There are moments when a single second can seem like an entire age. One such moment now befell Vanathi. With her eyes tightly shut, praying fervently to Durga Parameswari, she spun along in the thatched-roof boat for what could only have been a few seconds. Yet, to her, those moments stretched into endless eons.

Then, a sudden, violent jolt shook her entire body, snapping her eyes open. She realized that the shock had come because the roofed boat had crashed against the roots of a tree on the riverbank. By a stroke of fortune, as the thatched roof splintered and broke apart, half of Vanathi’s body became entangled in the bent branches of the tree. Thus, she escaped being dashed against the roots.

Becoming aware of her situation, she clung tightly to the branches. The swirling floodwaters seized her legs and pulled at them with such force that it seemed as if they would be torn from her body. Even her sari was being tugged by the current, as if the river itself was trying to drag her away.

But at that perilous moment, a strange courage and determination welled up within Vanathi from somewhere deep inside. Gritting her teeth, she summoned all her strength, leapt, and climbed up onto the branch. She found a secure spot on a thick limb that forked into two, and sat there firmly. She twisted the ends of her sari and wrung out the water.

Just then, she heard the sudden splash of water below. The memory of the crocodile she had glimpsed before closing her eyes flashed into her mind. Leaning down, she peered all around. At first, she saw only the crocodile’s tail thrashing the water. Most of its body was still hidden beneath the broken, scattered pieces of the thatched roof she had climbed from. Slowly, using its tail and writhing its body, the crocodile freed itself from the debris. Once it emerged, it opened its jaws wide, as if to express its delight. Looking up at Vanathi, it seemed to say, “Come, come! One way or another, you must fall into my jaws!”

Vanathi, too, felt a surge of exhilaration at the thought of her narrow escape. “Oh ho! Is that what you say? You think you can swallow me whole? Crocodile! Your tricks—your tail and your teeth—will not prevail against me! You may bare your fangs, but—” “It is of no use to show you. Don’t rely on me to satisfy your hunger! Go look for someone else!” said Vanathi to the crocodile. Hearing her voice, the crocodile fixed its two terrifying eyes upon her and began to stare intently.

Vanathi said, “Oh dear! It seems your curse has not left you yet!” With that, she looked all around her. Her situation seemed rather alarming. On the water’s side, the branches of the great tree bent low, almost touching the river. But on the bank’s side, there were no such low-hanging branches to be seen. If she tried to