(non)local bee watches krishna & radha draw rangoli outside their house | pt. 2
krishna & radha draw rangoli outside their house. seen from the pov of a disgruntled bee that is new to the place & doesn’t understand why everyone’s so charmed by this god (till it does)
A little away from Yamuna stood the house, quaint yet elegant. Overlooking it was a magnificent banyan tree. The tree’s prop roots hung downward, lazy and oblivious to its surroundings. It appeared to be snoring under the sun which was higher up in the sky now. And so did the bee, which had chosen a warm, tiny leaf of the tree to rest on.
It couldn’t rest for long, though.
Suddenly, the leaf started to stretch. Extending itself as much as it could to the right, but cautious not to tear away from the thin branch, it stretched & it stretched. In the resulting commotion, the bee found itself toppling down from the tree.
‘Ah! Ah!’ it cried out, spreading out its wings at the very last moment & barely escaping a crash to the ground that could have very well smashed its face. ‘Why did you have to move like that!’ It barked curses at the leaf, pulling itself up. But the expletives stopped pouring out of its mouth, which widened further in shock, as it noticed all the other leaves doing the same.
The leaf that it had fallen from shushed it vigorously. ‘We’re sorry to have interrupted your rest, but—‘ it said, not sounding the least bit sorry ‘—we had to move. It’s the only way we can make way for sunlight to stream through.’
The bee frowned. ‘For what joy?’
This time, all the leaves answered in unison. ‘For our god’s beloved, of course. How can we not make sure to warm every single inch of the land she walks on? Isn’t it our greatest honor—to guard her against the cold as she journeys back to our god?’
It was probably fifty degrees out here already, but the bee was too exasperated to point that out.
It swiveled around instead, heartbeat quickening—with a curiosity it didn’t want to admit to itself—as the sound of anklets filled the air.
As if in answer, she emerged at the horizon. Taking slow, assured, steps, a smile playing on her lips. Her hand rested firm & strong on a clay pot she had propped up against her waist. Butterflies swooped down, their blue wings fluttering frantically in a battle for her attention.
Almost every living creature in the vicinity seemed to hold its breath to listen to the sound of her giggle, breathy & pacifying. To watch her eyes flutter close, momentarily, before they opened again & she told the butterflies: ‘Alright. Alright. You can all come home with me.’
She came to a stop outside the house right below the banyan tree & set the pot down. And just as the leaves of the banyan tree had intended, sun-rays rained down, drenching her in a hazy glimmering yellow light.
Her smile grew. She lifted her head to face the tree.
And she just…stood there, gazing, suddenly all her attention on the bee which still hung around near the leaves of the tree.
The bee’s heart thudded so hard it thought it was going to faint.
‘What does she w-want from me?’ It mumbled to itself, mind racing for all the possible reasons she could be looking at it so intently.
Had she, perhaps, wanted to invite it home like she had done with the butterflies, too?
The bee sucked in a breath, ready to answer her call. ‘I—‘
‘Hate to burst your bubble, but she’s not looking at you,’ the traitorous leaf announced, sounding very much like it loved to burst the bee’s bubble. ‘Our Radharani,’ reverence suddenly engulfed its nonchalant tone ‘is simply taking a moment to enjoy the sunshine on her face.’
Only then did the bee become aware of the gigantic ball of fire embedded in the sky behind it—
and of something sinking behind its chest.
Clearing its throat harshly, it ignored the feeling and yelled at the leaf.
‘Of course I didn’t think she was looking at me! Why don’t you fucking fall to the ground already? Or should I trample you myself—‘
Oh, don’t be disappointed.
That god’s voice, echoing in its head again.
The bee’s mouth snapped shut in an instant. It turned away from the leaf, instinctively looking down at the space outside the house.
And sure enough, there he was.
Dark arms out, circling the waist of his beloved & tugging her close to his chest. She let out a small laugh in surprise, letting herself get pulled into him, while he stared up at the bee. His chin tucked into the curve of her neck.
I’m sure Radha would find you a lovely sight to behold.
A sudden dizziness left it short of breath & the bee spun away, diving into the nearest hollow it could find on the trunk of the banyan tree.
The last thing it heard before doing so was Radha—telling the god that she’d found the perfect rangoli design for them to try outside their house.
