An Ingredient for the Ant

‘Whoopee,’ screamed Spejadu, a witch. She was cursed to live far off in the woods by her cruel uncle (who lived in another forest.) She again screamed, ‘Whoopee, I have made it.’ She had produced a wonderful spell to make things bigger by size (not by age!) But it could only be used on living things. It couldn’t have any effect on non-living things.

This spell qua spell is surely a mixture of 5 ingredients:

1)    Bamboo (because it grows very fast)

2)    Dead silk moth (it also grows a lot in one of its stages)

3)    Balloon (it tremendously inflates bigger)

4)    Dead elephant’s flesh (it is a huge animal)

5)    Elastic (it stretches a lot)

Her spells have a rule to be only of 5 ingredients.

            She brought a coconut shell – cut it off in a shape of what we call as a wok. She mixed all these ingredients, set up a fire and boiled all of them in hot, boiling water. After an hour or two, after chanting her magical Mantra (also called incantations) on the mixture, she put out the fire. And that’s how she made her spell.

            Now, she tested it upon her favourite thing: a flower. One drop of that spell would make a living thing three times bigger! She carefully and hopefully put exactly one drop of it on the flower (it was not plucked). And then…the flower grew…bigger…bigger…and bigger… till it was three times its original size! Spejadu plucked it. She was beyond SURPRISED and she was also ECSTASTIC. She was over the moon!

            Spejadu knows English and Hindi languages. She then took a piece of flattened wood and carved in Hindi which translates in English as:

My 100^th try of any spell and today…yes, today, I have made first ever totally successful spell!

                                                HURRAH!

            Soon, stars and darkness occupied the sky. She had made a bottle and its lid for the spell just after carving. But now, she couldn’t find the lid. She also couldn’t come out in the dark and find another piece. She had her hut built by her uncle and lived inside it. If she would come out, creepy-crawlies and deadly predators would be waiting for her. She decided to let the bottle be open for one night and planned to find the lid for it the next morning. Or else will make a new one.

            Spejadu woke up. Her dim, sleepy eyes could see something getting bigger. At first, she considered it as a dream. Then discovered it is not her dream actually. Some black and weird creature was growing bigger and bigger. When she saw it clearly, she screamed, ’Ant! Of this size? How???’

            She discovered that while she was waking up, her leg hit that bottle which was without its lid, and that bottle, full with spell, fell on an ant crawling nearby. One drop of it could make one three times bigger. The bottle had delivered at least 50 drops. So, the ant turned 150 times bigger than its original size! And imagine the size of the eggs the ant might lay. It would start new species of ants!

            Before any more spell could be delivered to that already huge ant, she quickly took the bottle with the little spell left in it, about just 2-4 drops.

            She was so scared of that ant-giant that she could think of nothing but running away to some other part of the forest. She took the bottle and made a lid on her way. She remembered her carving. She took it too.

            Reaching to a safer place, she was so much hungry. There was only one fruit tree there, bearing only one tiny baby coconut. That was not enough for her. And also, she considered a crime to sacrifice animals for her hunger.

            Suddenly, her eyes gleamed up with an idea. She put the little spell left on the coconut and then, plucked it off from the tree. That was enough for her and her stomach. She built up a fire and a shelter as the night approached. She slept.

            In her dream, the sight of her cruel uncle came! He warned, ‘Spejadu, you have only three nights to stay in this area. My curse says that you have to live in the hut only. Think of a solution in three nights to rid of that ant. If you don’t move away from here, you would be a slave to a cruel human in the human world and you will lose all your spell making powers by the next sunrise!’

            She was terrified after his dream. She thought she would kill that ant. But no…ants also have lives like her. She probably had to make a spell to make living things get smaller. And that too, in proper amount for not doing anything disastrous again!

            She thought about its ingredients. But, could not think anything she can find in the forest. Not even a single one. So making this was going to be difficult in just three days’ time.

            She wondered the whole day how can she go to the human world without being specially noticed or recognised. Night conquered the land. She hardly lit a fire and slept in the shelter built the day before as she was tired of thinking.

            Her eyes welcomed the next morning, means one night passed and only two left. With a fresh mind, she got an idea how to go to the human world. She now remembered how she got balloon and elastic for the previous spell: by getting her uncle’s permission through a special communication device for disguising as a human, then doing all the work under his supervision within limited time.

            Her uncle gave her the permission to go and come within one hour. She clicked her fingers and closed her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she found herself in a market with lot of people around. Great shops stood on either sides of her. Every shop had one or more shopkeepers.  On the banner above each shop read what did the shop has. Some also had sales and some were of more than of one storey. The people stood around were men, women and children. She checked her pockets and found some money enough to buy the ingredients.

The stationary shop appeared first. She bought an eraser (because it shortens) and a pencil (it also shortens on use).

She walked further and also bought a candle and soap. One hour was about to get over then. She had already bought four ingredients, but one is still remaining. She could not think of anything else as an ingredient suitable for the spell. So at last she had:

1)    An eraser

2)    A pencil

3)    A candle

4)    A soap

            Soon, one hour along with all the money she had was over and Spejadu found herself back in the forest near her recently made shelter. Reaching there, she discovered the sun setting. So, she made a fire and sighed, ‘Heaven knows when I will make the spell. What could be the fifth ingredient? I have to find one soon. There is only one night left.’ Her eyes were too tired now, so she hit the sack.

            Morning came. Spejadu got up. She ate some food which she bought on her way the last day. She then wandered into the forest if she could still find something as the fifth ingredient. Hours pass like this.

            After sometime, when she was sitting on a rock, she heard some branches thing moved and shaken. Surprised, she saw a man coming! Both stared at each other for some seconds in astonishment. Spejadu stammered, ’Who-o a-are y-you?’

            The man asked, ‘Who are you first?’

            ‘I am Spejadu. And you?’

            ‘I am Devank. And I have come here for a forest adventure with my other friends. They are there – behind the tree, see there.’

            ‘What? Forest adventure?

            ‘Means we just come to explore and know the terrain. Just to know what can we really do. We enjoy doing these things. Walking on the forest floor is one of our favourite things. What are you doing here?’

            ‘Actually, I’m living a little away. And I’m actually…a witch. You won’t believe me but I can prove. I can make spells.’ Spejadu exclaimed!

            ‘Don’t lie. It is just in stories. Besides, I am not a fool!’

            ‘You don’t believe me? Let me show it. Now, I will click my fingers and my dress will be changed, you see. And after that if you still will not believe me, I can do some more magic!’

            She did the same and her dress changed. She also showed her special communication device and Devank had to believe his eyes. She narrated her whole story of living in the forest alone, which really astonished him. ‘But’, warned Spejadu, ’don’t ever reveal my identity to the outside human world, or else you will be in great trouble.’

            He swore he would obey.

            ‘Now’, she narrated, ‘I am making a spell to make living things shorter by size. I have accidently made an ant too big by another spell. I have to prepare a spell to make it shorter by size. I only have one last night left. Or else my uncle will make me a slave of a cruel human in the human world. I cannot think of its last ingredient. Do you know anything suitable? Any ingredient? I have to find something before tonight.’

            ‘Let me think,’ he said and started moving here and there thinking. He saw a plank of wood which gave rise to an idea in his mind! He exclaimed, ‘So, Spejadu, I’ve got an idea!’

            ‘Which idea? Tell me quickly.’

            ‘It’s humans.’

            ‘Humans? How?’

            ‘It is true that many organisations conserve trees. But still, many people, including my family members, don’t even care about them. Their thinking is getting shorter towards nature. They think nature is dangerous so they exploit it. They say that they can’t maintain a lawn or anything. And I usually say, “If you can take care of your house, why not this?” You can have dead human brain your ingredient.’

She asked her uncle and then, went to a cemetery disappearing into thin air. She took out a brain magically from a recently dead body. She washed the brain with a liquid and took that liquid (not the brain!) for the spell.

Back into the forest the third night approached. She made her spell and also made another carving like the first time.

I’ve found a solution…Yeah! Now, I wouldn’t be a slave! And uncle will get defeated!

I made another spell to make living things shorter. I’m again ECSTATIC. Hurrah!!!

She reached back at the hut at midnight.  She carefully lit a lantern and a fire to find that ant-giant. Devank said that after all is settled he`ll go with his friends back to his home.

            She searched for eggs the ant giant may have lain to shrink them. There were no eggs. Moving further to the room where there was the ant giant, she was more horrified the ever.

            Soon, she saw the ant-giant and slowly and carefully put drops of the spell. But, to her surprise, the ant did not shrink! Spejadu said, ‘No, my spell couldn’t have failed! Let me try on that flower blossomed on that tree. She did and the flower shrank a lot as compared to that tree (it was not plucked). Why isn’t the ant shrinking?

Devank said, ‘You told me it is affected only on living things, right? May be…what I think is…’

‘What do you think?’ Spejadu questioned curiously.

‘I think that the spell’s not working because the ant may be dead.’ They both touched the ant frighteningly.

Spejadu answered, ‘Yes, I also think it is dead’, the then laughed, ‘If I already knew this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have spent three long nights and days!’