by Iram Dana
Dammy rose to his feet, too.
“No… Rain, my friend. It is you I must thank. In the short time that you have spent with me, you have opened my eyes. I now understand perfectly what my father wanted from me and I fully intend to follow his advice. I could never have done this without you. How can I express my gratitude to you?”
“You have already done more than enough.” said Rain generously.
“No, no. I insist.” said Dammy Kunga. “There must be something you want. Gold? Jewels? Horses? Anything I have. Name it and it’s yours.”
Rain hesitated for a moment and then let the words out quickly before he lost his courage.
“Pepito … he is a nice man… and his children deserve a better future. If it’s not too much to ask, could you please take him and his family along with you when you leave this village?”
“Consider it done.” said Dammy Kunga without a moment’s thought or hesitation. Rain shook his hands gratefully and then they parted ways.
Rain made his way out of the village with a bounce to his steps. This had taken very long, but the effort felt like it had been worth it. On his way out, he passed the field where he had met little Pu. He spotted her standing in the middle of the playground, surrounded by a small of group of girls of similar age. She was clearly the favored one in the group now, observed Rain, as he watched her laugh and gesture animatedly to the group, who seemed to be hanging on to her every word.
How things change in such a short time, he thought, shaking his head with amusement.
He caught her eye then, and smiled at her. Disengaging herself from her group of admirers, she came running over to him as fast as her chubby legs would allow her to.
“Pulina, how’s my little princess?” inquired Rain, fondly ruffling her hair.
“Are you leaving?” she demanded, pouting and slightly out of breath.
“Yes, because my work here is finished.” answered Rain.
“I don’t want you to go.” she protested, tears brimming in her eyes. “They let me play now because you are my friend.”
“And I will always be your friend.” said Rain.
He went down on bended knee so that he would be at eye-level with her.
“Look, don’t cry. Here, you can have my last toffee.” he said, offering her the sweet. She smiled despite herself and took the sweet from him. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and popped the sweet into her mouth. Rain smiled at the familiar sight.
“Will you do one thing for me?” he asked her.
She nodded solemnly, sucking on the toffee.
“In a few days from now, the village chief - Dammy Kunga - will leave. I want you to convince your family to leave with him, Okay? And you leave too. It’s for the best. Promise me you’ll do that.” he said, searching those wide, innocent eyes. It was a big responsibility to put on her young shoulders, Rain knew, but if it helped her family move out of here and make something better of her life, she would thank him for it.
She nodded again. “I promise, Rail.”
“Good girl.” he said, and then kissed her on the cheek.
Pu gasped and went red in the face. She stood rooted to the spot as he rose and turned to leave. She waited until he had gone some distance and then, without another word, she turned around and ran back to her waiting circle of friends.
“He kissed me!” she squealed in delight, even before Rain was out of ear-shot.
“Ooh!” echoed the girls around her. “You lucky bug!”
“Is he your boyfriend now?” asked one.
But Rain couldn’t hear her reply because the wind was whooshing around his ears and the village was just a blur, whizzing past.
*****
CHAPTER 6
Rain could make out the outline of the makeshift hut even from this distance. As he neared the hut the smell of lamb being cooked hit his nostrils and he sniffed in appreciation, increasing his pace.
On reaching the hut he saw no sign of Subodh. Instead, bent over an earthen pot, stirring the broth was the injured sequestor he had brought over the day he had left for his mini-Quest. The sequestor looked up and smiled as Rain approached.
“Hello. My name is Heart. Thank-you for saving me, brother. My Geeya told me everything.” he said, rising to greet Rain.
Rain took the palm offered to him and shook it warmly.
“I’m Rain, and you’re welcome.” said Rain, taking in Heart’s appearance.
He had dark grey eyes surrounded by short, spiky lashes and dark head of hair with open curls which looked overgrown and in need of a cut. His complexion was wheatish. He was not very tall, but had more of a bulky, bullish build, broad and strong. He’s from somewhere in the Middle East, surmised Rain.
His eyes then traveled to Heart’s chest, searching for any sign of injury.
“You are looking for my wounds?” guessed Heart. “I am fully healed, brother. Subodh is very good at what he does.” he said, lifting his T-shirt and showing Rain the site of the wound, which looked as good as new, save for large, circular scar.
Rain nodded his head.
“Glad to hear that. What’s for lunch?” he asked, looking at the steaming pot.
“Lamb stew. It will be ready in another twenty minutes. By then, Subodh should be here, too.” replied Heart.
“Great. I think I’ll go in for a quick dip then.” said Rain, removing his shirt and tossing it to the ground.
Subodh returned from the forest a while later, after Rain had taken a swim and changed into fresh clothes. Rain was near the rocks, clean and dressed and washing his old clothes when Heart called out to him and Subodh to come for lunch. Rain left his clothes there, half done, and jogged over to the hut, his stomach growling in anticipation.
The steaming bowl of lamb stew was tastier than he had expected it to be, and Rain happily ate whatever was leftover in the pot after the others were done eating. Subodh soon settled down for a nap while Rain and Heart sat near the empty pot, familiarizing themselves with each other.
“So what happened to you?” asked Rain.
“Got attacked by Bombats, brother.” said Heart, touching the spot where he was injured reflexively.
“Bombats? What are those?”
“Well, they’re just like bats, only really huge. Almost three feet tall and naturally, more ferocious. I had to collect one of their claws, which has extraordinary healing properties, and hand it over to a healer.”
“Three feet tall bats? Yuck! I hate bats. Imagine them super enlarged.”
“Not just enlarged, brother. They are too huge to fly, so they walk, but in a really creepy, crawly way. See, their forelegs are too small and their hind legs much longer. So when they walk, their hind legs climb over their shoulders while the tiny forelegs drag ahead on the ground providing support. It’s horrible.”
“What happened then?”
“I managed to sneak up on them when they were sleeping. I went straight for the biggest one, the leader, because her claw is the most potent. But the minute I chop her claw? The beast, she is awake! And she calls a hundred more. I managed to escape, but not before being hit. I had collected the claw, but I didn’t know where I could find a healer. And I needed one badly. Eventually, I bled too much and then I fainted. That’s where you came into the picture.”
Rain scratched his head, puzzled.
“But why were you buried under a pile of grass?”
“Oh, that…” said Heart, giving an embarrassed smile, “my Geeya, bless her. She did that. To protect me from potential harm when she heard you approach. But you turned out to be a good man, so no worries there. Thank-you again.” said Heart, whispering the words out this time since Subodh was nearby. “I owe you my life, brother. Any way that I can repay you, you let me know. I promise upon my life, I will do my best.” he declared, thumping his chest and then winced with pain. He had obviously not healed fully yet.
Rain thought about his offer for a moment.
“Okay, you want to repay
me? Fine … then tell me what your Quest is.” he demanded, eyes alight with mischief.
“My Quest?” repeated Heart.
“Yep. Your Quest. You want to repay me, tell me what it is.” said Rain, looking at Heart smugly and not really expecting an answer.
“But you ask for too little in return, brother. All the same, my Quest is to heal my heart.” replied Heart with a shrug, as though Rain had just asked him his name.
Rain could hardly believe his ears.
“You just told me your Quest? Your actual Quest?! Are you crazy?!”
“No brother, I am not crazy. I am simply not afraid of revealing what my Quest is.”
“But… why? Aren’t you afraid there might be, er … a conflict of interest or something?”
“Swami Rami taught us never to fear the unknown. Most times, a man’s imagination is scarier than the actual situation itself. And I, too, endorse the belief that nobody can steal your destiny. You will get what you are destined to get. People who wish you ill may delay you from your destiny, but they can never take it away completely, or change it, however much they may wish to.”
“Whoa! Strong heart, eh mate?”
“Guess so.” he smiled. “Man’s got to have courage if he is to face his destiny head on. Besides, I am very close to the end now.” said Heart, looking wistful.
Rain didn’t quite understand what he meant, but dropped the subject out of respect for Heart’s privacy, because he honestly believed that if he asked him to, then Heart would actually explain everything.
“So what can you do, Rain?” asked Heart after some time.
Rain looked up at him vaguely, still immersed in thought. “Hmm?”
“What are your special powers?” clarified Heart, grinning widely.
And Rain found that he was glad Heart had not asked for information on his Quest, for he would have felt compelled to answer truthfully, especially since Heart had trusted him with his own Quest. And he didn’t want to. Not until he knew if Heart was trustworthy, at least. But his powers? He had no problem talking about that. Man’s gotta show off when the rare chance arrives.
“I can make it rain.” said Rain, squaring his chest ever so subtly.
“Show me. Make it rain over that rock there.” said Heart, indicating a small rock.
Rain concentrated on the spot pointed out to him, neatly wetting the rock and a small area around it. He gave an inward sigh of relief. He was getting better at this.
“What can you do, Heart? Give your enemies a heart attack?” said Rain, trying to make a joke, then realized what a poor attempt it was and apologized. “Sorry, lame joke.”
“No problem, brother. You want to know what I can do? I can control a heart’s desires.” said Heart.
“You mean, you can make a person pretty much do whatever you want them to?” said Rain.
“No. I can make their heart desire one thing, when their mind desires another. And more often than not, people choose to go with what their heart desires.” explained Heart.
“A demonstration, please?”
“Of course.” said Heart, going into the hut and bringing out a handful of berries. He sorted out the berries so that in his right hand, he held the strawberries and in his left, he held the raspberries.
“Which fruit do you prefer, brother?” he asked Rain, holding out both his palms.
“First tell me where you got these from!” said Rain.
“From the forest beyond, brother. Surely you’ve seen them, too?”
“No I haven’t. But I’m glad you have. So, I should choose which berry I want?”
Heart nodded and moved his hands closer for Rain’s benefit.
“Love strawberries.” said Rain, eyeing the lot hungrily.
“Okay, then eat the strawberries.”
Rain took them from Heart and began eating them merrily. He stopped halfway through the third and looked up irritatedly at Heart.
“You win. Hand over the raspberries.” he snapped, annoyed with himself.
Heart gave them to Rain with a smug smile.
“I understand what you mean, now.” said Rain. “I love strawberries and I am eating strawberries, but my heart wants me to eat raspberries today. And I find that I am unable to ignore what my heart desires.”
“Exactly. In a battle between the head and the heart, the head seldom wins. That is why one should think with the head and love with the heart. Not the other way round, as people these days do.”
Heart got up and dusted himself off.
“I am heading inside for a nap. See you later, brother Rain.”
“Later, Heart.” Nodded Rain, getting up himself, and heading towards the sea, where his half-washed clothes lay.
Once he had washed all of his dirty clothes he spread them out on the rocks to dry and then lay down for a short nap. He looked at his Geeya, who was waist deep in the sea water.
“You know, this time’s task took longer and though it was difficult, at least it was not life threatening like the first one.”
“True.” she agreed, floating over to him.
“I was wondering, what will happen if I fail in one of my mini-Quests?”
She looked at him with wide, luminescent eyes.
“You only get one chance.” she said.
“Just one chance?”
“Yes. Just like in real life … only one chance.”
“That’s not true. Life gives you plenty of chances.”
“You only get one life, and to attempt anything … one chance. If you could repeat everything exactly as it was the first time, then that could be called a second chance. Otherwise, it is just another opportunity to try the same thing in a different manner.”
Rain scratched his head.
“Somehow… in your own twisted way, you’re actually making sense. Does this mean that if I’ve failed to collect a wisdom in any Quest, then I’ve lost it permanently?’
“No. You will get another opportunity to collect that wisdom. But you won’t get the same task again.”
“Whew! You had me scared there for a minute.”
She smiled. “Go to sleep now.”
Rain closed his eyes and drifted off.
*****
CHAPTER 7
Early the next morning Rain woke up and accompanied Subodh into the forest in search of birds and animals to heal, falling back into the pattern of helping Subodh out easily.
Heart stayed back, promising to have lunch ready when they got back. Rain thanked him for the offer, while Subodh clicked his tongue censoriously.
“Why do you always have to thank everybody for everything, boy?” said Subodh, disapprovingly.
“What else am I supposed to say when someone does me a favor?” countered Rain.
“Pay a favor back with another favor. I thought you would have learnt that by now. People think that just by saying ‘thank-you’ they’ve repaid the kindness shown to them by another… imagine returning somebody’s lost wallet untouched, with all the money in it intact, and then being rewarded with a smile and a thank-you … it’s just not enough, but it’s all you get these days.” ranted Subodh.
Rain said nothing. He could see that there was logic in what the old healer was saying, but he couldn’t bring himself to wholly agree with his philosophy. For his part, Rain felt he couldn’t not thank someone for a favor done to him. He was open to repaying it with another favor, but what if that chance never came? At least he could assuage his conscience by telling himself that he had shown his appreciation and expressed his gratitude with words, if not deeds. With those arguments in mind, Rain dismissed those thoughts and concentrated on the job ahead.
That morning, they did not find any creatures to heal, so Subodh led them to a muddy pond surrounded by marshy land. At one end of the pond were three snakes lying a short distance away from each other. Subodh instructed Rain to go catch those snakes and bring them to him.
“Uh, sure …” said Rain, “and while I’m at it, would you also li
ke a crocodile or two?”
His sarcastic remarks earned him a thwack on the back of his head with Subodh’s trusty stick.
“You are being rude, boy.” the old healer admonished. “What I am asking you to do is for your own benefit. Now go. And keep your ignorant remarks to yourself.”
“Are those snakes poisonous?” asked Rain, looking worried.
“No.” said Subodh and Rain sighed in relief.
“They are venomous snakes.” finished Subodh.
“Hey! You just said …”
“There are no poisonous snakes, boy, only venomous snakes.” Subodh corrected sagely.
“Either way, it could kill me! I’ll go for the harmless Milk Snake first.” said Rain, recognizing one of the species and wading slowly into the muddy pond.
“That is not a Milk Snake. That is a Coral Snake and its venom is extremely potent. The Milk Snake is just a look-alike of the Coral Snake. One is commonly mistaken for the other with poor consequences.” Subodh informed him calmly, causing the exact opposite effect on Rain’s nerves.
Rain approached the reptiles cautiously. He closed in on the first one and deftly caught its head with his bare hands, clamping its jaws shut tightly so that it would not be able to bite him. He brought the struggling snake over to Subodh who made a series of maneuvers on the snake’s spine. The snake immediately went slack in Rain’s hands. Subodh then placed the now non-struggling snake easily into a wicker basket that he had brought along.
“Did you just paralyze it?” asked Rain.
“Yes.” harrumphed Subodh. “It is a move I call ‘the Spinal Spangler’.”
“You have got to teach me how to do that.” demanded Rain.
“All right.” rasped Subodh.
Rain turned around and waded towards the second snake.
“Careful with the other two. They are vipers. Did you know snakes taste the air with their fork shaped tongues, sensing the chemicals in the air while searching for their prey? Their skin is also sensitive to vibrations and they have sensitive receptors, allowing them to ‘see’ the radiated heat of warm blooded animals.” said Subodh, watching Rain crouch carefully before pouncing on a snake and clamping down on its jaws.