Monty's Master – Part 12
To say that Perry had some reservations about blindly following someone who was still mostly a stranger at 100 feet underground would have probably been an understatement. Sure, he too had his own network of secret tunnels and hidden entrances in every corner of the neighborhood, but they were usually fully functional and well-lit, and most importantly, he always knew where they led.
As per usual, Monty didn't seem to share any of his concerns.
"Hey, I think I just saw a rat!"
"Yeah, sorry about that," Aashritha said, misreading the excitement in his voice. "But don't worry, we're almost there!"
Perry kept his ears pricked to make sure they hadn't been followed, and soon they came to an old iron door.
"Hold this," Aashritha handed Monty the flashlight as she dug into the front pocket of her backpack.
She took out a large key, almost as rusty as the door which slowly opened and closed behind them with a long creak.
The tunnel seemed to continue on this side as well, but after a couple more steps they reached a dark purple curtain through which a slow flute melody drifted.
Aashritha turned to them and put her finger to her lips, then pushed aside the curtain, and, without turning off the flashlight, they tiptoed into a small room with carpeted floors and embroidered cushions.
In the middle of it stood an old man with a long ponytail, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. He would have looked quite ordinary if it weren't for the Common Krait wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl, bobbing its head to the music.
Monty gasped, but seeing the tender look on Aashritha's face, he probably realized that her grandfather was in no immediate danger of being strangled.
Aashritha knelt on one of the pillows and they followed suit. Monty listened to the flute song as if under a spell, while Perry's eyes wander through the gloom. He noticed a long walking stick leaning against a woven basket and various books, rag dolls, and an old radio player cramped on low shelves. He quickly looked away as the song ended on a low note and Monty and Aashritha both started clapping.
The old man and the snake opened their eyes at the same time, but only the snake seemed to be looking at them.
"Hi, dada!"
"Ash, my girl, is that you?"
"Yeah, and I brought guests! Steven, Michael, this is my grandfather, Shireesh Sharma.
"Oh, well I'm not one to turn down new audience," he said."
"That was awesome, Mr. Sharma," said Monty. "Ash, you didn't tell us your grandfather was a snake charmer!"
"You know this is a harmful stereotype, right?" Perry whispered.
"What? But you just hypnotized a man a few minutes ago!" Monty said, not even bothering to lower his voice.
Both Aashritha and her grandfather chuckled.
Perry and Monty shared a look.
"No, you got it all wrong," Aashritha said. "Pickles is actually Grandpa's service snake. It just so happens that he likes flute music, but he's free to come and go whenever he wants."
Pickles slid down Mr. Sharma's shoulders, crawled past Monty, who quickly pulled back his legs, and wrapped itself around Aashritha's extended arm.
Monty cleared his throat, trying to get his legs back into their previous position. "I didn't know there were service snakes."
"Of course there are, I trained him myself," said Aashritha. "Pickles, go and turn the radio on to Grandpa's favorite show."
Perry watched the snake climb up the wall and coil around the large knob until it found the right program which was playing a symphonic music recital.
"Impressive," he agreed.
"He even brings you the slippers," said Aashritha, picking up the snake and starting to stroke it like a lap dog. "Now that that's out of the way, you can tell me what really happened."
"Honestly, I'm not so sure either," said Monty. "We were just minding our own business when these guys decide to ambush us just because we brought up the Snake King. I mean, what's up with that?"
"Oh no!" Asshritha clapped her hands to her mouth. "I'm so sorry guys, I should have warned you! You see, that's kind of a sensitive subject around here."
"Yeah, we sort of figured that out," Perry said. "But then, is it true what they said?"
"Well, as I was saying, the festival has kind of lost its meaning over time and no one knows exactly what happened over two thousand years ago," said Aashritha.
"I don't know," Monty said, looking at Pickles who was waggling the tip of its tail. "If I had a staff like that, maybe it would have gone to my head too."
"Ah, Nagaraj's famous golden staff," said Mr. Sharma suddenly. "What a relic, but you probably realize that there is more to it than that."
"What do you mean?" Perry asked.
The old man leaned forward and said in a mysterious voice, "Snake Whisperers."
"Ah, yeah, I think I heard one of the goons mention something," said Monty.
"This is a lesser-known version of the story because people usually like to read about heroic deeds, while some things bring out the worst in all of us and are better left unsaid."
Perry avoided the old man's eyes, even though he was perfectly aware that they couldn't see him.
"It's true that the staff has its worth and might even be the key to the king's tomb, but snake control has nothing to do with it."
"Really?" asked Monty.
"Back then the valley was infested with snakes. People were afraid to leave their homes or send their animals out to graze," said Mr. Sharma. "Naturally, they despised anything to do with snakes, especially the mystical Snake Whisperers, who were said to be able to summon and understand the serpent tongue, as well as incite them against others."
"There was no known Snake Whisperer at that time, but other kinds of whispers had begun to spread among people, for they were convinced there couldn't be so many snakes in one place unless someone had gathered them there. And when their own king proved to be one of them, I think you can imagine they didn't take it too well."
"They thought the king had called the snakes to the valley," Perry said. "But why? What could he have gained from it as long as the resources on his territory were compromised?"
"Well, at times like this people tend to get a little paranoid and stop thinking clearly. Some were convinced that it was just a strategy to ensure that no one would ever dare to rise up against him. In any case, his plan backfired, because there is strength in numbers. The people all gathered at night in the palace courtyard and stormed in, slaying their own king before he even knew what hit him."
"Wait," said Monty. "Then what about the other guy, you know, the servant? Wasn't he the bad guy?"
The old man waited a moment to listen to a particularly dramatic fragment played on the bass. "Revolutions may be seen as acts of great bravery today, but, at the time, turning against one's own king was considered a bad sign. So it was easier for them to pass the blame to one person whether he was real or not."
"I see," Perry said. "But what about the princess? What part did she have in all this?"
"Could she really control snakes with her flute, or was that a fake too?" asked Monty, eyeing curiously the flute which Mr. Sharma hadn't put down.
"That, I can't tell you for sure. Indeed, it is said that the king's daughter found a way to imprison some of the snakes in her father's tomb. It is unclear whether she did it out of resentment, or if she was actually trying to do him a favor; in any case, it is rumored that the snakes she chose were not ordinary at all. True guardians, they say, much larger than ordinary snakes, and who can live long enough to ensure that no one will ever unravel their secret."
For a couple of moments, even the radio went silent. Perry glanced up at Monty who seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Ashritha looked between them, stretched out her arms, and jumped to her feet.
"Okay, thanks for the story, dada, just as always it was fascinating, but I think Steven and Michael are more interested in actual facts, aren't you guys?"
"Um, yeah!" said Monty whose smile wasn't nearly as convincing as Perry's.
"Well, I'm sure Mr. Sharma also knows a lot of historically accurate stories that we'd love to hear someday," Perry said.
"Yeah, now come on, I bet you're thirsty and haven't had a chance to drink anything yet," Aashritha said, pushing aside another curtain that revealed a set of narrow stone stairs.
The snake returned to Mr. Sharma's shoulders as he licked his lips, but before he could lift the flute once more, Perry could have sworn he saw a knowing smile crossing the wrinkled face.