Monthly Drawing: Fearful Symmetry

Lizzie was bored. 

Well, she had to admit, not exactly bored but… something. 

She actually quite enjoyed digging through the piles of unarchived items the archeology department had accumulated in the past century and a half. Finding things brought back by a long-dead researcher from who-knew-where was almost a form of archeology itself. But, the days spent moving through the collection and then carefully cataloging was starting to pale, if just a bit. 

She knew that the Indiana Jones style of archeology was never even close to the wildest possibilities of any archeologist but, she wanted just a bit more. She wanted her life to be a bit more interesting, if at least for a little while. 

Then she found it. 

The box was old. The wear and design and even the wood (Marbled Sumatran Rosewood) pointed to a manufacture date of the mid 18th century at latest. Then there was the contents. 

Inside was a journal and an exquisitely carved pendant of a tiger. 

The pendant was about the size of a ping-pong ball and carved from a stone that was red with black striations running across it. The tiger was carved in a semi-geometric style that she did not recognize but, had the primitive precision that spoke of an advanced ancient civilization. It had eyes of a green stone that was as green as emerald but, had the milky quality of opal. She would have to ask her mineralogist friend  Abby about it. It had an old but, still flexible oiled leather cord. Impulsively, she tied the pendant around her neck. It felt oddly heavy yet, somehow as light as air as it brushed against her collarbone. 

The journal, however, was the most amazing thing. 

The first entry was 1765 (She felt a thrill at being correct about the box) and the last was 1769. It had belonged to Mr. John Carbondale. He’d apparently put in at Mumbai in late September, keen to search for the lost Bene Israel tribe. He soon learned that it was a myth but, constantly found suggestions of the lost city of Dholavira, home of the mysterious Harappan people. The Harappan were rumored to have been magicians of great renown, using powers beyond understanding to rule their city. 

Lizzie was captivated by his journal and, as the day waned, she stayed glued to the yellowed pages. Carbondale had been skeptical but, when he found the city and began careful excavations, he grew less skeptical. Then he began to find items and learn how to use them. 

Charms and talismans. Amulets and, for want of a better word, magic wands. He’d begun to learn to use them but, was quite afraid of their power. Lizzie laughed at the credulity of the 18th century

Then, the words “Tiger Talisman” caught her eye. The description of the item was spot-on while the accompanying text was uncharacteristically vague. It simply had the proto-Hindi text, the transliteration of the text and an English translation. 

The English read “May the spirit of the tiger fill me with her power”. 

Lizzie laughed and remembered that old movie about the boy who turned into a dog from reading the Latin inscription on a ring. A grin split her face and she began to chant the proto-Hindi words, barely able to stifle a giggle.’

“Baagh kee bhaavana mujhe apanee shakti se bhar sakatee hai!” She said in her best Morgan Freeman, “Baagh kee bhaavana mujhe apanee shakti se bhar sakatee hai!”

She strutted in front of her table and was just about to burst into a fit of giggles when her skin began to feel itch. Very, very itchy.