Atonement Ganesha

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, February 9, 2018

Elephant mice tree house HEARTS_Pixaby
Pixabay, altered image by Teagan

Diana Wallace Peach started a  monthly feature at her blog, Myths of the Mirror.  I caved into the temptation to play along. Click the link to learn more. 

Each month, Diana issues an image as a prompt. This time, my response is a twofer! My first response is my alteration of the original image.  Click the link above to see the original at Diana’s blog. 

As you can see, I was hoping to make a Valentine’s story.  However, whatever and whomever my muse is, apparently it has no relationship with Cupid.  Even so, I wrote a vignette and once again, made my response part of my “Atonement, Tennessee” universe.  I’ll leave Ralda Lawton to tell you about it.

***

What is that up ahead? I wondered.

I was about to turn my Toyota into the long, rhododendron lined driveway of Sunhold.  Before you get any glamorous ideas, the plants had run wild and hiring gardeners wasn’t high on my list of allowable expenses.  It looked nothing like Manderly.  However, it did look deserving of the Creepy Hollows nickname the locals gave the old estate I had won at auction.

As I was about to say, I stopped my car.  Just down the street, opposite the Sunhold cemetery, a van was broken down.  It was painted with colorful, almost psychedelic designs of whimsical shapes and animals, including a beautiful paisley elephant.

Ganesha painting suyinorlowski_Pixabay
Suyinorlowski, Pixabay

I saw a person, whose posture spoke of confusion, leaning over the open hood.  It was selfish of me, but I held back.  I had to get home for an appointment.  A squirrel had gotten into the house.  Annie from the antique shop recommended Jo Davis’ son Billy.  I didn’t want to miss him.  Guilt got the better of me though, and I went to see what the trouble was.

“Hey, is everything okay?  Do you need help, s―” I stammered.  “Um ma―”

I stopped mid-sentence.  I didn’t know how to finish because my eyes beheld such androgyny.  Blue jeans and a loose shirt were worn with whimsical athletic shoes patterned to resemble mice, as if each foot was a big mouse.  Glossy, straight black hair hung below shoulder-level.  Brown skin had a warm yellowish tone that made me think of turmeric.  Or maybe it was just the aroma of curry wafting from the van and going from my nose to my empty stomach that made me think so.

Huge soulful brown eyes turned to meet my puzzled gaze.  When I tore my stare away from those mesmerizing eyes, I noted the firm jawline, and then a rich voice that, while tenor, was certainly male.  A scar on one side of his rather long nose added ruggedness to his face.

He wiped his hands and closed the van’s hood.  He pushed back his bangs, rubbing his brow with the back of his hand.  I glimpsed what looked like a henna tattoo of an om symbol on his forehead.

“Hi!” he greeted me with a disarming smile.  “I think it’s good to go now.  I heard a noise and thought I’d better stop and check under the hood, just in case.  Besides, I think I missed a turn.  You couldn’t tell me where the Sunhold place is, could you?  Billy’s Critter Ridders was over booked and he asked me to pick up the slack.”

Squirrel scratching bbc

Comprehension abruptly dawned.  I took another look at the artwork on the van.  The psychedelic elephant was in a humorous pose with one foot on a mouse that appeared to carry the pachyderm.  Lettering beneath the image stated, “Humane Pest Removal.”

Tension gripped the back of my neck when another van stopped.  It was from Fae’s Flowers.  Gwydion, locally known as Guy Fabdon, hoped out, green eyes glittering flirtatiously.  He seemed to take quick stock of the situation.  There was something territorial in the set of his shoulders and the way he eyed the stranger. 

Just then the newcomer spoke.

“I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself.  I’m Bheema,” he said and shook my hand.

Bheema proffered his hand to Gwydion, who gave a snort.  I shot the florist a surprised look for his rudeness.

“Doesn’t that mean one who is gigantic?  A Hindu name I believe?” Gwydion asked in a sardonic voice.

I couldn’t imagine why Gwydion would know anything about Hindu name meanings.  Then again, I supposed he would know all sorts of things, considering the fact that he was a supernatural being of the fae variety.

I couldn’t help noticing that Bheema’s hand was not as androgynous as his slim body.

One who is gigantic? I thought.  Keep looking at his eyes.  Don’t look down, woman.  Don’t even glance.  Just don’t. Look. Down.

“Ralda, luv.  I heard you had a tree-rat lose in the old manse,” he told me in his lilting accent.  “I can take care of that beastie for you.  No need to bring in extra help.”

There was no wonder Gwydion was posturing like an alpha male.  Yes.  I confess, I looked down.

Dark haired man, face half in shadow, soulful eye
Lee Campbell, Unsplash

“That’s not necessary, Gwydion,” I said, tiptoeing to peep inside his van.  “I know you need to get those flowers to the refrigeration units in your shop before they wilt.”

“So, how long are you going to be in Atonement?” the florist continued as if I had not spoken.

“That’s not clear yet,” Bheema said, and I found his choice of words odd.  “I’m helping out Billy for a while, but I’m also house sitting for his mom while she’s in Florida.  Not sure how long Mrs. Davis is going to stay.”

“Considering what happened the last time Billy took care of Jo’s place, I can understand why she’d want someone else there,” Gwydion replied with a knowing chuckle.

I resisted the impulse to ask for details.  I was still avoiding Gwydion and wanted him to get on his way.

The sounds of meowing came from Bheema’s van.  I moved to look inside.  Two pet carriers were secured in the backseat, along with a large duffle bag.

“Ah.  You’re a pet person,” Gwydion commented in a smug tone.  “Nice shoes,” he added, smirking down at the mouse designs.

Apparently having pets and whimsical shoes neutralized any threat Bheema posed to Gwydion’s territorial alpha male impulses.  He excused himself and left a moment later.

The meowing resumed.  Bheema reached into the van and brought out a configuration of clear plastic tubes.

“Oh, meet Siddhi and Riddhi,” he remarked with a motion to the carriers.  “I haven’t gone to Mrs. Davis’ to settle them yet.  Don’t worry.  The ferrets will be okay because this won’t take long.  I’ll just bait these traps and that squirrel will oblige before you know it.  Then I’ll take him far enough away that he won’t come back to munch on any more of your woodwork.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.  I like squirrels, but they can do a ton of damage when they get inside a house.  Plus, I’m worried about what might happen if it gets into a part of the house that my cat, Lilith, can access.  Such a little creature can cause such a big problem!”

“Ha!  I understand.  There’s a saying,” he began.  “Don’t tell Ganesha how big your problem is.  Tell the problem how big your Ganesha is!” Bheema said with a motion to the elephant painted on his van.

I chuckled as I looked into his soulful, reassuring eyes.  The om tattoo showed again when he tossed back that mane of black hair.  I looked from the symbol to the odd scar that marred one side of his long-ish nose.  I looked at the shoes that lent a fanciful illusion of mice carrying him.

Siddhi and Riddhi gazed at me from their carriers and gave affirmative sounding meows.

two brown tabby cats lay on wood planks
Nathalie Jolie, Unsplash

The end.

***

There you have my response to Diana’s image-prompt.  What do you think of Bheema?  Would you like to see more of him in my Atonement, TN universe? 

The submarine will be at the port on Wednesday for Hidebound Hump day and the next serial episode of “Copper, the Alchemist, and the Woman in Trousers.”  Then Straightlaced Saturday will be back with another Victorian novel next weekend. 

Thanks for visiting.  Mega hugs! 

Now some shameless self-promotion.

Universal link to my Amazon Author Page

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2019 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

101 thoughts on “Atonement Ganesha”

        1. Even though my profession was technical editor and writer for a couple of decades, Bloom was a huge editing challenge — simply because I started and stopped (writing the story) so many times over the course of about 4 years. I actually feel the editing was as big an achievement as the writing. Wheew… to finally have that one finished! 😀 Happy weekend.

          Liked by 1 person

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          1. Editing is always tough, especially if you are taking your time over a piece no matter how experienced you are. I imagine techical editing is much different to editing a novel and sometimes one can even over-edit. It’s difficult to decide when to stop. For me, as long as the work is grammatically correct, I’m quite content unless there are problems with the structure, and holes in the story.

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  3. Pingback: February Speculative Fiction Round-Up | Myths of the Mirror

    1. Welcome, Judy! I’m happy you liked the tale — and Bheema. I was a little surprised by how much everyone wanted him to stick around. Now I have to figure out how to get him into book 3 of my Atonement series… (scratches head) The messes I get myself into. Happy Valentine’s Day hugs! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks Teri. I value your feedback. I almost made the cats ferrets… but felt that would need an explanation, which would bog down the vigentte. Of course, if I bring Bheema into the story they could be whatever. I appreciate you visiting. Mega hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks Rob. I’m happy you enjoyed it.
      There are as many as 108 different names for Ganesha (Bheema being just one). Remember that regarding your own Ganesha response to the prompt. I know you didn’t copy my idea. I keep telling you we were “separated at birth.” 😀 I can’t wait to see what you did. Elephantine hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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  19. I love this, Teagan! And of course, Ralda looked down. I would have as well. 🙂 This is just amazing how you can bring your Atonement characters into all sorts of situations! Wonderful!!

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  20. “Don’t tell Ganesha how big your problem it. Tell the problem how big your Ganesha is!” I LOVE IT 🙂

    Bheema is a wonderful character – “Brown skin had a warm yellowish tone that made me think of turmeric”. You are so rich in the description of your characters. They start to feel like real people!

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    1. Hi Joanne. I appreciate your feedback on that point, because describing a skin tone can be a touchy thing. So many people are too eager to be offended.
      To me, it is just a description, no different than mentioning eye or hair color. All those differences are what make people so beautiful. And I do mean Bheema to be beautiful, despite his scared nose. I’m relieved it worked for you. Mega hugs!

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  22. Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
    Teagan Geneviene draws us into a romantic triangle with a squirrel in the middle… Good looking men can be a bit like buses… you wait for ever and two come along together… these two came in vans and left Ralda smouldering. And it all started with the beautiful prompt from Diana Peach for the February Speculative Fiction challenge.. Who would have thought that little elephant could cause such shenanigans!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for your thoughts on the Bheema character, Denise. 🐘
      I almost made the cats ferrets, but that seemed to require an explanation that I was concerned would weigh down the vignette.
      I appreciate your visits. Hugs on the wing!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Huge thanks, Michael. I guess you could say that I start thinking about a myth… Then I consider which parts of the myths I can use to form the character. Then I “stretch” myself by trying to use more and more of the smaller details included in the myth.
      Ganesha is sometimes carried by a mouse (or mice). Bheema’s profession (getting rid of pests, rodents, etc) as well as his van “carry” him — and so did his strange shoes.
      Ganesha is many times portrayed as surrounded by women, particularly Siddhi and Riddhi. So I added that by giving him cats with those names. (I nearly used ferrets in stead of cats, not sure which would be better.)
      And of course, part of the Ganesha story includes him losing one of his tusks in a fight, hence the scar on his “rather long” nose.
      Thanks for visiting. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Dear Diana, thank *you* for the prompts. I didn’t intentionally pick that series… The image immediately took me to Ganesha. Then the Atonement universe just sort of beckoned as Bheema took shape in my mind.
      I appreciate all your support and feedback. Mega hugs right back. 🙂 🐘

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  31. Bheema seems to fit in Atonement, Teagan. I’m amazed at how easily (it seems) you build these characters from a shadow at the side of the road, into a complex potential member of the community – complete with “lookers” and jealous neighbors.

    I enjoyed this interesting and delightful take on Diana’s prompt. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks so much, Dan. I hope I didn’t lay it on too thick with the Ganesha clues.
      A shadow at the side of the road? I’m flattered. Oh-oh! That’s already another character scratching around at the edges of my imagination… And the blues legend about the devil at the crossroad… and a neon diner sign that flickers in odd ways at odd times, almost as if it was a message… and… something creepy yet quirky… Now look what you’ve gone and done, Dan. LOL.
      I appreciate you taking time to leave feedback on Bheema. Mega hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks so much, Annika. I appreciate you taking time to give feedback on the character. And I’m blushing about the image. I have really been trying to come up with a Valentine’s story (and failing). At least I managed an image. 😉
      Hugs on the wing.

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