It is already getting late and the rain has almost stopped. Ammachi switched on the light in the veranda. There was only a glimmer of light coming from the 60W bulb. My father once told me the reason. Chengannur town doesn’t have its own transformer and the power is not sufficient to light all the houses in the village.
Ammachi and I looked at the bulb and we knew there is no point in wasting electricity. Ammachi switched of the light and went to the kitchen. She took the oil lamp from the counter and lighted it. She then lit the hurricane lamp and gave it to me. I went to the veranda and hung it on the hook. I looked for my parents on the bund. It was pitch dark outside and I couldn’t see them. I was getting worried as my parents haven’t returned yet.
I always live under the fear of my father killing my mother. For me the only possible explanation for them to be late is my mother would have made my father mad and he would have killed her as he has promised all the times they fought and the police would have arrested him and taken to jail. I thought about how I will live the rest of my life as an orphan.
I asked Ammachi
“Why are they so late?” Ammachi saw the anxious look on my face and told me
“I am sure they would be home soon, why don’t we make dinner?’ Ammachi went inside the granary and measured two cups of rice. She asked me ‘ Do you want to clean the rice and wash it?’
I shook my head and answered ‘No’.
I was too scared to go near the well in the dark. I could hear the crickets chirping cheerily and the frogs croaking in the paddy field. I know snakes would come out during the twilight.
Ammachi went out by herself and drew the water from the well and cleaned the rice. She came inside, put few pieces dried firewood in the stove and using scrap paper lighted the fire. Every time the fire was nearly dying out, Ammachi would use a small metal pipe and blow in to the fire and the fire would burn again. She cooked rice porridge. There was left over fish curry and payaru thoran from the afternoon.
We went back to the veranda. Mosquitoes were now biting me all over my body. From the distance I could see the swaying light from the torch and knew my parents are coming. I was relieved knowing that my mother is alive. Suddenly I didn’t like the darkness and mosquitoes and the shrill cry of the cricket. I wanted to go back to my parent’s house in Kottayam.