THE TRAGIC FALL OF TOM

 THE TRAGIC FALL OF TOM

 

Tom was perplexed by what was happening in his apartment. Once quiet, serene, and comfortable, it was now a tangled mass of dark green vines. They were all over the walls, covering the roofs, spreading threateningly into the balcony, and crept into his neighbours' houses. He grabbed his pruning shears, but each snip caused the vines to grow thicker and more robust.

 

Tom was filled with thoughts of the love of his life, Rachel. He was gripped with fear and recalled his last conversation with his lady love. In that conversation, he had confessed his love for her, but little did he know that she was under the control of a wicked witch, Sabrina. Rachel was whisked away by her soon after, and the curse fell upon him as a punishment.

 

Pushed against the wall, Tom sought out a wise elder in his village, Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown had immense knowledge of the ancient world and life in general. After hearing his story, Mr. Brown asked Tom, “What made you confess your love to Rachel?” “Well, I have been in love with that girl for long, and I would have forever regretted not telling her how I felt about her.” “You think you have ten reasons your relationship can work, but I can point out a hundred it won’t. Protect your own heart first; otherwise, you will be badly hurt. Protect yourself first. But if your love is true, I can offer a solution,” he said.

 

“The vine in your apartment”, Mr. Brown said, “is no ordinary plant; it manifests Sabrina’s dark magic. Cutting it off won’t solve the problem. You have to find another way.” “But how?” Tom pleaded. “I have to save Rachel and also save the entire neighbourhood.”

 

Mr. Brown handed Tom a weathered yellow leather-bound book. “Here is the book of ancient remedies and magical spells to ward off the evil eye that has fallen on you and to break this curse. But remember, Tom, if your love is not true, it won’t work.”

 

Tom hurried home after thanking Mr Brown. He poured over the book's contents and found a remedy requiring genuine love and a significant sacrifice. It was a magic potion to ward off the curse and save Rachel. The sacrifice, however, was challenging. It required him to give up something he held dear, something that was a part of his identity.

 

To prepare the magic potion, Tom would need three things. First, he would need to make a sacrifice. Then, he would need the juice of the moonflower that grew in the forests, a few drops of his own blood, and the incantation of the sacred mantra “Om Namah Padmay Hum” three times.

 

Tom’s mother, willing to ever help her heartbroken son, decided to lend a helping hand and offered help to rescue Rachel. She agreed to help him acquire the juice of the moonflower no matter what it took.  She ventured all alone into the forests in search of it and finally found it.  When she tried to extract the juice, its poison seeped into her, and she succumbed, but not before she handed over some juice of the moonflower to Tom. The loss of his beloved mother devasted Tom, and he went into mourning for a month. But the green vines only grew thicker and thicker with each passing day.

 

So, he decided to set out into the forests with the ingredients he had with him in search of the evil witch Sabrina. At the end of the forest, he spotted her lair. On spotting him, Sabrina flew into a rage and decided to teach this young brat a lesson. She began chasing him, and Tom led the chase back to his apartment.  Meanwhile, with the witch away, Rachel managed to break free, and she, too, set off for Tom’s apartment. Once inside his apartment, the evil witch took out her knife and stabbed Tom three times in his abdomen. She managed to hit her head in this exertion and momentarily passed out. Blood gushed out of Tom’s wound. Though in pain, Tom quickly collected a few drops of his blood, mixed them with the juice of the moonflower and poured them over the vines, chanting “Om Namah Padmah Hum” three times.  The vines suddenly disappeared like magic.

 

But Tom felt his life was slowly ebbing away, so with his last ounce of strength, he hit out at the now conscious witch, who, with a loud, deafening shriek, fell to the ground dead. Just then, Rachel burst into the scene and placed the head of wounded Tom on her lap. “You saved me”, she cried. “Now, don’t you give up? You hear me. We will get you to a doctor.”  But Tom feebly said, “It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. I will meet you in the afterlife. We will be together then”. He gasped suddenly, and he slowly passed away in Rachel’s lap.