Rain (The Quest Trilogy-Book Two) (7 page)

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?” 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 where his mother was waiting. As soon as he was down she engulfed him into a suffocating hug, kissing and slobbering all over him while her husband looked on at the two of them proudly. When the family reunion was done with, the boy slowly walked up to Rain, looking weak and exhausted, and thanked him profusely. Then he was ushered inside by Peppina to get some rest.

“How can I thank you?” asked a visibly moved Pepito.

“Well, I am here with a purpose.” replied Rain, seizing the opportunity. “You could help me with that. Do you have a village elder, or a leader?”

“Yes. Our village head Kane Kunga died an untimely death a year ago. His son Dammy Kunga acts as the village head now.”

“Could you take me to him?”

“But of course. Please follow me.”

Pepito led the way to the village head’s house, which he said was not very far away. On the way there, Rain saw a man with frazzled white hair and a long, bony body rolled in reams of flimsy red cloth, dancing and swaying while singing his lungs out.

Who’s that?
Rain projected the thought to his Geeya.

That’s the village soothsayer
. She answered him.

Rain stared at the ridiculously dressed man now thumping out a beat on his head.

Looks like a lunatic
. He snorted, unable to tear his eyes off the madman as they passed him.

The village head’s house was huge compared to the tiny huts that dotted the rest of the village. It was the only house made of bricks.

Rain waited outside the gates while Pepito entered inside to inform the village head of the waiting visitor. Pepito narrated to Dammy Kunga the entire sequence of events that had taken place until now and a short while later, the village head came outside to greet Rain himself.

The man looked young, like he was maybe in his late twenties. Rain was shown the way inside the house where a lavish lunch was served up for him and Pepito. After lunch, they were served fragrant herbal tea.

Rain decided it was time to reveal the reason why he was here and was wondering how to bring up the subject when Dammy Kunga himself provided the perfect opening for it.

“So tell me what brings you here, Rain?” inquired Dammy Kunga, fingering a huge jewel studded ring on his index finger absently.

“I have come here on a Quest, actually. I am searching for a wisdom.” replied Rain, carefully sipping the hot tea.

Dammy Kunga stopped toying with his rings. He stared at Rain with a strange expression on his face, making Rain squirm in his seat, wondering if he had said something wrong.

Dammy Kunga rose silently from his seat and disappeared somewhere within the large house. Rain glanced nervously at Pepito, who looked as confused as Rain felt. Dammy Kunga returned a short while later with a large rectangular box made of ornately carved wood with ivory inlay work. Each side of the four sides of the box had a heavy lock on it. Dammy Kunga barked a few orders to his waiting servants who scurried forward and cleared the leftovers and empty tea-cups. They then placed a short glass table down before the gentlemen and left the room. Dammy Kunga placed the box on the table gently and with great care, as though it contained something very precious.

“My father gave me this box before he died and he gave me four riddles to solve along with it. Each riddle that I solve will allow me to open one of these locks. Once I have opened all the four locks I will get the gift that my father has left me.” said Dammy Kunga, looking intently at Rain.

“My father forbade me from marrying unless I had opened the box. I begged him for some sort of clue, some help. He told me this - that I will not be able to solve the riddles until the day there is rain…heavy, heavy rain. And that day, along with the rain, there will be sun. And the sun will help me solve the riddles …” he trailed off, looking at Rain’s blonde hair with its streaks of burnished gold. Rain stared back blankly for a moment and then his eyes went round as saucers.

“You … you think
I
am what your father was talking about?”

Dammy Kunga did not answer the question. He just kept looking at Rain’s hair.

“We had the stormiest night ever experienced by us last night.” He said in a low voice, almost as though he was talking to himself. “Also, for the past several days, the village soothsayer has been telling everyone about the imminent arrival of a fair haired traveler…”

“The golden traveler.” said Rain, watching Dammy Kunga’s eyes snap to his face.

“You know?” asked Dammy Kunga, looking astonished.

Rain nodded. “Yes. A little girl … I mean, I met some children this morning. They told me.” said Rain, deciding to omit the mention of Pu incase giving him this information should land her in trouble. “Are you sure, though? That I am the one everyone’s been talking about?” Rain wondered aloud, “I don’t see how -?”

“Rain,” Dammy Kunga interrupted him, “I think the solution to both of our problems lies inside this box.”

Rain thought about that for a moment.

‘What do you think?’
He asked his Geeya.

‘I think you are on the right track, Rain
.’

Rain looked at the ornately carved box in front of him and made his decision.

“Tell me the riddles,” he instructed Dammy Kunga, “and we will try to solve them one by one.”

Dammy Kunga’s features brightened.

“The first riddle goes like this – Be the person young or old, never shake a hand that’s cold.”

Rain repeated the lines in his head.

‘What do you think this means?’

‘Rain, I cannot solve a Quest for you.’

‘Can you at least tell me what to do?’

‘Yes. Listen carefully to the riddles. Take your time and think over their possible meaning. Once you feel you have the right answer, come and inform Dammy Kunga.’

Rain spoke loudly this time, addressing Dammy Kunga.

“Dammy, I will need some time to think this over. Is there any place here where I can rest? I do not have any money with me, so I would be happy if you would let me rest in a barn or a shed, if you have one.”

Dammy Kunga looked enraged.

“What a preposterous request! You are my guest now. In fact, you are willing to help me solve the riddles my father left me. The thought of putting you up in a shed! ” Dammy Kunga took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“No. you shall stay here; in my house, as my esteemed guest. Please take all the time you need and do not worry about food or lodging.”

Not one to question good fortune when it came knocking on his door, Rain happily accepted the village chief’s offer. At least this man wasn’t a lunatic like the rest of the people here. As soon as the thought had crossed his mind Rain threw a guilty look at Pepito who looked back at him and smiled encouragingly, thinking Rain was asking for his opinion on the matter and making Rain feel all the more worse for his mean thoughts. But it’s true, he protested to himself. Pepito was a nice man, yes, but also very foolish, no doubt about that.

Dammy Kunga ordered one of the servants to show Rain to a guest room and Rain stood to follow the servant. He thanked Pepito for his help and then turned to Dammy Kunga to do the same but the resolute expression on the latter’s face warned Rain that this act of his would only add insult to injury. He, therefore, quietly followed the servant to his room.

*****

Rain spent almost the entire night lying awake and pondering over the meaning of the riddle. Despite the lack of adequate sleep he woke up early the next morning and headed towards the dining hall, where Dammy Kunga was already present and waiting for him. He was sitting in front of the wooden box, toying with the many rings on his fingers. On seeing Rain approach the chief rose to greet him with a broad smile on his face.

“I have been waiting for you, my friend.” said Dammy, taking Rain’s hands in a warm handshake. “Did you have good night’s sleep?”

“I did.” lied Rain. “And you?”

“Oh, it was as usual, but do not worry about me. Since you are my guest, it is my work to see to your utmost comfort. Now then, any luck yet with the first riddle?”

Rain sat down on the opposite side of the box, facing Dammy Kunga.

“I am not perfectly sure but Dammy, I think I understand what your father meant by those words … ‘be the person young or old, never shake a hand that’s cold’…”

Dammy Kunga leaned forward eagerly.

“Let’s hear it, then.”

“I think what your father was trying to tell you, is never to enter into an agreement of any sort with a person who is a coward. Such people will be there when the times are good, but will be the first to abandon you at the smallest sign of trouble.”

No sooner had Rain finished his sentence than one of the locks on the box snapped open and fell to the ground.

Rain and Dammy Kunga looked first at the open lock and then at each other in amazement.

“I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Dammy. “That’s what it actually means! Wonderful! Wonderful! Let us not waste another precious moment. This is the second riddle – ‘Cover your head with a pack of ice, in order to make a decision wise.’”