The Script of Evil

05 - The trap

Arnav sits down on the bench under the giant, old tree next to Park Drive and looks up to Aryan and Mohammed in front of him like a naughty schoolboy. Aryan is talking fiercely to him: "From now on you sit here every afternoon after school in the shade of this tree and watch the people that pass here. That snot ran away so fast up the steep path, he was out of sight when we followed him. I'm telling you now, he probably is an athlete and he resides somewhere near. There is a big chance that he will run around the park some time or other."

He points at an elderly woman who runs past. "You see, this is a favourite place for people to jog, just don't take a bloody nap because I'm not going to save your ass with the Boss next time. I swear I'll burn your ass. He is fed up with you and you know what that means. This tree is a good hideout in a cove between the plants, so there is a good possibility that you will see him first if you are vigilant. If he runs fast again, he will probably not see you. So, phone us immediately and follow him at a distance so that we can wait for him and surprise him so that he doesn't have the opportunity to get away."

***

It is Wednesday and fine weather prevails. During lunch Kadin reads Wikipedia excerpts. "Sanskrit is a language of ancient India with a documented history of about 3,500 years. It is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism; the predominant language of most works of Hindu philosophy as well as some of the principal texts of Buddhism and Jainism. Sanskrit, in its various variants and dialects, was the lingua franca of ancient and medieval India. In the early 1st millennium CE, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, Sanskrit migrated to Southeast Asia, parts of East Asia and Central Asia, emerging as a language of high culture and of local ruling elites in these regions. The body of Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of philosophical and religious texts, as well as poetry, music, drama, scientific, technical and other texts. In the ancient era, Sanskrit compositions were orally transmitted by methods of memorisation of exceptional complexity, rigour and fidelity. Sanskrit is one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It continues to be widely used as a ceremonial and ritual language in Hinduism and some Buddhist practices such as hymns and chants."

Billy frowns. "Sounds quite puzzling to me. I begin to wonder about our theory."

"What are you saying?"

"Listen, our theory is based on the question: why is the booklet so important to assault or kill someone. We thought that something might be there that can lead to something precious. I am beginning to think it is not as simple, especially when I think what your father said about Sanskrit. He said there are people who believe it originated from another dimension. What if there is special knowledge in that booklet? What if it is the knowledge of this alternative dimension that is the treasure that men are looking for?"

Kadin once again consults her tablet and reads the last sentence: "It continues to be widely used as a ceremonial and ritual language in Hinduism and some Buddhist practices such as hymns and chants."

Kadin scans the rest of the Wikipedia article and she finds another piece that resonates with their thinking. "Listen to this: The earliest Sanskrit texts were religious texts of the Rig-Veda. No written texts of this early period survived if they ever existed. But researchers are confident that the oral transfer of these texts was reliable. This is ceremonial literature of which the correct pronunciation is crucial for their religious effectiveness." Then she explains what she finds significant: "If I understand correctly, only when a priest carries out the rituals and pronounces the words correctly, only then is it effective. If people are after sorcery in these scripts they will probably have a priest amongst them, maybe their leader. Maybe it is some occult thing."

"Maybe we are being farfetched now, this is all speculation. I hope that holy man at the temple can tell us what we want to know. If he knows Sanskrit he will tell us whether it's an occult thing and if we are off the track completely."