Thanks to Death's magic, Shiuli and Death reached Bordeaux, a port city in France that rests on the banks of the Garonne River. They were standing on a small road in the north front of the Bordeaux Cathedral, also known as the 'Cathedral of Saint Andrew of Bordeaux'. The cathedral was a treat to the eyes, the serene gothic architecture went back to the 14th century and the buildings that led up to the cathedral were beautifully lined on either side of the road they were standing on. As it was day, the place looked really colorful and Shiuli's eyes filled with amusement and wonder.
"This place is beautiful!" She didn't even blink, "I remember reading about this cathedral in my historical encyclopedia. Are we in Bordeaux?"
"I'm impressed by your knowledge of history. Well, yes it is Bordeaux indeed."
Shiuli looked around twirling a little and giggling with excitement she closed her eyes and spread her arms. I'm in France! Europe's pride, France! Shiuli stopped and looked at the immortal creature standing next to her. She felt thankful to the universe for having met him. Though he was quite annoying at times, he was the reason she could be here in the first place. Death was staring straight ahead towards the cathedral and Shiuli couldn't make out what he was thinking about. Was he admiring the architecture or was he wondering about work? Death's expression was grim and it said nothing in particular. This man right next to Shiuli was an unpredictable creature.
Death quietly turned around and started walking in the opposite direction of the cathedral. Though Shiuli wanted to protest, she kept her mouth shut and started to follow her boss. Death walked ahead of her, his head held high and Shiuli walked behind him staring at his back and saying nothing. As they walked the streets of Bordeaux, Shiuli was making a study of the city carefully so that she could go back and write it down in her journal. The people were dressed in colorful clothes. Some were tourists, who took pictures of the city with their expensive cameras and most of them were the local people, clothed in formal and casual attire, trying to ignore the people around them in order to reach their destination in time. As they made a turn towards a wider footpath, Shiuli saw an old couple walking hand-in-hand and whispering something to each other with love-filled eyes. Shiuli saw a lot of couples around her and wondered whether people were thinking she and Death were a couple as well? Shiuli laughed a little, he is walking ahead of me like he is my master and I walk behind him like I'm his slave. We definitely don't give away couple vibes.
"We're here."
Death's voice pulled Shiuli out of her thoughts and she realized they had stopped in front of a shop. Riocardo Boulangerie. Shiuli looked at the typical French-style bakeshop, it looked like it was built in the 19th century and it was beautiful. The walls were white and the roof was brick-colored. Shiuli could smell some freshly baked bread from outside and her stomach roared in hunger. Shiuli wondered if she would be allowed to eat at least one croissant. Wasn't that the most famous among the French cuisine?
"The man who is going to die, is he a customer here?" Shiuli asked
"Worse… he is the owner of this bakery. He is going to pass out and die."
"Inside the bakery? Like, in front of all his customers?"
"While plating a blueberry cheesecake pastry, yes."
"Can I wait outside while you are done with killing him? I promise to carry your briefcase later all the way back."
"I'm not a killer, I just take souls and maintain the balance of the universe, human!" Death's eyes blared with anger, "Anyways, stay here."
Shiuli's heart was beating fast as Death entered the bakeshop and the doors closed behind him. Though Shiuli could now understand that it was only to maintain the balance of the universe, it still hurt a little to see someone die. Shiuli could see the interior of the shop and she turned away as soon as she saw Death approach a middle-aged man with a grey and shaggy beard and a bald head. I hope his death isn't painful. Shiuli looked over towards the street and tried to focus her attention on a little girl walking towards a bookstore holding her mother's hand. I think it is her mother, I can see the motherly affection in that woman's eyes. Shiuli's heart ached and wondered if the man who was about to die just now was a father to a little kid.
As soon as these thoughts crossed Shiuli's mind, she heard some noises from inside the shop. Shiuli wanted to turn around, but she knew what had happened to cause the unrest inside. The man who was supposed to die had died, their task was done and maybe when the man collapsed due to his heart attack, the crowd huddled up to check whether he was okay. Shiuli couldn't just turn around and see the dead man lie lifelessly inside, so she closed her eyes and tried to think about random things that would keep her mind off this man's death.
"Here, hold the briefcase for me."
Shiuli opened her eyes to see Death stand in front of her holding the briefcase towards her. He looks so calm as usual. Shiuli took the briefcase from his hand and sighed. It was hard for Shiuli, but she realized that she was doing better than how she'd done on her first assignment. She was proud of herself that she had gained a little more control of her human feelings, but she had a long way to go still.
"Are you okay?" Death looked worried, "You don't look okay."
"I'm fine." Shiuli forced a smile, "Maybe I'm just hungry."
"Oh… how about French breakfast?"
"Sounds good as long as you pay, I don't have any money and even if I did, it wouldn't be French currency."
"Sure."
"You have French currency?"
"I have all kinds of currency, let's go… I know a good café that makes delicious crepes."
"What about croissant?"
"You can have whatever you want, let's go."
***
Moon was in India. It had been decades since the Moon had stepped on earth and it happened only in the situations of great crisis. If Death had really fallen in love with a human, it had to be stopped. Moon wondered how the concept of romance worked. Moon had personally never felt romance, she had made her children with the dust of her palms or what some may call moon dust. Moon had to find her younger son and talk him out of his feelings, even though the Moon wasn't sure if that was possible. I think I should talk to Love before I talk to Death. It was better because talking to Love would give Moon a little idea about the concept of romance and at the same time, she could meet her kin.
Moon stood in front of Love's apartment and rang the doorbell. She was wearing a blue-colored saree and her silver hair was magically dyed black for the time being to avoid unnecessary attention from the humans. As Moon was like the mother of all creatures, she too was immortal and thus, she looked like she was around thirty years old. Moon smiled lovingly as the door opened and Love greeted her by bowing down and touching her feet.
"Your highness." Love's voice was full of affection.
"How are you my child?" the Moon picked her up and embraced her, "It's been so long."
"I'm fine, your highness."
"Shall we go in then?
"Grace my home please."
As Moon entered Love's apartment, she was awestruck by its delicateness of it. It was designed with Mughal-style furniture and the paintings on the wall depicted ancient Rajput princesses, dressed in exquisite clothes and jewelry chatting in a garden. From what Moon had noticed, the style of the room changed every day. Love was a complicated personality, she liked the change in life and that included changes in her fashion, home décor, and other things. Moon sat down on an ivory chair and waited as Love brought her samosas and chai.
"I'm sorry, but samosas are all I have."
"Oh, don't worry." Moon laughed, "I love them."
"So, your highness? Have I done something wrong?" Love looked straight at Moon.
"Why do you ask that? Do you think I visit my kin only when they have made a mistake?"
"No, my lady." Love smiled, "The other day Time was here asking me random questions about human emotions of love, so… I was just wondering if something was wrong."
"Something is wrong indeed, my dear."
"What is it?"
Moon took a deep breath. So Love really didn't know about Death and this human. Moon wondered how Love would react if she learned that her dear brother Death had broken some serious rules. But, it actually wasn't his mistake, was it? After all, it was that puny human that had injected the venom of romance inside her son. What was her name again? Shiuli Basu… that human had to be thought a lesson!
Moon took a bite of her samosa and let out a sigh of appreciation. Moon loved Indian culture and food, it was very colorful and vibrant, but lately, she was having a bad feeling about India. This Shiuli, isn't she from this place as well? Moon sipped her chai and calmed herself a little. Let me tell Love about the situation and ask her to take some action.
"When Time came to you, asking about human emotions and what would happen if a creature was bound by them, he was on a mission. Apparently, my monstrous son Life has done something monstrous again. This time, instead of taking a human assistant himself, he blackmailed Death into taking one."
"Human assistant and Death?" Love was good at acting, "Life is a monster indeed!"
"But this human, I think she is in touch with Life. The girl has immense power, Love. She has bent the rules and made a creature fall in love with her!"
"That has never happened before! A creature in love with a human?"
"Yes, this is what Time was investigating and the wisest creature in the universe has lost his mind! This is why I have come to you, my child! Save my son from disaster."
"Time supports this phenomena?" Love's eyes lit up.
"Yes, I can't believe Time can support something this dangerous." Moon wiped a silver tear.
"Your highness, you should leave. You look like you're in a bad shape from all the worrying. Leave this to me, love is my domain and I will take care of this. This girl, where will I find her?"
"She lives in India. That's all I know. Try to track Death and maybe you'll find her with him." Moon tried to compose herself, "Should I come with you? I'm worried for my son."
"No, my lady. I will take care of it all. Please do not worry."
"Thank you, my dear. Please save my son."
Love smiled with great intensity, "I will."
***
Death sat across Shiuli as she ate her croissants with perfect concentration. Death had ordered himself a plate of crepes, but his full attention was fixed on the human girl sitting in front of him. She eats very well. Death's eyes met Shiuli's once when she had raised her face from the food for a while, but other than that she had her eyes fixed on the plate before her. Death wondered whether she too felt like staring at him sometimes like he did. Especially when it was quiet between them, Death always found himself staring at her.
"I'm done eating and you haven't even started!" Shiuli looked straight at Death, "Eat your food or else I will eat it for you."
Death didn't say anything to her. He just lifted his cutlery and started eating his crepes. This time it took him some effort to look away from her and Death's mind was still thinking about why was it so difficult for him to take his eyes off this young girl. He finished his food and tried to look at other things around him, other than Shiuli. The café hadn't changed much since the last time Death had come here. It had bright red walls with various blue stripes painted on them. The tables were round and were draped with a white table cloth. The chairs were padded with cushions and it was quite comfortable to sit after a day's tiring work. The lights were dim and the sunlight from outside poured in from the huge windows. It was all beautiful, but the most beautiful thing… was the person, sitting right in front of him. With her face glowing golden in the sunlight and her eyes turned towards the window, she looked like a dream.
"By the way… the other day after you left, it was raining." Shiuli's eyes shined in the sunlight, "Is there a creature that controls rainfall too?"
"Yes, rainfall, snowfall, all nature-related things. Her name is Naturae. That's Latin for nature."
"Why is her name in Latin and yours, Time's and Life's name in English?"
"I don't know. Just add an 'a' in the English spelling and you get Latin for nature, maybe it was just a mistake."
"Hmm." Shiuli smiled, "You can joke sometimes."
"I wasn't joking. Maybe it was a mistake… who knows? I can't go and ask the Moon right away, can I?"
"The Moon? Does she have silver hair and eyes?" Shiuli leaned forward.
"Yes, why?" Death frowned, "Did you meet her?"
"No, I saw these cartoons when I googled 'Moon Goddess'. I was wondering if she looked the same. Apparently, she does."
"Anyways, if you ever happen to come across anyone who looks like those cartoons you saw, try to avoid her. Please do not go introducing yourself to strangers." There was tension in his voice.
"Oh, she wouldn't be a stranger! She would be your mom. I would love to meet her."
"Trust me, you wouldn't."
Death really didn't want Shiuli to meet his mother. Ever! The Moon was a very kind and generous person, but something told Death that maybe the commotion that was caused due to this whole Shiuli issue, Moon would consider it all Shiuli's fault and well, it wasn't a piece of good news if the Moon had a grudge on a human. Death knew that the more he could delay Life and Shiuli's meeting, the better it will be for them. If Life really wanted to meet this human, he would definitely cause some ruckus and that… would make the Moon furious.
"Well, who is your favorite creature? Like, maybe your best friend?" Shiuli was back to her happy mood.
"We're all kin. We're like cousins." Death looked away from Shiuli, "Faith and I are pretty close."
"Oh… Faith…"
"Why are you interviewing me?"
"Because I want to know my fellow colleagues." Shiuli laughed, "Anyways, how are you all related? Explain the family tree."
Death sighed, "The Moon came first, and she was created by the universe himself. Then Time was created because Moon was lonely and she had prayed to the universe for a family. Simultaneously, the universe created other creatures like Love, Faith, etc. When the creature Earth came into existence, the Moon, with her magic and dust of her hands created her son, Life. The purpose of his creation was to create life on earth. Then to facilitate the growth of life, Naturae and other creatures were created. But, the population of mortal species on the earth kept on increasing and Earth complained about chest pains, so the Moon with her moon dust gave birth to another son to infuse the essence of mortality into the living. The end."
"That son is you… Death." Shiuli's eyes filled with awe, "You are the youngest creature?"
"Yes."
"Is that why you look like you are nineteen?"
"I look like I'm eighteen."
"Yes, it's the same thing."
***
Love walked the streets of Bordeaux and wondered what had brought Death to a city like this. Not that Love didn't like a city as historically rich and beautiful as Bordeaux, but she still wondered whether Death was here for an assignment or to just spend time with his young lover. Love's magic had sensed that Death was in Bordeaux, but the most astonishing part was that her magic could also sense a strong essence of love surrounding Death's presence. This made one thing very clear to Love… Death is here with Shiuli. Love hugged her fur coat close to her cheeks and exhaled a cloud of fog. Love was used to sudden changing weather because as a creature, she had to constantly travel around the world within seconds using her powers, but after living in a tropical country like India, It was hard for Love to adjust to the colder nations of Europe. That was one of the reasons why she hardly visited Death at his place.
As Love walked the streets of this beautiful city, she looked around appreciating its beauty. The fine blend of ancient and modern architecture was magnificent. Love passed a hair salon, a book store, and a little supermarket as well, but at the corner of the street, she felt a magical aura pulling at her. This was a common phenomenon that occurred with Love. She was a creature with powers like no other. She could sense other creatures better than any other creature, but the best part? She could sense other powerful humans as well… as Love liked to call them… "Gifted Humans". This pull of power was that of a gifted one too and usually on a mission like this one Love would've ignored the pull and walked her way, but this time something inside Love urged her to pursue this powerful aura.
Love increased her pace and walked towards the pull of power. This is weird… I've never felt a powerful pull from a human before! I have to hurry and check this person out. Love wanted to meet this person to whom this aura belonged. In her entire existence, she had never felt an urge so strong to get closer to a human before. As Love reached the place she was heading for, she stood in front of a shabby store. The glass door was dirty and so the view inside was blocked and the walls were painted black, but as the appearance suggested, time had gotten the color of it to fade to an extent where parts of the store now had grey patches. The shabbiness of the store was an outcast in the colorful and bright city of Bordeaux, but maybe that was the reason why the store was at the end of the street where very less people came by. Love looked up at the name of the store. The sign just read "Shaman", but the calligraphy was beautiful and it looked like an Arabian calligraphist had put his talents to the best use. Though the sign was written in English, the external appearance of the store suggested that it was greatly influenced by Arabian culture.
"The place is closed."
Love heard a rustic female voice and turned around behind her towards the direction where the voice came from. An old lady stood in front of Love. The lady wore a long black skirt that hid her feet and her waist bore a five inches thick red band that tightly hugged her. She wore a black loose shirt that was tugged under the waistband and its long sleeves covered her palms. But the most enchanting thing about her appearance was her eyes… her skin was wrinkled and worn and it bore marks and lines of years and years of survival, but her grey-colored eyes were still youthful and burned with great intensity. The lady's head was covered with a red hijab and a huge three-inch-long black feather stuck out of the hijab right behind her left ear. The appearance was intimidating enough, but as Love stared at the eyes of the person she was looking at, she realized that the aura that was tugging at her for so long belonged to this old lady right here.
"Who are you?" Love's eyes were burning with curiosity.
The lady just giggled at the question and stopped abruptly to stare at Love with a grim expression. It looked as if the lady was trying to read Love's destiny or maybe try to see her aura, but something told Love that the lady couldn't do it and thus, her eyes burned with confusion and fear.
"You're the shaman, aren't you?" Love smiled, "I really need to talk to you."
"I can't see past you! It's a blank! A complete blank!"
"I know the store is closed and you may be really busy, but I really need to talk to you."
"I will open the store for you. We can talk inside."
Love quietly followed the shaman into the store. The store looked like the usual rustic-looking fortune teller stores that exist all over the world in the modern world, but the curious thing was that the shaman's table in the center of the store was very small and circular. Plus, when you imagine a shaman's table in his or her store, you will think of things like a crystal ball or tarot cards or maybe some ancient-looking candlesticks, but this table was completely empty! There were four chairs placed around the table and even the furniture was old and rotten. The walls were painted black like the exterior of the store and were lined with shelves holding various antique objects ranging from a broken wooden doll to little containers consisting of red beans. The huge windows were draped with thick dark purple curtains and thus, the store was very dark as there was no way the sunlight could enter the store.
"Please sit down." The shaman continued to stare while she sat herself down on one of the chairs.
Love sat herself down right opposite the shaman. There was an awkward silence that engulfed them in the darkness of the store. The old lady kept staring at Love while Love kept looking all around them. The shaman's aura was so colorful and bright that it reminded Love of the colors of the rainbow. Usually, the shamans have a very dark aura because they are constantly in contact with the supernatural world, but with this old lady… things were very different and weird.
"Who are you and why are you here?"
"I'm a customer." Love laughed, "My name is Maya."
"That's not your name."
"Well, you are more talented than I expected."
"Nobody expects talent from a shaman. They expect answers to their questions and results to their experiments."
"Experiments? Sounds more like a science lab."
"We shamans are practitioners of the occult. We are no less than scientists. The only difference is that we believe in magic and spirits and science doesn't. That makes the world think that our work is all bunkum."
"So you are telling me that if science could prove that spirits exist, you would be believed by the world?"
"Belief depends on an individual. There are people who still believe in my powers though there are millions of others who think I'm a hypocrite." The shaman smiled, "Do you believe in me?"
"That's why I'm here… because I believe in you."
"You're different."
"So are you." Love gently leaned on the table, "That's why I'm here"
"You are a shaman too?"
"No, but I'm somewhat like you. I have powers that very less people believe in. I have the appearance of a normal individual, but I'm anything but normal."
The shaman's smile faded into a calm look of understanding. The shaman gently got up and walked towards a door behind Love and entered the dark room beyond it. Love was left there alone and she didn't know where the shaman had gone. How ill-mannered! She should've asked my permission before leaving me all alone here! But then again, shamans are not really known to follow the ideal human mannerisms. They are different and that's why they attract so many people who seek to find answers to their questions that science couldn't help them with.
The shaman came back to the table after a few minutes and sat down in her seat. She slowly took out a small cookie wrapped in a plastic package and placed it on the table in front of Love. The cookie looked ordinary, but the package mentioned "Fortune Cookie". Love slowly picked it up and took a closer look.
"Is this for me?" Love looked at the shaman.
"Yes." The shaman leaned back on her chair, "It's not every day that a person as divine as you visits my petty store. This place is old now and I'm quite old too. I was a well-known shaman in my young days, but now anyone hardly comes over. I don't know who exactly you are, but I know one thing for sure."
"What is that?"
"That the reason you are here, you yourself don't know. But, I know that the universe planned this meeting and that you seek my help."
"Your help? What makes you think I need your help?" Love frowned, "From what you're saying, it's clear that you know that I'm no ordinary human."
"I also know you're not human at all! The reason why I know you seek my help is the same reason why I know you're an entity that is far beyond human imagination. I don't know what to call you… Goddess? Angel?" The shaman sighed, "But whatever you are… you are fighting something and you need help."
"This is strange. This has never happened to me before. I have come across various "gifted humans" in my existence, but no one like you."
"This is strange for me too. I too haven't ever come across someone not human before… except spirits and ghosts that is. And it's funny how fate has brought us together in a way where a human like me is given the task of helping a divine entity like you."
"Shall I try this cookie then?"
"Yes, it's for you."
Love picked up the cookie and unpacked it. She stared at it for some time and wondered what a cookie like that could foretell about a creature like her, but she trusted the powers of this human in front of her and something told her that she needed her help too. It was weird that they had crossed paths in such unplanned and sudden circumstances, but this was the right time they were fated to meet. And whatever the fight the shaman had predicted that Love had to fight in the future… Love needed to be well prepared to fight it.
Love broke the fortune cookie into two pieces and pulled out the thin strip of paper that was stuck between the two broken pieces of the cookie. She handed over the paper to the shaman sitting in front of her instead of reading it herself. The shaman gladly accepted it.
"Circular goes the threads of kinship
Must choose your side this time
Two pieces have broken apart
And the war bells ring and chime"
"That doesn't really make much sense to me. Two sides to choose and war bells?" Love laughed, "I must tell you, I'm a creature of the universe… my kin and I don't have any wars to fight. We aren't the pagan gods that you humans tend to imagine us as. We are creatures who solely work for the proper functioning of the universe itself. We don't have anti-gods who want to snatch away our powers! We don't have any competition like that."
"This fortune cookie isn't the stupid one that fancy restaurants offer their customers for fun's sake. I made this myself with magic. When I hid this piece of paper inside that cookie, I infused some magic into it and it was black… That is your fortune."
"Well, then help me figure it out."
"I can't." The shaman stared at Love, "Your destiny is for you and only you to figure out. My task was to show you the road that lies ahead, but the walking part is yours to do. With love, everything can either be won or lost forever. It's you and only you who can change your own destiny."
"It sounds more like a warning than a fortune reading!"
"Consider it both. This piece of paper, it's in your hands now. You can either choose to fight the battle and wait till it breaks out or take it into your own hands and prevent it from happening altogether. It's really up to you."