Any Port In a Storm

Link to Chapter One

Chapter Two

Raj lay curled on one side, cradling his hand. Disbelief paralyzed him as the impossibility of what had happened gradually sunk in. The wound only appeared now as a bite from something non-poisonous, like a checkered keelback snake. He knew he shouldn't feel better; a cobra's bite always kills its victim without medicine. His mind reeled, seemingly poised to explode. He needed answers.

Raj sat up, and the effort made his head spin. Fighting back the bile at the back of his throat, he tucked his head between his knees, gulping for air, and waited for the nausea to end.

When his strength returned, he gazed about, looking for the mongoose. Finding the animal close, prone on the ground with labored breathing, shocked Raj.

"What's wrong!?" the boy asked.

"I, too… change. You... have... given me… a part... of yourself."

Feeling helpless but wanting to help, Raj crawled, weeping to the mongoose, and gently stroked its grey, grizzled fur.

He pleaded with the animal not to die. He cried harder, hyperventilating until passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Awakening alone, Raj feared the worst. He almost started crying again, but an excited chattering drew his attention to a moldering log where he saw Bullseye nosing about. Wiping the tears and snot from his face, Raj called to the mongoose.

"Hey! You okay?"

"I'm better than okay, I'm great!" Bullseye said as he bounded over.

Raj's mouth dropped, noting the sheen of the little animal's glossy, dark brown hair as it stretched and preened before him. Raj would have thought it was another mongoose but for the distinctive ring of lighter-colored fur about one eye.

"My youth returns! You must have given me some of your longevity when I saved you. I've never heard of such a thing happening, but then again, I'm no scholar," Bullseye said.

Raj pondered this. He knew mongooses lived a fraction of the time a person might. 

"Am I going to die now?"

"Hmm, let me get a good look at you."

The mongoose bounced around, sniffing Raj before clambering up his shirt and peering into the boy's eyes.

"You smell the same. Don't worry. Humans live forever; at least, that's how a creature like me sees it. Your gift will likely have little effect on you. No reason you won't still grow old and gray someday, far off. Although you may have lost a couple years overall, it's not a bad trade if you consider you would have died today without my help."

Raj's insides churned, listening to Bullesye's nonchalant talk of death, even with the understanding he had gotten the better end of the trade. And yet, something else felt different to Raj. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Aha! Jackpot! Come to Papa, you delicious little morsel."

Raj watched the mongoose tear into a giant beetle with its sharp canine teeth.

"Mmmm….yom….yom….tasty."

"Hey! I can hear you still. How can I hear you?" Raj asked.

"Of course, you can hear me. You're Virūpa now."

"But... you're speaking Hindi."

The mongoose replied without stopping his struggle to choke down the beetle's large hind legs.

"Uh-huh, yep. I'm Virūpa now, too. Funny, I never thought I'd do that willingly, but I suppose old age makes one generous." 

Raj's eyes narrowed, "I don't think your words are coming from your mouth."

"Nope, animal Virūpa don't speak that way. Look at me…no lips to speak of; I'd never be able to make the sounds needed to speak your language that way." 

"Am I the only one who you can talk to?" Raj asked. "What about my mom?"

"Just you." The mongoose said, struggling to free a beetle leg wedged between its teeth.

"Like an imaginary friend?"

"Yes, except in this case, real." 

Raj wobbled to his feet. 

"Careful. The venom makes us sick for some time." Bullseye said. 

"I'm feeling better. Thanks to you. Now come here you're so cute!" 

Raj scooped the mongoose into his arms and buried his face in the little animal's fur. 

"Ah! What are you doing? Boundaries!"

"Oh, Bullseye! You're so fluffy and shiny and new!"

The mongoose growled, prompting Raj to put it down.  

"I thought you were my friend," Raj said.

"We're Virūpa." 

"Is that like being friends?" Raj asked.

"I suppose..."

"Well, I hug my friends. They like it. Why'd you growl?" 

"Instincts, Boy."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Don't you like hugs?"

"I'm not sure; it's the first one I've experienced." 

"Oh, don't you have friends that hug you? Or...gosh...you don't have any friends?"

"Look, Boy. Mongooses, don't hug. We spar and wrestle."  

Raj pondered the information.

"If I ask first, can I pick you up?"

The mongoose blinked rapidly, seemingly nonplussed.

"Well...I....hmm....sounds reasonable. Yes, you may." 

Raj squealed, clapping his hands before snatching the little animal off the ground again. 

"Ugh! That was your way of asking?" 

"Come on, let's go tell Mom the good news! She's never going to believe this!"

"She might, and I don't think she'll like it."

"What do you mean?"

"That story she told you by the fire before bed last night. You and I are those now."

"Don't be silly, Bullseye, you saved my life! And besides, we're not bad men. We would never hurt anyone." Raj said before adding, "How do you know she told me that story?"

"Oh, I hunt about your house every night. You aren't the quietest, and your incessant questions caught my attention. Now listen, even the worst Virūpa started out young and innocent, but after years of being ostracized, they changed.

"Mom says everyone's good; some just forgot how. She'll be fine. Come on, I can't wait to see her face when she sees you."

"Wait, you're not listening," Bullseye urged, but it was no good.

Raj ran home as fast as his shaky legs allowed before stopping to catch his breath.

"I don't feel well. Should you bite me again?"

"Nah, you're okay. I told you it takes time. This is normal. Now, put me down, and let's talk this through before you do something you'll regret." 

"We're almost there," Raj said.

"But there are things we need to figure out first. Raj? Wait. Raj!"

The boy continued hobbling forward heedless of the mongoose's protestations until shouting for his mother as he tore into the house.

"Hey, Mom. Guess what! You're never gonna..."

Raj pulled up short, seeing his mother wasn't there. He stood bewildered until noticing the closed bathroom door. Raj knocked gently.

"Mom?"

Receiving no reply, Raj knocked again before throwing the door open to find the bathroom empty.

"Maybe she decided to run for it. This is good. We can stay here. I never see anyone around here except you two." Bullseye said.

A pounding sound erupted from above, startling both the boy and the mongoose. Alarmed, Raj shrieked. 

The banging stopped, and Raj heard muffled words from outside.

"MOM?!" 

"Raj?"

"Drat. She's still here. There goes that idea." Bullseye said.

"MOM! I CAN'T FIND YOU!"

"I'm out back. On the roof."

Sighing, Raj relaxed, allowing what the mongoose had said to register.

"Why would my mother leave? We've never been apart except for school days."

"If you stopped and listened, I'll find a way to explain things more simply for you," Bullseye said.

"Explain what?"

The mongoose sputtered, eyes bulging, before blurting, "What happened! You! Me! Heck, even the fact we can have this conversation!"

"We already talked about that."

"Raj, if we don't think this through… before…"

"Before what?"

"Before things get dangerously out of control."

"You sound like my mother."

"Well, that's insulting," Bullseye said.

"Come on. Don't worry."

Raj hurried out the door and rounded the house, ignoring the mongoose's tirade.

"Oh, no. Look, it's been nice meeting you and saving your life. And I am exceedingly grateful to you for making me young again, but now that I have more time than I thought I did, I would very much like to live it. So, I'm afraid to say this partnership isn't going to work for me. So, if you could please just put me down…"

Still clutching the mongoose, Raj jumped onto the ladder his mother was perched on.

"Mom! You're never going to believe!"

"Careful Raj! You're going knock me off!"

"Sorry," Raj said, jumping off the ladder.

"What are you doing up there?" He asked.

"Trying to plug leaks, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. But I thought you said it's no good fixing?"

"It's not, but I also don't like sleeping in the damp. Now, what's all the fuss?" His mother asked.

"Mom, you're never going to believe what happened to me at my tree."

Without stopping her work, his mother said. "If you fell into the river, I'm going to be very angry."

"Mom, I didn't fall into the river," Raj moaned. "But truth be told, I did sorta walk into the water."

"Raj!"

Raj cringed, knowing a long-winded reprimand was imminent. Hoping to head it off, he loosed a defensive diatribe of his own.

"It only took a few steps to get to my climbing tree. It wasn't deep, honest. But you were right about the flooding. And...the crazy thing I wanted to tell you is... okay, wait...now promise not to freak out because it sounds scary at first, and it was very scary...but then it turned out awesome!"

Raj paused dramatically before adding, "I found a king cobra. It was hidden in the tree, and it bit me. Mom, it hurt so much! I thought I was dying until Bullseye…"

Raj's mother screamed and rushed down the ladder.

Raj stumbled back, dropping the mongoose, as he scrambled out of the way. Hearing the animal's frantic chattering fade away, Raj tried to follow but was stopped as his mother snatched him up into her arms like a small child.

"What was I thinking?!" she cried.

"Mom… I'm…fine." Raj squirmed beneath her smothering grasp.

"I never should have let you out. Is this how I honor Maya? Oh, my poor little Maya."

“Mom….you’re…”

"Mama made a stupid, stupid mistake. Can you forgive me, Maya?" 

“I’m… not… Maya…”

"I've been too lax. I see that now."

"You're…squishing…me."

"All this talk of you growing up has blinded me to how little you still are."

"Mom… let go... you're…crushing…me."

"I didn't protect Maya, but I will protect you, Raj."

"Mom… please…let go."

"What a fool I am!"

"YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

Relaxing her grip, Raj's mother started crying, allowing Raj to disentangle himself.

"I'm not a baby anymore."

"I know. I know. Sorry.  It was all snakes, fangs, Maya's last moments, and then yours, and it felt so real…."

Her sobbing intensified, and Raj, moved by the sight, hugged her, comforting her with a litany of assurances he was safe and sound. 

"Thank heavens it didn't bite you," his mother said, wiping tears from her eyes. 

"It did. Look!"

Raj saw the terror in his mother's eyes return as she examined his hand. But she relaxed after listening to his breathing and taking his pulse.

"You must be mistaken about what kind of snake bit you. A cobra's venom is quick. You be dead already or near to it."

"It was a cobra. But then Bullseye bit me. He saved me."

Raj's mother's face clouded with anger, "A mongoose bite? Why would you tell me it was a cobra? Is this your idea of a joke?"

"No! I almost died! But Bullseye saved me, and... now you never have to worry about losing me like you did Maya."

"Enough! This isn't funny! If you're trying to upset me, you've succeeded."

"I'm telling the truth, Mom. I would never lie about something like this. I know how you are about Maya…"

"Get out of my sight. Inside now."

"Mom…"

"Inside! We'll discuss this... this...cruel behavior...yes, that's what this is. It's downright cruel. I will speak to you when I've cooled off."

Raj retreated reluctantly, wondering where the mongoose had gotten off to. But remembering that Bullseye had never been any kind of pet, he guessed it probably wouldn't come back anytime soon.

Angry now and dismayed at being grounded to the house, Raj sat defiantly in the doorway and sulked. Absentmindedly wrapping his hand in the mosquito netting, he fumed, irritated that, as usual, his mother hadn't given him a chance to explain himself.

The drizzle intensified. Above, Raj heard his mother curse, stirring up a sense of guilt inside him. He had never wanted to scare her. Raj figured he should apologize but struggled to figure out what he needed to apologize for.

His mood darkened as he returned to imagining the details of his mother's impending lecture. As if cued by the worsening weather, an uncomfortable idea formed in his head. He knew his mother would harp as usual on what she termed an overactive imagination, and his mind lingered on this thought until Raj asked himself if he had somehow made everything up.

His heart began to race as beads of sweat prickled his forehead. Raj sprung into a pace, desperate to free himself from the growing dread.

Raj struggled to reconcile the day's experiences with the conventions of reality. But what his heart wanted, his brain stubbornly refused to accept now. 

In desperation, Raj looked under the kitchen sink, knowing he'd likely find one of many pests his mother abhorred. He plucked up a cockroach and whispered to it despite feeling suddenly self-conscious. 

"Hey, little guy. How's it going? Finding lots of muck to eat down there?"

The cock roach hissed.

"No, no. You have to use words I can understand."

The cock roach hissed.

"Come on. I won't hurt you you.  Say something. Just put the words in my mind."

The insect wriggled and hissed louder.

"Please talk to me. I don't want to be crazy. Please."

Raj tried to be patient, but his disappointment proved too much. He almost squashed the roach before simply dropping it. Raj watched it scurry away before yelling bitterly.

"Fine, I didn't want to talk to you anyway!"

Don't take it personally. Roaches tend to be rude. But I wish you had held on to it a bit longer. They're pretty tasty.

Raj started, rapping his head on the underside of the sink. But the pain paled compared to the delight he felt.

"Bullseye! You came back!"

"Yeah, funny, I did come back, huh. I am still trying to figure out what's gotten into me. I'm typically a loner."

"And I can hear you! So I'm not crazy!"

"How hard did you knock that head of yours? Of course, you can hear me; we're Virūpa."

Wincing as he probed the burgeoning bump on his head, Raj said, "You need to help me with Mom. I'm sure she'll believe me once she sees you've changed. Can I please take you to her?"

"Well, that's progress; you asked, and now you're even waiting for an answer. Let me think a moment."

"Please. Please. Please."

"Ack! Don't look at me with those puppy eyes."

Raj made his best sad face.

"For the record, I predict this will end badly."

"She needs to know I'm not lying."

"She'll wish you were."

"She thinks I'm being cruel, dishonoring Maya's memory."

"Better that than throwing you out when she figures out what we've become."

"Mom loves me. She'll understand."

"She'll understand you're Virūpa; that'll change everything."

"I'm not a liar."

"Sometimes, it's best to lie to protect those we love."

"I need to do this."

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"No," Raj said with a stony face, crossing his arms as he stood taller.

"Okay. But, remember, I warned you." 

Hiding his elation at winning over the mongoose, Raj gently scooped the mongoose up. But the feeling of triumph faded as he tiptoed to the backyard, where he paused to watch his mother, still unaware of his presence, working.

"You don't have to do this right now. Take some time to think about it. You can always do this later."

Raj shook his head as he came to stand at the bottom of the ladder.

"I'm not lying, Mom. Look at Bullseye. He's young again. I gave him some of my long life when he saved me. You don't have to worry about snakes hurting me anymore."

Without turning around, his mother stopped hammering and sighed.

"I thought I made myself clear. You're grounded. End of discussion."

"Mom, please come down and see."

"This isn't funny. None of this is. Now, inside," Raj's mother said, her voice threatening.

"Mom, please."

"If I have to come down there and drag you in, I'm going to ground you forever."

"Mom, you think I'm lying. I'm not. Let me explain why I am acting like this. If you still think I've done something wrong afterward, I'll accept whatever punishment you think is fair."

His mother's body shook, her voice shrill as she said, " I mean it. No friends. No football."

Raj stood his ground, "Please, Mom."

It started raining earnestly, and his mother merely lingered atop the ladder, shaking her head and muttering obscenities. Raj waited, unsure what he feared more, her coming down or remaining up there. The impasse seemed to last forever, but eventually, his mother climbed down to confront him.

Raj struggled to meet the disgust on his mother's face. He had never seen anything like it. Hands trembling, Raj presented the mongoose to his mother. She examined it silently, seemingly unmoved. His hope slipped further and further away until he saw a puzzled look begin to creep across her face. 

"I understand now how your imagination got the better of you, Raj. It certainly looks like the same animal, but it can't be. It must be an offspring of his."

"It is him. It's Bullseye."

"It's not, Honey," his mother said, "but seeing this makes me feel better. My stomach was in knots, wondering why you were acting so horribly. Mind you, Young Man, I'm still peeved about the whole affair, but the consequences for this foolishness will be less. Now, help me clean this up so we can get out of the rain."

Relieved to no longer see the horrid disapproval in his mother's eyes, Raj decided to table further discussion of the mongoose's transformation for the moment.

"Okay, Mom," he said, beaming ear to ear.

"Raj…?" she asked, tilting his head up, "What have you done to your teeth?"

Confused by her question, Raj popped his finger into his mouth, only to yank it out with a yelp. A bead of blood glistened on the tip of his index finger.

Sprinting inside, Raj grinned in the mirror next to the wash basin. Raj laughed, seeing a row of sharp canine teeth reflecting back at him. Running back out, Raj nearly tripped over the mongoose rolling in the dirt by the stoop. 

"You gave me your teeth, too!" Raj said. 

"Makes sense. There's always a physical mark with a sharing. I wondered about the apparent absence of one in you. Now, we should get going."

"Where?" Raj asked.

"Need to find a den fit for someone your size. Mine simply won't do." 

"I have a home, Silly."

"I'm not so sure about that now. Can't you hear your mother?"  

Straining to listen, the hair on his neck unexpectedly rose, but Raj noted nothing unusual. He was about to say so when he became conscious of a quiet wail building in volume from behind the house. Raj ran to find his mother writhing on the ground. 

"Mom?"

His mother looked up, her face smeared with dirt. Tears had cut stark, clean channels down her cheeks. 

"Mom?!"

His mother spat at him.

"Virūpa!"

Raj paled, breaking into a cold sweat. 

"What?"

"Evil, filthy Varūpa!"

Raj winced, hearing his mother's nails snap as she gathered handfuls of dirt and gravel. He watched in disbelief as she drew her arms back and threw it at him. 

"Begone, Demon. Don't think I can't muster the strength to slay you!"

"Mom, it's me, Raj. I'm not a demon." His voice squeaked.

"Why? Why? Why? Why him? Haven't I paid enough?" She asked.

His mother scrambled on her knees to clutch violently at Raj's shirt.

"What are you doing?!"

"Take me. Bring Raj back. He's old enough. He doesn't need me anymore. Please!"

"Mom! Stop! You're scaring me!"

Raj's mother shook him. "Bring him back!"

"I didn't go anywhere! I'm right here!"

Howling, Raj's mother pushed away from him with such intensity. They tumbled in the mud.

"Why are you acting like this? Nothing's changed. I'm still me."

"I fell for that once. Not again," Raj's mother said with a sneer.

"Mom…"

"Don't call me that! You dishonor my sweet, little Raj."

"You're confused. I should get the doctor." He said, picking himself up.

"Just leave me alone, Demon. You've won."

Desperate to stop something he didn't understand, Raj clung to his mother.

"I can't leave you like this."

His mother shuddered at his touch. 

"Suit yourself, Demon. But why care all of a sudden after all these years? You mean nothing to me after Maya. Surely, you understand that."

"Mom, please, I don't understand what you're saying. What does Maya have to do with any of this."

"Ha! That's exactly what a demon would say."

"Stop! Stop it! It's me, Raj!"

"You promised to leave us alone if I let her go willingly. What a fool I was to trust you." His mother said as she stood and pulled herself free from Raj. "Now, I'm only going to say this once more. Leave and never come back. Or I swear I'll find the strength to throttle the life from this body you stole."

"Mom…"

His mother's body language and the crazed look in her eyes made clear the futility of remaining. Raj knew he needed to leave but stood there, unable to step away.

"There's nothing more you can do, Boy."

The parental tone of the mongoose's words surprised Raj. 

"If you want to live, we need to go. There's nothing here for us now."

Feeling utterly adrift, Raj clung to the mongoose's last word.

"Us?" Raj asked, completely overlooking he had telepathically communicated for the first time. 

"Yes, us."

"You won't leave me?"

"Our lives are forever entwined now. Where you go, I go."

"I don't know where to go." 

"We'll figure it out together."

"Okay."

Raj took a tentative step backward before telling his mother he loved her, and with that, he turned, scooped up the mongoose, and fled into the jungle.