suggested Rain.
Pepito seemed to oppose the idea for a moment and then gave up with a sigh and throw of his hands.
“Yesterday, there was a terrible storm, and it rained incessantly all day and all night. Soon, our roof began to leak. We tried - and managed - to stop most of the dripping water, except one small hole that we couldn’t plug no matter what we did. Soon, the buckets we had placed under it were all full. That was when my wife suggested that we should send our son to the roof so he can plug the hole with his finger. We did that, and it worked perfectly. But my son had to remain there all night, keeping the hole plugged. And now, he has very high fever. We told him to get down so we could show him to the village doctor but his finger is so swollen, it won’t come out of the hole! The only way to free him so we can save his life is to cut off his finger!” cried Pepito.
Then he began to pace agitatedly again and his wife burst into fresh wails, thumping her chest and swaying wildly.
“Oh, where will I get another son?! This one is sure to die now. I am doomed!” cried Pepito, looking quite deranged.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Rain.
Pepito shot him a glare of irritation. “Have you no sense, young man? My son’s finger is connected to his hand, which is connected to his arm. The arm is connected to his shoulder, which in turn is connected to his neck. In order to cut his finger off, I will have to cut the boy’s neck!”
Rain turned in shock toward the boy sitting on the roof, with his finger still jammed inside what must have been the leak in the roof. They were planning to cut off his neck?! These people were crazy! The boy looked ready to drop down dead with fear anyway.
“No, no, you must not chop off his neck, or finger or anything for that matter! The fever is probably causing the swelling in his finger and he might have caught a mild infection due to the cold. Do you have any mint?” he said, talking fast.
Pepito paused and nodded.
“Then please bring me some.” said Rain, bringing out a small vial from his pocket which contained a mixture of some medicinal herbs that he had prepared for Subodh. “I will make a paste of that and ginger, using this healing mixture. Apply the paste to your son’s forehead. His fever should come down in about an hour and hopefully bring down the swelling along with it.”
Pepito looked at Rain with new hope in his eyes.
“Can you really do that?”
Rain nodded vehemently.
Pepito turned to the little girl behind him, who was bouncing gently back and forth on her heels, quietly listening to everything.
“Pu, go and bring some fresh ginger from your aunt’s house. I will get the mint.”
The girl scurried off and Pepito turned to Rain.
“Please make yourself at home. I will be right back.”
He turned to address his wife, who had stopped wailing and was now quietly sniffling into her skirts.
“Peppina, please serve some tea to our guest.” he instructed, and then turned and jogged off towards his destination.
The woman got up gingerly, wiping her face with the hem of her skirt.
“Please come inside.” she said in a quivery voice.
“I’d prefer to wait out here, if you don’t mind.” said Rain, politely declining her offer.
The hut was too small and dark and he wanted to sit outside where it was bright. He pulled a small wicker stool lying nearby and sat down on it.
Pepito and Pu were back soon with the necessary ingredients and Rain made the medicinal paste to be applied on the boy’s forehead. Once he was done, he gave the paste to Pepito and sat back sipping on the tea served by the sniffling Peppina, as he watched Pepito apply the paste on his son’s forehead. Twenty-five minutes later, the boys face began to lose some of its flushed color and started to appear more normal. Soon, the swelling in his finger receded and he was able to pull it out of the plug and climb down the roof with his father’s help to
Pepito seemed to oppose the idea for a moment and then gave up with a sigh and throw of his hands.
“Yesterday, there was a terrible storm, and it rained incessantly all day and all night. Soon, our roof began to leak. We tried - and managed - to stop most of the dripping water, except one small hole that we couldn’t plug no matter what we did. Soon, the buckets we had placed under it were all full. That was when my wife suggested that we should send our son to the roof so he can plug the hole with his finger. We did that, and it worked perfectly. But my son had to remain there all night, keeping the hole plugged. And now, he has very high fever. We told him to get down so we could show him to the village doctor but his finger is so swollen, it won’t come out of the hole! The only way to free him so we can save his life is to cut off his finger!” cried Pepito.
Then he began to pace agitatedly again and his wife burst into fresh wails, thumping her chest and swaying wildly.
“Oh, where will I get another son?! This one is sure to die now. I am doomed!” cried Pepito, looking quite deranged.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Rain.
Pepito shot him a glare of irritation. “Have you no sense, young man? My son’s finger is connected to his hand, which is connected to his arm. The arm is connected to his shoulder, which in turn is connected to his neck. In order to cut his finger off, I will have to cut the boy’s neck!”
Rain turned in shock toward the boy sitting on the roof, with his finger still jammed inside what must have been the leak in the roof. They were planning to cut off his neck?! These people were crazy! The boy looked ready to drop down dead with fear anyway.
“No, no, you must not chop off his neck, or finger or anything for that matter! The fever is probably causing the swelling in his finger and he might have caught a mild infection due to the cold. Do you have any mint?” he said, talking fast.
Pepito paused and nodded.
“Then please bring me some.” said Rain, bringing out a small vial from his pocket which contained a mixture of some medicinal herbs that he had prepared for Subodh. “I will make a paste of that and ginger, using this healing mixture. Apply the paste to your son’s forehead. His fever should come down in about an hour and hopefully bring down the swelling along with it.”
Pepito looked at Rain with new hope in his eyes.
“Can you really do that?”
Rain nodded vehemently.
Pepito turned to the little girl behind him, who was bouncing gently back and forth on her heels, quietly listening to everything.
“Pu, go and bring some fresh ginger from your aunt’s house. I will get the mint.”
The girl scurried off and Pepito turned to Rain.
“Please make yourself at home. I will be right back.”
He turned to address his wife, who had stopped wailing and was now quietly sniffling into her skirts.
“Peppina, please serve some tea to our guest.” he instructed, and then turned and jogged off towards his destination.
The woman got up gingerly, wiping her face with the hem of her skirt.
“Please come inside.” she said in a quivery voice.
“I’d prefer to wait out here, if you don’t mind.” said Rain, politely declining her offer.
The hut was too small and dark and he wanted to sit outside where it was bright. He pulled a small wicker stool lying nearby and sat down on it.
Pepito and Pu were back soon with the necessary ingredients and Rain made the medicinal paste to be applied on the boy’s forehead. Once he was done, he gave the paste to Pepito and sat back sipping on the tea served by the sniffling Peppina, as he watched Pepito apply the paste on his son’s forehead. Twenty-five minutes later, the boys face began to lose some of its flushed color and started to appear more normal. Soon, the swelling in his finger receded and he was able to pull it out of the plug and climb down the roof with his father’s help to
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