It was raining heavily and the narrow paths were being washed away. Once more there was a terrible silence, broken only by the storm clouds growling and the wind moaning like wounded ghosts, as it rained in sheets.

Satisfied, Dark Storm retreated, a little tired but smug.

But this time, when the clouds cleared from the hillside, small tendrils of smoke reappeared from the hidden caves. People were calling out to each other. Once more the birds flitted about, among them Bright Pearl.

From a great distance, Dark Storm saw the smoke from the fires again. Still alive! Humans tending their hearths! It began to feel worried. Something is wrong, it thought. What could it be? It was also very tired by now, because laying the world waste had exhausted it. Also, it had suffered the worst thing — loss of face.

It had stormed and thundered as before. It would lose its standing as the indomitable Dark Storm. It drew closer to the mountain. Here, as a last effort at appearing victorious, it sang its chilling song:

What is good, what is bad?

None knows, none dares.

Who is happy, who is sad?

None shows, none cares.

To its amazement, a tiny silken piece of fluff, Bright Pearl, came out above the caves and flew high over the tallest treetops. Here she hovered and sang in her clear voice:

What is good, what is bad?

glad heart shares.

As she sang, the rescued people came out of their caves, chanting the words together — parents, old people, children and animals. They all stood outside their caves at different points of the mountainside, facing Dark Storm.

To be continued

Mala Marwah’s short story, Dark Storm and Bright Pearl first appeared in the children’s magazine Target edited by Rosalind Wilson. It was later published in the short story collection, The Carpenter’s Apprentice, by Katha, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation and publishing house.