My Life as a Black Swan (Vahana Vamsathaar series #2) - Published

Prologue

"You are so beautiful!" Amma cooed as she applied a thin coat of eyeliner to finish my look. I tried my best to not screw my face into an unpleasant expression at the statement.

People have always focused on my looks all my life, but very few seem to realise that I actually have a brain that I do tend to use. I suppose this attitude comes from the fact that our patron Goddess Saraswathi is the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge. Having descended from her mount, the Annam, it feels like focusing on superficial beauty alone is just wrong. Sure, the swan is a beautiful creature and all, but somehow emphasizing only the physical attributes seems disrespectful of the Goddess' blessings on us.

I glanced at the mirror, noting the almond-shaped eyes framing my brown irises. Aside from the mild coat of eyeliner and a hint of lip gloss, I wore no other makeup. My long neck seemed too prominent as it lacked any ornaments. They weren't required for this occasion after all. No earrings either. Wouldn't want them to fall to the bottom of the lake. My black hair was free, and the ends were tickling my elbows as I stood in front of the mirror.

I looked at my reflection, noticing the confidence in my eyes. It was something I lacked till very recently. I had a great job that I loved with all my heart. A wonderful house that I bought in the heart of Chennai city, was definitely something to be proud of. My business was flourishing, and I couldn't be happier. At 25, what more could I possibly ask for?

So looks aside, I felt beautiful.

"Ravi will be so impressed!" one of my cousins crowed, and that instantly soured my mood.

Ravi Kumar is supposedly the guy I was meant to marry the following week. I met him last week, talked to him for barely 10 minutes, and next week I was supposed to marry him, jump into bed with him and ride off into the sunset. And they say Indians aren't romantic!

My parents pushed for this arranged marriage because I put my foot down when it came to my career. So the agreement we had was, if they got to choose a groom for me, they would pay my tuition fees for college. They said I was wasting my potential by choosing to become an Interior Designer. Their plan was to make my brother and me doctors so they could pass on their hospital to us. They were annoyed that I wasn't playing into their well-formulated plans. It was funny to see their looks of surprise when I invited them to my new home in Chennai.

Education - check

Job - check

House - check

The only thing to complete the picture would be a husband and kids, according to my parents. They were right, I suppose. And that was how Ravi entered the picture.

In the ten minutes I got to talk to him, he seemed like a nice guy.

After all, ten minutes is enough to judge the guy I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with life, right?

My parents thought so, but I feel like a lot of people wouldn't agree with them.

My parents loved him though. The guy works as a Pathologist at the lab in my parents' hospital, and guess what? He was a swan too! So, obviously, we were a match made in heaven.

For a pair of well-renowned doctors, my parents were pretty delusional.

Perhaps, I shouldn't be this pessimistic. After all, I was financially independent, so I shouldn't be too worried in this age and era. If things don't work out, I'll gladly blame my parents for their meddling.

"Do you want a grape?" one of my cousins asked me, and I held out my Mehandi clad left hand out to receive it.

Amma slapped my hand away.

"Annapoorani! Use your right hand! How many times do I have to remind you?" she hissed at me, and I tried not to roll my eyes.

It was another one of our arguments. Amma didn't like the fact that I was left-handed, and she had tried very hard to change my habit during my formative years, but it was a failed attempt. That didn't stop her though. I believed I inherited my mother's inherent stubbornness.

I plucked the grape from my cousin (with my right hand, of course) and popped it into my mouth, relishing the sweet taste gushing in my mouth, ignoring Amma's critical gaze on me, as she made sure not even a single hair was out of place.

"Just don't forget to enter the lake with your right foot," Amma reminded me for like the hundredth time.

Every time I asked her why it was so important, she just said that it was auspicious to do so. I wasn't sure if I believed in the sentiment, but I nodded in agreement anyway to satisfy her. It wasn't like I didn't believe in traditional customs I just wanted to know the significance behind each act which seemed to annoy a whole bunch of people when I questioned them. When I was younger, I remembered annoying the priest by asking him very reasonable questions like why do we do an Aarathi in temples and homes, and why do we ring the bell while doing it? The priest gave me a haughty look and said that the Gods liked it.

I wasn't impressed.

Google provided so many articles about how the burning of camphor signifies how our ego should sublimate. The light from the lamp wards off evil and how the bells ward off negative energy, and so on.

When I told this to Appa, he wasn't impressed either.

He said that in ancient times, they had no electricity. So lighting a lamp and waving it around the idol allowed people to see the deity, and the bells masked any unwanted noise from the people. It made sense. Nobody wants to hear swearing while they're praying.

I liked Appa's explanation better.

Amma tied a leather strap around the saree at my ankles. We didn't need to let it drift away in the water after I shifted. The lack of a blouse was very disconcerting, and I mentioned it to my mother. The girls laughed as Amma huffed and told me to just deal with it.

A knock on the door alerted us that it was time for the ceremony. I took a deep breath and shot one last look in the mirror before stepping out of the door for my Coming of Age Ceremony.

I prayed things would go smoothly.

Then again, when has life ever happened the way you want it to?

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Tamil Glossary:
Amma - Mother
Appa - Father
Annam - Swan
Aarathi - a lamp lit in a plate and circled around the idol or picture of Gods in prayer