Ashwika
One by one the players were called and they entered the field, the crowd cheered but also distracted the players. So far, no one has hit the pot on time and I feel bored. I get the staff from Siva and start playing with it.
"Maa, paathu ma, adi paatuda pothu, ithula romba valikum," (Maa, be careful while playing with the staff, it will hurt a lot if you get hit by hit), Siva says with a concern in his voice and just keep looking at him.
Even in the state of being blindfolded he is very much caring but other employees in the office are scared of him. I still don't understand whether I haven't seen that aggressive side of him or they haven't seen the caring side of him.
He searches for me addressing me as Maa and I really like it. All my life, everyone has called me by my name or addressed me as Thangachi (younger sister).
He is the only one who is addressing me in this way and everytime when he calls me with that name something happens inside me.
"Maa, reply pannu, maa, irukiya ah?" (Maa, please reply, maa, Are you there?)
"Haan iruken," (Yeah, I'm here only).
"Amma unga veetla unga amma eppadi ma pesuranga" (Amma, in your house how your mother is speaking with you?) Siva asks by massaging his throat.
"En?" (Why?)
"Romba katha vaikuriye maa, athan keten. Seri antha silambatha kodu" (You are making me scream a lot, that's why I asked so. OK give me that staff) I give him the staff and he checks it by trying to bend it and moving his hand up and down.
Then suddenly he yells in pain and I ask him, "Ena achu?" (What happened?)
"Kooru etho kutiduchu pola," (Some sharp wooden piece has poked) he replies and judders his hand.
"Kuchi seri illa" (The staff is not good), I announce and check his wound.
"Ratham varutha paaru?" He asks me to check whether it's bleeding. I deny and try to smoothen over the place. He suffers in pain and once again confirms whether it's bleeding or is there any swelling.
I try to rub over the place and smoothen his pain but Rakesh Anna announces that it's Siva's turn to play, "Aduthathaaga kalathil eranga poorathu, namma Thalaivan athavatthu Thalaimai Nirvaga Athikari, Siva."
Siva judders his hand a few more times, before requesting me to guide him properly and leaves, "Maa, paathu ozhunga guide panidumaa."
The moment he steps into the ground, he bends down, touches the ground, his chest, then kisses his fingers to get the blessings of the mother earth and enters the play field.
A couple of employees from the organising committee goes near Siva and spins him to make him face a different direction from the pot. Now, Siva is facing west while the pot is hanging in the north direction.
I scream for him to turn to his right but my voice gets mingled among the other crowd who asks him to go on his left or straight. I screamed for my capacity but my voice couldn't reach him. I stamp my right foot in frustration and he stops in his tracks.
He stays put for a few seconds and then turns to his right facing north and I look at him shockingly.
Did he hear my voice?
I again scream for him to move towards his right as he is not in line with the pot, again my voice couldn't reach him. But this time he doesn't move anywhere and stands in the same spot with his head cocked a little to his right.
Why is he not moving?
The countdown timer is ticking and there are only ninety-five seconds left. I need to come up with a quick solution, I should not be the reason for his failure.
Yosi Ashwi seeikiram (Think quickly Ashwi)
Wait wait wait. When did he turn in the correct direction?
I tried to recollect what happened quickly and realised that he turned in the correct direction when I stomped my foot in frustration.For once I tried by screaming but he didn't move, so I stomped my foot again and now he moved a little to his right.
He must have heard the tingling of my anklet but I'm not sure how he was able to hear that sound in the noise. I leave a quick prayer, thanking god and when I'm about to stomp my foot on the ground again, a thought crosses my mind.
What if others find out the code and try to stop me? There is only one minute left, think of something quickly, Ashwi.
I start screaming and jump in my spot, so that everyone will think that I'm jumping in joy as Siva was able to listen to my instructions to move in the right direction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Siva
Now I understand why others were unable to achieve the target on time.
Siva, ithu project illa game. (Siva, this is not a project, it's a game)
Now I understand why others were unable to hit the pot on time. With the blindfold it was already pitch black and now after being spinned, I feel a slight giddiness. There are a lot of voices coming from all sides and it's very difficult to recognise Ashwika's voice.
This is what I was afraid of, her being unable to help me. I don't want to lose and I don't want her to feel sad about it.
So, I decided to try my level best and take a few steps forward as this direction is the majority of voices directing me, in the hope of hearing Ashwika's voice soon. Suddenly, I hear an anklet tinkling sound and I stop in my tracks. It's not just any anklet's sound, it's the sound of Ashwika's anklet. It's the very sound that I heard when she hopped to tie my blindfold earlier.
From the spot where I'm standing, I heard the sound from my southwest direction. It means I'm further away on the left of the pot and I need to turn to my right side. I turn and sharpen my hearing capability concentrating to hear her voice or her anklet tinkling sound. After a few seconds, I heard her anket tinkling sound but still not her voice. I trust my instincts and move a little more to my right as I hear the sound from behind me.
Again voices trying to distract me but nothing for a couple of seconds, until I hear her anklet's tinkling sound. This time it replicates the sound when she hopped, then she must be jumping on her spot.
Then she must have found out how I turned and moved in the correct direction.
I feel the assurance that I'm moving properly and move to my right in sideways, until the sound of her jumping stops. Before I could wonder in which direction I should move, I heard her anklet's sound again but this time it felt like she's running around. The sound moves further right and then closer.
Should I run too? Ena maa kozhapura (What maa you are confusing me)
The sound of her Anklets stopped when it is inline to my right side, and resumed with the sound of her jumping at the same spot a couple of times before moving a little north. I don't know how long it is left for me to reach the pot but I need to think immediately and move as per her instructions
When I was facing to my left everyone was directing me to move straight but now everyone is shouting for me to move to my left or right. Also, Ashwika was jumping until I reached the spot where I'm standing now and started running. Now I hear her from my right, which means the pot is hanging straight in front of me.
I take a step forward and I hear the anket tinkling sound of her moving forward and jumping at a spot, I take a step and she repeats the same. I get the confidence that I'm moving towards the hanging pot, I increase my pace and she moves fast without stopping until she starts jumping again.
I guessed that I have reached the correct spot and now all I need to do is hit the pot. I raise the staff and sway it in the air but I just get the whacking sound of the staff meeting the air. I try again and fail, I still hear the sound of her anklet to my right and now I can hear many cheering for me.
Then why am I unable to hit the pot?
I raise my face and try once again and miss the pot. Rakesh announces there is only twenty seconds left for me to hit the pot and starts the countdown.
Think soon Siva, you cannot lose after reaching here. You cannot let Ashwika's effort go in vain.
I feel the sun dancing on my face and realise they are lifting the pot up and down making it difficult for the player to hit the pot. With persistence, I plant the staff on the ground, lift my leg backwards, collect my Dhoti, fold and tie for it to fall until my knee.
There are only seven seconds left and I pluck the staff from the ground and raise it well above my head, jump to my capacity and sway the staff in the air. This time it hits pot with a clanking sound and when I land on the ground I feel a lot of flowers falling on me
I hear the sound of applause, Rakesh announcing that I have hit on the pot at right time and also being raised off the ground. I remove the blindfold and look around at everyone, Rakesh requests others to set me on the ground as there are a couple of teams to play yet and based on the time and hitting the pot the final result will be announced.
I look at the direction from where I heard Ashwika and find her bend and heaving for breath. I rushed towards her and held her by her elbows, "Ennama aachu?" (What happened?).
"Onnum illa, ooditu kuthichitu irunthen athan konjam tired aagiten." (Nothing, all the running around, jumping made me tired, that's it), she replied and smiled back at me. I look closely at her and realise her skin colour has darkened more than before.
Delaying more is not going to help her, "Vaa namma doctor kita polam, en friend oda wife dermatologist thaan." (Come, let's go to the doctor, my friend's wife is a dermatologist).
"Result announcement.." She drags initially but agrees when I explain to her that even if the results are announced the prizes distribution is only in the evening. "Bag and mobile ellam mela office la iruku," (I need to get my bag and mobile from the office).
"Seri va eduthu poolam," (OK, let's take it and leave), I accompany her to the power house, in spite of her disapproval as I feel she is a little weak now.
Once we reach the power house and while she is retrieving her bag from her locker, I get a thought of feeding her with some coffee.
The phone on her table rings and she attends it. I signal her that I'll be in the refreshment area and go to make her a coffee. She follows me within a minute but looks confused. I asked her who was on the call and she replied it was a blank call, still being confused.
"How much sugar?" I asked her and she is still lost in her thoughts. I shake her to trance out of her thoughts and she asks, "Enathu?" (What?).
"Coffee la nee evlo spoon sugar pootu sapduva?" (How much sugar do you take in your coffee?) I asks her and turn to my front to continue making her coffee.
"Neenga enaka coffee podureenga?" (Are you making coffee for me?)
"Ama, oru spoon podava?" (Yeah!! Shall I add one spoon of sugar?) I ask her and say yes.
I add the sugar and mix the coffee powder and sugar well before adding milk to it when she comes to my left and asks me, "Neenga eppadi evlo cute ah irukeenga?" (How can you be so cute?).
She is the cutest and she is asking me about it.
I revert the compliment back to her, "Naana illai neeya?"
She blushes and asks me, "Unmailaye na cute ah iruken ah?" (Do I really look cute?)
"Ama" I assure her.
"Enaku ithu poothum Enaku ithu poothum" (This is enough for me, what else I need?) She becomes more happy and I hand over the coffee mug to her. I hear the phone ringing and I ask her to finish her coffee and I leave to attend the call.
I picked up the call and even before I could greet with a hello, the person on the other side started saying "Eppadi da, antha moonja paathu manasatchi ye illama cute ah iruku nu sonna?" (How were you able to say she looks cute with that face of hers?)
I froze for a moment, who would have known what we both spoke in the refreshment area just a few seconds ago.
"Who is this?" I asked the person.
"Un peru Sivan nu kelvi patten, en peru kooda unaku rhyming thaan irukum, Yeman." (I have heard your name is Siva and my name will rhyme with yours, Yema) saying this he cuts the call.
I place the receiver down and Ashwika comes out of my refreshment area asking who was on the call and I lie saying it's a new recruit called regarding a doubt. She nods her head and I ask her shall we leave, she agrees and walks in front of me.
Yeman which means, it's The Devil.