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| Sunday, 4 May 2003 |
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Short story Receding horizon by Ajith Perera I had my usual scanty meal and continued my studies. I was preparing for the term test which is the evaluation test conducted by the school for the forthcoming Ordinary Level examination. In spite of the loud noise of the television and the cassette player of the house opposite and off the beach road, I had to get ready for the next day's paper. "Sampath....blow out the lamp, putha". Mother pleaded. That doesn't mean she doesn't like me studying until midnight but she is worried about the price of kerosene which greatly affects our budget. Assessment "I shall study somehow Amma. This is an assessment for our O/L exam. Unless I do my best I won't be able to qualify. This is a good chance to judge how I would score at the exam. Please Amma...." Amma who is trapped between the budget and her dreams to educate me, ran next door and borrowed a candle. The candle, Mary Nenda had lent didn't seem to burn at least for thirty minutes. It was hard to guard the flame from the strong wind that came from the sea. "Putha.....the sea is very strong today". I faintly heard Amma saying to me and to my sister who was fast asleep on the mat with my mother. Noise Little by little the noise of the monstrous sea was getting louder and louder. I felt the current of the sea lashing on the sand dunes. The merciless whirling water was dragging the sand towards the sea. Yet the fear and the shame of getting low marks at the practice test was far greater than the fear of the sea monster. Fisherman "You should study hard, putha. You should never give your life to the sea." Once my father had told me about his dream when he was living. Most of the time I questioned how a person like my father became a fisherman. His education, good manners and gentlemanliness was apparent. He was completely different from the so-called fishermen in the area. I couldn't imagine why my father's ideals and dreams were more far-sighted than my uncles and my father's co-workers. When they came back to the shore with nets full of fish my uncle and his friends my father unlike them brought home some fish. Others went home only after having a couple of drinks. There were times when my father upbraided my uncle for drinking and gambling. Later I heard father saying that his advice might work out. Hopes The Friday before the church feast my father and his friends went to the sea with high hopes. He promised my sister and me that he would buy a lot of toys from the church feast stalls. Then I was ten and my sister was almost seven. The cruel sea shattered our innocent dreams. Certificate "Oh! What's that Amma? It looks like a certificate". I called out when I saw her going through some documents in the drawer of the broken cupboard. "This is your father's O/L certificate," she proudly said while pressing the certificate to her breast as if it were her own. "Your father being more educated than the other fishermen was not given a job because he didn't support any political party nor did he go behind any politician." I have seen children playing on the beach. They seem to be very happy and enjoying themselves. Many people come to the beach with different motives. Some relax on the beach, some meditate and some regale their minds. But how can I ever enjoy myself on the beach seeing the monster that swallowed my loving father. Dark "Oh the candle......Nothing could be seen. Pitch dark. Amma.... Amma, she is fast asleep. I sat on the floor and crawled to the mat. When my parents put up this hut, the sea had been far from the hut. Neighbouring children used to play and fly kites behind my house where they had enough space. But today, a very thin sand strip separates our huts from the mighty sea which threatens to destroy our home and our dreams. The assessment given by the social studies teacher was not difficult for me. There was a question based on 'Coast Conservation'. I had enough grievances whirling up. I know that some of the measures I suggested in the answer script were impracticable because the authorities do not suffer the same fate as we do. Coast conservation usually is a rewarding theme for politicians who come to the fisherfolk with sweet suggestions during their political campaign and are enthusiastically applauded by the poor fishermen. But alas! It was only a dream. This drama has been staged by various political actors years on end. Good marks I was sure of getting good marks for my assessment as my suggestions would have been ideal, but what can my suggestion do to the people in the coastal belt? If there is no value in anything I wrote as answers and were impracticable, were they acceptable answers? Those were the thoughts which disturbed me while going back home with my sister. Most of the friends in my class hurried to go to their tuition classes after school as the exam was at hand. Only a few including me do not attend private classes. No sooner school was over than I go home to help my mother to make sweetmeats to be delivered to the boutiques. Later I joined mother and the fishermen, cleaning the nets while the boys of my age play a little distance away from the place where I am employed. Every Saturday we are paid and our debts to the boutique are settled. "Aiya our class is planning to go on a trip to Colombo. Almost all the friends seem to be going on this trip. Nangi told me disturbing my deep thoughts. "How many chances of going on trips have I missed during my school life nangi? I can feel your...." "No.. No.. I said no to the teacher", Nangi at once broke in before I could pacify her. Two hundred rupees is charged from each student. How can I ask Amma for money when she toils so hard to earn that little. I am not going to tell her anything about this trip, don't worry aiya". Her words were soothing. I, too don't like to worry our mother who kills herself to bring us up. She doesn't want us to suffer or lose our chances in life. I can still remember how she worked hard to clear the debts after father's funeral. "Putha we should never be indebted to anyone in the future". One day mother told me when the mudalali scolded her for the delay in paying that money. Crowd "Aiya, why is there a crowd over there? Then only did I see a lot of people standing on the road. Usually people gather when fish is brought to the road during the rough season at odd hours or when there is a big brouhaha or when some of the hot tempered fishermen or women start a fight. People usually enjoy such things! Fisher folk spend the day mostly out of their huts due to the warm weather. They either sit round a shady tree and play cards or chat in the open air. Children play on the road. People gathering on the road is not a strange sight at all. So I didn't care to hurry and join them. On the other hand, Amma doesn't like watching such scenes. Amma brought us up completely different from the way my relations brought up their children. That was something that worried my aunt. Why are you killing yourself to educate these children? Do you want them to be barristers? When my aunt was accusing and insulting my mother with her desires and dreams she smiled instead of answering her back. She was cleaver enough to tackle my aunt without causing any trouble. Struggle "If you send Sampath to work with the mudalali you will not have to struggle so much. You'll be paid well. Then no need to worry others also". Aunt was more or less accusing my mother who never disturbed any relation or begged from them to feed us. Her humility and tolerance were abused by the aunt. Screaming "Aiya can't you hear someone screaming?" Her sudden question awakened me again from my deep thoughts. "Who could this be?" Then I questioned myself. It's a cry of a woman? I told my sister. When we were approaching the crowd Mary Nenda ran towards us. Even then we didn't think that it was our poor mother who was screaming. I couldn't believe my ears when Mary Nenda was pacifying us. Most of the others in the crowd were looking at my mother as if it were not something strange. For them because some have suffered the same bitterness and some expect the same fate in the future. I held my sister's hand and elbowed our way to mother who was lying on the gravel road and lamenting. We ran towards her. She held her hands to the sky and questioned God. "We were a happy family. You grabbed my husband, destroyed our dreams, but I didn't say anything because I had faith in you and I thought you would look after us. I have two children to look after and no way to go you keep quiet when our poor hut is destroyed. So saying she pointed at the shattered hut which was being swallowed by the sea. Luckily mother had taken all our books and clothes out. We saw how the cadjan and planks were being dragged into the deep sea and struggling with the waters. Three of us cried as loud as we could while raising our hands skywards but the howling of the sea which devoured our second shelter was far greater than our crying! |
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