Muslikem couldn’t contain his happiness; after all he could now flaunt his vibrancy and glow publicly. The imagination, beauty and freshness of conception never appealed to him.

He painted his existence with a riot of colours and carved minute details of reality and character on his body with vividness that pointed towards his elevated morality.

Morality?

Yes, he was a fine gentleman, always spending his nights in the lord’s house; away from the sins that engulfed his mortal associates. He never raised his head during those blessed nights when he would only weep and seek forgiveness.

For what?

Muslikem always began his prayer by putting all his strength into his soul, body and mind to focus on the great Lord…. He made sure nothing distracted him, not even the scent of that beautiful Hijaban who swept the courtyard daily after men were done worshipping and connecting to the lord. Her concealed reality angered him. He wanted to see more; but she was there to make the lord happy and not men. She shrieked when they made contact with her, barked when she saw them peeling down their threads.

She never ran away…. Never…. Her job was to clean once they finished….

Muslikem would stand up, stretch, prostrate, sit and do everything he could to please the holy Lord. He would wrap his mounds of flesh into layers of chadors and never raised his head. He saw the Hijaban do that when her friends would come to visit her every few months. She fascinated him; aroused his curiosity but his duty towards the great Lord compelled him to never leave his prayer mat. His mortal associates laughed at his helplessness but he knew this was temporary. Permanent was what he was yet to experience…

It was a new dawn, or was it just another day when sky was a bit clear and things didn’t seem that blurred? He blamed it on stints involving extreme pleasures of the carnal nature. On one holy occasion he ended up indulging in a notorious debauchery and had to face the wrath of his Lord. It was a night of all vices, flattery, avarice, arrogance, deceit, gluttony and treachery. He wasn’t happy with himself but he knew holy spirits are kind. Hijaban told him they are…

It was his last day there and he wanted to make contact with her but she couldn’t be seen anywhere. The courtyard was empty and there were no other worshippers praying or devotees swaying and tripping. The courtyard was covered in a thick layer of dust and someone had to sweep it before all those pious people started thronging the lord’s house for the sunset service.

He ran away… eloped with his malignant spirit.