"Now is the time for your final trial." The abbot gestured towards the diamond-shaped opening in the wall. There were hundreds like it in this part of monastery - some open, some only distinguishable by a change in the texture or colour of the wall. The initiate crawled through the opening and into the chamber beyond. Inside, it was only big enough for one person.
"Turn and face me," the abbot instructed.
The initiate obeyed, assuming the lotus position as she had been trained to do. Her orange robes rustled slightly as she moved in the confined space.
"Now, listen carefully," the venerable monk said. He held up a golden ball, slightly wider than the palm of his hand. "In a few moments you shall be sealed inside the walls of this stupa. This," he hefted the golden ball, "is the key to your freedom. Observe."
The abbot took the ball in both hands and held it just above his lap. His pupil looked closely, seeing her face reflected in the ball's surface.
"This is a mandala. It responds to your state of mind, reflecting your innermost thoughts and desires. When your mind is still and in balance, then it assumes its most basic form. But, should your thoughts become disturbed ... ." As if in response to the abbot's words, the ball shifted its form. Its surface became mottled and covered in pimples. The young monk's reflection became distorted.
"As your mind moves further away from mental harmony, so the mandala becomes more chaotic." Now the thing in the abbot's hands was covered in thick, cone-like spines that seemed to move across its surface. "Until, eventually it loses coherence."
The original ball was now lost beneath a mass of golden tendrils that writhed and coiled around one another. A dozen of them leapt towards the initiate, growing vicious-looking barbs as they did so. The initiate jerked back out of the tendrils' reach, surprised by the sudden attack.
The abbot laughed. "Do not worry. See?" He held up the mandala, a smooth sphere once again. "Harmony is restored. If you can master your fears, then you shall be free. Do you understand?"
"I do." The initiate bowed her head to her master.
"Here." The abbot threw the mandala at his pupil. She caught it easily but, as soon as it touched her flesh, the mandala began to squirm. "Remember what I said." As the abbot spoke, the opening of the cell shrank and closed, sealing the young woman in.
A golden light filled the chamber, and the initiate tried to calm her mind.
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In 500 Words Or Less
Short Story'In 500 Words Or Less' is a collection of short stories, all of them 500 words or less, written for the WattPad WriteOn Writers Weekend WriteIn.
