single day, thanking the angel for visiting and showering me with good luck. At least, that is what I thought until I checked an article on the web regarding Rose Woods. “Rose woods? I had been there a month ago.” Curiosity sparked and I continued reading the article.

It said, “Matt Johnson, a serial killer had been on the loose in Rose Woods on 26th January 2020. He roamed the forest during the day, looking for anyone on his way to murder. He used the trail across the lake and frantically searched like a psychopath. Luckily, he didn’t find any victim. Also, he targeted the only cottage in those woods and tried barging in at 12 in the afternoon. Since the doors and windows were locked, he tried to break the glass of one of the windows but couldn’t succeed. When enquired, Matt revealed that a tall man standing right next to the cottage, resisted and fought him. Not being able to tolerate the agonizing conflict, he sprinted for good.”

Reading this piece, my heart dropped. My mind travelled to the time when the angel met me on the trail across the lake and guided me back to the cottage. This was because the serial killer was on the same route as me. Now, I realized why the angel asked me to not leave the cottage until dusk because it would be fighting the serial killer outside and protecting me from harm. That’s exactly why, it asked me to lock all the doors and windows. Had I not obeyed, the killer would have easily helped himself in and murdered me. I kissed the amulet yet again and placed it amiably on my face. I recited a few holy verses and thanked god for sending me a savior.

By Amatullah Padghawala