IratzeShe was in India when she heard the bell.
She heard many bells in that moment, yet, there was only one bell that arrested her attention...
It was not the bells worn on the wrists and ankles of the dancers. Neither was it the jingling of coins sewn onto sashes swaddled around hips. Twas neither the ringing laughter or men and women, celebrating mortals. Nor was it the vicious persistent cymbal that drove the vicious music, threatening to pop the eardrums of everyone present...
In that moment Iratze thought it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard but that thought was only nostalgia's influence. The bell reminded her of the old days and old ways, her heart swooned and lamented. She had to answer it's call.
Iratze, who had been dancing with the rest, suddenly stopped. Her arms, which had just been thrusting wildly into the air became still, then dropped to her side. She had become a strangely statuesque among the the swaying twirling bodies, strangely severe in the atmosphere of lights and color and laughter.
One of the women beside her, still dancing with eyes wide and teeny tiny pupils, fixated upon Iratze. “What is the matter?” She asked.
Iratze said nothing for a moment, she just looked up into the air.
“Nothing is wrong at all. I'm having a great time... It's just... Time to go back to work…”Iratze rose into the air just like the smoke rose up from the censers and candles. In mortal eyes she faded into a gentle swath of colors... So many colors... All the colors... Like a rainbow...
The woman looked worried for a moment... Then she smiled. She laughed at the sight, and threw herself back into the dance.
~~~
Iratze
flew and laughed. It had been so long, the open sky seemed to welcomed her back. The clouds seemed to caressed her as she flew straight through them, their moisture clinging to her skin and hair in droplets. The goddess certainly
dawdled on her way to the bell. Mortals glancing into the sky at the right moment might see a flash or bend in the rainbow, but it would fade quickly, Iratze was swift.
~~~
She was like a hummingbird flitting from flower to flower… Hovering outside the tower, flying up an down from floor to floor, glancing in this window then that one. Stopping and squinting inside each one to see who or what was inside... She hovered about the outside of the tower until she finally found
them.
The gods were gathered inside this tower, in a large comfortable room.
Iratze smiled and knocked on the window. She would wave at whomever might glance towards the noise. Then she set to work on getting inside herself.
Her scrawny hands traced the edge of the window, and, finding it's edge she sought to slide the windowpane aside and let herself in... To no avail. The first few tugs yielded no movement. Frowning, she spun in the air and hiked her feet up. Upside-down now, she braced her feet on the window ledge and grabbed the window in her hands, heaving with all her body and might...
The Sun and Moon did build Iratze with superior strength... Nor even average strength it seemed.
She frowned, and looked sheepishly through the glass and to the assembled deities. She knocked again, hoping that at least one would pity and aid their messenger.