Chapter 26

• That early morning, dew still clung to the tips of the leaves, and the Balinese sky hadn’t fully turned blue, yet Ayu had already begun her ritual. At the edge of a sacred spring hidden behind a thick grove of bamboo and pule trees, Ayu knelt among the stones, cold water touching her knees and palms. She wore a white cloth, her hair partially loose, and in front of her lay a canang offering filled with sandat flowers. Incense burned at the edge of the spring, its smoke rising slowly, as if forming a delicate bridge between the visible world and the unseen.
• Her hand reached for a small clay jug. With slow, reverent movements, she poured water over her head. As the first stream of holy water touched her crown, Ayu closed her eyes. She tried to calm her breath. But the more she tried, the heavier her chest felt.
• She poured the second stream slowly onto her shoulder, then the third onto her chest. Cold. But not the usual cold—this felt like being touched by something invisible. The air around her seemed to tense, as the sounds of nature began to quiet.