The jasmine would then close its story with a direct command, a Telugu tradition for bedtime:
Mallanna, exhausted and happy, leaned back against the palm tree. The blanket was done. But there was one final corner of the sky that was empty. A small, dark patch near the southern cross. telugu bedtime story
But the sky was too dark. It was swallowing his blue thread. The jasmine would then close its story with
Your eyelashes are the pavva (shuttle). Your breath is the thread. Close your eyes and weave your own small sky. Tuck your feet under the blanket like Mallanna tucked the hills under the stars. If the Rakshasi of bad dreams comes, tell her: ‘My grandmother is counting the jasmine buds. My grandfather is guarding the eastern wind. I am inside the weaving.’ A small, dark patch near the southern cross