Whispers from the Wayang

The wayang puppet on my grandfather's shelf had stood there for ninety years. It depicted Arjuna, the great hero, and its painted eyes seemed to follow me wherever I went. I always assumed that was just my imagination. Until the night it whispered my name. "Bima," it said. "I have been waiting for someone brave enough to listen." I should have run away. Instead, I sat cross-legged on the floor and said, "Tell me everything." That was the beginning of...