“What is this, Mushika?” she called out in anguish and surprise. “Are we dreaming?”
“I don’t know, Tara. I saw the fountain too, and now it’s gone.”
“There is more to this. I just know it,” said Tara.
But this time there was just a flutter in her stomach and not the numbing terror that she normally felt. Whatever came her way, she would face it. All of a sudden she felt a presence and turned around. A beautiful woman, clad in a white saree with intricate silver embroidery, stood there. She had light brown hair and fair skin.
“Who are you?” asked Tara.
“I am Maya, the guardian of the fountain. You are here for the Water of Life to save your brother, Ananth.”
“Yes, but it was here a moment ago and now it’s gone. Is this an illusion?”
“No, Tara,” replied Maya. “The fountain exists and you saw a glimpse of it. But to see it again and get the water, you will have to pass my test.”
“What do I have to do?” said Tara.
“Every person who makes it this far has to answer three riddles. If you can solve them, you can take the water. But if you fail, I will disappear and you will wander in these caves for an eternity.”
Tara loved riddles, and this was a challenge that she would win. No goddess would be able to defeat her.
“I accept.”
“What?” squeaked Mushika. “Are you mad? If you cannot answer all three, we are doomed.”
“Are you ready?” asked Maya, arching one beautiful eyebrow.
“Yes,” replied Tara.
“My first riddle is this:
A beautiful woman, stunning yet shy,
If she strikes you, you’ll surely die.
No one knows how or why
Water can contain such fire.”
Tara thought hard. Her mind ran through every possible riddle she had ever answered with Suraj and her mother. Something shimmered in her memory. A thunder cloud ... heavy rain, and ...
Mushika was squeaking in her ear “So ... do you know the answer or not?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Not sure? Not sure? Tara, you’d better think hard. I want to see daylight again.”
“So, Tara, do you know the answer?” asked Maya in a calm voice.
“Lightning,” said Tara, clenching her fists.
“Correct.”
Mushika heaved a sigh of relief and Tara relaxed.
“My next one is:
From dusk to dawn she stands and mourns.
Her hair is on fire, hot tears she weeps.
Grief melts her; all that’s left is a heap.”
Tara’s mind was already whirring busily through the possibilities, while Mushika wriggled from her right shoulder to her left.
“So, Tara, can you answer this one?”
“Give me a few moments, Maya.”
Tara was pacing, her stomach in a tight knot. This was a tough one. Her mother never made them this tough. Was she stupid to have taken the challenge? What if she couldn’t answer? Not only would she be unable to save Ananth, but she would end up wandering around in this dark cave forever with no lamp or candle ...
“A candle, a candle!” she sang out.
“Correct!” said Maya, sounding a bit disappointed.
“Here is the last one, Tara. If you can answer this, the fountain will appear and the water is yours. Oh, and by the way, you have very little time left to get back to Ananth. No pressure,” said Maya with a cold smile.
Tara kept her face expressionless, but her heart was hammering.
“Ask your last riddle.”
“I see you and you see me,
Alike yet apart are we.
If another person should see,
I am he or she is me.”
She waited in silence while Tara stared at her, stumped. She did not even know where to start. Her stomach contracted and her hands and feet were icy.
“Please, Maya. Could you repeat it one more time?” asked Tara in a quavering voice, hoping to buy some more time. Her head ached.
Maya repeated it again, a smile playing on her lips.
“Do you concede defeat?”
“NO WE DON’T!” squeaked Mushika. “Tara, let me help, let me help. Could it be bread? Elephant? Kettle? Monkey? Tree?” he started muttering.
“Quiet!” growled Tara. “I’m trying to think.”
Her mind was a complete blank. Think, think, think, she told herself, or you’re stuck here forever. She prayed to Lord Ganesh, clasped her hands together, and paced.
Maya was tapping her foot impatiently.
“Time is up!”
“Maya, please, just one more minute. I know the answer, I really do, I just can’t remember it.”
Maya relented, but an hourglass miraculously appeared in her hand and the sand started trickling through at a furious pace.
“One minute left, Tara. You’d better hurry up.”
Tara was desperate. Mother, where are you? If you had not disappeared, none of this would be happening. But then her mother’s words came back to her, a whisper in her ear. “If you are ever sad, look into the mirror I gave you and you will find strength.”
Tara hastily pulled out the mirror pendant her mother had given her and glanced at the sand in the hourglass, hoping for a miracle. She gazed back at the mirror again and her eyes widened.
“Fifteen seconds left, Tara. I suggest you give up.”
It was almost down to the last few grains and Mushika was swinging from her left earlobe in a panic.
“A MIRROR,” she yelled as the last grain of sand fell.
