THE LAND OF THE DEAD
He is hurtling through space. But this space was more like a tunnel. One of the many tunnels he had burrowed through. Only, it was wider, and he could not feel the mud and grime graze his fur. And the smell! Rotting flesh, perhaps. Was it not only moments ago that Vibhu was soaking up the blue sky and was surrounded by an adulating fluffle? He remembers the earth rising up to meet him as Sophia perhaps took a steep turn. The pain was unbearable but momentary, and now he is being propelled by an unknown force that he cannot rein, into the unknown. As he turns back, he is aghast to see his own body lying at the mouth of the tunnel, listless, and serene. It dawns on him- he is dead!
The furor in Rabbit-town is sizable. From adulation to grief and anguish over a fallen comrade and the best among them. Sophia wraps her wings over him, trying to keep him warm, his friends huddle over him probing and prodding and willing him to breathe again, while Dr. Vaidyar III, the physician rabbit arrives. Coming from a generation of famous physicians, he wastes no time in a diagnosis- multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung with pneumothorax, a fractured femur and complete dislocation of the mid-cervical vertebrae, causing a spinal transection. He looks around and without any emotion, declares Vibhu clinically dead.
As Vibhu continues to be propelled through the tunnel, he comes upon a bend and recoils to avoid a wall that comes up on him a bit too soon. Too late! He closes his eyes and braces for impact only to realize that he simply passes through.
“Ha. How foolish of me! Am I not a spirit now? My body….how I loved my body; if only I could turn back and put in on again.”
And as he becomes accustomed to the spirit world, he sees that the tunnel walls are transparent. He sees creatures above him- a flying mouse, a glowing eagle, a smiling wolf. Reality appears altered, is he dreaming? But then he reminds himself that this is the reality now. He is in a realm which is as real as it gets. And as he looks down, he sees the most disgusting creatures- snakes with heads on both ends viciously trying to reach through the tunnel to bite him, a reptile with fire blowing from its mouth looking to engulf him in a flame, but also crying out with the agony of one who is being burnt. He notices that every time he looks down, he is flooded with an unbearable stench that is nauseating. And as he turns his gaze inwards, he notices that the invisible force that is pulling him is none other two rabbit spirits who have him in a vice like grip.
“What a grip! And I thought I was strong!”
“You’re right, you have seen nothing till you get here”
“Wait, what was that? Were the rabbit spirits talking? And how did they read my mind?” Vibhu was curious.
“Yes,” they replied in unison. “everything is laid bare, before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”
“Who are you talking about?”
“ The Eternal Spirit of the Forest, to whose presence we take you now.”
“Is He real? I barely gave him a thought when our oldies in Rabbit-town and Sophia spoke of him. And even if he is for real, can we turn back? I don’t want to be dead.”
“Turn back? No! It is given for every creature to die once and then face judgment! However, we can tell you there have been super rare instances of spirits going back from the dead- what the physical world describes as near-death-experiences.”
“Hardly what I wanted to hear. And do these two spirits always talk together?” Vibhu thought.
“Yes,” they replied, “because in the spirit world, there is unison with the will of the Eternal Forest Spirit. But before we cross over to the realm of no return, you will meet with the Guardian Rabbit- the one who can plead you case before the Eternal Spirit and perhaps, accede to your request to return to earth.”
“Who is this Guardian Rabbit?” Vibhu is curious now.
“The greatest rabbit who ever lived!”
“Who could this be?” Vibhu’s mind is racing with anticipation. “Perhaps Rocky, from the previous generation , the only rabbit who had exceeded his feats of strength and speed. Or could it be Noor Jahan, from two generations ago, known not only for her beauty but also her fertility. It is rumored that she had borne at least a hundred pups during her lifetime and right till her death, was the charm of Rabbit-town. Or perhaps it could be Vaidyar I, the great physician from three generations ago, who excelled in brilliance and brought medicine into Rabbit-town.”
The rabbit spirits smugly commented, “what is highly valued in the physical world is detestable in the sight of the Ancient Spirit of the Forest. And now….brace yourself, we are at the gate of the realm. Prepare yourself to meet the great Guardian Rabbit”
The gate opened and out came ‘Granny Creaky Legs’….
