Gradually, even the dim fading light of the afternoon washed away from the heart of the forest, and a dense, pitch-black darkness enveloped the surroundings. The nocturnal birds of the forest began to screech in harsh voices, and with the continuous chirping of the crickets, the entire atmosphere became even more mysterious. Prafulla and Prabhasha sat completely motionless, lying in wait behind the cover of the leaves on the makeshift sitting space they had made on the high canopy of the tree.
Suddenly, breaking that silence and tearing through the deep darkness of the cave, a monstrous and grave voice echoed with the chanting of a mantra— "Hreem Kleem Chandikayai Namah! Destruction! Let everything be destroyed!"
The rotting stench in the surroundings seemed to intensify instantly. At this sudden, monstrous sound, Prabhasha was startled and felt a wave of fear. Clutching Prafulla's hand tightly, she whispered, "Brother! What is that sound you are hearing? Who on earth is inside the cave screaming and chanting mantras so loudly like that? My hands and feet are turning cold!"
Stroking his sister's back to reassure her, Prafulla said, "Do not be afraid, Prabha. Listen carefully, that is no ghost's call; it is clearly the sound of a mantra being chanted. It seems someone is sitting inside the cave performing a sacrificial ritual. And look there, look toward the mouth of the cave!"
Prabhasha looked and saw that the extinguished fire inside the cave had blazed up fiercely once again. The intense yellow and reddish bright light of that fire crawled out of the cave's mouth and spread all around. Even the dark rocks outside were now glistening under that light.
Prabhasha said, "Yes Brother, you are right. Well Brother, should we climb down from the tree now? Shall we go down and see who is inside?"
Shaking his head, Prafulla said, "No, no, absolutely not! Going down now means digging our own grave. Let's stay hidden here and wait; let's see what happens till the very end."
Putting an end to their waiting, as the night grew a bit deeper, an extremely bizarre and terrifying figure came staggering out from inside the cave. He was a tantric! But seeing his appearance and attire, Prafulla and Prabhasha's eyes popped out in astonishment. The tantric was originally a man, but his attire was entirely like a woman's! He wore a bright red saree, neatly pleated, paired with a tight red blouse. On his forehead was a massive, blood-red vermilion tilak, yet the hair on his head was closely cropped like that of modern men! Around his neck hung a necklace made of actual human skulls, while royal golden bangles glistened on both his wrists! His eyes were lined heavily with kohl as black as coal, radiating a terrifying ferocity in the firelight.
But as terrifying as his attire was, his behavior was equally bizarre! While exiting the cave, instead of walking like a grave tantric, he swayed his hips and walked in a charming feminine demeanor. No sooner had he arrived than he suddenly raised his hands toward the sky and roared in a masculine, grave voice, "I will destroy this Junagarh! I will turn the pride of this kingdom to dust! I will finish everything!"
But the very next moment after delivering that terrifying dialogue, his mood shifted completely! Suddenly shaking one of his legs, he cringed and shrieked in an endearing, feminine voice, "Oh Mother! Oh dear father! What bit me just now? Ouch! Did an ant crawl into my leg? Uff, I am trapped here in this jungle with this tiger business and am practically getting murdered! It bit my beautiful leg and turned it red!"
Seeing his bizarre dual behavior of a mad tantric—momentary rage, momentary laughter, and momentary weeping—Prabhasha, atop the tree, was on the verge of splitting her stomach from laughing so hard! Displaying this bizarre trick of his character, the tantric suddenly rushed forward a bit and squatted right on the courtyard in front of the cave. No sooner had he sat than he suddenly lifted one of his entire legs and placed it over his neck!
Placing his leg over his neck, he performed a hideous and bizarre yogic posture and burst into a fit of giggles to himself, "Hahaha! Can any son of a father or any ordinary fool in Junagarh perform this yogic posture? In this kingdom, I alone am all-powerful! Nothing can be achieved by these ordinary fools!"
Just as he had suddenly sat down to perform that bizarre yogic posture, in a single flash, he leaped to his feet and darted straight back toward the inside of the cave! Running at full speed, he vanished into the darkness inside. Again, after a short while, he emerged outside, swaying his hips.
Witnessing this utterly crazy and bizarre antics, Prabhasha could no longer suppress her laughter. She almost giggled out loud with a snicker. Catching the sound, Prafulla somehow covered Prabhasha's mouth with his hand. Turning red from laughing himself, Prafulla whispered, "Shut up Prabha, don't make a single sound! My own intestines are about to rip apart from laughing so hard! But you must remain absolutely quiet now. You can go to the royal palace tomorrow and laugh your heart out. For now, watch what other circuses he wants to perform."
Staring at the tantric, Prafulla gritted his teeth while still chuckling and said, "His clothes and makeup are so terrifying, but the public inside is looking like an absolute madman! Sometimes he screams in rage, and at other times, he kills himself laughing like a woman! Come tomorrow morning, I will drag him straight away and lock him in the dungeon next to our stables. Then all his hypocrisy can be witnessed within the dark cell of that prison. And I want your wicked Sushila Ma and the rest who are in his gang to stand outside the iron bars and laugh heartily at this madman's insanity!"
The moment she heard the name 'Sushila Ma', the smile on Prabhasha's face vanished in a flash. Punching Prafulla lightly on his back, she said in an aggrieved tone, "Brother! You are again telling me that Sushila Ma is my mother? How on earth can she be my mother? I absolutely hate it when you say that! Please do not ever link the identity of that filthy Sushila Ma with my name again, it disgusts me!"
Lightly pinching his own ear, Prafulla whispered, "Alright sister, my bad, it was a mistake! I was just having a little fun. Why are you getting angry? Look there, such a grand circus is taking place right in front of our kingdom!"
Looking down again, Prabhasha covered her mouth with her veil. She whispered, "Well, you are right about that, Brother. I am practically dying of laughter witnessing the antics of this mad tantric! Even so, I am holding back my laughter with great effort by covering my mouth, lest he spots us and hurls some new mantra at us!"
This suppressed giggling of the two siblings atop the tree, and below, the bizarre dancing and tiger-like roaring of the tantric holding a sword while wearing golden bangles—all in all, turned that dark night of the forest into a strange, thrilling, and comical theatrical stage.