On the fourth day, in sheer desperation, I yelled to the Forest Queen with all the strength I could muster: "Your Majesty! Where are you? How can you just keep quiet when we need your help?" Silence again. Then suddenly a big gust of wind blew towards us and almost swept us off our feet. I heard a familiar voice - it was the Forest Queen! She had come at last ....!
"What are you howling about, cat? I've just returned from the North looking at my beloved trees there, can't I even get a moment of peace?"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" I cried jumping up excitedly. "Thank goodness you're here. You've got to help us! You've got so many magical cures and spells, I'm sure you can help Gervira here...."
"It's a case of "The Dying Swan", is it not? Ha! Ha! Ha!" she said, laughing at her own joke.
"Please, Your Majesty, it's no laughing matter,." I said, quite unhappy that she was taking it so lightly.
"My, my, you're still as good and righteous as I last remember you! Alright, alright, let me take a look at her." She picked Gervira up, turned her upside down and this way and that. Then she put her back on the bench.
"For heaven's sake, don't you two know a pregnant swan when you see one?" she exclaimed.
"Pregnant! Is that all? We thought ... we thought she had come down with something ..." stammered Nan, staring at the Forest Queen in awe.
"She's having what the humans call "morning sickness", said the Forest Queen, laughing again.
"Can you give her something to make her feel better?" I asked.
"Well, I've got to look at my book, I have thousands of cures, you know, you can't expect me to remember everything off the cuff!" She then snapped her fingers and an old, dusty book appeared in her hands.
"Hmmm, let me see ... aah! Here it is. "The "S.R.M.S.P." or "Swanee River Morning Sickness Potion". Just give me a few seconds and I shall be back." With that she vanished.
It was a most agonising wait. Her "few seconds" turned out to be at least half an hour and when she returned, she had a small bottle of boiling green liquid in her hand.
"Here, let her drink this. I have to go now, I have a busy agenda, my trees over there are just dying to see me again!" She was gone in another big gust of wind.
Nan stared at the green liquid fearfully. "Can we trust her?" she asked me.
"Yes, she may be rather weird but she's got a good heart." I replied.
Slowly and carefully, Nan gave Gervira small spoonfuls of the green liquid. Gervira seemed to like it and lapped it all up and immediately fell asleep. Nan sighed with relief, saying that it was the first time in three days that Gervira had slept.
"I think she'll be alright, Nan," I said. "I have to return to the temple now, I'll be back tomorrow morning."
The next morning, when I reached the river, I saw Nan running frantically towards me. "Da, she's gone, she's gone ...." she shrieked hysterically.
"What?" I gasped. I ran to the bench and saw to my horror that it was empty and in Gervira's place sat an ugly looking frog.
"I woke up this morning and she was gone ... only this...this frog was sitting there ..." screamed Nan.
"Oh my God, the Forest Queen has turned Gervira into a frog!" I stammered.
"Did I hear my name mentioned?" rasped a voice as a strong gust of wind blew at us.
"Your Majesty! You bungled! You've turned Gervira into a frog!" I said accusingly.
"Oh-oh! So I did, these old cures sometimes don't work too well," said the Forest Queen, trying to hold back her laughter. "But never mind, all will be well. What you have to do, cat, is to kiss it and it will turn back into your swan."
"What? Me kiss ... kiss that horrible thing ..." I gasped.
"Only YOU can break the spell, cat," said the Forest Queen, a wicked grin on her face. "Well, I'm running late again, see you!" And she was gone.
"Wait, wait ..." I yelled but of course she didn't wait. Nan looked at me, petrified. "We shouldn't have trusted her," she whispered in a quivering voice.
Just then, who should come along .... Ning! Suddenly, an idea struck me.
"Ning, over here! Don't ask any questions, just do as I say, ok?" I said, trying to be calm as possible.
"Oh, really? What do you want me to do?" he asked in his usual nonchalent way.
"Just kiss that frog," I said, keeping my fingers crossed that he would do it. (Well, I had to try something.)
"Sure," he said and he jumped on the bench and kissed the frog. I expected a big bang and fireworks and Gervira back as a swan but nothing happened. The frog remained a frog.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'm off. You can find me at Lao Lo's place if you need me." said Ning and strolled off.
Nan looked at me. "You've got to do it or I shall lose my head," she said sadly.
Sometimes I wish life isn't so hard and that I don't have to do all the dirty work. I had no choice if I wanted to save both Gervira and Nan. I gathered up all my courage, closed my eyes tightly and kissed the frog. There was a flash of lightning and ... thank God, the frog had changed back to Gervira. I couldn't believe it, it was like that old fairy tale where the frog turned into a handsome prince when kissed - only this time the prince was a swan.
Nan was so relieved that she couldn't stop hugging Gervira, tears running down her cheeks.
"What is going on?" asked Gervira. I realised that she now looked so much better.
"You've been ill," said Nan.
"Me ill? Nonsense! I feel quite fine, in fact I would like to go swimming in the river." With that she jumped off the bench and waddled into the water.
"Come back, come back," yelled Nan. Gervira wasn't going to listen to anyone. She swam up and down the river and after she had finished, returned to the river bank, where Nan was waiting.
"We've got to go home now, dear, Malki is waiting." said Nan anxiously.
"Malki! Oh, I do miss him. Come on, let's go," she said.
Nan wrapped her wings protectively around Gervira, like she was a baby, thanked me hurriedly and in a trice, both of them disappeared.
I sat by the river bank for a while, still dazed. It had all happened so fast. As I walked slowly back to the temple, I swore I heard mischievous laughter way up in the trees. "Ok, Your Majesty," I said aloud. "You've had your fun. Thanks all the same." Another chuckle and then silence.
A few weeks later, I was surprised to find a white envelope in my basket when I woke up. There was no stamp or postmark, only my name on it. I opened it - well, the picture speaks for itself.
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