A Vision of Fire

Caitlin sat beside her and explained everything she was going to say and do as a guide throughout the session. Maanik listened without comment or acknowledgment. Ben crouched a few feet away, ready to turn on the devices and take notes on his tablet. The Pawars sat side by side across the room, on chairs from the dining room. Jack London hovered nearby but seemed more interested in sniffing the cuffs of Ben’s pants than what Caitlin was about to do.

Caitlin kept one eye on the dog while she walked Maanik through the countdown to a state of hypnosis. The only change in Jack London’s behavior was that he shoved his nose under a pant cuff and thoroughly inspected Ben’s sock.

Maanik was also unperturbed. She slipped into a deep, relaxed state without resistance.

Caitlin had debated with herself whether to frame this to Maanik as simple hypnosis or as a “past life” session. The very phrase “past-life regression” still made her cringe a bit. However, she had looked up the process of regression and read about it again on the ride over. She was surprised to find that it was very similar to ordinary hypnosis. Still, Caitlin decided that actually saying the phrase “past life” would be too leading. She wanted Maanik to describe what she was seeing and experiencing unencumbered.

She began by asking Maanik to choose a peaceful location, somewhere she felt safe and at home. She would be able to return to this place any time she wanted.

“Have you found a spot?” Caitlin asked.

“Yes, I’m there,” Maanik said.

“Tell me about it.”

“I’m under a pink and yellow tent. It’s swaying back and forth.” She laughed. “It’s on the back of an elephant.”

Everyone chuckled.

“That’s wonderful,” Caitlin said. “You feel perfectly safe up there?”

“Oh, yes.” Maanik sighed with contentment. “I’m in a line with men on white horses ahead of me and we’re walking slowly through the fields toward the mountains. They’re far away, though, we won’t get there tonight. It’s hot but we have a nice breeze. And I’m playing cards with my aunt. Round cards, all painted.”

There was a quiet exclamation from the Pawars’ corner. Mrs. Pawar said, “Ganjifa cards.”

The ambassador added, “For teaching the Mahabharata, devised centuries ago.”

Caitlin nodded but kept the focus on Maanik, who suddenly said dreamily, as if she were quoting, “The body is ashes but the breath is immortal.”

Ben whispered to the ambassador, “From the Vedas?”

The ambassador nodded and Mrs. Pawar seemed surprised.

“The Upanishads,” the woman said. She stared at her daughter and added, “Maanik has never studied them.”

“She may have overheard me,” Mr. Pawar said, but he didn’t sound confident.

“All right, Maanik,” Caitlin said. “Remember, you can come back to your tent on the elephant any time you want. Do you understand?”

“Mmmm.”

“I’m going to ask now that you find the other place, the place you’ve been visiting. The place where you’ve been having so much trouble.”

The smile dropped from the girl’s face. “I don’t want to,” she said in the smallest voice Caitlin had ever heard.

“I know,” Caitlin said. “I know it’s a big favor to ask. But this is to help me help you. Can you be brave and do this for yourself?”

Maanik hesitated, then nodded. She swallowed hard and crossed her arms on her chest protectively. Caitlin could see Maanik’s eyes moving under her eyelids as she looked around. Then her entire body jerked and her eyes flew open, but she was not looking at the room she was in. Her arms flung apart and just as quickly, she began slapping at her bandaged arms, hitting them in a way that made Caitlin shudder. She grabbed Maanik by the shoulders and leaned into her to stop the attack on herself. The girl was screaming again, silently, her mouth a wide O. Jack London suddenly started howling.

“Maanik, tell me where you are!” Caitlin said firmly.

The girl seemed to fight to regain control of her mouth. Her tortured lips pulled together and unfamiliar words spilled from them. She began gesturing with the wide circles and sudden slashes that Ben had identified as superlatives. Caitlin could see Maanik struggling to keep speaking, to make sense—as much as those words made sense—even as her eyes twitched rapidly in fear.

“Maanik, I know you can hear me,” Caitlin said. “Please find a way to tell me where you are.”

“I see tall posts,” she said. “Pieces are coming off, falling around us…”

“Posts? Made of wood?”

“Stone. Carvings. There are waves beyond… I smell salt.”

“The ocean?”

Maanik didn’t acknowledge this but Caitlin thought she saw the girl’s hair stir slightly, not as a result of any movement she made but lifted by something from behind. The window was covered by drapes and Caitlin could see no vents in the floor or ceiling. Maanik seemed to shiver. Her eyes narrowed and turned upward again.

“The sky! It is on fire!” she said.

“Is it sunset?”

The girl’s head shook slowly. “I don’t know.” Her brow knit. “I—I don’t think so.”

“Please concentrate,” Caitlin pressed. “Is it day or night?”