BEAUTY OF INNOCENCE

Bernard was awakened by a warm sigh against his face. He opened his eyes thinking of Nandana Menike's presence beside him. Yet, to his dismay, he found Rover was trying to lick his face wagging its tail.

"Periyavar… Periyavar…!" Calling out his servant, he went down, thinking that by that time he would have returned.

Nobody was to be seen. There was convincing evidence that Rover had eaten nothing the previous night. He took Rover and left the bungalow by his Volkswagen to inquire about Nandana Menike and Periyavar. Though he asked some people who were watching the rising water level, he couldn't gather any clue about them. Until dusk, he went on looking for them and as the last resort; he decided to go to Ulhitiya to meet Kapilasena on the following day.

The water that gushed out from Guru Oya and the rivers, due to the incessant rain, the water level had gone up a few feet within a short period of time.

He could see some people had gathered at the boarder of the reservoir and he became rather inquisitive. Since there were a couple of policemen, his curiosity doubled and trebled. The Volkswagen moved towards the small crowd. Rover became rather uncontrollable trying to communicate something.

"What's the problem over there…?" Slowing down the vehicle, he asked one of the passers-by. Rover jumped out of the car and ran towards the crowd.

"A dead body washed ashore…"

"A dead body…!" The words sent a chill down his spine. He got down the car and walked towards the scene.

"Is that your dog…?" A policeman asked Bernard with a sharp look.

It was to get some information regarding the dead body washed ashore.

He nodded his head implying the ownership. The upper part of the body had been covered with thick polythene while the legs are being exposed. Bernard at once identified the dead body. It was nobody else's, but his faithful servant Periyavar's. He looked around to ascertain whether Nandana Menike was among the crowd. He felt like his heart burning with inexpressible pain. He very carefully answered the questions in the questionnaire raised by the policemen.

The postmortem revealed that the cause of death was by drowning. All funeral arrangements were accomplished by Bernard sans the participation of any relatives of Periyavar. The remains were taken from the police hospital to the burial round and last respect was paid. Periyavar's last journey ended up under such tragic circumstances.

The thought of being responsible for Periyavar's untimely death killed Bernard alive from time to time. After everything was over, Bernard came back to the bungalow and embraced his inanimate companion to forget all his worries. Yet, he could not get the solace he expected from it, for, mental image of Periyavar started haunting in Bernard's mind. – Periyavar, with tearful eyes, was trying to say something to Bernard. Nandana Menike being drowned up to her neck got to the bank and moved away without even sparing a glance at Bernard.

Being immersed in such a nonsensical world, he took the legless doll, which he found from the old house of Koinmenika, and pointing his finger at it, he muttered something incomprehensible.

With his unusual enigmatic behavior, he spent two days without any food. Instead, he went on drinking to erase all the unpleasant nightmares. Luckily, the Village Officer and another Project Officer paid a visit, which turned out to be a great source of assistance. Bernard, even though he was not conscious properly, he found out a way out to understand the true nature of the situation from the chat he had with the visitors. The officers emphatically reminded him to move to a safer place with all his belongings, as in another few weeks' time the area was supposed to go underwater including two thirds of the bungalow. The Rover was lying in a corner as he had no strength to bark at the strangers for being in hunger for three days at a stretch. Soon after the visitors left the bungalow, He took Rover and drove to the nearest town to feed his faithful pet. Rover showed reluctance to eat anything as it knew that his master also was in hunger as the pet was. He felt the hunger in his stomach and ordered something to eat. He got into the car and thought of a plan to keep his pet at a safer place as he had decided to visit Ulhitiya the following day to inquire about Kapilasena and Nandana Menike.

HE straightly went to meet Naranpanawa Ananda Thero, who had very close contacts with Bernard's Family for a long time. Respectfully, he explained the needful at that crucial hour.

"Mr. Bernard… it's quite ok… I can keep an eye on this till you return… There's enough space in the store room… I'll keep it there… So that it can't move with the stray dogs roaming around here…"

Bernard was greatly relieved as he could attend to his affairs with a peace of mind.

Two candles provided enough light to Bernard's room in that night. Darkness pervaded all over the bungalow. He came out of his room and stepped to the balcony and looked at the scattered light in the distant highlands. They looked like the lights produced by the fire flies. The rain had ceased and the nocturnal creatures in the surrounding, in chorus, made a rhythmic cry, which resembled a monotonous lamentation to Bernard's ears.

Periyavar spent most of his time at the three tiered bungalow, which was found to be committed and dedicated to protect the respect and dignity of Weerasekara family. Nobody influenced or prompted him to do so. He had no other world except Weerasekara family, since the day he came to the bungalow as a servant at the age of ten. The acquaintances he had in his social circle in the up country, had been buried under the layers of oblivion along with the passage of time. Bernard recalled repenting the distancing of his close friends owing to his hot tempered nature. It was crystal clear that Periyavar sacrificed his life because he was ordered to go in search of Nandana Menike. He thoroughly believed that he couldn't wash his hands from that responsibility. In case, his death had occurred on his way back with Nandana Menike, even her life would have been in great trouble. The only alternative he had with him at that moment was nothing else, but going to Ulhitiya.

The flame of one of the candles died down adding more darkness to his room. Even the weather seemed to be rather hostile as it got cooler and cooler, which he could hardly bear up. Though his mind tempted him to go for a drink, he made up his mind not to, as he had already planned to go to Ulhitiya, the following morning.

Bernard lay down on his bed taking Nandana Menike's broken doll. He gently touched the cheeks of it. He found himself that he had been caught between two worlds, which he himself could not figure out. He couldn't remember how long he slept. He was awakened by the moon that peeped through the open window in the balcony. Without wasting a single second, he got up and got ready to leave for Ulhitiya. By the time the sun emerged over the range of mountains, he had passed the most difficult part of his journey. He had a cup of tea from a hotel by the road in Mahiyanganaya and proceeded from there thinking that Kapilasena and Nandana Menike would be there.

Since the doors and windows had been closed, Bernard remained in the car expecting at least somebody would come out. In the meantime, a hand tractor stopped near Bernard.

"Sir…, looking for Kapilasena brother…?"

For a moment he looked at that man quizzically and then suddenly remembered who he was.

Bernard got down from the vehicle and treated him with a smile.

"Once you came her I suppose…?" Bernard thought that his memory power was better than his. Bernard could recollect how he met that man on his previous visit.

"Yes… came to meet Kapilasena…"

"I think a couple of day ago, they went to Somawathiya and it seems that they have not yet returned…" Glancing at Kapilasena's house, that man said scattering all hopes Bernard had.

Bernard decided to walk up to the neighbor's house to inquire more about Nandana Menike as he was not satisfied with the information given by the tractor driver. Even the neighbors had no idea of Nandana Menike's presence there. What they could only remember was her previous visit with Koinmenika. Bernard was confronted with an enigmatic question. Losing all hopes, he turned back and drove home thinking of other possibilities to meet Nandana Menike. Once he decided to lodge a complaint about their disappearance. He instantly suppressed that idea and gave it up. He wondered, in case, Nandana Menike confessed to the police regarding the intimate relationship he had with her, the insult, his family had to face was enormous and inexcusable. He could not avoid the fact that their fate too could have ended up hiding in the rising water. If she had been among living beings, she should have had only one option: To go in search of Kapilasena to seek his protection.

On his way back, he went to a restaurant by the road and had a drink to suppress his disappointment. To his surprise, he noticed Rover, which had been given to the temple to look after, waiting at the gate, when he reached the bungalow.

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