He was drowned in a sea of astonishment upon seeing himself.
"How... how is this possible?"
"H-how can I become human?"
He wondered, pressing his hands against the ground and stood up.
He had still been lying on his stomach.
As he rose, he looked at himself from head to toe once again—
And began to sway with joy.
Nearby, an owl hooted from a tree,
Its cry piercing through the death-like silence of the graveyard.
He touched his body.
Perhaps he still couldn't believe—
That he had taken on human form.
Yes, he was indeed in a human form now. But…
How was it possible?
How could a snake turn into a human?
Then he recalled something he had heard years ago.
Many years back, while wandering in search of bird eggs out of sheer hunger,
He had climbed an old tree outside a village.
But he found nothing.
Disappointed, he was climbing down when some people gathered under the tree.
He hid in the branches, motionless.
He knew—
If any of them saw him, only a miracle could save him.
Gradually, more people gathered—children, elders, youth.
It seemed like the villagers came there to spend their afternoon.
They were talking on different topics.
Then someone shared how they narrowly escaped a snake once.
That sparked a whole conversation about snakes.
Everyone began recounting their own stories—true or made-up.
One of the young men asked an elder,
"Is it true that a snake can change its form after a hundred years?
That it can become human if it wants?"
Everyone turned to the elder, curiosity in their eyes.
The elder replied,
"I have never seen such a snake in my life. But..."
He paused to breathe and continued,
"I too heard from my ancestors that—
Yes, it can happen,
But only if the snake lives for a hundred years.
And that's a rare age for any snake to reach."
"My great-grandfather once told me," the elder continued,
"When I went to Sindh, people there said—
They had seen an ancient snake in the desert sands.
It would occasionally appear,
And people would avoid it.
It never harmed anyone.
If it lay in someone's path and they asked it to move,
It would quietly slither away."
From the tree, he had listened to their stories,
Fearful that if someone spotted him,
His life would be over.
He had waited for them to leave, hidden in the branches.
Eventually, as evening approached, the people left,
And he climbed down and returned to his home.
"So… does this mean I've turned a hundred?"
He thought, shocked.
"Does that mean I can now change my form?"
Delighted, he hissed from his human mouth.
The hiss startled the sleeping birds nearby,
And they flew in panic, circling the graveyard.
He decided not to leave that night,
And sat down, leaning against a grave.
He couldn't go out like this—
He had no clothing.
Then it struck him—
He was in human form now.
And humans had names.
Why shouldn't he have one too?
"Molsak…"
A name from his childhood echoed in his mind.
It was the name of his kind.
And he liked it.
"Yes, Molsak will be perfect," he smiled,
Repeating the name over and over:
"Molsak… Molsak… Molsak…"
As if etching it into his memory.
Just then, he felt a sting on his foot.
He looked down.
A large black scorpion was repeatedly striking his foot with its stinger.
He smiled, picked up the scorpion,
And threw it away.
"I carry more venom than you,"
Molsak muttered to the scorpion.
---
In the Snake Charmers' Village
There were tales in the village of an ancient female serpent—
A legendary being that no one had ever managed to catch.
Even the elders of the snake charmers had seen her,
And tried to trap her—
But always failed.
They had confirmed it—
It was indeed a female snake.
No one could identify snakes better than them.
Generations of experience had taught them—
To tell male from female, species, and venom level—
Just by a glimpse.
Now, after many years, the same serpent had been sighted again.
Charmers rushed with their flutes,
Playing from dawn to dusk until their throats dried—
Yet not even a glimpse of her.
This village was a hundred kilometers from the city of Thatta,
Surrounded by many small villages.
Years ago, a few nomadic snake charmers had settled near the desert village of Bheron.
Gradually more charmers joined them,
And the place became known as "The Snake Charmers' Village."
---
Evening in the Desert
As darkness descended after Maghrib,
Jalal walked anxiously, herding his goats toward home.
Usually, he would return before sunset.
But today, he had fallen asleep under a tree,
And woke up 20–25 minutes later—
Only to find his goats missing.
In a panic, he began searching and wandered far—
Among shifting dunes and occasional thorny bushes.
There was nothing edible here for the goats.
He had never brought them this far before.
Eventually, he found them,
But it was already getting dark.
As he tried herding them home,
The goats suddenly stopped,
And began bleating in fear.
They backed away, refusing to move forward.
Jalal grew more frightened.
He looked around but saw nothing.
He left the goats and cautiously stepped forward.
In the dark, he saw two glowing spots—
Like fireflies.
As he got closer, he realized—
They weren't fireflies.
They were eyes.
Staring right at him.
From the silhouette, it seemed to be a young woman,
Lying calmly on the sand—
Staring at him.
Jalal screamed, shattering the desert's stillness.
He bolted, hearing a hiss behind him.
The goats scattered.
In his mind, there was only one thought:
"A young woman… here… in the desert… at night?
She must be a witch!"
He ran without looking back—
Until exhaustion overcame him.
His throat burned.
He collapsed onto the sand and fainted.
---
When Jalal Awoke…
He saw a female figure bent over him.
He screamed and tried to get up—
But several hands restrained him.
"Let me go! Don't hurt me!"
He thrashed with his eyes closed.
"Jalal, my son, what happened to you?"
A man's voice—his father.
"Where… where am I, Abba?"
Jalal was still in disbelief.
"My son, you're at home,"
This time, it was his mother.
The female figure he saw earlier—
Was his mother.
Jalal asked for water and drank the whole glass in one breath.
Then, slowly, he narrated everything that had happened.
When he asked how he got home,
His father explained—
"We went to look for you after Maghrib.
We found you unconscious in the desert."
After hearing his story,
They believed he had surely seen a spirit or witch.
Because such things were not uncommon in the desert.
---
Molsak's Mission
Molsak sat by the grave, thinking—
Now it would be easier to search for her.
Earlier, he had to slither on his belly.
Now, he could walk like humans.
But until he got clothes,
He couldn't venture out.
One night, he sneaked near a village.
He couldn't enter in his bare state.
After a long search,
He found some tattered clothes thrown out as garbage.
He tried wearing them—
But he didn't know how clothes were worn.
He had seen humans in clothes,
But never putting them on.
Clumsily, he draped the rags on his body
And walked toward the village.
If anyone had seen him,
They would have burst into laughter at the sight of him.
Molsak thought bitterly,
"I was better off as a snake.
At least I didn't have to worry about clothes."
After two days, he found a slightly better set of clothes.
Each evening, he left his grave at dusk.
As darkness fell, he changed his form—
And went out to search for his companion.
Before dawn, he returned to his grave,
Transforming back before the Fajr call to prayer.
This became his nightly routine for years—
But success always eluded him.
Then one night, while returning from his search,
He suddenly heard a scream.
Startled, he looked toward the sound
And moved in that direction.
Another scream rang out—
Molsak hissed instinctively.
And quickened his pace.
To be continued…
Hello guys, I'm Arif Ali, a new writer here.
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