An awakening

by Sudath Jayatissa Hewamadduma

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From Last week...

Mother and son hang onto each other. His father had passed away a long time ago and their humble dwelling would sure crumble to the ground by the onslaught of the impending floods to. What are they going to do? Where will they go?

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We took all our belongings to uncle Sirisena's house, a brother of my father, closeby, with the help of our neighbours who gathered on seeing the plight of the villagers in that heavy rain. There were many poor villagers whose houses had been destroyed. My heart filled with a great sympathy. I helped them to save their lives too.

By the following morning, the flood had invaded the whole area and gradually our dilapidated house was completely surrounded by the water. Mother tied a votive to the Gods with tears in her eyes.

I sat on the slab of the rock nearby empty minded and was just looking at the house which was being surrounded very fast. When I felt that it would be flattered to the earth, and inexplicable pain enveloped me.

"We would be destitutes if our house got destroyed, no one will take the responsibility of our future, Oh Gods, please forgive our sins and protect us..." My sad whims and fancies did not allow me to be motionless. I let my mind overcome difficulties.

That day we had to be satisfied with what my uncle served us. Uncle Sirisena was a bachelor and was very much regarded as a miser but he seemed to me to be a God who helped us in our distress proving the saying "Blood is thicker than water."

Had it not been for his protection we would have been, no doubt destitutes. I have heard several times my mother speak good of him because he had financially helped us at the funeral of my poor father.

"But is it fair by us to seek the refuge of him forever..." When an aunt visited him to share his health and wealth one day would he be kind enough to separate something for our survival in the teeth of much opposition of her...? It is not with the intention of being remained a bachelor that he built a new house and gathered wealth.

It is better to leave the place immediately after the flood is gone in search of a suitable place... my mind began to murmur with the complicated thoughts...

"I have never before seen a flood like this in my life" uncle said lighting up a cigar through his lips.

"This must be a curse of the Gods..." mother joined him with a sigh of pain in her lips. "Everything happen to the human beings, we cannot fight against our destiny.

Sometimes flood brings prosperity, sometimes it brings disaster..."

I could not understand what my uncle expressed in a thoughtful mood.

"Whatever happens, it occurs according to one's fate "Mother's sigh became double and they were mixed with the cold breeze. Uncle Sirisena's lips opened slightly with a smile. I left them with heavy heart as I could not understand both of them.

The whole area seemed to be like an ocean. The water shone in silver ripples with the rays of the sun. When the water flowing in ripples mixing with the cold breeze, I felt a desire through my sorrow.

I looked at the sky and saw the sun disappearing through a dark cloud again filling our hearts with unpleasant thoughts. When drops of rain began to fall one by one a great fear was born in me and just then we heard a house breaking down with a big noise.

"Must be Pala's house" Uncle stepped into the compound inquisitively.

"Oh, poor Pala", mother responded and she looked at me very innocently with a shadow of a suspicion all over her face. I could see on it thousands of thoughts and hopes melt with her tears. My heart began to beat with a great pain.

"This fate would befall on our house too..." she must have thought. My trembling feet took me to the shady mango tree down the garden to prevent me from seeing sorrows my mother would have experienced for my sins since my childhood.

And l lit a 'Beedi' which I stole from my uncle's drawer to get rid of my sorrow even for a moment and I remembered suddenly the roughness of my mother's palm. When she slapped me one day when I was enjoying smoking in secret in the company of bad boys in the village.

On that day I promised her that I would never take to smoking but how unexpectedly circumstances compelled me to break my promises. I closed my eyes and a pain chobbed in my chest and saw the tears mother would have shed for my miserable life.

When smoke circles rose into the sky and dissolved in the air thousands of thoughts perplexed me.... I thought of my poor father, his burial ground, mother's courage to make my life fruitful, our dwelling... my future...

All of a sudden, I was taken away from my train of thoughts by the big noise and a chill sweat broke from me and an intense heat enveloped me thoroughly. "Aney putha..." mother came running to me and cried loudly placing her head on my shoulders.

I could not bear up the pain in me. When I stroked her head consoling her, She embrace me tightly. I raised her head and thousands of sad expressions of her face damped my heart making me dumb for a few seconds.

"Where shall we go now my Darling.....? Her sorrowful tone was echoing in my ears. I left her in solitude and let her cry until her willpower got strengthened to face the reality of life.

A cadjan from our house was floating in the troubled water. I sobbed a long time looking at the debris of my house until my heart was filled with blazes of pain.

A cadjan from a destroyed house came floating to the bank. I saw two little squirrels lying on it without being able to come out. How miserable they would have been too. I bent down and released them from their risk.

"Putha...you must not repent now"

When suddenly a soft voice whispered in my ears I turned towards the direction that words of compassion came. Oh! What a solace, it was my uncle. His newly built house was standing like a giant on the rock behind him. I could not believe my eyes. "You can stay here forever".

He said with a smile which had been adorned with love, kindness and humanity. We were watching each other's faces a long while as if we were unable to pluck courage to embrace each other.

When I got nearer him to worship his feet, above his shoulders I saw my mother coming towards us with a lighted oil lamp to be offered to the gods in the Banyan tree at the edge of the rock. I had never before seen such a pleasant and coy smile on her face. I took my eyes away from her appearance and saw the dark clouds disappear far away in the sky.