The Snake and the Possum: A Tale of Night and Day
Amidst a canopy of towering gumtrees and orchestra of melodious kookaburras and magpies lay a small billabong. It barely had a ripple as though time had paused in its presence. At its edge was Wilai the Possum. She gazed at the water, and it reflected back a beautiful canvas of dark green and glistening yellow. Her majestic marsupial figure was mirrored on the water’s edge. Kneeling down, she quenched her thirst in the spring heat.
The moment of serenity was abruptly interrupted by a slither. Malya the Snake was in search of a meal and had Wilai in his sights.
Flee!
Wilai scampered from the banks of the billabong, finding the nearest tree for refuge. The billabong, much like the ambiance around it, had been perturbed by the arrival of Malya. Fortunately, Wilai had escaped to the secure branches of a nearby redgum, and Malya was left to search for another victim.
Malya only knew a life of antagonisation. He lay thoughtful along the billabong’s bank, plotting about how to snare his next meal. Fate had chosen Malya to be the hunter and Wilai to be the hunted. They were like the day and the night, in a constant chasing game that would only end when Malya caught Wilai, or both succumbed to their inevitable end. It was a rudimentary existence, bound by natural instincts. They each had a position in the ecosystem, and there seemed to be no escape.
“I know what you are Malya, and as long as you are alive, I will not succumb to you!”, Wilai yelled from high up in the gumtree.
And deep down, Malya knew it too. He was the necessary evil that kept the bush in balance. His own life depended on it. If he didn’t hunt Wilai, he would starve and die. He sipped from the billabong, life giver to all. He was hungry, he needed to eat.
It was an eerie night. The flora and fauna were anticipating a riveting crescendo. Malya had not moved, deciding to spend the night along the water’s edge. Wilai was vigilant, her defenses up against any aggression.
As dawn broke, it was not the climax anyone had been expecting. Malya and Wilai were both woken by the frenetic calls from birds in the distance. The calls were getting closer, louder and more chaotic. What could cause such commotion? It had happened once before, a long time ago. Surely, it could not be. Wantibirri!
Wantibirri the Dingo was a fable amongst the bush creatures. Stories were told of his menace, his might, his majesty. He was a fear forgotten and trivialised. Wilai remembered the tales her parents would narrate to her. Like a giant possum possessed by the evil spirits, Wantibirri would wreak havoc in the pristine bush. She knew she would be safe if she stayed high up in the branches. However, Malya was oblivious to what was coming.
From the thick foliage emerged the most magnificent creature Malya had ever laid eyes on. Wantibirri stood tall with the sun behind him, almost outshining it. The wind carried his scent directly to Malya, as he lay dazzled along the water’s edge.
“What should I do? Do I attack him, do I hide?”, He thought to himself. Wantibirri had caught sight of Malya and they were face to face. Perched above, Wilai watched in anguish.
Wantibirri gave chase and Malya’s instincts triggered.
Flee!
Malya knew that only a miracle could save him since he could not outpace Wantibirri. The hunter had become the hunted. Like an eclipse in which the moon thought it had dominion of the expansive night sky, the sun would emerge from the darkness to envelop the moon. Wantibirri’s eyes lit up like the sun in delight as he closed in on Malya. Just a few more strides and he would devour the slithering snake. As he was going to strike, something scurried from the bushes and leaped in front of Wantibirri. It was Wilai. She had descended from the gumtree to distract Wantibirri and rescue Malya.
Malya frantically fled into the bushes, knowing this was his only opportunity to escape. He peered back, witnessing Wantibirri strike Wilai. It was a sacrifice that did not make sense. Why would Wilai risk everything to save her enemy? The innocent had paid for the crimes of the criminal. David had laid his neck out for Goliath. It went against everything Malya had ever known. He was overrun by confusion and a hint of pity for the poor feeble possum.
Fortunately, Wilai managed to scurry back to the secure branches of the gumtree. However, she was badly injured. It was not worth Wantibirri’s effort to chase after Malya or Wilai and thus, he continued his march through the bush.
A few hours passed by and Wilai was unsure if she would be alive till the night. The scorching heat made her pain even more unbearable. She clumsily descended from the redgum and rested along the billabong’s edge. Trickles of red from Wilai’s back right leg tainted the pristine water. As she lay depleted, she noticed Malya emerging from the bushes. She did not have the energy to flee and accepted her sorrowful fate. But Malya could not forget what happened just a few hours ago. He could not bring himself to strangle Wilai despite his extreme hunger.
“Why did you save me Wilai? I’ve tried to kill you all my life. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would you sacrifice yourself for me?
Wilai’s only reply was a long, desolate pause. Malya gazed into Wilai’s large black eyes and he could not make out any regret or enmity, only genuine concern and selflessness. She was exhausted. She struggled to string together a coherent response.
“I…I always saw the good in you….Malya. When others…” Wilai sighed in pain. She sipped from the billabong once more and continued,
“When they saw an enemy, I saw….someone who was misunderstood.” With a large breath, she exclaimed,
“I didn’t want to let you die while no one knew who you really were! I don’t hate you…. You aren’t bad Malya, you were just in the wrong…in the wrong environment.”
Her words struck Malya in a way that Wantibirri never could, a blow that pierced his tainted heart. A tear trickled down his scaly cheeks as he relinquished his carnal instincts.
“I’m sorry Wilai. I didn’t know any better.” Malya paused as he noticed a discernable pool of red along the water’s edge. “Can I help you in any way Wilai?”
Wilai shook her head disheartened. “It’s already too late. I’ve lost too much blood…..I don’t have much longer.”
It was a melancholic yet honest realisation. Her story was coming to an end. She was relieved she could show Malya the depth of his story. She looked out to the billabong’s edge, marveling at its beauty as she took another sip.
Malya then said,
“There were two who were dealt a fatal blow today. Wantibirri dealt you with yours, and you dealt me with mine. How can I kill another after what you have said? We can choose to remain slaves of our primal instincts, or we can transcend these and become a better version of ourselves. You saw the best in me before I did. My heart was dead but now it is alive. I will let hunger take over my body so long as my heart is filled.”
“But you must live on Malya. You can’t just die with me.”, Wilai said in anguish.
“Living on is death — death of my heart. Joining you in this beautiful ending is a life that is worth living. I cannot hunt anymore, not after what you said. You sacrificed yourself for me, and now I will sacrifice myself for you Wilai.”
Wilai was on her last breaths and she didn’t have the energy to persuade Malya otherwise. His mind, and heart, were set. They both sipped from the billabong, life giver to all. The possum and the snake, side by side, walking into fate. For years they were enemies but at the end of their tales, they were companions. Wilai was the first to fall, her body consumed by the billabong.
As the sun set, Malya joined her. Even during death, Malya was on Wilai’s tail. Wilai and Malya had repaid their debts to the billabong. The day and the night reflected their faces on the billabong’s surface. The billabong smiled back at them both, lying peacefully in the middle of the bush, as though time had paused in its presence.
The story of Malya and Wilai is one of redemption, a troubled past, innocence and compassion. Without the tenderness of Wilai, Malya could not realise his greater self. Malya needed Wilai, and in a way, Wilai also needed Malya. Without Malya, Wilai could not save anyone. Their stories were written side by side, intertwined until their last. Someday, perhaps a real life Malya and Wilai can overlook their differences and live together in peace and harmony.
This is also a story of the human condition. Wilai is the nafs-ul-mutmainnah, the part of the soul that calls towards goodness. Malya is the nafs-ul-ammarah-bissoo, the part of the soul that calls towards our carnal desires. Both coexist in the human body, represented by the billabong. Their relationship is tumultuous. Wantibirri represents the fitan (trials) of this world, which drives the different parts of the nafs to coexist peacefully and harmoniously.
