Four feet have I my brain is a hare my eyes are sacks of wool a gulf is where my palate was briny gutters are my cheeks a rushing and a roar is in my head from above and below voices are calling hell is burning in my guts why did I never notice before that the world is full of crazed beings? These demons running along the road carrying flaming firebrands, never have I set eyes on such creatures before. They have gathered outside the door of Elli’s clinic and are calling with loud voices for Elli to come out.
“Kampani clinic, burn it down!”
How interesting. So the demons too are opposed to the Kampani. Who’d have thought they’d give a damn about our Khaufpuri affairs? Eyes glaring like eggs are oozing out of their faces. Now they’ve got a pickaxe and are hacking at the doors. “Kindly exit and oblige,” calls a being who’s mostly whiskered teeth. “We wish to destroy this place.”
Of a sudden a door is gone, in its place is a dark rectangle that frames Elli, whose nightclothes are shining in the moon’s teary light. At the sight of her the demons become confused and whicker together in low voices.
Like the whole rest of the world, Elli doctress is angry. A fist of fire is she, and she yells at the demons to go away and leave her alone.
“Where should we go, madam?”
“Without burning this place we cannot leave.”
“Smash a window, put in fire.”
There’s a sound like a lump of music shattering into shards, it is a whole raga in two seconds. Somraj comes flying out of the darkness like a giant white moth, such a fine sound he’ll be wanting to catch and keep in a jar.
“Kill the bitch!”
“There will be no killing here,” says Somraj, placing himself between Elli and the demons.
“Stand aside Pandit-ji.”
“No. You shall not touch her.”
“Bhai sahib and bhaiya are dead because of her friends.”
“Those people are not her friends, bhaiya and bhai sahib were her friends.” The pandit’s looking somewhat blurred, as if he’s in two minds. He puts his arm around the shoulder of an equally blurry Elli and leads her across the way. The demons and their torches vanish into the door of the clinic.
I look up and see the half-moon perched in the mango tree, peering down at me through the leaves. “I see you, Animal,” says the moon.
“I see you, moon,” says the animal. “Are you jamisponding me?”
“You are dreaming,” says the moon. “You need to wake up.”
“I would rather dream.”
“There’s a thing you must do.”
“What is this thing, O moon?”
“Wake up and find out,” it says and is disintegrated into shining pieces by moving mango leaves. The windows of the clinic are flickering orange. It comes to me that my little friend, the Khã-in-the-Jar, is inside and the thing I must do is save him.
Elli’s office is alight. Flames are coiling like snakes in the corner, spitting fiery seeds at the walls.
“Oh don’t hurry,” says the Khã-in-the-Jar. “All the time in the world, me.”
“Where are you?” She must have shut him away.
“Over here you dozy cunt.”
“Where?”
“In the cupboard.”
I move towards it and suddenly I am sliding, there’s liquid on the floor, it smells like rough daru, it’s overpowering it makes my eyes water, I’m retching, my hands gash on something sharp, I’m slipping and sliding in pools that burn like raw hatred, I bump into something cold and slimy. It’s the cyclops. His one eye stares at me. He smells like a rancid pickle.
“Leave him,” says the Khã-in-the-Jar. “Eight we were, board members of the poisonwallah shares. Seven flasks were smashed and our friends are on the floor, any second this stuff will catch light and badoof!”
“I’ll save them.”
“No no,” he says. “By burning they’ll be freed. My fear is that the flames won’t reach this cupboard.”
“Then I’ll save you.”
“Shabaash Animal, smash my jar too. Quick, there’s no time.”
But I’ve disregarded the bugger’s wishes. I’ve tucked his jar under my arm then it’s out of there, fast as three feet can fly ignoring his yells I gain the street, apart from my mind spinning spiderwebs, the moon above constantly changing shape and the wolfshead gnawing my guts, things seem normal.
“Hey,” he’s shouting. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll burn I swear but first we must have a chat.”
“Where’s the time for chatting? Don’t you know it’s this night?”
“Shut up, or I’ll be forced to do you no harm.”
This threat is very terrible to him, so his two heads glug fluid and seethe in silence. I’m out of the Claw in a flash, hiding in shadows. Various kinds of uproar can be heard, shouting coming from different parts, fires are burning, from the direction of the old city come loud bangs like gun shots. I need to avoid the main road so I’ll take the shortcut home. Many ways are there into the factory and I pick one on the Claw side where a small tree leans onto the wall. How to mount? Place Khã in fork of tree. Pull up. Move Khã higher. Climb. Place Khã on wall. Shift self onto wall. All the while I am muttering, “Just a little while, we’ll get home and have a talk then I am carrying my Zippo I swear I’ll burn you.”