When Root had gone away, Master-mind in his girl form lived with his
beloved, and in a few days came to know her in an intimate and loving
way, as girl friends do. Then when he saw that she was pining away and
tossing on her couch, he asked the princess one evening: "My dear girl,
why do you grow pale and thin day by day, grieving as if separated from
your love? Tell me. Why not trust a loving, innocent girl like me? If
you will not tell me, I shall starve myself."
And the princess trusted him and said after a little hesitation: "My
dear girl, why should I not trust you? Listen. I will tell you. One day
I went to the spring festival in the garden. There I saw a handsome
Brahman youth, fair as the moon but not so cold, the sight of whom
kindled my love. For he adorned the garden as the spring-time does.
While my eager eyes were feasting on his face, a great mad elephant
that had broken his chain came charging and thundering past like a
black cloud in the dry season. My servants scattered in terror, and I
was helpless. But the Brahman youth took me in his arms and carried me
far away. I seemed to be in a sandal bath, in a stream of nectar. I
cannot tell how I felt as I touched him. Presently my servants gathered
around, and I was brought here helpless. I felt as if I had fallen from
heaven to earth. From that day I see in my thoughts my dear preserver
beside me. I embrace him in my dreams. What need of more words? I wear
away the time, thinking constantly of him and only him. The fire of
separation from the lord of my life devours me day and night."
When Master-mind heard these welcome words, he rejoiced and counted
himself happy. And thinking the time to reveal himself had come, he
took the pill from his mouth, and disclosed his natural form. And he
said: "Beautiful maiden, I am he whom you bought and enslaved with a
kindly glance in the garden. I was sick at the separation from you; so
I took the form of a girl, and came here. So now bring heaven in a
loving glance to my love-tortured heart."
When the princess saw that the lord of her life was beside her, she was
torn between love and wonder and modesty, and did not know what she
ought to do. So they were secretly married and lived there in supreme
happiness. Master-mind lived in a double form. By day he was a girl
with the pill in his mouth, by night a man without the pill.
After a time the brother-in-law of King Glory-banner gave his daughter
with great pomp to a Brahman, the son of the counsellor
Ocean-of-Wisdom. And the princess Moonlight was invited to her cousin's
wedding and went to her uncle's house. And Master-mind went with her in
his girl form.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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