Short story

An unsung heroine

by Sunila Nanayakkara

Nelum loaded the boxes and parcels into her jeep.Her parents were seated in the two easy chairs in the spacious verandah, watching their child getting ready to go, anxious that she was embarking on this journey, to the North, where life and death coexisted. Being helpless, they would not voice their fear. Their only child had turned out to be a head-strong young woman. Yet, this was the only instance that made her go contrary to their wishes. Now what they could do was silently wait till she returned on Sunday.

"I am going now Jane. Look after mum and dad." She started the engine of her jeep and pulled away.

Soon she was caught in a traffic block; people were leaving the city for the weekend, to be with their loved ones; or relax in the cool climes of the hills or breathe ozone-filled air or dip themselves in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

"What am I doing?"

"Heading to a parched land where man and beast are suffering from the long drought, where fear is in the very air people breathe." She looked back to see whether Jane had placed the two 50-litre bottles of water in the jeep. "Oh! Yes. Bless her! I should take her some jaggery this time. How she likes to drink plain tea with those quaint little pieces put in a palmyrah leaf case!"

No speed limit

Nelum was now driving along the main road that stretched from Kandy in a northerly direction. There was no strict speed limit. She could drive faster than before. So she raced the engine. Every fortnight this part of the drive had posed to be a race between time and speed. She tried, but could not leave office before mid-day since her work as an executive was demanding. Moreover, it was the social service strand of the company which had selected her for this work in the North. Neither could she miss her class. It gave her the skill she needed to carry on the work.

With the hum of the engine as her sole companion, she manoeuvred the bends that separated the Sabaragamuwa Province from the Central.

Soon she was entering the North-central Province. The road stretched straight, miles ahead. At some wayside boutiques, business was going on. As the jeep passed, people stopped work and stared, wondering who was heading North at this time of the day.

The Central Highlands sloped towards the Northern plain fan-like. Between the low hills was flatland, where paddy was grown from time immemorial.

On her earlier visits it had been like a green carpet extending up to the horizon. Today it was bare.

Farmers had gathered the harvest. They expected the onset of Monsoon rains.

The Western sky was a riot of colour in shades of pink, red and gold; the Eastern sky was pale. All of a sudden, a speck of black appeared on the horizon.

It was heading towards the moving jeep. "They are on a routine survey." She recognised the helicopter by its colour. It made a deafening sound as it dipped down and rose to the sky again. Nelum was amused watching the helicopter flying back.

She knew there was an Air Force base somewhere there. She watched randomly till it became a speck and disappeared. As its drone faded away, a feeling of loneliness gripped her.

Noble task

Once her teacher had said, "Nelum you have undertaken a noble task. Those children are destitute. You are trying to lay a foundation for their future. No one would misunderstand."

Daylight was dimming. Traffic was getting less, homesteads fewer. She realised she had to drive fast to reach the point of entry before it got dark. Those who wished to go to the other side whether they were pedestrians or motorists had to line up and wait. The terrorists, did a thorough search using mechanical devices, of persons, their belongings and the vehicles. Rows of cadjan shelters provided shade.

After driving at a reckless speed, Nelum saw the barrier looming ahead. She could read the boards with the word "Stop" written in Tamil displayed all over.

She also noticed a lot of movement in front of the logs placed across the road. "They are getting ready to receive me!" As the thought crossed her mind, she felt pleased.

The smile that hovered over her lips lingered. One could not distinguish the females from the males, for they all had closely-cropped hair and the same attire, trousers and shirts in a patchy dark shade. It could entirely conceal a person when moving in the dark jungle.

Nelum opened all the shutters, looked at the rows of young men and women and said "Good evening."

"Good evening," they said in chorus.

Preschool

One of them walked up to the jeep; his face was expressionless, but his tone, kind. He spoke in Tamil "Madam, it's going to be dark soon. We know you are travelling to the camp. It will take at least one more hour. You have to hurry up." She nodded. Somebody in the front row said, "So you are taking many parcels and boxes this time!" Nelum spoke fearlessly. "I collected these teaching aids from my colleagues and friends, to be used in the preschool.

"We know that. So we don't want to delay you."

A tall well-built man approached, bent down and said, "May God help you to continue your work. You can go now." They lifted the barrier. "Thank you. Good night to all of you." She waved at them and drove into the dark night.

"So they have granted me the visa again to enter!"

It was almost 7 'o'clock. The headlights illuminated the deserted road. On either side was thick jungle. She knew the jungle was a hive of activity. Men and women were attending to the duties allotted to them under the mantle of darkness.

She glanced at the speedometer. It was shocking. She slowed down a bit. A fog was rising at a distance. Under the starlight, it got thicker. She tried to guess. "Is it smoke from a chena?" The wind brought the echo of a wailing sound. A village had been overrun; its huts set on fire; the fire devouring everything across its path. "How many villagers died?" She knew the villagers go to sleep early after a hard day's work.

She wanted to reach the camp as soon as possible and call her parents.

Nelum woke up late. Her tea and breakfast was on the table.

The occupants of the make-up hut were not to be seen. She dressed up quickly and went out. The sound of children's voices reached her ears.

Happiness

The "Preschool" was a two-roomed shelter. It had a roofing of asbestos and walls of clay. The Nim tree with its spreading branches provided shade from the scorching heat. The name board was in both languages. Inside girls and boys in their early childhood sat around low round tables.

As Nelum walked in, they got up, and said, "Good Morning." She felt a serene kind of happiness, looking at their faces that now did not have traced of any traumatic experiences. Their basic needs have been met. One of the teachers came up.

"Madam, good morning. I didn't want to wake you up. You were sleeping soundly. You would have been very tired."

"Yes, I was. So how is the school going? How are the small ones? Are they coming to school regularly?"

Lakshmi responded with a definite "Yes".

"Now can the three of you carry on whatever activities you were doing with the children?" They were young girls living in the neighbourhood coached by Nelum in the intricacies of teaching preschoolers. She sat at the back and watched them teaching, and also observed that they had turned out to be caring and understanding teachers.

Pleasant surprise

A pleasant surprise awaited them at the break. Cakes and biscuits on each plate! Their expression was a mixture of surprise and happiness. When school was over Nelum had a discussion with the teachers.

One of them asked "Madam, what do we do when more parents want to get their children admitted to this school?'

"I'll tell you when I come next."

Nelum got up early. The day that she had been waiting for had dawned at last. She had arranged transport for a group of preschoolers, and teachers to travel to Colombo.

"They would have reached Colombo by now. The first time they see this part of the country, would be an unforgettable experience for them."

"They would be surprised when they see me with some former pre-schoolers, as bride's maids and see me wearing for the going-away a Manipuri, drapped in the Indian style and a red "Pottu" and Nihal in his Air Force uniform!""They are in for a lot of surprises!"