Mo Yaling

The Jingle

When I tried to open my eyes, a pain like a lighting flash, tore me apart. I tried to move but felt numb totally. I was feeling helpless and cried out for a help, but my throat and tongue were dry and rugged. I couldn’t make any sound. Where am I? I thought - followed by the next question – Who AM I? I couldn’t even remember my identity! The pain was swirling in my body. Suddenly I felt a warmth in my mouth. A warm soft liquid was flowing though my oesophagus. The liquid has an assuasive and very relaxing taste. It was a very soothing feeling. Slowly, gradually my pain faded away after a long time and I was asleep again. When I woke up again it was the same repetition of my previous experience – the pain, followed by the warm liquid and finally comfort. The pain was attenuating slowly though. Then one time I felt that somebody was wandering around me. ‘Who are you?’ I tried to ask. But I could produce only an airy sound of a dry leaf being rubbed with another one. I had no idea how long I spent like that but it seemed to me like it was for eternity. I was swaying on the waves of pain and it’s reduction and had feeling that peoples were meandering around me with ghostly but human forms and talking in their faint voices in a muffled whisper. Several times I tried to communicate them but failed. I tried a few more times and finally just gave up and decided to wait till I regain my voice back!

Once I woke up and felt thirsty. I opened my eyes to observe that it was a earthen room with a thatched roof – as it seemed to me. The room wasn’t lightened but It wasn’t dark also. I tried to search but couldn't found the source of the light. A mild but bright vermilion tint was glowing around the room.

‘Water!’ I whispered and noticed that my voice has come back to normal! So I uttered a little loud once more, ‘Water!’

A shadow from the corner of the room concentrated to a human form and approached me.

‘Water.’ I said once again and opened my mouth as an indication.

The person poured that warm liquid in my mouth instead of water. I gulped quite an amount of that fluid. ‘What is this?’ I asked as I felt relieved. ‘And who are you?’

‘Shh! Imi.’ A soft silky voice replied.

So she’s a female. ‘Shimi – where am I?’ I asked her.

‘Shh! Imi! Imi!’ She closed my eyelids with her soft and temperate fingers and caressed my forehead. So, Shimi wasn’t her name! Probably she was trying to tell me something else. She had a motherly touch in her hand. Was she my mother? Then why didn’t she spoke my language? Her fondling touch send me back to sleep once again.

The next time I woke up I almost felt no pain. Though there was a little bit difficulty to move my body, I tried to look here and there. My assumption was right. It was a big, elongated, earthen room. It’s bright red painting on the wall and bamboo beams were glistening with the daylight coming through the door broad open.

Suddenly a shadow appeared on the door and the next moment an old man came in. He was wearing a colourful piece of cloth from the neck to a little below the waist, tied with a bamboo belt at his waistline. The exposed part of his skin was red in colour. His long milk-white hairs were knotted with a hedgehog thorn on his forehead.

‘Uyi lyanto nunumi.’ He greeted me with a smile and bowed as he came near me.

I looked at him and gave a blunt smile.

The old man started examining me calmly. He checked my pulse for quite a long time. Then he checked my entire body slowly, carefully and very perfectly.

‘Tai!’ He called somebody after sometime.

‘Iin!’Replied the silk smooth female voice of the last night.

As she came near me I could see her clearly. She too was wearing a colourful cloth on her slim supple torso to cover her breasts and the other piece of knee-length cloth was hanging from her waist. Her complexion was also red and she had a very sweet looking face with long straight hairs. Both of them talked about me in their own language. Then they put me up to a raised position and removed the sheet from my body. I noticed in surprise that my entire body was covered with banana leaves, smeared with some kind of crimson paste, except the groin area, where I had a baby-like nappy made of clean white cloth wrapped around my waist. They asked me something, but I couldn't get it. Then they hold me from both sides and made me stand up. I was feeling a little weak and my legs were quivering. I wasn’t feeling strong enough and flopped on the bed.

From the next day they started to serve me solid foods. The ingredients were known to me, though I couldn't recall their names – not to remember a thing aright. But the dishes were too tasty. I used to eat more that they served me. Within two or three days – I regained enough strength to get up from the bed and paced a little inside the room.

Afternoon the old man came once again. He bowed and greeted me. I tried to copy his gesture.

‘Ngo Thera.’ He said.

I looked at his face trying to understand what is he saying.

‘Thera.’ He indicates himself. ‘No, hu ya pe?’ He taps on my chest.

I shrugged and swayed my hand. ‘Can’t remember.’ I said and become sad.

The old man Thera gave me a tight hug and smiled. He then called a few men and women and instructed them something as he pointed me.

It was a full moon night when they dressed me up like them and took me outside. There was a huge gathering. Everybody dressed traditionally. They sat side by side touching each other creating several circles with a big fire in the centre. When I was taken to that gathering the crowd greeted me in unison.

Thera took my hand and entered the circle. He make me sit on a paddy mat there. Various stuffs were arranged there. Thera put his thumbs on the veins of my forehead and pressed them. My eyes closed on their own. There was a strange silence. I could only hear the chattering sounds of the fire. After sometime Thera started a song or may be a chanting. I could feel that he was touching those staffs to different parts of my body. The melody was very beautiful. One by one each and everyone picked up the tune in their own voices. I couldn't understand the lyrics. But the tune touched me. I started humming it with them without even knowing. It was a heavenly feeling. It felt - as if I am a part of these people – for a long time!

Suddenly I felt a tug on my hand. I opened my eyes and saw that Thera was pulling my hand. I left the seat and Thera started roving around the fire holding one of my hand. At a point of time somebody from the circle got up and grabbed my other hand. A human chain was formed within a moment! It was – as if - an prolonged snake was crawling and coiling within a small space beautifully!

The ceremony ended when the moon rose over our head. Various thoughts were emerging in my mind, but I couldn't understand them at all. Everyone divided into small groups and the feast started. Everybody was chitchatting among themselves while eating. All of a sudden I heard a faint buzzing sound as if a swarm of bees were flying around me. I headed up to lookup for bees and noticed that many of the others have heard the sound too. The sound gradually increased a little. I didn’t know why, but a fear spread among the peoples. Everyone become petrified there!

Suddenly a frightening shrill sound shocked all of us. We saw Tai coming running like a haunted woman. She came and knelt before us and said so many things at once excitedly and pointed me continuously. The excitement spread through everyone there. Thera pushed me up and indicated me to rush with Tai. Tai tugged my hand. I got up and ran with her. Thera and rest of the people followed us. As we approached near the hut I was staying, I heard an intense jingling melody from there. Tai stopped at the door and signalled me to enter the room. I was bedazzled a bit. What was going on? What was that sound about? Tai almost thrust me in. Thera followed me. Rest of the people kept peeping out of door out of fear.

Tai pointed at one corner of the room. As I approached I saw the sound was coming out from a illuminated small rectangular thin plate-like thing. I recognized it immediately! It is nothing but a mobile phone! My mobile phone!