BABA SENT ME A MESSAGE!

 
When I was a little girl, I talked rather a lot, and especially when I was at Meherabad with the women mandali during my holidays. I had so much to say to Mehera and the others that I couldn't stop.

Sometimes they were busy with the morning chores and for a break sent me over to Kaikhushru Masa, one of the old mandali, whose hut was not far from our quarters. Kaikhushru Masa, Khorshed's father, looked as saintly as Baba said he was. I loved going there, for he had stories to tell about everything, about birds, colours, fairies, and of course, Baba.

For a while he would seat me in front of Baba's picture with a rosary in my hand to repeat Baba's Name non-stop. Once when I was doing exactly that I was bitten by a little scorpion. Although I'm very allergic to scorpions, it was not that which had me bawling at the top of my voice.

Kaikhushru tried to calm me down, saying Baba had also been bitten by a scorpion. "But it isn't that!" I said between sobs, "I can't believe Baba would let a scorpion bite me when I'm repeating His Name! He says if you call out His Name all problems vanish. But while I was taking His Name, the scorpion bit me!"

Kaikhushru immediately grasped the situation and turned the trend of his talk. "Ahhh, but don't you see, that was a special message Baba sent you, and you alone! Did He send it to Naja?"

In a watery manner I shook my head, "No."

"Did He send it to Khorshed?"

"No."

"Did He even send it to Mehera?"

"No!"

That was all I needed. I stalked off to the women's quarters and told them, "Baba sent me a message! Me! He didn't send one to you, or to you, or to you ..." pointing to each one there.

"Who brought the message?" they asked.

"It was brought by a scorpion, and it was painful because scorpions have a stingy language and it stinged me — only me!"