Kartikeya and His Battle with the Soul Stealer

Prologue

“‘I told you! There is something unearthly about this child!’ the hunter said. ‘Let us run away before he spots us.’

‘No, I refuse to believe that a child so radiant could be evil,’ his wife protested, resisting his pull on her arm.

‘Let us at least stay away until we find out more about his nature,’ the hunter replied. They hid behind some trees and watched the stranger go past. The child saw two moving shadows but when he turned, there was no one there. His nostrils flared in response to a delectable smell he had occasionally come across in the forest. He felt a deep pang of loneliness and pain. Hunger stirred in his stomach and he felt a raging thirst. He heard the trumpeting of a herd of elephants moving towards the river, with their young ones safely tucked in their midst. In the tree above his head, he could see a black bird in its nest, pushing food into the throats of its hungry chicks. A monkey clan was watching him warily, with the young ones clinging to the backs of the mothers. Alas, he could not see anyone of his own kind, no tender mother or vigilant father. He had seen footprints like his own on the ground. Was it his clan’s? Why were they avoiding him then? Perhaps he had been cast away as worthless. His leg slipped on some smooth pebbles. He grasped at a bush to steady himself and gasped as the thorns pierced his flesh. He stuck his hand in his mouth, trying to soothe the burning sensation. Quick tears sprang from his eyes. He raised his voice in anguish, breaking the quietness of the morning.

‘Who am I? Why was I born? What is my name?’ he cried out. But he heard no answer. ‘The beasts around me cradle their young. They bring them food and protect them from their foes. But my parents . . . my parents have abandoned me on this cruel mountainside. I am at the mercy of the sun, the wind and the wild creatures that stalk their prey at night!’

Would someone reply, explain the reason for everything that was happening? He waited, his eyes flaming red. But all he heard was Nature herself, speaking with the voices of the elements.”