(Author's note: Ok guys now instead of Manglish I will be using English for the speech directly. I will be using some phrases in Malayalam in many of the sentences so that you can see how the characters speak in the story. They will be marked in star)
This is just a small chapter explaining about some questions that you might have later and to introduce a new chapter
'' -- Thoughts
"" -- Saying
The plastic fan on the roof fought against the sluggish afternoon air to keep the room cool. The room held witness to the rare site of both parents being at home.
"Rudra, say Appa"
The man said looking down at the crib. He was cajoling the child dressed in a loose baby shirt and diapers by rocking the crib bare-chested and in his checkered kailey (Informal lungi made from soft cotton to wear inside the house or casual wear. Usually checkered or plain-coloured). It was one of the few days that he had gotten off due to a government holiday and could rest at home. He either was at his job rubber tapping in the morning or he was either looking for a job as a hired help in one of the houses. Jobs were not too hard to come by so he was always in the lookout to earn some more cash
"No, Rudra. Come on your mother is more dear to you. Say Amma"
The mother stood to the side with her hands swinging with the crib. She was in a nighty (Loose, long home dress Worn at home in the mornings, evenings, and bedtime inside the house). She too had the benefit of the government holiday as she was the primary schoolteacher in the government school. She was happy to be free for a day from those inquisitive yet slightly unruly children that roamed the school. Oh, she loved them all the same for sure. She was not just a teacher just for the money. However sometimes she sighed silently to herself wishing that they were a bit more controlled
'Sometimes I wish they were a bit more silent like Rudra'
Funny enough even when the other babies cried for attention and at the middle of night for some god forsaken reason, Rudra was not like that. He simply looked around and observed. Only when he was hungry or needed to be taken care of he simply wailed a bit and then went back to observing once he got what he wanted.
'Sometimes I feel as if he just learning and is looking at something that I can't see'
It was weird. Both the silence and the looks. They had first took him to the local vaidyan (traditional Ayurveda doctor) to see if it was wrong. The only thing other than ordinary was that the vaidyan got a slight static shock when he first touched the baby. However it wasn't just him. Everyone other than his parents always got one when they tried to touch him. However it always was fine when they tried the second time
Then they tried the hospital. Even there it was normal. They got some abnormal reading from the first blood test but then it was considered contaminated and discarded. From then on for some reason all the blood and other tests were all normal.
'Hmm Maybe I am just overthinking it'
"Makale*, where are you?"
She was interrupted from her thoughts when an elderly woman's voice.
It was the old childless woman up the hill. She had lived in the above house and got the house below from her dead husband for a long time. When the couple tried looking for a home to rent she was one who gladly accepted them and at times turned a blind eye when to the few times they had missed the rent. In return she came everyday for some company from the wife in the evening or morning and at rare times from the husband. She was a constant company to Rudra when the parents were at their job. For some reason she was more amused by Rudra's observation and simply smiled and looked at the place where Rudra was looking. For some reason whenever he used get afraid of what he was seeing, she simply went to that corner and batted at the air as if she was hitting something and it calmed him down
"Edee*, Amachee* is calling you." Her husband replied gently swinging the crib a bit more harder to compensate for her hands leaving the crib.
"Sheri*, I will see what she wants."
She went outside the house and stood at the entrance. Resting on the steps was a slightly fair skinned grandma with wrinkled skin on her arms and legs fanning herself with a newspaper she got herself at the local chanda (marketplace) while looking outside. She was wearing a chattayum mundum with a gold lining at the end. The younger woman simply bent down into a semi squat and coughed to gain her attention.
The older woman's head turned to the source of the voice. The older woman's hazel brown eyes jumped in joy on finding her regular gossip partner near her
"Ahah, Leela mol* is here. Aaa.. You also have holiday today right?"
"Athe* Mariamma amachee, today is government holiday so both me and chetta have holiday today"
"Ahah Gregory is also here. That is nice."
She squinted her eyes to look at the small spots of light that filtered into the house through the thatched roof. Her eyes were not as good as what it was when she was young anymore and it was difficult to adjust to the darkness in the house so fast.
'Maybe I should get those prescription glasses like Anu mol has told'
"Doesn't he have any work today. I mean he is not a government official right."
Leela simply smiled. To anyone else it might have come of a bit rude However she knew that Mariamma simply told what was on her mind with no animosity. Also she knew that before there was not much money in the house and with one more mouth to feed they needed all the money they can get.
"Illa* amachee. He simply stayed at home to spend some time with me and Rudra. Oru minutte*. Chetta Mariamma amachee is here"
Gregory left Rudra alone and came out to see the visitor
"Ahah, how are you amachee? Did you have lunch yet?"
"Illa mone, I need to go home and make some kanji*"
"Then why don't you come inside and stay a while. You can eat some food here"
"Athu venda*, I just came to see you both and see how my dear Rudra is doing"
"Ahah, so we are just some random Leela and Gregory but Rudra is the apple of your eye huh?" he asks sporting a sly smile.
Mariamma's eyes glimmers in mischievousness and the corners of her mouth crookedly turns up
"Annada*, Of course he is the apple of my eye. He has played and slept soundly on my lap." She said slapping her thigh. "Who else has had the privilege of being raised under the care of the great Mariamma?" she says turns cockily turning her nose upwards. "So stop dilly-dallying and give me my Rudra."
A moment of silence passed between them before they started laughing.
"Okay I will bring your dear Rudra over here. Don't cajole him too much or he might grow up spoiled" Gregory said while chuckling and shaking his head.
He went indoors while his wife followed him in.
She went to the kitchen to see how the rice was doing in the furnace. It was a slightly large kitchen with a small area on the ground where two to three pots were place on slightly large stones with wood burning under them. It was enclosed with cement walls and top coated in black to trap the heat. She took a slightly wet thin towel and quickly took the chatti containing the rice. (Chatti basically is mud pot) She slowly opened the and upon finding it not cooked enough yet put it back in as quickly as she took it out and then just took a long hollow rod and used that to blow into the flame to make it hotter and then waited patiently
On the other hand Gregory went to the crib and carefully picked up Rudra from his crib. Rudra was disturbed from his short nap and yawned wondering what was going to happen now. Gregory carried him outside and put him into the raised hands of Mariamma while she took him on her lap and lightly coddled him
"Nee poda*, go and be with your wife. Leave me be" she said shooing him away. When she was finally alone she took Rudra and put her head near his and slowly whispered
"You know, I have been watching you for some time. You like observing things around you don't you? Especially those cursed spirits."
She then slowly leaned back and looked at a very surprised and scared Rudra. As if mocking his fear she simply smirked amused.
"But the thing is I also noticed that you could to an extent understand the language a bit. It was a little slow and gradual. However you were learning fast. Faster than any other baby however talented would. You were looking at the stuff your parents were talking about. You could identify what your relationships with the people that came to meet you were and identified who was safe and who was not. It was almost as if you were hiding your intelligence from your parents in order not to scare them too much."
Rudra grew afraid with every second. He did not know whether to scream or pray that his next life was better. On the other hand Mariamma's grin became even more wider. Her kind eyes no longer present. Her pleasant dimples and crooked smile no longer present. All that was left was a thin curled lips and a wide row of teeth.
She held out her index finger to his face and for some reason Rudra's spider sense was setting of alarms in his head.
'Her cursed energy' he realised. 'Damn it if only I had awakened my sharingan or my eyes of death perception. For some reason I feel or see none of them yet. It is too early to completely control by cursed energy or gain my cursed technique'
Her finger grew a little more pudgy and fatter. Then slowly her nail grew sharper and longer.
'Ah shit I am going to die again. Am I going to die so early now itself?'
She slowly brought the finger closer to his face. Her nail parallel to it. In a panic and last attempt Rudra raised his hands and curled his pudgy baby fingers against her finger and pushed against it. He summoned every bit of strength from his enhanced strength to extend his life for at least 10 more seconds
10
"Oh? You can sense my energy and know I am dangerous don't you?"
9
"Your strength is quite good too. Interesting"
8
"It is neither cursed energy or any other type of technique or energy. It must be completely organic"
7
"You are quite interesting you know. I wonder what would have happened if you could actually grow up. How strong would you actually be when you properly realised your strength"
6
"But sadly. As interesting as you are. I grow bored" Her finger starts pushing down. His strength failing him fast. After all he was still just a baby now
5
"I wonder what you will look like before you die"
4
"Will you scream in pain? Or will you scream in defiance?" Her nail now touched the top of his forehead.
3
"I wonder how I should kill you? Should I split you in half? Or should I…." her fingers slowly traced down his face as she spoke. Her nail sharp and painfull but not breaking the skin
2
"Simply puncture this useless throat of yours and kill you immediately." Her finger now sat painfully against his throat. It was slowly growing sharper threatening to break skin and cut his larynx
1
She leaned close. Her breath beating against his ears. His heart straining against the sternum. She whispered
"So tell me dear child. How do you plead?"
0
Rudra's breath hitched. He gathered all the breath and power he had. He screamed the one person he hoped to save him with all his strength
"AMMAAAAA!!!!"
Mariyamma's mouth contorted into an amused smile. She then rolled her head back and laughed out loud while at the same time returning her finger back to normal.
"Did you hear Leela mol. He seems to be a mamma's boy"
She held him up as his diapers were now soiled out of his fear.
What followed then was a bunch of rushed feet and excited squeals asking for Rudra to say it once more before realising he soiled his diaper.
Meanings
Makale means children. Often used by older people to refer to someone much younger than them
Edee is basically just a way of calling to a woman you know well
Amachee means grandma
Sheri means ok
mol normally means daughter. Here it is used as an affectionate term
Athe means yes
Illa means no.
Oru means one, normally use onnu, word can change according to context. Minutte is used to highlight the slight slang of extending the last syllable or letter that was common when speaking English at those days. Of course it is used now to a small extent too
Kanji, കഞ്ഞി, means Rice porridge normally
Athu venda means no need
Annada means yes or ya man
Nee poda means you go