BEAUTY OF INNOCENCE

Putting on a light dress, Bernard stepped to the balcony and looked at the gloomy sky. Lightning was in progress creating various designs. The soft rustling of leaves had become a thing in the past. The wind blew across the valley with no disturbance. The entire view, which he enjoyed earlier, looked like a dessert. The rain drops kissed the earth with no obstacles and he could see the fertile soil being washed away mercilessly.

The piano forte Bernard heard from the below was one of his favorites. Though it was not that much perfect to that of Sandra's playing, it made Bernard move to the second floor within a few minutes.

Bernard observed Nandana Menike's obsession in that piano forte, and her improvements in both rhythm and timing. The dark blue frock, which was bought a couple of weeks ago, was an ideal match for her. Her hands and legs moved rhythmically creating an eternal impression of what beauty was. Bernard quietly changed his posture to be more comfortable. He picked up the white queen from the chess board, which was on the stool in front of him, and swayed it according to the tempo being played.

"Hamu…" In a low voice, Periyavar murmured.

Bernard was fully engrossed in the piano forte and he looked like a hermit in a state of deep meditation exercise. He was not aware of anything around except music. Though Periyavar stood close to him, Bernard couldn't feel or sense his presence.

However, after a few minutes, a smell penetrated through his nose and disturbed his pensive mood. He opened his eyes to see what it was. Then only he realized that Periyavar had brought the bite. He gestured Periyavar to keep it on the stool. Nandana Menike instinctively turned her head towards Bernard, sensing the difference. She cast a shy smile in his direction. Some of her stubborn locks of hair covered half of her face when she turned in that way.

"Why did you stop…? Continue…"

"Still can't play properly… Need to practice more…" She said with an apologetic smile.

"There isn't a big difference… How did you know that song…?" Bernard knew that she didn't have an exposure to be familiar with English songs.

"Sandra Hamu taught me… I often listened to it through this… Nandana Menike pointed out the CD player, which had become a good music teacher for her.

Bernard deduced that Nandana Menike had an inborn talent to play musical instruments. In the meantime, her eyes turned to the white queen Bernard were having in his hand.

"Hamu Nona taught me that game too."

"Chess…?"

Sandra was very interested in Chess. She was a very good chess player. She had been the leader of the school chess team and had represented school for many tournaments at divisional, district and provincial levels bringing credit to her school. She had taught the basics of chess to Nandana Menike.

"Can you play with e then…?"

Nandana Menike felt rather uneasy and tried to decline the invitation. She looked at Periyavar as well, being in a world of dilemma. Periyavar's gestures tempted her to accept the invitation.

"Still don't know how to play it… but like to learn it…"

"I will teach you if you make mistakes… don't worry…"

Accepting the invitation, she sat on the stool facing Bernard. Periyavar sat curling up on the floor beside Nandana Menike to see how the game was being played.

"Who are these two…?" Pointing at the knights, Bernard asked…?"

"Horses…"

He nodded his head.

"Then… these…?" Showing another two dices with similar shape, he questioned.

"Castles…"

"Hmmmm… Castles… The horse head shaped dices are called 'knights'… These are called 'soldiers'…. Ok… how do we play this game…?"

"The king on your side should be captured by the people from my side…" Recalling what Sandra had taught her, she replied.

"Protecting the king of your side is the game… These dices move in different ways…"

Bernard explained rules of the game little by little enabling her to remember how Sandra had coached her.

"The king and queen… Wonderful game…! It's just like Raja Hamu and Nona Hamu… She always protected Raja Hamu…" Periyavar, hitherto listening to the rules of the game, opened his mouth, thinking that time to be the most appropriate to switch on to the topic he and Nandana Menike had planned. Bernard looked at Periyavar.

"Such a loving couple, I have never seen in my life… Just like a needle and thread… Actually, Nona Hamu was the shadow of Raja Hamu…"

"You remember my mum…?"

"Why not…? At that time, I was just twenty plus. You were at the college in Colombo… Your mother… our Loku Hamu Nona passed away just one month after you entered the college…" There was a sad tone blended with a sense of respect in his expression.

"What happened to her actually…?" Nandana Menike asked Periyavar, placing a dice on the chess board.

"She had high blood pressure… All of a sudden, there was a rapture of a blood vessel… She had died of it… The post mortem too revealed it…" Bernard told in a low voice.

While playing chess, Bernard recollected the past memories of his beloved parents. Even though the bite had been readily waiting, his consciousness of drinking had vanished from his mind as Nandana Menike expected.

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