Part 2: When Fire begot Water

The story of Ahimsa and The Djinn begun and, so far, has resulted in calamity, and thus we journey forward to witness the lives of the next troubled souls.

War rumbled and raged on, corrupting a once pure land, reducing it to nothing but barren dust. Some would say humanity had a supernatural ability to run away from the prospect of a long and happy life; others may say that they had an innate darkness, and this darkness manifested itself in the form of war and corruption. But it was only the ones who had lived a life in love that were able to say that humankind had an uncanny need, to more often than not, do the wrong things for the right reasons. And it was this very reason a baby was left abandoned on the steps of an orphanage 700 years ago.

The land matured, and with it the lost child. However, the world was a complete contrast to the one he was birthed in. His childhood became more sheltered and frightened for every day leapt closer towards being his last. Bodhi was an extraordinary child, and as his fortune would have it, his talents were recognised. As such, he was provided with an advanced education. He pledged to gain as much as he could from this privilege and so every day, after school, he would return to the orphanage to teach the children, who were not so fortunate as him to be provided with such knowledge. As his brightness grew so did his love for the water, and fortune had it that he lived in a city that bordered brilliant blue oceans that reigned on far and wide.

Prior to the war, the orphanage and the city it resided in was bathed in riches and, as a result, the orphaned children were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the country’s many wonders. Bodhi, being a collector of items rare and beautiful, always kept a sharp eye out for anything unusual, besides the people. It was at a market where a set of golden bracelets and a pocket watch caught his wondering eye. The bracelets were three strands of rose, white and pure Indian yellow gold braided together to form a single delicate strand, and the pocket watch was the colour of aged wine, just as distinct, yet strangely graceful. Without a second thought, and with complete disregard for the cost, he bought them.

Bodhi was acutely aware from a rather young age of his abandonment and had always been more curious rather than angry regarding this predicament. Shortly before the throes of war encroached on his home, he had begun his search for his parents, a search that ended in vain. However, not all was lost. His home had always been with the fellow orphans he was proudly able to call his brothers and sisters. He loved them all as his own, as did they.

The city of Bodhi’s childhood had glistened in sapphires and rubies, yet his adolescence saw nothing but dust and sand. Luckily for him, he had always recognised his fortune and somehow was always acutely aware of impending doom. So, luck be told, he sensed the coming conflict months before anyone else ever did. However, Bodhi also knew running would come at a cost, a cost that was likely to be exceedingly catastrophic, and therefore he stayed put, within the walls of the only home he’d ever know.

A single bracelet and the pocket watch Bodhi had bought all those years ago were given to a girl he had grown very close to; he kept the other bracelet for himself, a token of their impenetrable friendship. She held the pocket watch close to her heart as it was presented to her by Bodhi so that she’d know of the time wherever fate took her. Being born on the eleventh day of the eleventh month led to her being named ‘Ekadashi’, and it was this number that remained forever auspicious. By chance, she was also incredibly gifted at mathematics, and as a result, she and Bodhi shared a similar passion for learning. Together they would teach the other children all that they had learnt, despite having no understanding of the advanced language and concepts spoken by the pair, the children would eagerly listen and watch the enthusiasm and creativity that oozed between them.

Ekadashi was known to have a fiery nature, which contrasted with Bodhi’s cool temperament, one that resembled the calmness of ocean tides. They both loved the serenity of nature and would take frequent trips to the water’s edge, where they would come across a vast number of curiously looking shadows, both in the sea and on land. Seashells, belemnites, shark’s teeth, ammonites, pearls and more drifted to the sandy beaches of the ancient city, attracted to the purity of the land. But as time passed, these harbourers of the world’s history visited these shores less often, and it was a sight that both children observed, but only Bodhi was able to feel the reason why. Ekadashi always had Bodhi by her side as a reminder of all that was good in the world, in her world. And whenever she needed him, she always knew where to look…under the sea.

Secluded from the rest of the city was a cove full of magic, where Bodhi would sit, for what felt like hours and hours. It exuded a purity unknown to humanity and hummed a lullaby only sung by the angels. It heaved a breath of life when hearts of purity and innocence were in its presence and its hymn doubled in strength whenever both children visited the cove. The cove had been there since before the creation of Earth and had felt the presence of many pure souls come and go, all in awe of what lay beyond the horizon of where the sky met the sea. But little did it know; Bodhi and Ekadashi would be the last of the pure souls it would ever encounter.

Alas, everything has an end, for an end it must have. The end of their bliss begins here with Bodhi witnessing the ripple of his beloved horizon and the world’s first scream into oblivion.