Symbiotic Encounters

Skink and the Spider.

It was a lazy afternoon; I played hooky from 91 springboards, and Dr. D had just left for the academic arena called the university. With Xammi Xamman taking a much-needed break, the tranquility of the day seemed inviting for a moment of intellectual reprieve. As I savored my perfectly brewed coffee, my glasses poised in a strategic position to foster an air of erudition, I found myself lost in thought, gazing at the newspaper with closed eyes. Yet, amidst this serene scene, a rustle disrupted the calm.

At first, I dismissed it as a gentle conversation between the late winter breeze and the fluttering newspaper sheets. Seeking to maintain my intellectual façade, I nonchalantly placed a teacup upon the paper. But as I lifted the cup, my eyes beheld an unexpected sight… the response was Bhibatsa.

Now, for those astute enough to eschew Bharata Muni and his myriad sons of Natyashastra, Bhibhatasa denotes one of the navarasa, evoking a blend of horror, repulsion, and fascination. Indeed, the room harbored a creature capable of freezing me in my tracks.

Growing up in the villages of Belmar, Neelavara, and Melmatta, I am no stranger to unexpected guests. My great aunt Kittadoddamma possessed an uncanny ability to interpret the messages brought by such visitors. Yet, today’s guest invoked a peculiar mixture of awe and revulsion within me.

Not a cockroach, a common presence I could handle with ease. This visitor, known as “arane” in our dialect and “haavurani” in the Ghats, seemed to command a different response. As I pondered its elegant yet unsettling presence, I could not help but recall the days of my youth, where encounters with coiled snakes, rats from the attic, or lizards in shoes were commonplace.

In my quest for understanding, I consulted the annals of zoology, unveiling the identity of my visitor:

• Scientific Name: Sphenomorphus Indicus
• Belonging:
  • Animal Kingdom,
  • Phylum Chordata,
  • Class Reptilia,
  • Family Scincidae.
• Common Name: Skink

With the revelation of its taxonomy, a journey of introspection ensued. The skink, with its quiet presence, seemed to beckon me towards internal exploration and intuitive enlightenment. It reminded me that amidst the mundane, lies the potential for profound transformation.

However, just as I contemplated the lessons of the skink, another uninvited guest made its presence known – a spider sting, disrupting my tranquility with its discomforting bite.

“Momma,” I exclaimed, as the sting jolted me from my reverie. The ensuing pain and swelling drew me into a realm of introspection, guided by the wise counsel of Druid Instafix. The spider, with its symbolic significance of weaving illusions and confronting our shadow selves, urged me to confront aspects of my own personality that I had long neglected.

As I grappled with the dual lessons presented by these unexpected visitors, I found myself at a crossroads of understanding. The skink, with its message of internal transformation, and the spider, with its call to confront inner shadows, offered divergent paths towards enlightenment.

And now, as I reflect upon these encounters, I am faced with a dilemma – which of these tales of animal wisdom shall I share? Should I unravel the secrets of the skink’s silent teachings or delve into the web of introspection spun by the spider?

Indeed, the answer eludes me, for both offer invaluable lessons in the journey of self-discovery.

The scientific classification of spiders typically follows this hierarchy:

• Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
• Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
• Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
• Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
• Order: Araneae (Spiders)

written for BlogchatterA2Z challenge.