Ravana Goes To Silicon Valley: Chapter 4
Chandru woke up by being licked in the face by a large, sandpaper-rough, slobbering tongue.
This is where I wake up and realize that all was just a bad dream and I’m really in a ski slope in St. Moritz, Switzerland with a sprained ankle and a concussion, Chandru thought. When I open my eyes there will be a big, hairy dog with a little barrel around its neck offering me some brandy to cheer me up while we wait for the helicopter, and we’ll be back in the chalet in plenty time for after-ski drinks. All in all, not too bad. Not compared to deep-frozen rakshasas.
Chandru opened his eyes and looked into the soft, brown eyes of a large, white cow. Convinced he was still dreaming, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again the cow was still there. It was laying down and gestured toward its back with its head, as if to say “Are you going to climb up, or do you want another face lick?” With great effort he climbed up on the cows back, wrapped his arms around its neck and passed out again.
When Chandru woke up he found the cow had stopped outside a small stone hut, the kind favored by hermits and saints when all the caves were already taken. Smoke came out of a hole in the roof and Chandru thanked his lucky star somebody was at home, even if it was just some wannabe sage or other nutcase. Would he be so lucky that the hermit had a cell phone?
After a while the weathered wood door opened, and a woman wearing a parka appeared.
“Thank you Amrita. You can put him down, I’ll handle it from here.”
There was a dull thud as the cow Amrita unceremoniously dropped Chandru on the ground. The woman grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him inside.