We will come
We will come
A jeep sped past, kicking up dust. “This is our powder jeep,” said the shopkeeper standing at the Sangam Market junction, his face beaming with pride.
“If you saw a jeep before, would you be here at the road? Now, I am showing my hand with joy. When Sellathurai starts telling stories, it is as interesting as watching a play or a movie. Many times, it also becomes an explanation of the news from the daily newspaper that is always in your hand.
Sellathurai, who is sixty years old, came to Kilinochchi from the island thirty-five years ago to settle down. It is not surprising that the flowing Kilinochchi with the flowing water of Iranaimadu gave Sellathurai, who had grown onions and tobacco in the dry soil of the island.
Sellathurai, who came to this land in search of a job, made his own land and settled here with his family. That is probably why he often says, “Hey, I am the one who created Kilinochchi!” with his fist raised proudly.
Seeing Balasundaram Vathiyar who was coming from afar, Murugesu nervously said, “Brother, Vathiyar has come.”
Sellathurai looked up and said, “Hmm… you’re being crazy…” and dragged on.
Murugesu’s face was filled with hatred.
“All these people have a job, a principal’s title, and you are ruining yourself and making the school a small wall.”
Sellathurai let out a long sigh, “Hmm… men and women, children are like dead shells, and this is what a man is!”
“Do you lose your self-respect by holding on to that?”
“It’s true… those who are affected by injustice are the ones who stand there worrying. They don’t even think about finding a way to end injustice.”
These words must have made some kind of impression on Murugesu’s mind. His face suddenly turned black and clear. “Sellathurai, are you going to stab me because I refused to come for auxiliary training?”
Sellathurai smiled softly, “Even if we are afraid and intimidated, the enemy will still be a nuisance. But if we also stand with our children, we will be stronger!”
“If anything happens to me, will you look after my little child?”, Murugesu asked a little angrily.
Sellathurai said with a faint smile. “Now the little children are looking at us. They should have run away from the jeep like before.”
To Murugesu, Sellathurai’s every word seemed to be teasing him. Slowly, a hint of anger spread over his face.
“Let another three months pass and see if your son comes back or not?”
“Why isn’t it time yet?”
“My eldest daughter is seven months old now. I’ll carry my granddaughter by one leg and cuddle her… then I’ll be a boy.”
Sellathura could tell that these were just words born of anger. But he didn’t say anything further. The evening faded and darkness began to spread. The sounds of birds flying in the sky had died down. Bats were flying and crashing into the tree branches as if expecting some kind of terror. The environment was pitch black.
Sellathurai and his team were engaged in guard duty, their eyes scanning the pitch blackness.
These days, Sellathurai doesn’t smoke a cigar. He has even stopped hunching over the shack for hours and making political commentary. Even Murugesu is a friend who can agree with him on everything. But if he talks about joining this auxiliary force, he will slowly leave that place.
“Murugesu. He is a good man, but he is scared.”. Thus his mind stirred.
Murugesu, who was sleeping soundly that day, tired of feeding the chilies to the calf, was startled awake by the sound of a shell that had fallen and exploded somewhere nearby.
His wife Manonmani, who had already woken up and was standing in front of him, said in fear, “Army, it seems like they are hiding outside.”
People were running in a hurry along the street in front, taking whatever they could find. The sounds of shells and explosions that were nearby accelerated their run.
”Come! Come! “We’re going too,” Murugesu urged his wife anxiously.
Their desperate run only stopped when they set foot inside the grounds of the nearby village school. The school was already overflowing with displaced people.
“Manonmani! I don’t know what happened to the child and the son-in-law.” It was then that the memory of his grandson growing in his daughter’s womb came to his mind.
“Look at the crowd, I don’t know if they came before us.” Although there was a glimmer of hope in Manonmani’s words, there was a tremor in his heart. Murugesu, who had pushed down the branches of the madurai tree and peered into the dim light of the sunset, had no choice but to be worried and confused. There was not a single human being in that large crowd who could say that he had seen them.
The explosions had subsided at that moment when the east was slowly rising.
Murugesu’s mind had become even more exhausted than his eyes, which were tired from lack of sleep. “Manonmani, I’ll go and have a look. Are you coming?”
“The explosions have stopped now. “Just bear with me a little!”
Remembering to let things happen, Murugesu left the school without saying anything to his wife. Manonmani’s childishness, which had arisen, was suppressed, and she stood there watching the path he was going. Murugesu, who was walking down the street with a confused mind, saw some people walking with their boots on their shoulders in his eyes. It was only after observing them closely that he was able to see Sellathurai who was coming ahead.
Murugesu slowly approached them.
“Murugesu! What is it…?”
“Brother! I can’t see the child and the son-in-law.”
“They are coming from behind.” Sellathurai’s words poured milk into Murugesu’s stomach. “Army comes out, come in.” Our brothers stood by us, beat them, and broke up the fight! We also stood by our brothers and helped them in every way.”
Sellathurai’s face showed pride. Murugesu felt a sense of wanting to bow down to them to save his daughter, daughter-in-law, and unborn grandchild. Sellathurai continued. “You said you would come to us only after seeing your grandchild. “Which grandchild would you have spared in the night when we were armed and beaten up?”
A new light was born in Murugesu’s eyes. He looked at the gun lying on Sellathurai’s shoulder, the one lying across his shoulder, with affection. As soon as he saw the hanging cartridge belt, a kind of gun mounted on his shoulder, his chest, which had been constricted, automatically straightened up.
– Kilinochchi Moorthy
– Velicham, March 1993.
– Compiled by: Tamilarasan Abdulkadhar
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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