Dancing Flames (Pranushka story)

Kamarottu Grama

"Sandhya! I'm taking the bhūtha pettige. Careful with the stairs." Vihaan advised concernedly.

She slowly desended the stairs while he loaded their bags and the box into their car.

"Why did you have to book train tickets in this condition? We could've taken our car."

"Travelling by train is fun Vihaan. Besides, I couldn't have slept by you like this if you were driving." she closed her eyes, holding his arm and snuggled closer as the train chugged off.

It was nearly dusk when they reached and Vihaan hired a taxi. It was an old Ambassador car, light green in color and pretty rusty in appearance.
He helped her get inside and joined the driver who was busy with their luggage.

The place was typically a countryside. Green patches of land between which small canals of water ran, were a feast to the eyes. Children played in the fields while farmers ploughed them. The driver stopped in the middle of the road in a deserted place which appeared like a forest. One side bound by paddy fields and another side by a river.

"Sir from here you have to take a boat to the other side of the river for reaching Kamarottu." he informed.

They walked a little distance to reach the bank of the river.
"The boat's here, where's the rower?" Vihaan looked around.

"One.. Cling... Two.. Cling... Three.. Cling.. "
On the top of a tree branch was a man sitting, flipping a coin into the air.

"Excuse me. Can you row us to the other side?" Vihaan asked but received nothing in response.
"Excuse me mister!"

But he was still immersed in playing with the coin which later fell into the water below and finally looked at them irritated.

"What!" he exclaimed, soon enough for his eyes to meet a horrifying sight. He toppled from his place and landed in the river.
Surprisingly he was frightened on seeing Sandhya. He nodded his head meekly and rushed to the boat to drop them as fast as he could.

"Thank you." Vihaan smiled trying to hand him the fare but he quickly rowed away not even giving it a thought.

"Weird people! Sandhya, you be right here while I go and see if the car has been arranged."

"OK."

"Anna!" he heard a voice and watched a bald man hurrying towards him. He was extremely thin and fair complexed. His moustache was the only hair he had on his face, indicating that he was possibly in his thirties.

"Good evening. The jeep is ready. This way." he turned to his left.

"But the luggage is there. I'll get it. Why no car?"

"Anna! I guess you are new to this place. You'll thank me for the jeep once you ride on the roads here."

"I had called you. There was no netwo...."

"Once there was a heavy storm in this place Anna. The only mobile tower blasted after it got hit by lightning and ever since then, getting good phone signals here is a dream."

"Oh! How far is Kamarottu?"

"Approximately thirty minutes. When you go straight in that direction, you'll find a junction. Divert to the right and small houses can be seen. The biggest one that stands majestically admist them all is the Kamarottu House. We always go by walk since we live nearby. The roads are daga daga daga."

"What?" Vihaan laughed as he lit a cigarette.

"That's how it sounds when you travel on them. Daga daga daga." he excitedly explained shaking his hands in front of him.