Anagha Baheti

I tighten my grip on the trident as The Lady’s voice reaches a pitch higher than it ever has before. The Great One looks down at her from His golden throne with a mixture of amusement and irritation as she continues to defend herself through arguments that would make a seasoned lawyer put his foot in his mouth.

“Silence!”

The Great One bangs His fist against the golden armrest. Below us, an ear-piercing wave of thunder rolls through the mortal world. The frown lines on His forehead colour the clouds below my feet grey. I shrink into myself, well aware that if He chooses to punish The Lady, my end will come before I blink. She is the life force of the Underworld. A scratch on her arm could mean the death of thousands. For the sake of my survival, and that of my kin, I hope that we leave soon.

“Lucy, I command you to stop your folly immediately. As I have told you many times before, I created humans in my image so they can make the world a better place for all my other creations. They are not meant to be your plaything. He is just a child, Lucy, the peak of innocence. Spare him of your nefarious schemes.”

“Oh, come on, Daddy! You told me I have your blessings to rule the Underworld as I see fit. Well, I see it fit to have the boy on my payroll. Don’t worry, he is just a consultant. My children have not, and will not corrupt him. He is perfect for the job. You need to trust me, Daddy.”

“I cannot permit a living creature to enter the Underworld. You may run it as you see fit, but it is still MY property, and what I say goes. Relieve the boy of his position immediately. Humans would denounce me if they realise you rely on little boys to do your dirty work and I do nothing about it.”

“If they realize… ‘If’ is the most important word here. Did you read the contract I sent you? It’s iron-clad. There are clauses covering everything from obvious loopholes to things humans are incapable of fathoming. The day someone sees him crawling under his bed, the gates to my empire won’t open to him. The day he decides to share his secret with anyone, he will lose his memories. Besides, we thrive on a mutual agreement, you know, me and him. If you intervene now, everything we have built will fall to dust. I know you have always found it difficult to trust me, but you created me for a reason and I have been useful to you despite your mistreatment of me. Tell me, as the guardian of the Underworld, have I ever disappointed you?”

“Well, not really, but…”

“Then you should let me handle this. I shall now take your leave; it’s about time you appear on someone’s toast. Humans love that trick. It keeps them entertained for months.” She bows a little lower than required, her bosoms in full view. I hold my tongue into my mouth, for if it dangles, it shall be severed.

“Larry!”

I crawl to The Lady on all fours and lower myself to her feet. She climbs on me, and I spread my wings, ready to take her back to the kingdom she adores.

“Let him go, Lucy. This is not going to end well, for anyone.” His voice has turned softer now, almost like a plea. He has tried sweet-talking, threats and anger. Softness usually means The Great One has given up and The Lady has won. Which she often does. Nobody has ever been able to persuade The Lady to change her mind.

Her heels dig into the side of my abdomen. I take off, sliding smoothly past the thousands of pillars covered in gold. Or are they made entirely of gold? I couldn’t know.

“Schedule a meeting with him.” I hear The Great One say, as I speed towards the depth of the underworld. I would like to hang around and listen, but The Lady wishes to go home right away, and I am her humble servant, bound to her wish.  “She won’t listen to me, but I hope I can talk some sense into him. It’s time I remind him why I named him…”

The gates close behind me. With every flutter of my wings, I leave the Overworld behind as our descent continues. The Lady snaps her finger and an enchantment comes to life. We wouldn’t want the mortals to see us just yet.