'' Clang, clang, clang!'' The rattling sound of kerosene tin came again from the roof. The fear that the roof will get detached from the house came over and over again. With the help of the dim light coming from a kerosene lamp Kaley's mother and father watched watch the roof of the house. The small raindrops were looking like sweats in the black roof.
"How strong is the wind in this hill. It blows hard" said Kaley's mother, when the sound of tin rattling got a little better and then she started to lit up the fire.
Kaley's father added "It doesn't stop. It has been one week already". He had barely finished speaking when the rain again got more strong. They are always afraid of landslides in the area, and think themselves as fools to come and live here. Again, the storm grow heavier and the tin roof started to clang. They could not hear the sound of single drop as the continuous sound of heavy rain filled the room. They got more afraid now as they think the landslide will wash away their house and land and their domestic animals and everything and they will be buried under the landslide.
They were feeling that their house is sliding down by the force and effect of the heavy rain. They cried for their life to God.
"Hey Mahakal! Our savior! Please protect us". The wind was so powerful that the bed which was hold against the wall all the time has moved and the selves was barging against the wall. Kaley was sleeping holding his sister.
Now, they start fighting.
"It was you! Because of you we built the house here" Kaley's father became angry. "I could've worked as a police officer in the town., enjoying living in the building. We would have been perfect family with perfect life. We did not had to worry about all these." Wife became silent. He further added "You have a become a powerful landowner. Now stay happy and eat good foods".
"Go and sleep peacefully. In this month of July, rain are always like this. Its always the same every year. What can we do if our death has came. If we have to die, we will".
"You've come to search for death and now you're getting it". The rain calmed down a little. Mother made some tea. As he was drinking the tea, he asked "what time do you think it is now?"
"Who knows? Maybe 11 or 12 o'clock?" She said and sighed.
"Do you think it will end now?" He asked.
"It should...". He finished his tea and stood up. Without knowing, he kicked the pot filled with rainwater and the water splashed all over the floor. "Are you blind? Are you not seeing anything?" said she and spread a sack in the place. Without saying anything he opened the door. He listened to the sounds from darkness. It feels like thunderous rustling sound of river flowing was trembling the whole hill. He imagined the river is washing up the trees and it has become dirty and yellowish from the mud of landslide. It was so dark that he couldn't even see his own hands.
"Bring a torch" he shouted from outside. Mother bring an old torchlight from under a pillow and gave it to him. "The roof of the cow shed had also been blown away". He got down from the house. Kaley's mother followed him. Their cow also got up and it's back was soaked with water. He collected the piece of sheets and climbed up the roof. He placed the tin sheets there and hold them with rocks. She gave him a sharp rock. He said "go now. It's raining again. I'll feed the cow and come".
"Let's go together now".
"Then feed it some grass. I will finish up here...oh wait! Hold the torch for me for sometime. I'm about to finish, wait wait!" She was drenched and wet but she waited for her husband. He came down. They fed the cow and went back. Again the rain grow louder and powerful. They looked like beggars of some play after they changed their clothes. The began to warm themselves up by the warmth of fire. "Is there some tea left?" asked the father.
"Don't you want to sleep now?"
"Just make some tea for me and then sleep".
She took out a black kettle and a mugful of water into it. "Just fill it" he said and she did. Kaley's father got up. Then he looked around the floor to tie to a pole of the room and saw a milestone. "Bring that to me".
"Why?"
"The wind is very strong. Don't you know what do this do?" Not saying anything she started pulling the milestone and place it near to his feet. He was satisfied and felt better after he tied the rope around the milestone. Mother sprinkled some tea leaves dust in tea and went to sleep. Kaley's father was deep in his thoughts when the tea boiled out and started to fall in the fire. He came out of his deep thoughts. While he was making tea, something fell in the roof. It was like some tip of tree or some heavy thing. Without blowing the lamp, he went to bed.
Many thoughts came to his mind. His agricultural land and works, about the flowers in his garden and all. He decided to make a drainage down from Bhimsanpati grove above the house.
After sometime, he woke up. It seems the house was going to blow away with wind and rain. The storm roared. He went to wake up his wife.
"It's like the real storm has begun. What shall we do?"
Before she was able to answer his question, a loud and thunderous noise strike their ears and the ground also shook. " What happened? Get up! Get up!" he said. He opened the door. Kaley's mother came and stood behind him. When they looked carefully with the help of the torch, they saw that the whole slope got slid away. Then a mulberry tree slowly tilted and fell down in the landslip. "Now what will you do?" Kaley's mother started crying in terror.
"Go and wake up the childrens" he replied with loud voice. She went to do so. Then he switched off the torch, stood there and looked. He saw a dim light of hope. Dawn was beginning to break somewhere between storm and rain. Sensing a sign if relief, a big rooster flapped it's wings and cried, "Kukhuriiii ka!! Kukhuriiii ka-a-a-a-aaa!"
In the morning, while she was going to the market with a utensil full of milk in her soulder, father shouted "don't forget to buy some nails. I'll have to spend whole day here" while working in his yard, while draining the flood.
"It's raining heavily. Kaley, will not go to school today", she went up to the hill. At one place, a piece of land had collapsed and blocked the way. Today she met no one who she always meet on the path at that time. After one and half an hour, she arrived at Moktan babu's house. As she was pouring the milk, the babuni or mistress of the house shows some kindness and invited to have some tea before she leave.
She closed her umbrella and went inside. There was a short conversation between them about the storm from last night. Kaley's mother poured all her sadness and stress in her story and told the mistress about last night. The mistress said "we have an easy life here". "Our roof leaked and ruined our clothes and books and now the power is shut off". Kaley's mother again explained her situation and went elsewhere to deliver milk elsewhere.
Now that they are suffering, she thought they gained nothing working on land. They were more comfortable and happy in town. She thought of the monthly salary, the kid's schooling. She doesn't had to suffer, soaked in water, about good streets and no fear of storm and landslides. She was in a bad condition ever since they took the land. Her body was in a worse stage and was ragged. They can't even travel anywhere far for a day. She thinks she just have to work on the land till the day she die.
Thinking of the food she eats, the clothes she wear she felt ashamed of herself infront of the people. Just like yesterday's storm, a huge storm of angry thoughts raged in her mind. She arrived at the house of a man who works at a police station. She knocked the door and called, "milk!" A girl wearing pajamas came out to collect it. As she was pouring the milk a women from inside the house shouted "bring extra three liters of good milk tomorrow to make porridge". She shouted back, " tell her I can't. It's so hard to deliver after that storm. I might even not able to come tomorrow. Try somewhere else". The women came out of the house and said "bring the milk yourself. How am I supposed to go out in this weather? It's Dipak's birthday".
"I can't" she said in a tired manner. She scanned the mistress from head to toe. Her clean clothes, clear and white face, her hands were soft and nice. Her husband is happy. Bed and sofas full of house, and her cupboards full of sarees. She doesn't have to touch mud and soil of clean the cow dung and doesn't have to be afraid of weather. "There is not enough milk. If the weather keep being like this tomorrow also, I won't come".
"Are you expecting us to drink our tea without milk all day? What are you talking about? Bring us the milk! I don't care about the weather".
Kaley's mother went down to the market without saying a word. While walking in the road, she muttered to herself, "oh! its so hard living like this. Frightened of storms and landslides, day and night, living our life by working on a two acres of land twice a year. Now I'm going to sell both of the cows, and heifers. I will sell the whole at once if I get a good price. I'm going to sell the land too. The tin and wood from the house and cow shed. I'm gonna take a small room in the town, for 5 or 6 rupees. I will sell vegetables in the market just like Thuley's mother. Kaley's father knows carpentry or else he could easily get work as a watchman. I will be able to raise two children far more easily Now I'm not going to live in that place any more..."
She felt better after deciding this. She no longer cared about getting soaked in rain and her acne in her legs also disappeared. In a good mood, she entered a food store. She bought two annas of peas and chickpeas, and put them in her bag. The tailor's wife was also shopping there, so Kaley's mother asked
"Is there any rooms available near yours's sister?"
"No there aren't. Why sister? Did landslide occur in your area?"
"No I'm seeing a house in town area. Not too far from water supply and sanitation area, I'm searching a room for not more than 10 or 15 rupees".
"There is a room with two rupees of charge for power and it's twelve rupees in total" said the thin wife of the tailor. "There was a man renting it but he's left. I will let you know tomorrow sister".
"Then I will come to see you tomorrow at this time only". She opened her umbrella and headed to malgodam. Now she had to deliver the milk to two places before she went home. She arrived on BB Gurung's verandah. There were many people in the house since morning. A few of them stood outside, gossiping under umbrellas. Kaley's mother went to back door to deliver the milk. She didn't knew what's going on. Something had happened either to wife or to husband. There were no children. The fat wife roam around the house all day long clacking her wooden sandals. Her cat name was Nini. She went to the market and all over the town carrying her white cat. Her husband owned a dry cleaning shop on the Laden-la road.
"Why are all these people here? What happened?" asked Kaley's mother to the women who came to collect milk.
"Nini's mother fell last night. She is unconscious."
"Where did she fell?"
She had locked her cat outside in the rain last night. It must have cried and cried but due to the sound of heavy rain and storm, no one heard her. When the rain eased a little, there was a search for the cat. They looked outside and called her, but there was no response from Nini. While she was going down the hill to find her cat, Nini's mother's sandal slipped and she fell on the road. The doctor was called immediately, but he didn't came at once. The women was still unconscious.
"It's the fault of the cat. It's there! Isn't it?" said Kaley's mother pointing at the cat.
The white cat was licking it's fur and warming itself up by sitting near the fireplace. Kaley's mother didn't went anywhere and sat down on the doorstep. Soon, the husband came out in tears, claiming the women died.
"What a shame. How stupid!". Kaley's mother picked up her bag and leave. She went to watchman's house and gave the milk to the daughter and sat in the grass to talk to the watchman's wife. The watchman's wife poured her a cup of milk tea and asked, "How are things out in your place? The storm must have caused a lot of damage in your area. It must have damaged everything". Kaley's mother didn't said anything. Watchmen's went on " There is nothing to be afraid in the town but I know how hard it is in the villages. That's why my father moved to the town..".
Kaley's mother replied," Oh! disasters happens everywhere. Yeah the storm did some damage, but we will make it alright again. It's not an impossible task to do. I have my house, cows in the cowshed. My land with 30 or 40 bamboo trees, fig trees and fruit trees too. The cucumber veins stretch up to the sky. How much damage can a storm really do after all? I must go and get started to my work now". She gulped down the hot tea and hurried off to the market to buy nails Kaley's father had asked.
"Its getting late. Kaley's father will be angry" she said to herself.
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