Reverse Tempest

Night was falling dense in Arden. Piercing the dark shadow of silence, a ship made its way to the shore. King Prospero with his squad descended. The supreme lord of Milan has never before left a kingdom unconquered where ever he set foot once. Arden was only a lonely island. With his daughter Miranda along his side, Prospero entered into the forest. Near or sooner they could hear a lulling soft monotonous song ringing through the leaves. It was hard to decide from which corner it was coming. Neither there was any human habitat visible. Miranda felt at a loss in the dark deep wood. But Prospero was the greatest magician of all time. It was not easy to deceive his ears. He knew at once these were the airy spirits. Often in the secluded forests these spirits capture the minds of travellers with their dull music and lead them to dangerous consequences. Prospero immediately employed his enchantment power to entrap them but at his astonishment he failed. He felt the presence of another extreme power, controlling the spirits.                                                                                                  Prospero ordered his men not to step ahead. He could smell the danger. But it came some other way. An unruly storm broke in the forest without any hint. Flashes of lightning were unleashing rapidly. The whole milieu was terribly disrupted. All his men ran scattered to save their lives. Prospero with all his powers tried to dismiss the calamity but his spell seemed too weak before the ravages of nature. Somehow they took shelter in a cave for the night.

Sun came out after the cursed night. Prospero and Miranda were left all alone. Reaching the sea shore they discovered their boats smashed in the storm. While roaming in the wood they were listening to a low humming tone dulling their senses. Prospero was puzzled. His magic wand and charms were hardly working before the invisible black magic creator. They were in a way trapped in the island. They had nowhere to go, no one to fight with. Leaving Miranda in the cave Prospero went looking for his courtiers.

        After quite a long time, he could find his brother Antonio and the brother of Duke of Naples, Sebastian. They were sitting on a large stone on the stream, merry making and drinking. To his extreme surprise they did not even recognise Prospero. Soon he met Alonso, the Duke of Naples. This man was dancing and singing with two of his tipsy jesters, Trinculo and Stephano. The whole scenario caught him in utter disbelief. How all his men could completely ignore his existence! Then like a flash the thought of black magic came into his mind and everything was clear to him. Prospero realized that they were all mind-controlled. An undaunted wrath grasped Prospero. Now once he wanted to meet this exponent of black magic to show him the power of a white man.