Abirami Forbes and the Magic Sapphire , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Priya Hunt

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134 pages

English

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Abirami Forbes' life is thrown into chaos when she loses her family in a car accident. She faces the daunting prospect of a new life in India studying at an ancient dance school.Beginning her new life, Abi struggles to settle in, but becomes determined to learn dance to teach a rival a lesson. Things begin to look up when she discovers that her mother is a celestial being who can be visited in heaven if Abi can find a magic Sapphire. But first she must overcome Varun, an evil demon who is also out to get the gem.As Abi faces Varun, she learns about the seven steps she needs to climb to visit her mother in heaven. She must perform some very daring tasks to escape the demon and his attacks to sabotage her attempts. Will she defeat this destructive force to find her way to heaven and find her family? And will Abi be able to save the world from disaster and destruction?

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Children's

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	05 février 2019
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781789019865
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Copyright © 2019 Priya Hunt

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 9781789019865

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

To Appa,
who taught me how to fall in love with writing!
Contents
Foreword

The Start
Summer Vacation
The Lake District
The Accident
The Cottage on the Hill
The Mysterious Man at the Airport
Gurukul
Life at the New School
Playing Truant
Abi Settles In
Friends and Foes
A Diwali Present
The Birth of a Dancer
An Apsara’s Daughter
The Mystery Man
The Magic Sapphire
The Underwater Battle
The Start of a New Term

The Quest
Preparation
Beautiful Konark
The Festival
The Finalists
The Winner is Announced
Patience
A Friend in Need
The Rebuild Mission
Abi’s Foolish Mistake
Journey to the Cavern
The Rescue
Village Folklore
The Next Step
What Lies Within
The Temple of Courage
The Rakshasa’s Lair
The Snake Pit
Journey’s End
Pieces of the Jigsaw
Contentment

The Destination
Mother
Exploring Heaven
Tantrums and Trinity
Maya Samudra
The Greatest Dancer of All!
The Quest for Vydehi
Back to Earth!
Attracting Evil!
Gurukul Burns!
Like a Phoenix From the Ashes

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Most of us engage ourselves passionately in pursuing something that our heart calls out for. We end up investing a huge amount of time and energy on it and then eventually and gradually move towards another passionate call. What we leave behind physically, never ever leaves us emotionally; it kind of settles down in our DNA.
I can see this is exactly what happened to Priya, the author of this book, who as a young teenager would diligently come for Bharatanatyam classes at Ganesa Natyalaya in Delhi. I remember her as an extremely enthusiastic girl committed to the cause of learning the art form. Having completed the course, she moved to England and years later, lo and behold – writes a book on Bharatanatyam dancers, mystical powers and a Gurukul that I would die to go to! Clearly, Priya’s passion for dance still remains alive within her.
All the dance stories have been woven into the plot with an on-the-job knowledge that I am proud to see Priya has. The book offers an extensive insight into Indian mythology and takes you on a roller-coaster ride of fantasy, gods, demons and even reincarnation. Human values are presented without you even realising it; the teacher-student relationship is explored beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised to find my namesake as one of the characters!
When it comes to adventure, aren’t we all children? This book will hold the interest of anyone who loves a thrill and, of course, anyone who loves India.

Rama Vaidyanathan
Internationally Acclaimed Bharatanatyam Dancer
www.ramavaidyanathan.com

The Start
1
Summer Vacation
A bright ray of sunlight danced over Abi’s face, waking her up gently. She sleepily pushed away a strand of long dark hair from her face and then woke up with a start as she remembered what day it was. ‘Vy, wake up! Our holiday starts today!’ she said, pulling her sheets away from her legs and sitting up straight on her bed. She looked across the room towards her sister’s bed, expecting to see her snuggled up with her head under her pillows as usual. To her surprise, the bed was empty with the sheets strewn messily over it.
Abi walked up to the study table to check the time. Was she late? Vy was usually the lazy one. The ancient clock propped against her books showed the time to be half past seven. She turned as she heard the sound of voices from the garden. Abi’s bed was just by the large window in their bedroom. She opened the window and peered down at their garden below. Their late-blooming magnolia stood majestically in the centre, displaying exquisite white flowers laced with a touch of pink. The garden always made Abi smile. A little blue tit was tapping industriously at the bird feeder, trying to get its beak on a seed of its choice. The flower beds were a riot of colour – begonias and marigolds vied with each other to show off their beauty in resplendent reds and oranges. Almost hidden by a large branch of the magnolia tree, stood Vy, playing with their neighbour’s cat.
‘You are up early! Why didn’t you wake me up?’ asked Abi, feeling slightly miffed. She and Vy liked to do everything together – they were identical twins and not only did they look alike, they also seemed to move in tandem. Well, mostly in tandem, except when it came to waking up in the morning, where Abi was almost always the first to get up.
Vy walked away from the tree to look at her sister. ‘I would have done, but Ginge here came up to our room with a present that you wouldn’t have liked. So, I decided to evict our guest without scaring you.’ Vy pointed to a slow worm that was wriggling away on the ground to find shelter while Ginge watched curiously, restrained by Vy from jumping at it again.
‘Yuk! Double yuk! I cannot stand slow worms,’ said Abi, with a shudder. The thought of a silvery snake-like being on her bedroom floor was enough to make her sick.
Vy gave her a flash of a brilliant smile. Her large dark brown eyes glinted like gemstones – a mix of sunlight and mischief added to their shine. ‘Yes, slow worms, snakes, mice, frogs and anything that moves pretty much!’ laughed Vy. ‘At times, I can’t believe you’re my twin, given I love all these creatures.’
Abi pulled a face but then smiled. ‘Well, better get ready! Let’s get some brekky before our long car journey.’
***
The old grandfather clock was chiming nine in the living room when the girls came down the stairs, dressed up for their trip ahead. They both wore jeans and different coloured t-shirts. Vy was in her favourite purple shade while Abi had selected a white one which complemented her bronze skin beautifully. Both the girls had tied their long hair in a messy plait – they were tomboyish and couldn’t understand why their dad would never let them cut their hair short. They entered the bright living room and looked past the sofa to the open-plan kitchen beyond. ‘Aha, my sleepyheads arrive, just in time for breakfast. Lay the table, girls. Cluck’s laid eggs today – so you’re having a very fresh fried egg each with your toast.’
The girls kissed their father and got busy with the plates. The three of them had a lot of practice navigating without getting in each other’s way through their tiny but cheerful kitchen, and in no time at all, the table was all set and brimming with food. ‘Mm, smells yum, Dad,’ said Vy as she looked at the sizzling egg on her plate.
Abi poured out the tea and looked at her father in anticipation. ‘What’s the plot, Dad? Is Aunty Jo coming over soon? When do we set off for the Lake District?’
Dr Hugh Forbes looked much younger than his forty years, thanks to his slim frame and boyish face. His brown hair was tousled and he was wearing his favourite faded blue cardigan over a checked shirt. He buttered a piece of well-browned toast and smiled at her excited face. ‘Jo is coming directly to Windermere. She needs to leave a day early as she needs to meet a visiting scientist who is going to comment on her research. So she decided to get her own car. We can start off as soon as we’ve had breakfast and given Mrs Perkins the keys. Speaking of her, I noticed that Ginge is bringing more gifts to us nowadays. Vy, stop encouraging him so much,’ he said, semi-reproachfully. Vy smiled as she knew her dad loved animals of all shapes and sizes, and the only reason he wouldn’t have wanted them all in was due to Abi’s aversion towards reptiles and insects.
Abi took a large gulp of tea and frowned as she looked at her father and Vy chuckling at Ginge’s antics. ‘I must have taken after Mum – bet she didn’t like slow worms either.’ Dr Forbes smiled wistfully, looking at the painting of a beautiful Indian woman on the mantelpiece. Their mother had died when they were both a year old – so they had no recollection of her. They hadn’t even seen any photos of her, and the only things they had grown up with were a couple of paintings that their father had painted years ago. Thirteen years had passed since their mother died, but the girls could see the pain in their father’s eyes even now, every time they mentioned her. All they had learnt about their mother was from stories that Aunty Jo told them, though they took them with a pinch of salt as Jo herself had been only seven when their mother had passed away.
***
‘Please keep an eye on the runner beans, Dot,’ said Dr Forbes, flashing their old neighbour a charming smile as they handed her their house keys.
‘Of course! They are looking rather healthy and I am sure you’ll get a bumper crop this year. I haven’t been having much luck with my tomato plants, think