A Mass Hysteria

 

"Oh no! looks like those kids again" Saira looking at the distance. Aditya looked in the direction she was looking and saw vague appearing approaching kids. As they progressed further, he said, "I see some adults along." "Yes," she said and continued "the numbers also look much more than yesterday, isn't it?" "Yes, look there are elders along today" he freaked. 

Saira stood up. "Wait, you know they will catch up with us anyway." Said Aditya. "Huh, you are right, we can't hide either, they know this place better than us," she said. "Let's go to amma's hut," Aditya suggested. "No, let us not give her the trouble of dealing with all this crowd," she said. 

Aditya thought for a while and said "Anyway they just want to be amused by your projector, so just continue showing those cartoons again. They will leave by sunset, but if we run, they will follow us, and you know last time when we got captive, how bad it was" "huh" she said and continued. "But I don't think we can just get away by showing those cartoons to adults." "Well, how about showing something scary so that they run away?" he said. "Like?" "Hmm... a line of fire...which they cannot cross." "Ah there are kids there, if one passes through, everybody will know it's not real fire." "Then...you need to show something that would keep them engaged." "Yes, something that would keep them glued to the projection so that they don't come to us" 

They ideated and finalized a plan. The crowd had nearly approached the other side of the pool. "Okay, let's take the position now. I will begin when they reach that palm tree. Then you begin and I will receive." Said Aditya. Saira showed a thumbs up and took her position. 

Aditya then moved a few feet ahead and raising both his hands up shouted to the approaching crowd "Stop there, wait, don't move ahead." They slowed down on hearing him. There were more kids in the front, behind them were largely young men, followed by a few women and older men. As the crowd slowed, those from behind began pushing and squeezing through to have a look. Aditya looked back at Saira and instantly, she turned on her projector. She moved her hand to make a virtual line on the ground, just a foot ahead of the crowd. What the crowd saw was a burning fire, that ran across the ground. The impression of its path made a virtual line in their minds, against which they froze and pushed a foot back. The receding steps from the front liners and the pressing forward of the ones from behind made a tight pack of the crowd. 

"Sit down," said Aditya. Some kneeled and some half bent, some lowered their body with one leg down. The kids were still popping up and out. Saira then once again raised her arm and made a large circular projection on the ground, just in front of the crowd. They froze as the beam touched the ground. Coins of gold filled the space and overflowed unendingly. They watched in unbelievable excitement. As Saira sat there in her embellished red saree, posing as she pictured in her mind, the image of the Goddess she had just prayed to. Her smiling face, the beam of light, and the gold coins gave them an undoubted conviction that she was indeed the Goddess Lakshmi. 

They frantically shifted their gaze towards Saira and the gushing gold coins, for they could not make up their mind as to which of them was a more amusing sight. This went on for several minutes. Then some of them began to chant and worship. Most of them began to lay their hands and take a grab at the gold coins. As their efforts turned futile and they looked up towards the source, they were taken aback by the blinding flash from which the gold coins seemed to come. 

Aditya spoke again in a loud yell "You will not get the gold coins like this. If you want to get those gold coins, there is a way. The path will be given by the Goddess herself. The Goddess will reveal the path only ones." Saying this, he turned away from the silent and intently listening crowd and kneeled in front of Saira. She looked and him and spoke something. He bowed to her and came back to face the musing crowd. "The Goddess has chosen a time to reveal the path. Tomorrow, by the end of Rahu Kaal, the moon will be up and shining..." Saira ran the fiery line again, making a virtual line, as he spoke. "This line, which the Goddess has just drawn, will be the line of assembly, to those who have the courage to take the path uttered by the Goddess. Just once." He waited for a while and spoke again. "You must leave now." As the crowd reluctantly inched backward, he spoke again louder than before "Obey the Goddess, you must leave. Now." As the reluctance in the crowd remained Saira changed the display of gold coins to a fierce owl the appeared to flow straight up and stared it's scary face through the ground. All of them turned away in fright and ran without looking back. 

"What was that!" Aditya exclaimed looking back at Saira. "The owl is her vehicle," she said. "Oh! Smart improvisation!" he said walking up to her with clapping hands.