The Girl in the Bardo (1/6)

The arrow struck the rabbit and pinned it to the bodhi tree, where it had been resting in the shade. A few shiny drops of blood splattered on the bark of the tree while others glittered like diamonds as they dripped to the ground and mixed with the parched soil.

Maya reached her prey just as it gave one last twitch and then remained still. Swiftly, she pulled the arrow from the animal's breast, wiped it on the grass, and slid it into her quiver. She would check it for damage later because she was now running late, and the last thing she wanted was to climb down the mountain in the darkness. She picked up the dead rabbit by the ears and carefully slipped it into her satchel.

The sun neared the horizon as she began her trek down the mountain. The path was slippery with loose rocks, and her descent was somewhat precarious and slow. As she came around the bend, where a large tree grew just below the edge of the cliff with its broad canopy swaying in the wind, she saw a figure clad in orange robes sitting beneath the tree.

She approached cautiously, silently, careful not too kick any loose rocks lest she give away her presence. She could see the figure clearly now, haunched over an old leather-bound book. She moved in closer to the ledge and saw that the book contained colorful drawings and symbols.

"Is this why you joined the order, Tinley? So you could gawk at images of naked maidens?"

The young apprentice snapped the book shut and jumped to his feet. He looked up at her and was about to say something, but then he simply slipped the book in his bag and began to walk away.

"You have nothing to say? What's in that book of yours beside naughty pictures?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Tinley said.

"Oh, I don't know what I'm talking about, don't I?" She said following him. "I tell you what I do know, dear Tinley. I know that you used to spy on me through the peephole in the shower shed. So, I think you're quite wrong. I DO know what I'm talking about."

"I was just studying," he said without looking back.

"And what exactly were you studying, huh?" She asked him, walking a few paces behind him.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Ha! I wouldn't understand, wouldn't I? I tell you what I do understand, dear Tinley. For all your learning, you haven't changed one bit. That, I DO understand."

He didn't speak another word. Maya watched him disappear up the path that led to the monastery at the top of the mountain. The nerve of that boy to treat her as if she were a stranger. Maybe an arrow to the buttocks will set him straight next time.

She watched the sun begin to sink in the clear and cloudless sky. Blue turning to shades of orange and purple, illuminating the flags and banners that swayed in the breeze. Goats and buffaloes roamed lazily in the fields beyond the colorful little houses that dotted the barren landscape. Whistling a cheerful tune, she continued her descent down the mountain.