The Birth of Sati

A hot gentle wind swept over the dune ridge causing sand dust to swirl up towards the sky. Some sand flowed down the side of the dune and a snake, that had been hiding under the sand decided to make its way along the dune to hunt.

A big vulture with light brown feathers suddenly crashed into the dune, rolling down to the bottom before it finally managed to stand up and with small awkward jumps get to its target. A hand was pointing up from the bottom of the dune, and the vulture had smelled it.

As the vulture reached the hand and started picking on the fingers another vulture landed just a few strides from the first one, and soon there was a group of vultures picking at the hand, in the sand, slowly digging up the scorched corpse from the dune.

Suddenly one of the vultures burst into flames and the others hastily tried to throw themselves into the air, taking flight from the corpse. Halfway in the air a second burst into flames, and then another and another, until the only thing remaining of the vultures were grey ash falling down from the sky.

The sand around the corpse started moving, sliding away from the corpse, gently, without scratching the scorched body and without leaving even a trace of sand in its scars. Yellowish white swollen eyes looked up at the sky without any life left in them. Then suddenly, blood started to trickle out from its scars, and the body started convulsing. A trickle became a pour, a pour became a flow, a flow became a spray and the spray became a bloody mist.

Suddenly there were no more blood, the blood was all around the corpse in the sand, but the corpse had no more blood left. The eyes were now sand white with a surface as blank as glass, almost golden when the sun shone in the eyes. The skin was grey with a red undertone and smooth as polished wood reflecting the beams from the sun. The chest heaved and the hot air exhaled from the corpse made a shiver in front of his face.

A shadow bended over the corpse and the shadow said; You have served me well, and for this I have given your life back to you to serve me forever. Come with me Sati and serve me once again.

Sati stood up, and then he and the shadow were gone.