WARLOCK'S INTERNS

Chapter 1: The Signs of Stars

Chapter 1:

Atma looked at the twinkling stars once again. It is time for him to predict, he closed his eyes and opened his inner mind to ask his question. After some time, he opened his eyes slowly and carefully began to read the positions of the stars. Once done; he started walking towards the hut thinking about his siblings. Today he has tricked them from following him.

He loved to watch the mysterious twinkling stars and open his inner mind during this hour, it helped him in knowing things beforehand. For Atma, the world in itself was a great mystery beyond human contemplation.

Many times he himself wondered with awe about his star reading skills. He was just an orphan boy. He even didn’t know who his parents were. Luckily for him, the good Priest Vaachaspati has adopted him. He remembered Champaka, his adopted mother talking about things before his adoption.

Vaachaspati, a high Priest of neighbor Kingdom Sampada was very well respected for his knowledge and wisdom, until; he married Champaka, the beautiful fisher girl of Swarnapuri Kingdom. Atma remembered his adopted mother Champaka flush while narrating this part of their past life and smiled to himself.

The young Priest Vaachaspati who had come to Swarnapuri Kingdom had fallen in love with the simple fisher girl Champaka. He was fascinated with her innocence rather than her beauty. Their love bloomed to new heights as the Priest strongly decided to marry her against the protest of his people of Sampada Kingdom and its King. The King and his people of Sampada named him an ‘outcast’ and refused to shelter him under their roof. Maheepati, the King of Swarnapuri Kingdom was generous enough to give shelter to Vaachaspati making him the high priest of Swarnapuri’s lord Shiva temple.

Life was not easy for the young couples in the beginning. They had to wait long for the blessing of god in extending their family. On an evening of treacherous weather, when the sky was filled with dark clouds, Vaachaspati found a neonate baby crying near the river bank, while returning from the temple. It was carefully wrapped in a woolen cloth. Taking this as a blessing of god, Vaachaspati adopted the little boy baby. Soon he was blessed with two of his own blood, a boy and a girl whom he named as Bakula and Vasundari.

Atma smiled again remembering the story, Bakula and Vasundari! How lucky of him to be their elder brother. How lucky of him to be the adopted son of Vaachaspati and Champaka, for he was an orphan in reality.

As the kids began to grow in harmony, his father started to observe him closely; his father had sensed something unusual in him. Atma remembered his mother telling him about his famous star stares when he was just a kid; he was often found staring at the shining stars for long hours even without blinking his eyes. Atma returned to the present after stumbling on a small rock and hurting his toe as the blood oozed from his toes, “Ouch! It really hurts,” Atma cried aloud.  

After nourishing his toes from the nearby leaves, he continued walking. Atma looked at the numerous golden colored lights of the Palace. “What a sight!” he cried in delight. He always loved to watch the Palace during twilight. He wondered what Princess Chitrakshi might be doing now. She was famous for her innocent beauty. He remembered their many meetings few months ago. A smile faded in as he thought of their good olden days with Bakula and Vasundari.

Atma suddenly stopped, he had heard the wind, and it did tell him something. He looked at the nearby leaves closely for more indication. Someone or something is on his trail! Could it be any wild animal? Swarnapuri Kingdom was indeed very close to the deadly forest, but rarely did they have visitors from the forest. Suddenly he heard a whooping sound and in no time something or someone was on his back.

“I caught you, I did!” Bakula cried with excitement.

“My god! You did scare me Baku, what does this means?” Atma showed his irritation.

Bakula mischievously grinned, “That one should not trick siblings”.

Atma laughed heartily releasing all his tensions out at once. His brother was really like a stubborn mule, he would never ever leave his back.

“So, what were you doing here and why did you tricked us Atma?” Bakula asked as they started walking towards the fisherman quarters of Swarnapuri. Atma looked here and there before whispering, “Listen Baku, I have read the signs of stars; we are going to have a row soon.”

“Row! What shall we do now?”

“First, let’s get back to home.”

Atma knew his brother’s tenacity towards him and he did like it. He loved to be with Bakula, he was the most intelligent boy he had ever come across. He could chant innumerable Mantras (Chants), he could read the other ancient languages quiet well and most importantly he has studied Vedas. Atma would never understand all this. He wondered how his brother could be so intelligent!

Atma was unlike his two siblings, Bakula and Vasundari. He was not well learnt and neither he was very intelligent. He just loved to be on himself alone and observe the great stars, but the elders of the Swarnapuri Kingdom thought otherwise. They always related him to the stars and called him as the Son of stars. He really could not understand that well. He loved the stars, off course; he knew how to read them opening his inner mind, but how? why? He never had the answer for that.

Bakula nudged him from his left hand as they came near their hut. Atma at once understood his brother’s thought; he wanted to tease Vasundari.

”Where have you two been? What you two are up to now? Have you sneaked to Palace without me?” Vasundari showered them with questions.

Atma smiled at Vasundari’s curiosity, she was just fifteen years old, yet so persistent and strong in her own way. Vasundari stood in front of them blocking their way.

“I asked questions and I need to know the answers; NOW!”

Bakula feeling irritated cast a glance at Atma, “We were just wandering in the forest Vasundari. Now let us pass in”, on the other hand his sister was not so easily convinced, she persisted stubbornly, “no, truth first.”

Atma smiled at her persistence, “I was away looking for star signs near the forest Vasundari, and Bakula followed me there.” Vasundari, satisfied with the answer threw a mischievous glance at Bakula, “next time don’t forget to take me.”     

For Vasundari her world is nothing but her brothers Bakula and Atma. She always thought high of Atma, for her he was one of those rare lotus flowers that was born in an unknown pond. Together they made a very good team, each coordinating in their own way. It was Bakula who was more taken on to his father; he had showed immense interest in Vedas and Sanskrit language. His father, being very proud has in turn taught him all he could. Vasundari had the gift of beauty from her mother.

Atma saw his mother Champaka hurriedly walking towards them, “My lad, did you say signs of stars?”

“Yes mother, I read the signs of stars, it say’s we are to have a row.”

“Row! Are we going to have a war again? Are we going to have a catastrophe? Or are we going to have -?” Vasundari was all questions again.

Champaka brushed her daughter’s hairs softly, “Lass! Enough now, I must speak to your father about this.”

Atma knew Champaka would worry on things like this. But he had to tell her the truth, the truth which he is destined to learn and perhaps use it to save lives.

**

It was getting darker when Vaachaspati started home. He was pleased with himself, why should he be not? Life seems to have found its path for him. Outcast! Being called an outcast by his own people was no good under any circumstances. He has done all he could to forget the pain it caused. Now things seemed to have changed immensely, he had a wonderful family with three kids and a beautiful wife whom he adored.

He looked at the sight of Palace going on with its evening light. “Ah! What a sight!” he said aloud in delight. This Kingdom has given him so much when his own people have deserted him as an outcast. The King Maheepati was the generous most of all; he remembered his Palace visits during his first days in Swarnapuri Kingdom. He was so young and energetic, people bowed to him with respect when he walked along the streets of this Kingdom.

Things have changed drastically after that. He had fallen in for the poor fisher girl and married her in spite of the protest from his people. Now being a father of three made him proud. Although Atma; was really not his own blood. He always wondered about the orphan boy, who could be his father? Who could be his mother? and why have they deserted him when he was just an infant? 

The boy seemed to show the mysterious power even as an infant. Vaachaspati hardly remembered him crying like his other children. He knew quite well that people thought Atma as a Wizard behind his back. Is he a Wizard? If so, what is wrong in being a Wizard? Why do people always fear Wizards, are they not human beings? He himself was bound with numerous unanswered questions.

He knew well that people related Atma to the stars as they thought he had a special power of reading the stars by opening his inner mind. In fact, Atma has done so on many occasions. He could tell the time of rain to begin with and he could warn the fishermen about the high tides. Vaachaspati wondered how he could do it. He wanted to teach him the sacred Mantras and Sanskrit language, but Atma just did possess neither interest nor the skills needed for it.

On the other hand his own blood Bakula was amazingly good in Sanskrit language and Mantras. Vaachaspati himself was amazed at the speed Bakula learnt. He was too fast for a teen; he absorbed all the things taught to him immaculately. He knew these two kids did have something special in them; they were entirely different in their ways but very much same at the heart.

Vasundari! A thin smile escaped from his lips as he took her name. She was beautiful just like her mother. She is too young to show any specialty yet, he thought of her very lovingly. He knew she is the most talkative girl he had ever come across. He always wondered at her questioning skills. She could come up with innumerous questions which sometimes did irritate him, but that did show her interest in learning things and that’s what mattered most.

****