Searching for the missing cubs - III

Continued from this post.

Tiger Stripes tried the door. It opened ...

Krackaswami was sitting on what looked like a throne! He looked up shocked. "How did you get in? I had jinxed the door!"

You must leave! Global enlightenment is at stake!

A group of people sat around the living room with eyes closed.

Deeksha in progress. Some participants are on the cusp of enlightenment

"You must leave immediately. I have a deeksha going on. I am enlightening these devotees. You are not worthy of being here."

"Where are the cubs?" Mum Lioness demanded.
"Security!" shouted Krackaswami, without looking at them.
Flora, the little goat came running in. "You called, Lord?"
"Throw them out!" ordered Krax.

Lord, you called for Security?

They ran about searching various rooms but found nothing. Hobbler came in and began gesturing to them. They followed him to a room. It was the attic!
The cubses locked in that attic! Mum Lioness launched herself against the door but it would not budge.
She heard muffled sounds and some kicking from inside.
Stripes also tried to break down the door. "Bhagavan, please help us!" he prayed. Suddenly the lock broke. He burst in.

It was dark. He heard grunting coming from one corner. As his eyes adjusted he saw gagged and tied, a big gorilla -- Jagaswami! And next to him was Arunacub's turban!

Stripes untied Jagaswami. "Have you seen our cubs?", he asked.
Jagaswami did not reply. He was furious, wanting revenge!
Mum Lioness picked up the turban and dusted it lovingly. Jagaswami's eyes fell upon the turban. Jags immediately clutched his chest! It hurt. He felt the pain of Mum Lioness without her cubs.

Jagaswami reflecting on his life while behind bars

"Oh Lord!" he moaned. Then he turned to them and said, "I am only helping you to reduce this pain. Don't think i really care for any of you."
"Oh sure, Perish the thought." replied Mum Lioness.
Holding his chest Jags stumbled out of the attic.

Jagaswami down in the dumps

They heard loud voices from below. Krax was shouting at the devotees to return the next day for the deeksha. "We are postponing our session. This unfortunate incident has happened since you are not worthy of my grace. Your gratitude is not enough, your gifts are measly..."

Deeksha participants get up to leave, Global enlightenment averted!

Then Krax came running towards them. "You won't be able to find them", he said. "This whole place is protected with my dark magic."
"Dark Magic, my foot" said Jagaswami exploding with anger. He took the turban from Mum Lionesses hands and put it on.
"Lord Arunachala, please help!" he called out.
Suddenly, they could hear the cubses again. "We are here, Mum, Unca Stripes!"
"You broke my jinx!", shouted Krax, his face crimson with rage.
He tried hard to re-charm the mansion, but amid the shouts of Arunachala and Ramana he was powerless.
Jags led them up the stairs and stopped at a landing, and knocked on the wall. They heard a door cracking open, and four cubses burst out. They had not even seen this door earlier!

"Are you okay, cubs! You must be starved!" enquired Mum.
"Mum, Uncle Annamalai's lunch?", said one little voice urgently.
"Uncle must be starved!", said another.
"No no, we took care of that before coming", replied Mum.
"Thank God! We were so worried about his lunch."
"You mean to tell me you little chaps were sitting in there, cub-napped, and all you were worried about was Uncle Annamalai swami's lunch!" Stripes slapped his own forehead in disbelief.
Jagaswami took off the turban and put it on Arunacub carefully and said "I really don't deserve this. I don't deserve to be here at Arunachala either. I should just go rot someplace else."
"Oh, don't go away like that!" said Om-cub feeling sad for Jags.
"Before you go anywhere, do have one darshan of Bhagavan.", pleaded Arunacub.
"Yes. I should beg him to forgive me, and then leave!", Jags declared.

"Why don't we all go to the ashram!" suggested Mum Lioness. They brushed past Krax (whose ears were smoking), and Flora who was scrubbing the deeksha room.
"Bye, Fauna" called out Stripes (on purpose).
"Fiona is my sister, I am Flora!", she replied angrily.

Stripes was famished by now (what with the running they had to do). As they reached about a mile from the ashram, Stripes' nose picked up some prasad aroma. His pace increased.
They all trooped into the ashram and prostrated to Bhagavan. By some strange coincidence, the first person to be offered prasad was Stripes. He quietly pawed about three helpings.

Bhagavan was asking the little three year old child, "Has little Bo Peep found her sheep?". The child nodded her head vigorously and sat beaming in her mother's lap.

Jagaswami sat quietly in a corner his head bent and eyes looking down. Later when they got up, they noticed he had already left. Maybe he has found his peace.

Jagaswami repents at darshan