answer.’
He looked at the rest of the children, who had now stopped playing and were eyeing him nervously. He smiled at them, trying to appear harmless and not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble.
“Well, I don’t think it was me the soothsayer was talking about … here,” said Rain, reaching into his belt to remove one of the many sweets he had and giving it to the little girl.
She smiled brightly and took the sweet from him, popping it into her mouth immediately. Seeing that, all the other children rushed to him eagerly, hands held out, all their fear from a moment ago forgotten. Rain laughed and gave them all one sweet each, marveling at how easy children were to get along with.
“What village is this?” he asked.
Several children answered at once.
“This is the Village of Fools!” they answered gaily.
Rain’s eyebrows shot up in surprise but he kept his voice even, wary of showing any reaction.
“Is there anyone here I can speak to? Maybe your parents?” he said, searching the tiny faces.
“Come, meet my father.” said the chubby little girl, pulling him away from the rest of the children. Her message was clear. She had met him first, so he was her friend. Rain tagged along with her as she led the way to her hut.
“You didn’t tell me your name.” said Rain conversationally as they walked along, the girl leading him by his hand.
“Do you have another sweet?” she asked, smiling up at him sweetly.
“Yes.” said Rain, handing her one more.
“Thank-you.” she said, popping this one into her mouth as well. “My name is Pulina. But everyone calls me Pu.”
Rain looked down at her and smiled. He was immensely happy that he had managed to save these sweets, for they had been of tremendous help in breaking the ice with these children. He remembered then, what Subodh had told him just a while ago, and began to question his own beliefs. Did everything really happen for a reason? Or was it just a happy co-incidence that he had managed to save these sweets? Him saving something edible was an absolute anomaly, Rain knew, so maybe Subodh was on to something here.
“What’s your name?” asked Pu, sucking on the toffee.
Rain snapped out of his reverie. He had a job to do here. He looked at his Geeya and she floated beside him.
“My name is Rain.” he answered.
“Rail?! What a funny name!” she giggled.
Rain smiled and didn’t bother correcting her.
“Tell me Pu, how come all of you have two teeth missing?”
“This?” she said, opening her mouth and pointing to the gap.
Rain nodded.
“It’s all because of Jamun. We were all playing ‘blindman-blindman’ when the silly fell down and broke his tooth on a rock. There was so much blood and he cried a lot, too. The soothsayer suggested that, in order to prevent this from happening again, we should all break our two front teeth. So we did.” she explained gravely, feeling very important now that she had his full attention.
He exchanged a silent, amused glance with his Geeya who warned him in his head against laughing out loud.
“We are here.” announced Pu, leading him around a bend and up a narrow mud path, at the end of which stood a mud hut much like the rest. A middle-aged man was pacing agitatedly outside the door of the hut, where a woman sat wailing and sniffling into her skirt. A young boy of about 12 was perched on the roof of the hut, his face swollen and tears streaming down his puffed cheeks.
“This is my father, Pepito. Over there is my mother, Peppina. And my brother Pepe is on the roof.” Introduced Pu, oblivious to the dilemma the three of them seemed to be in.
“Hello, good sir. My name is Rain. If you do not mind telling me, what seems to be the problem here?” Rain inquired politely.
Pepito stopped pacing.
“Hello, Rain. I would say I am pleased to meet you, but at this moment, nothing can please me. For I am doomed! Doomed I say!”
“Maybe I can help if you tell me what happened?”
He looked at the rest of the children, who had now stopped playing and were eyeing him nervously. He smiled at them, trying to appear harmless and not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble.
“Well, I don’t think it was me the soothsayer was talking about … here,” said Rain, reaching into his belt to remove one of the many sweets he had and giving it to the little girl.
She smiled brightly and took the sweet from him, popping it into her mouth immediately. Seeing that, all the other children rushed to him eagerly, hands held out, all their fear from a moment ago forgotten. Rain laughed and gave them all one sweet each, marveling at how easy children were to get along with.
“What village is this?” he asked.
Several children answered at once.
“This is the Village of Fools!” they answered gaily.
Rain’s eyebrows shot up in surprise but he kept his voice even, wary of showing any reaction.
“Is there anyone here I can speak to? Maybe your parents?” he said, searching the tiny faces.
“Come, meet my father.” said the chubby little girl, pulling him away from the rest of the children. Her message was clear. She had met him first, so he was her friend. Rain tagged along with her as she led the way to her hut.
“You didn’t tell me your name.” said Rain conversationally as they walked along, the girl leading him by his hand.
“Do you have another sweet?” she asked, smiling up at him sweetly.
“Yes.” said Rain, handing her one more.
“Thank-you.” she said, popping this one into her mouth as well. “My name is Pulina. But everyone calls me Pu.”
Rain looked down at her and smiled. He was immensely happy that he had managed to save these sweets, for they had been of tremendous help in breaking the ice with these children. He remembered then, what Subodh had told him just a while ago, and began to question his own beliefs. Did everything really happen for a reason? Or was it just a happy co-incidence that he had managed to save these sweets? Him saving something edible was an absolute anomaly, Rain knew, so maybe Subodh was on to something here.
“What’s your name?” asked Pu, sucking on the toffee.
Rain snapped out of his reverie. He had a job to do here. He looked at his Geeya and she floated beside him.
“My name is Rain.” he answered.
“Rail?! What a funny name!” she giggled.
Rain smiled and didn’t bother correcting her.
“Tell me Pu, how come all of you have two teeth missing?”
“This?” she said, opening her mouth and pointing to the gap.
Rain nodded.
“It’s all because of Jamun. We were all playing ‘blindman-blindman’ when the silly fell down and broke his tooth on a rock. There was so much blood and he cried a lot, too. The soothsayer suggested that, in order to prevent this from happening again, we should all break our two front teeth. So we did.” she explained gravely, feeling very important now that she had his full attention.
He exchanged a silent, amused glance with his Geeya who warned him in his head against laughing out loud.
“We are here.” announced Pu, leading him around a bend and up a narrow mud path, at the end of which stood a mud hut much like the rest. A middle-aged man was pacing agitatedly outside the door of the hut, where a woman sat wailing and sniffling into her skirt. A young boy of about 12 was perched on the roof of the hut, his face swollen and tears streaming down his puffed cheeks.
“This is my father, Pepito. Over there is my mother, Peppina. And my brother Pepe is on the roof.” Introduced Pu, oblivious to the dilemma the three of them seemed to be in.
“Hello, good sir. My name is Rain. If you do not mind telling me, what seems to be the problem here?” Rain inquired politely.
Pepito stopped pacing.
“Hello, Rain. I would say I am pleased to meet you, but at this moment, nothing can please me. For I am doomed! Doomed I say!”
“Maybe I can help if you tell me what happened?”
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