Tattoo

That day Nicholas woke up extremely early. He couldn't sleep. He went barefoot and in his underwear to the window only to realize that it was still virtually night. It was a more exciting day than his own birthday. His mother watched him run up and down the stairs of the house and was moved.—Nicholas, today is a very important day, that's true. But if you don't sleep, you won't have the energy to participate in the celebration. Your aunts and I are going to prepare the rice and mango sweets; you need to be energetic to eat them all.A couple of stars still remained in the Sigma sky. The street full of adobe houses had not yet awakened, and the dirt road had no passersby or vehicles. When the sun finally started to rise, Nicholas was ready. At his young age, he had already gone to the well to fetch water for the house, washed the dishes, oiled his hair, and meticulously filed his feet, knees, and elbows. He wore a white tunic with golden edges. Cheryl and her friends had painted his hands with henna, with intricate arabesques that extended above his wrists. He sat on the floor near the table, which was already set with boiling tea.When Chahel saw him, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, with his crystal-clear laughter.—Amma, Nicholas is going to arrive before the guru and teach us all how to do the ceremony.Ora looked at her son Nicholas with a mix of pride and sadness, and she pulled Chahel's ears.—Don't mock your brother and get ready like he is - she scolded him while pulling him, gently but firmly - I want you to be impeccable and do me the favor of not bringing your Lotus Buddhas to this celebration. It's fine that you believe in other things, but this is a sacred ceremony.—Yes, amma —Chahel said as he freed himself from the pull, rubbing his ear.—You'd do well to learn from your brother —said Ora as she sat down —and now let's review the steps of the ceremony.—Tell us, Nicholas —Chahel asked Nicholas, under the disapproving gaze of their mother, who thought he was still mocking him.Nicholas took a deep breath, inflating his chest and making the tunic rise a couple of centimeters with his intensity. He was ready for this. He had been ready for hours; time seemed to pass slower than usual for him. But he also felt a bit embarrassed being so exposed, seeing that they expected a complete answer from him.—Well, first...—Go on —Chahel encouraged him, having noticed that Nicholas was intimidated —I know you know it.—First we arrive at the temple very early. Our mother will walk in front of us. Then the gurus chant the mantras of Surya and also the prayer of... of...—The God and the Goddess —Chahel helped him, aware that Nicholas wasn't going to remember that.—That. What is that? —Nicholas said, not knowing.—The Gods of Naësu —Chahel and Ora replied.—So there's more than one? —Nicholas asked, puzzled.—Just those —Chahel said patiently —But continue.—Well. And then we sing. And then we leave the temple and go to the party —Nicholas answered with bright eyes and almost salivating.—You forgot the most important part —Ora said.Chahel looked at his mother and knew from the tone she used that she was excited, even a little sad. He put a hand on her shoulder while letting her speak.—Children —she began, trying not to let her voice break —Chahel, my son, you are the eldest and it's important that you help Nicholas. When the Tulum sentinels came to tell me that you had been chosen, Chahel, I felt very happy and proud and thanked Surya for this gift, but I never imagined that you, Nicholas, would be chosen too. It's a great honor for our family. They will paint your skin... with needles —she said while Nicholas's eyes widened, not afraid but curious— Needles that will be dipped in sacred ink. And that's how they will mark you with animals. The animals of the Naësu princes.—If you stay still. If not, it will be crooked —Chahel said with a smile.Nicholas stared at his mother with his mouth open.—Oh! Can it be a tiger or a lion?Nicholas was already imagining a threatening feline with open jaws on his shoulder, to show off in front of all his friends. Especially Jai, who had become so strange since he told him he was participating in this ceremony. He was going to be the fastest on the field and the first to score all the goals from now on. Obviously, if he was guarded by a jaguar or something like that. There was no other possible future.Ora was deciding whether to tell him the truth or lie to him when Chahel stepped in to take her out of the problem.—No, it's something better —Chahel said, looking at his mother, trying to keep the game going - Remember when Cheryl went to the desert and there was a palm, and even though they told her not to go near the palms alone, she went anyway?—Yes! And there was a scorpion! It scared her a lot.—Your animal is a scorpion.Nicholas thought for a few minutes. He imagined being dangerous and dark, having a curled tail, and an armor. An exoskeleton (but he didn't know that word).—And you? Are you a scorpion too?—No. I'm going to be drawn as a bull.—And why?—Because I'm the eldest brother - Chahel said.Nicholas was thinking so much that he felt his head was boiling.-Amma, why are the animals different? - he asked while taking a piece of bread to his mouth.Ora prepared and did her best to explain this in a simple way, without using words Nicholas wouldn't understand or difficult concepts to explain. At the same time, she wanted to convey the pride she felt and her excitement that they had reached this point in their lives. But apparently, there was no simple way to do it.—Look, my love —Ora explained, taking Chahel's hand while looking at Nicholas with affection— A long time ago, Sigma was green and had many plants and sea. Then humans ruined it. The nyasuk came and saved us; and that's why Tulum thanks them by painting on our skin the sacred animal of the nyasuk princes. So we remember forever what they did for us.For Chahel, this explanation felt a bit short. With six years more than Nicholas, he was capable of thinking about the political implications and the convenience of the authorities taking a couple of young people from a planet outside the asteroid belt, designating them as tribute, and getting rid of other actions that might compromise them with the Naësu crown. But he said nothing. Nicholas was happy, Ora was proud. It wasn't his role to destroy what they believed in.Nicholas, for his part, remembered that at school he had been taught about a green planet with sea, that had "jungle," and that there were also scorpions there. He recalled that scorpions were also killers. At least some of them. No problem. He imagined himself lurking in the dark: if he was bothered or felt threatened in any way, he could curl his tail, increasing his size, and sting with his pincers. His advantage now was in the dark.He was also intrigued by the nyasuk princes. Were they great warriors? With golden scimitars shining in the sunlight, on a dromedary? Or something different?Ora recalled the tales and legends that spoke of a green and fertile Sigma, full of life and water. She hadn't seen it, but there was evidence of it in the sacred scriptures.—Come on, children. Or we will be late.Nicholas's friends, Cheryl and the henna artists, and Jai and his soccer team, were waiting outside the steps leading to the temple. At the entrance, a sumptuous statue of Surya, the sun god driving his chariot with seven horses, welcomed them to remind them that it was a solemn occasion, and they tried to stop talking, while looking at their friend with admiration and a bit of fear. They wore tunics of different colors and held palm fronds in their hands. They entered the temple little by little after seeing them go in.First went Ora, making a sun salutation before the interior statue, the gurus, and the attendees, mostly from the Tulum government and friends and family. Her eyes were filled with tears. With her hands together in prayer, she went to sit on the floor.Then Chahel entered, also doing a sun salutation despite himself. He looked around, hoping not to be seen by any of his Lotus Order brothers. He wore a white tunic with golden edges, like Nicholas's, but on him it looked perfect, impeccable, as if it were his daily wear. He remained silent and told himself that he had to fulfill this formality.Nicholas entered last and looked at the colorful paper decorations hanging from the high ceiling, the tied-up hair of the teachers on their heads, and the face paint of the gurus, a terracotta color spread across their foreheads and cheeks. Then he remembered he had to do a sun salutation, and did three, feeling that he wanted to do things right and always have Surya's blessing.The Surya mantras were chanted, and the entire temple chanted the words of worship of something they knew by heart; however, when it came to the part of the God and the Goddess, the gurus drew a star in the air and began presenting the five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and ether. No one knew the nyasuk words or the meaning outside of the gurus, and that's why they remained silent.The masters of ceremonies sat on the floor and called Nicholas and Chahel before them. They first anointed them with aromatic oils and then cleaned their skin, and then began the tattooing process. The master who tattooed Chahel chose the shoulder, and before starting, passed the needle through the sacred fire and filled it with consecrated ink. The master next to Nicholas waited for Chahel's process to start so Nicholas could watch attentively and not be frightened when it was his turn. This master chose the nape as the area to tattoo Nicholas.Nicholas was going to remember forever the needle against his skin, especially in the areas where it was closer to the bones than to soft tissue. It hurt, but not so much as to cry, and Jai was in the audience. While the children were undergoing this task, both the gurus and the attendants murmured the mantras with the japa in their hands.Chahel looked at Nicholas enduring the pain like a man and smiled faintly, more to himself. He reached out a hand towards him because he could; he was close enough. He wanted to show his support. However, Nicholas was facing away from him and was slightly startled.—Don't move me —said Nicholas— I don't want it to come out crooked.Chahel found it so funny that he had to cover his mouth, and when Ora realized what was happening, she gave him a scathing look.—Sorry —said Chahel.The mantras began once more, with renewed strength. The process was over. Metallic bowls were struck, vibrating and filling the space. The masters gave the children a strong hug, and then all the attendees, one by one; they touched their foreheads in greeting, and then took their hands; they warmly congratulated them. Nicholas felt a wave of warmth and love as each person congratulated him, while Chahel, more reserved, received the hugs with a grateful smile.Ora hugged her children, both at once, with much affection, and whispered words of pride into their ears. The temple, now full of laughter and chatter, was slowly emptying as the attendees began to converse among themselves and leave. The procession waiting outside led them to their home, where the celebration continued in the streets with lively and cheerful music, a vibrant contrast to the solemnity of the temple.Nicholas, exhausted but satisfied, slept that night like never before. He felt the presence of the scorpion on his skin, and with it, a renewed sense of loyalty towards the nyasuk who had rescued his planet. He dreamed of the jungle, of an image of a green and lively world, and fell asleep with a satisfied smile.