Week 15 Story: "The Fire Dancer"

***This is a continuation of my Week 14 Story: The Bartender, but you can absolutely read this story if you haven't yet read that one. It continues with the relationship between Krishna and Draupadi, which I retold to suggest that it might span across lifetimes-and subsequently reincarnations. The previous story is told from Krishna's perspective, and in that life, Draupadi was a bartender with a fire tattoo.

"Dancing with Fire". Source: Flickr

"Here, she comes," someone said as I walked on stage. A hush fell over the crowd and the cold night wind blew against my skin. The stars were a little dim tonight, but that was to be expected, for the moon was at its fullest, as if it were competing for the spotlight. 

No one, however, was competing against me tonight.

Bala was allowing me to perform solo for there was a special guest in the crowd.  He hadn't told me exactly who it was, but just that they held a great importance in the community we had traveled too. We were always on the move, giving our heart-stopping shows to people in thousands of different cities over the years. I had seen great shining buildings with crystals built into the walls and ancient stone structures that held the stories of a thousand years. 

But tonight, this place, it was a quaint little town just on the skirts of a grand city. Bala had said the fortune that would come from performing here would put us off the market for a month at least. I didn't bother to comment that I made that much just from the trinkets and jewels that were thrown on stage after the fire dance every night. 

I smiled to myself, as I strolled across to the fire pit at the front of the stage and lit my batons. No one in the crowd seemed unusually outstanding and I wondered if Bala's special guest was actually in attendance. Twirling the batons in my hands, I posed before the music began. I felt the flames heat, and the pounding of drums rose the hairs along my skin. But it was the fire that sang to me as I danced and twirled my batons. No one knew they had their own music; that this was the true song I moved too.

When it was time for my special act, known as the ring of fire, I looked out into the crowd again, to maybe catch a glimpse of this esteemed guest. Chandri, another fire dancer, was cheering me on just to the side of the stage. His eyes were glowing as he watched not just me, but the fire flickering and whirling. He too, seemed to understand that this was not just a dance between a person and fire, but a dance of fire itself. Not a bead of sweat traced down my face, but inside, I was alive with warmth. 

Suddenly, before I could catch the hoop that was set alight for the act, someone walked up closer to the stage and caught my eye. It was like his skin was tinted blue under the faint light, and his eyes were sparkling with a mischievous humour. My heart skipped a beat. I knew immediately who Bala's special guest was.

"Padia!" Chandri yelled, but he had called my attention too late. I missed the chance to catch the hoop and it rolled, ablaze, across the stage. Fire surged behind it and I could hear Bala's rage from behind the stage at my mistake. People scrambled to get away from the fire and I saw Chandri run towards the water pitchers we always kept on stand by. But a deep calm had taken over and I raised my eyebrows at the guest who had distracted me. 

"Fix it," I mouthed. The mischievous glint in his eye turned towards the flames. In an instant they were extinguished to a flicker, and then, only smoke rose from the scarred wood. I jumped off the stage and walked towards him.

"Panchali," he greeted with that voice that was not from this world, that was, even, beyond this universe. I crossed my arms and tried not to smile at him, but it was impossible. Our friendship was also far greater than this world.

"What brings you here this time, Krishna?"

"Smoke". Source: Pixabay

Reference: Draupadi: The Fire-Born Princess, Saraswati Nagpal. [Printed Graphic Novel]

Author's Note: For my last two weeks of reading, I read "Draupadi: The Fire-Born Princess". In this version of the Mahabhrata, told from Draupadi's perspective, Krishna and Draupadi have a deep relationship; he is her consolation, her confident and her greatest friend. In my last retelling, "The Bartender", I wanted to use this and the theme of reincarnation to show how their friendship might have lasted not just a lifetime, but throughout the many lifetimes they might have. In it, Draupadi was a bartender with a fire tattoo, and she didn't recognise Krishna until he called her Panchali (another one of her names). In this retelling, I wanted to further develop the relationship with Krishna and Draupadi in another lifetime, but this time from Draupadi's perspective. Here, she is 'Padia', a fire dancer that also has a deep connection with the fire she uses in her dance. I also wanted to portray a bit more of the mischievous, more trouble-making, side of Krishna, by having him appear during her performance and startle her. This is, of course, very dangerous since she is literally playing with fire, but Draupadi knows Krishna can easily fix the mistake, which she asks him to do before going to greet him.