Bayahath Terevich frowned as he let go of the last coin in
his hand. He was a man born of deceit and surely losing is not an option for
the likes of him. Yet it was done. The bet was lost and he was but a fool to
have thought that he’d win.
It all started when the Fool came to the good town of
Kuttiyanagar. The good people were amazed to see him. The Fool with all his
tricks and songs; was a complete package. Kuttiyanagar was not a place
frequented by many visitors and the townsfolk needed amusement just as a
malnutritioned African kid needs his
vitamins. Bayahath Terevich was indeed happy to be in a place like this, where
his cunning could feed upon the mediocrity of the people and yield him some
coin. So he strategically placed himself in the center of the bazaar where all
the streets met, just alongside the statue of the “Kuttiya” who had given this
town its name. On the sidewalk children
chased chickens and hawkers shouted as they tried to lure in customers.
”Hear me O’ good people of Kuttiyanagar” Bayahath Terevich
cleared his throat and then started his sermon, “ Hear me as the Kuttiya bears
witness to this day where I stand and
offer something that has never been witnessed before, truly a good offer I make
to you. I will show you a trick of cards and the man who understands it will
get all my fortune. But if no one can decipher the magic in my hands, every
single man and woman of Kuttiyanagar will give me a gold coin for my skill and
courage”. The crowd slowly gathered at his feet. Some looked at him with
excitement and utter awe while others displayed their hatred of what seemed to
be a classic case of mockery of their wits.
“Behold” Bayahath continued “Behold this great art that I
have learned from the magi of the eastern lands”. And then the fool started to
shuffle his cards. He selected a young child of 8 from the audience and made
the little one select a card from his deck. The child was then asked to show
the card to the whole of Kuttiyanagar as they stood still and expressionless.
The card was then gently put back in the deck that Bayahath held in his right
hand. After a brief moment of shuffling here and cutting there, the magician
clapped his hands sandwiching the deck in between and voila! The entire deck
was gone. Disappeared into thin air, as it might have seemed. The crowd clapped
and there were chatter amongst them. Shock and awe? “The real trick has only
just begun” Bayahath announced with a mixture of sarcasm and pride in his tone,
“I see that there are 52 men in the audience and each man’s destiny lies in a
card that he must now face. Put your hands in your pockets you good men of
Kuttiyanager”. All the men in the audience put their hands in their pockets as
the women peeked with keens eyes, at the men close to their vicinity. And each
man in the crowd found a card in his pocket that he took out and held high in
his hands. Bayahath Terevich smiled and announced boldly, “as for the card of
the child, look at the face of the Kuttiya”. There it was. Pasted at the nose
of the statue just like an ugly patch on somebody’s eye. Bayahath was happy for
a trick well-performed “and now for my coin if no one can tell me what I just
did and how I did it”. His hopes were a shattered when the crowd suddenly burst
into a huge fit of laughter. A laughter so wild that, it made his bones shiver.
The one thing Bayahath failed to realize was that Kuttiyanager was a town
famous for its magic and it was the birthplace of all magic in the realm of
Jhagistan. Deciphering a mere card trick was child’s play for a people who
could use their magic to make entire castles appear out of thin air. Alas! It
was too late. Now Bayahath Terevich had to do away with all his fortune. His
dreams shattered because of his ignorance. “Bloody Nasreen” he cried “You will have
to wait my love before I free you from the clutches of the evil hordes of
Chawalikis. Wait you must my dear… wait for me”
