Caucus and his journey

Demon or Lion

When Caucus wakes up it was already evening he hears screams and clattering sound coming from the other room,

‘he is the son of my dead sister, how could I not bring him here, I am his only relative in touch.’

‘I don’t want to hear that, I have already you and Migma I don’t want more burden in my life.’

‘Are we burden for you, don’t forget there is an equal hand of me as you to build this house. If you want my nephew out from your life then you also have to forget about me and Migma.’

Ellijah bursts out of the room in tears.

Migma was almost 4 years old but still there was no sign of him to talk. Ellijah and Pasang took him to the best hospital for treatment but all was in vain. According to the doctor he had no problem at the hearing but he just couldn’t speak. Awaken by his parent’s fight he went toward the room where Caucus was sleeping. It was the first meeting of Migma and Caucus. They both stared at each other. For Migma, Caucus was just someone with whom he could play. With his little hands he lifted a ball which was kept under a box nearby. He waved at Caucus as he was calling him to play with him in his own way. ‘You are Migma right, mom used to talk about you some time. She has gone to a better place so she asked your mom to look after me’, confused by Caucus prattle Migma again waved at him to play. ‘Okay coming’ signed Caucus.

Ellijah’s house was at the top of a hill and on all sides there were big mountains covered with snow. The view from the house was so amazing that Caucus thought it as one of the postcard picture that he used to share with his friends. While he was admiring the beauty of the surrounding something hit him from behind, Migma was throwing the ball at him. Caucus caught the ball ‘it hurts’, he mumbled Migma again waved his hands toward him signing to throwback, Caucus did same and threw back the ball at him. And they continued playing until Elijah called them for dinner.

Ellijah’s house was small from outside but it was huge inside with five rooms, in the middle there was a living room with a TV at one corner and a huge sofa in front to watch. The fire chamber was situated at another corner. The living room provided a path to the other four rooms from which one was kitchen, the other was a*****e, and the remaining two were sleeping room for Migma and his parents.

During dinner Pasang sets some ground rules for Caucus,

‘No fights with his little brother,

cannot go outside after dark,

not allowed to go into the coniferous forest,

and

cannot complain about food.’

‘He is just a small child’, said Ellijah furiously

‘I am setting these rules for his own good, I may be rude some time that doesn’t mean I want bad for him.’

Silence ruled over the room.

Migma and Caucus had to share the room, Migma didn’t seem to mind that at all, he was just happy to get someone to play with.

The next morning when Caucus opened his eyes he almost fell off his bed seeing Migma staring at him. ‘What’s the matter with you’ he cried. Migma again waved his hand signing Caucus to come outside with him. Caucus lazily gets down from the bed and stroll behind Migma. The time when he reached front door three others were waiting for him, two of them were likely to be of the same age as him and one seemed quite big. ‘They are your friends’, uttered Ellijah from behind handing a piece bread to each one of them. ‘When you go to school from next month you, Voilet and Anna will be in the same class’, said Ellijah pointing toward a boy and a girl.

The boy had brown hair with olive skin, he was tanned all over and his eyes were so small that they were invisible when he smiled. The girl was taller than the boy with fair skin and dark hair.

‘After finishing your bread you all can go and play but don’t go far’, ‘George take care of them’. said Ellijah looking toward the big guy. He was blond with grey hair, he was too thin and tall and his hands were so long that it was almost reaching his knee area.

After finishing their bread Migma, Anna and Voilet begun to run down the steep hill while George and Caucus were strolling behind them ‘which level are you in George’, asked Caucus

‘I don’t go to school.’

‘Why not everyone goes to school.’

‘Not those who have to earn for their living.’

‘You earn.’

‘Yes, during winter I climb mountains in search of caterpillar fungus with my dad and we walk down to the market in summer to sell it, tourists offer a huge amount for it.’

‘Have you seen yeti in those mountains’, said Caucus being excited about it.

‘Not till now, but I want to see one’.

They both chuckled.

There was a huge ground where steep ended. They all begun to play, where Caucus was distracted by coniferous forest which was seen from their playing spot. ‘Do you know there lives a lion in that forest I saw it’s cave yesterday’, bragged Caucus.

‘But my father said it’s demon’s cave who feeds on human, last year it fed on my friend’s grandfather’, said Anna with trembling voice.

‘But my mom said demons aren’t real it was made up to make us afraid, it must be a lion.’

‘No it’s demon my father is never wrong.’

‘And my mom is never wrong it’s lion.’

Anna and Caucus began fighting while Migma was waving his hand signing to stop.

‘Let’s go there inside the cave then we will know whether it is demon or lion’, said Violet.

‘I am not going there that demon will eat us’, screamed Anna.

‘You don’t want to go there because you know there is no demon and you are afraid to lose’, mocked Caucus.

‘I am not afraid to lose because I know there is the demon.’

‘Then why aren’t you ready to go there’ shouted Caucus.

‘okay, now I want to go there and prove your mom is a liar.’

‘my mom is not a liar your father is a liar.’

they were angrily looking at each other when George hearing them shouting at came toward them and said, ‘no-one is going anywhere near the forest, that forest is dangerous and no-one is allowed to go there and if this topic arises again I have to tell your parent’s about your stupid plan.’

They both angrily moved toward their home.

After lunch when Caucus and Migma were playing outside, Pasang came screaming from outside, he went inside the house forcing the door open. Migma and Caucus peeped from the door to see what happened. Ellijah came out from her room after she heard the sound of the door. ‘What happened? Why are you so messed up?’, said Ellijah fixing up his tie. Pasang pushed her away, ‘It’s all because of you, it’s because you brought a bad omen in this house, it has already begun to show it’s effect.’

‘But first, tell me what happened?’

‘During parents-teacher meeting today, parents complained that I wasn’t a better principal of the school and they chose Hema over me for the post. Tomorrow they are going to kick me out from my post of principal officially. And when did it happen, just after you bring your nephew home due to whom your sister and your sister’s husband aren’t in this world’, shouted Pasang.

‘How is this his fault, you cannot blame him for everything that happens to you, he is just an innocent child. Just give him a chance, you will love him’, said Ellijah.

‘I will never love him, and soon you will see it too when he eats one of us’, said Pasang and went toward his room.

Ellijah sat on the couch there and rested her head on her hands. Caucus who was watching all of it from the door was hurt by his uncle’s word. He sat there and hide his face inside his hands and knees. Tears started rolling down his eyes. Migma was there watching him, he sat down on his knee and hugged Caucus from above. ‘I can’t eat you, aunt and uncle, you know that right?. And my mom went far from me because she was in a lot of pain it wasn’t me, do you trust me that it wasn’t me’, cried Caucus peeking his head out from his knee. Migma wiped the tears from his face and signed him not to cry. He pulled his hand toward him standing up from his knee. Caucus stood up, then he took him to the nearby hill. Migma was habitual to walk on those steep but Caucus was having problems to climb. Despite being smaller one Migma helped him climb the steep and finally they reached the top. The whole village including the city area in the valley was seen from it.

Caucus sighed in exhaust and looked at the breathtaking scenario. A cold breeze from the mountains was hitting his face. He closed his eyes and felt the new feeling which was so unlike Nepalgunj.

Migma signed him to look at his opposite side, Caucus did as he said and astonished seeing Mount Everest in front of him. He only had seen it on TV and books but it was hundred times beautiful in real. The scenario took all of his bad feelings away and they sat there on the ground until it was dark. When they got home Ellijah was searching for them. Migma ran toward her ‘where have you been?’ asked Ellijah.

‘Migma took me up to the hill to see Everest’, said Caucus being happy when Pasang came outside and slap on his face, ‘I told you that no-one was allowed to be outside after dark. And you broke the rule the next day I told you about it’, shouted Pasang.

Caucus was never been slapped before. He begun crying, ‘sorry, uncle.’

Ellijah went toward him, ‘how can you slap a child, he clearly said it was Migma who took him there’, said she

‘Now you are blaming my son for your nephew. Is he more important to you than our son?’, shouted Pasang when Ellijah took Caucus inside the house.

Caucus was still crying, Ellijah made him sit on the couch, ‘I know you don’t like your uncle. He is a little strict but everything he does is for your good, He thinks about family safety at first, but he was wrong to slap you and I am sorry for that, will you forgive your aunt’, said Ellijah catching her ears. ‘It’s okay Elli, I am not angry with you’, said Caucus.

Migma came there, Ellijah pulled his hand and kept it in Caucus’s, ‘promise me you both will take care of each other in every aspect of your life’, said she. Migma and Caucus both nodded yes to her.

Ellijah took them for dinner after that. After which she took them to their bedroom Caucus’s and Migma’s bed were next to each other. After a while when Caucus was almost asleep he heard the sound of Migma changing his position from time to time. ‘Are you not sleepy till now?’, asked Caucus looking at him he nodded his head saying yes. ‘Do you want me to sing you to sleep’

Migma again nodded his head saying yes. Caucus remembering the song his mother used to sing to him to sleep sung it for Migma. When the song ended Caucus looked at him he was sleeping calmly.