Diana shoved the object into her schoolbag. She?d have to show it to Vishnu after the English class. He?d promised in return to let her visit his place. Has he obtained permission from his mother for Divali next week ?

?Martine?, Diana whispered to the girl walking beside her, before they entered into the classroom past Mrs Mara?s desk. ?I?ve brought it?.

Vishnu did not once glance over to them although Diana kept signalling to them while Mrs Mara wrote her plan for the project on ?Religions of the World? on the blackboard. Instead she found a folded piece of paper in her hand. Bala?s handwriting, she thought. What does he mean by ?Join us at the Fountain Rock at half past noon??

She bent her head over her copybook as Mrs Mara resumed her seat. ?Bala?s words: ?Our Lakshmi is better than your Virgin Mary !? from their conversation during break yesterday kept, turning round in her head. As she tried to concentrate on copying the guidelines for the project, she slipped her hand into her bag and her fingers curled around the statue. At that moment the bell rang.

She ran out, with Martine on her heels, to the Fountain Rock. They ran to the sports field. They saw Bala and Vishnu learning against the lafouche-tree.

?Here! Look!? said Diana, showing them the Virgin Mary statuette from her pocket. ?I told you my Mum prays through her every week?.

?Mine too?, added Martine, ?we believe she is our protectress. She?s also ? Dad told me so ? the Patroness Saint of Port Louis, the capital city of our country, together with Saint-Louis, the first King of France, and Père Laval, the apostle of the poor of Mauritius, especially of the Creole community?.

?My Mum?s allowed me to showyou this statuette?, said Diana, ?and she?s not happy that you said to us ?Our Lakshmi?s better than your Virgin Mary?.

?Yes?, said Martine, ?but our mothers have allowed us to go and see your Lakshmi at your place. Remember what you promised us yesterday??

?Yes ! Can we come over to your place ? Has your mother invited us for your Divali Festival next week ? Show us how your Lakshmi is better !? insisted Diana.

The two boys looked at each other, embarrassed. Vishnu finally blurted out, ?Go on, Bala! Tell them!?

?Tell them what ?? yawned Bala, shrugging.

?What you promised yesterday at break ! You?ve forgotten already !?

?Yes!? cried Diana and Martine. ?Yesterday and you?ve forgotten? you??

But Vishnu closed his ears to them. He remembered now the conversation the four of them had yesterday in the canteen at break.

?Hi ! Bala !? Diana had greeted them as Bala sat down on the bench next to her, ?What subject have you chosen for Mrs Mara?s project for English ??

Visitors from Bombay

?Oh ! ?The Main Religions of the World??? Bala had replied, yawning with his mouth wide-opened. ?Don?t know yet ! Do you have an idea, Vishnu ??

I had turned to look at him. I had said, ?Oh yes ! I?d like to write on ?Divali?. You know, it?s the story of Ram and Sita whom the demon King Ravan stole from Ram?.

?Oh ! I know that part?, said Diana. ?Then Ram fought him and killed him. All the villagers nearby were very happy for Ram. They lit lamps to show their happiness. When the time came for Ram to go back to his kingdom, the people lit lamps in the villages that Ram passed through?.

I had said, ?Thank you for your summary. My mother will make it special in our family this Divali. Our uncles and aunts will be here from Bombay for our Festival of the Lights?.

??sights ? What sights ?? had asked Bala whose attention was fixed on a glowing gecko running on the trunk of the nearby mango-tree.

?I said ?Festival of the Lights? !? I had repeated.

?Of the Lights?" had repeated Bala, yawning again.

?Yes, he said ?Of the Lights?, had put in Diana, ?Are you deaf or what ? We ra going to write on ?The Virgin Mary?, aren?t we, Martine??

?Oh yes !? had said Martine. ?Vishnu?s just given me an idea. We may even change the title to ?Our Lady of Light?. What do you think, Diana??

?Right ! Well, Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, is the Mother of God for us?.

?Mother of God ? What ?Mother of God?? Our Mother of God is Lakshmi, my mother told me so?, Bala had exclaimed. ?She?s in our yard where at Sankranti mother gives offerings of flowers, fruits, sandalwood sticks??

?No ! Not at Sankranti!? I had corrected. ?We celebrate Lakshmi at Divali ! And there?s no statue of Lakshmi in our yards?.

?I know, it?s the diyyas, the lamps of light that you pray with for Divali?, had said Diana. ?We light up lanterns of light at Easter and beautiful joyful candles at Christmas when Virgin Mary gave birth to Our Lord?.

?That is why she is our Mother of God?, had explained Martine.

?Your Mother of God ? My mother told me Lakshmi, our Mother of God, brings luck to our house all the year because she decides to?, had boasted Bala, ?and we don?t have to do anything, just pray to her?.

?Well our mum also pray through the Virgin Mary?, had said Diana. ?But we know we must work also to succeed ! Our project won?t get done by itself, Martine !?

?What work ?? had said Bala, yawning, ?Vishnu, you??

?You?re asking him to do it for you?? had interrupted Diana, dragging Martine away. ?Maybe if you or your mothers pray through out Virgin Mary, you?ll succeed? Won?t you, Vishnu, for a try ? He won?t do it with you !?

?I ?I don?t know your Virgin Mary. I haven?t even seen her?? I had stammered.

?Never seen her ? I?ll bring a statue of her that I have from my shrine at home. I?ll show you tomorrow !? had exclaimed Diana.

?What?s that like ?? had drawled Bala, his eyes searching for other interesting insects on the trunk. ?Our Lakshmi is better than your Virgin Mary !?

I had scratched my head, feeling my face flushed. Either do it alone, I had thought, or find someone else?

?Promise to bring us the statue !? I had asked.

?Promise to let us see your Lakshmi in return !?

?How ??

?Ask your mother to let us see what statue is in your yard and explain what it means to us !? had said Diana. ?We need this knowledge for continuing with our project?.

?Promised !? I had agreed.

?Go on, Bala! Tell them!? repeated Vishnu, splashing the gurgling water sprouting from the Fountain Rock on Bala?s sleepy tan-coloured face.

?What?? asked Bala. ?There?s nothing to tell!?

?He?s as daft as ever?, said Diana, turning to leave.

?Wait!? said Vishnu. ?My mum Shanti has invited you both to my place for Divali.?

?Oh! Thank you?, said Diana. ?I love the beautiful lights of all colours all over your houses and in your yards wherever we go during Divali time.?

 ?Especially the diyyas?, added Martine. ?They?re like flowers of light everywhere!?

The following week, Vishnu?s mother Shanti, clad in a new gold-bordered sari, welcomed all her guests in her home brightly illuminated with a multitude of electric lights glowing on the window and façade borders and on the trees in the yard, and earthen lamps lit all along the entrance alley.

 ?There?s no statue of Lakshmi?, whispered Martine to Diana, after they had answered her greetings with joint hands in the Namaste gesture.

  ?There?s Bala?s mother! I saw her holding his hand coming in by the entrance door?, said Diana, her eyes fixed on a fat woman in a brown-red sari sitting next to Bala. Bala was staring all around, with his mouth half-opened.

  What was it he did not want to tell us? Wondered Diana.

Vishnu?s five brothers and sisters were around their mother Shanti, lighting diyyas, and placing them one by one carefully on the border of their sacred fountain, after offering prayers with garlands of hibiscuses and frangipani flowers in front of their guests. Shanti embraced and touched one after the other of her children, beginning with Vishnu the eldest, his younger sister and brother and then the benjamin and finally the baby.

?It makes me think of Mary fleeing from Egypt with Joseph, but then she had only one baby?, whispered Diana.

?I remember mum told me it was a dream sent by God that warned Joseph to leave quickly for safety?, said Martine. ?Do you see Vishnu?s father??

?There?s his uncles and aunts, I think?, said Diana, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the Indian men and women near the ceremony altar.

?Don?t you see that? woman there, taking away the copper utensils near the altar?? said Martine. ?Isn?t it Bala?s mother??

?You?re right. She?s going in the kitchen. I can see her serving out the sweet cakes on a tray to??

?I understand now!? interrupted Martine. ?She?s Vishnu?s mother?s servant!?

?You?re right! That was what he did not want to tell us!?

Suddenly a clatter of tin cups and plates falling on the ground turned all heads towards the middle of the yard.

?Look what you?ve done!? exlaimed Shanti.

Bala?s mother was crouching on her ankles, picking up the ustensils, grumbling.

?Poor woman!? said an Indian aunt of Vishnu. ?She?s poor and awkward, your maid, Shanti.?

?She hasn?t prayed to Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity,? said another aunt.

?I dreamed last night of Goddess Lakshmi,? said Shanti, ?I saw her clothed in a great light, with her arms risen like flames, her long hair like stars and warm rays of sunlight??

?She?s the Goddess of Light and also of Prosperity?, said a guest.

?I saw her with her sides glowing with golden light!? continued Shanti.

?That?s a sign of blessing!? said the guest.

?We did not know that,? whispered Diana to Martine.

?Time for sharing the gift of Lakshmi with you all! I?m going to tell you how my business has gone well?, said Vishnu?s father suddenly. ?Welcome to you all, my brothers and sisters! May Lakshmi bless you all!?

?May Lakshmi bless you all!? repeated Vishnu?s mother, stroking the curly head of the baby, with the youngest brother hugging her skirt.

Then Diana and Martine understood that the gift of riches of Lakshmi was also Shanti?s love for Vishnu, his brothers and sister and the baby.

?Mum!? Diana told her mother, back home. ?We did not see a statue of Lakshmi. We saw Shanti like you! She was a Queen of Hearts!?

Theresa WONG