An Intuitive Liar
Little Rini was a lovable and highly praised child till she turned six. Everything changed after that. She started narrating bizarre stories – stories of spirits and demons. She often spoke gibberish and would go into a trance. And she tried to prophesize the future.
‘A child’s fantasy or a fabricator – only time can say.’ People around her declared. As the years progressed, they confirmed that the child was nothing, but a spinner of yarns. The parents were labeled ‘fortune hunters’ for the child was a tool to amass wealth. Everyone shunned them. Rini became a loner.
One evening Rini could not be found anywhere. Mother searched for her frantically till she reached the attic. There, the girl sat in a corner.
Drawing closer, mother realized that the child was engaged in an animated conversation. It had been a long time since the mother had heard her child laugh.
But who was she talking to? ‘Cos there was no one in sight!
As if on cue, Rini turned around! ‘Ma, do you know who is here?’
Mother stepped forward with trepidation.
‘Oh, I forget you can’t see her. My NANIMA - your mother… is here!’
‘RINI …Stop lying…ENOUGH!’
That very moment, a gentle breeze blew ruffling mother’s long tresses. It was as if someone was stroking her hair. Memories of a soft hand neatly plaiting her long, oiled hair came back.
‘Ma!’ Mother blurted out.
Rini smiled. ‘Nanima wants you to know that you were not at fault that day. Your aunt had spilt oil from the lamp and placed the blame on you. Please get rid of the guilt, Ma!’
Mother collapsed in a heap and sobbed. ‘Rini, I have been carrying this burden for long. I did not spill the oil that day….the oil that made my mother slip and fall to her death. They called me a liar when I tried to clarify. For years, I have been living with the guilt and the stigma. ’
Rini engulfed her mother in a tight embrace and wiped away her tears.
‘I know the pain, Ma. I have never lied. But how can I make everyone believe that I have the ability to connect with the spirits? I get vision of what is going to happen to people around me. Meanwhile, let me tell you that Nanima wants you to open that box she left behind.’
‘But the keys…’
‘You will find them in the red tattered suitcase I used to play with.’
***
‘The keys were hidden in a secret chamber inside the upper flap of the red suitcase. The box revealed photographs of mother’s childhood and a Lapis Lazuli pendant, which belonged to Nanima. Mother held the locket to her bosom and closed her eyes. For years, she has faced the flak. But she won’t allow her child to bear it anymore. No, Rini was not a liar, but a gifted child. Wiping away her tears, mother decided to acknowledge her child’s gift and start anew.***
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