Saturday, June 29, 2013

The Jump












                                       It was the scariest day of my life.I was  an eleven year old girl who lived with my maternal grand parents. My parents had gone to live with my paternal grand father who  owned a big plot of land and a five acre paddy field In  the dry zone.

                                                       I was a lonely girl and I had no friends in the school or neighbourhood. So my evenings were spent alone. On those evenings  I  roamed in the land where I used to live with my parents before they left.The house needed a  repair and it was in dilapidated condition. It  needed to be thatched but nobody was interested in doing so as all my relatives knew that my parents would never return to their home town.I  felt nostalgic all the time and used to sit on the threshold of the house recollecting the happy times I spent with my two siblings and my parents.On the other times I  climbed the cashew tree, the only tree in my garden,which could be climbed by me, my only refuge, in my solitude.Then there was a well, with a  crystal clear water in it showing the shallow, sandy bottom. It was an unprotected well and there was only two coconut trunks laid to prevent you from falling into it. But you shouldn’t worry about it  as you will never drown. 
                        The land boarded the paddy field which was neglected and turned into a marsh.When I stand at the edge of my land I could see the river shinning like a silver ribbon in the midday and flowing like a whispering mermaid in the evening. I could watch it for days as I was enchanted by the beauty and serenity of the river,  and its baffling fascination brought me a solace like no other. It healed my wounded little soul, shattered by the loss of my parents and my siblings. It was a usual thing for me to run to the river bank and sit for hours observing the setting sun and the grandeur of the sky in the dusk or the cloud formation which always made my mind run wild with joy.
                                       
                  It was sometimes  my custom to observe the river across the paddy field standing by the fenced land of ours.One day when I was looking at the river I suddenly developed an irresistible urge to jump across the marsh to the river bank .It was a short distance and I think any boy or male could do it easily . I have felt the desire from time to time but this time I was fully drawn to the thought like a magnet.My whole body shook passionately as in fever and the feeling was indescribable.


                       my feet was trying to fly and the blood was warming in my legs to give me a boost for the thrilling act.I knew It was mad even to think of such a thing as I was doubtful whether I could land on the river bank so I stamped my feet hard on the ground to change my trance, but to no avail.

                          before thinking of anything else, I sensed that my body was lifted onto the air, and within a fraction of a second it was dropped into the marsh below.Even today I didn't know how it happened . I heard a splash and then I was stuck in the mud.

                 When the cold, slimy and greenish mud came to contact with my body I came to my senses and realized the gravity of the situation.  I panicked and shouted for help.but I knew that there was nobody in the hearing distance.  I thought for a while again and called the name of my next door neighbour, who was a distant relative of mine.but it was evening and definitely he would be at his work place.I observed the river bank closely to see whether there were any children playing or any other person who had come to collect his cow.no help was there. I had to find a way to save myself.

                 

                    I tried to wade the mud but there was nothing to hold onto.Even the few reed plants In the marsh were beyond my grasp and I couldn't think of a way to reach them.I tried to lift a leg to reach a reed plant but then I sank deeper into the mud.I stopped any movement and began to think. It was strange now but I have forgotten my initial fear and became  logical.


                  My only help was the reed plants so I tried to reach them again.  Each time I lifted my leg ,I sank deeper Into the mud, but finally I managed to catch a single stalk of a reed. It was not strong enough to hold my weight ,but using it as a support I held onto the next nearest reed plant of which the roots were very sturdy.

            Then half wading and half sinking I caught reeds from one to another until I crawled from the slimy mud onto the land emitting a foul smell. my frock up to my armpits were blackish brown colour and I couldn,t bear the foul smell coming from me.

       I ran to the well and began to draw a bucket of water and started scraping the mud In my frock.at the same time I looked around to see whether there were any eye witnesses who could narrate the Incident to my grand mother which definitely warrant a punishment.  It was very difficult to remove mud as it was very slimy. then I washed my hands and legs well to remove the unpleasant muddy smell from me. I crept Into the house without being seen by my grand mother and changed into a new frock.I was very quiet during the whole evening as this unexpected Incident had given me a rude shock of my life.

                      My grand mother noticed my silence and commented on it but I kept my secret to myself.Yet, the next day she had found my frock with dried mud on it and questioned me. I tried to lie but was not successful.She was furious after listening to my halting explanation with eyes streaming with tears and thrashed me well.She prohibited me to wander in the river bank  and paddy fields alone and threatened to inform the lady teacher who resided close to our house.

                                  I got scared and promised to do her bidding In the future and to behave like a good girl.I kept my promise but only for a few days.The river was my consolation for my loneliness and how could  I expect my grand mother to understand the fact? but this time I was very careful not to do my wanderings when grand mother was around. For who could bear the punishment of kneeling near the school gate for everyone to see for a whole day !



  

           


















16 comments:

  1. Boys are boys is the saying, but there are times that it needs redefining. This is one of them.

    Isn't it very dangerous to leave children unsupervised.

    River across the 'pay' field
    "Paddy" field I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those days my grand parents never thought that I needed any chaperoning as I didn'i visit other friends.The river was very close to my home and they had got used to my wanderings. (at least until then.)
    I am very impulsive in nature, even now to some extent.
    Thanks for pointing out the spelling error.

    Didn't u read my e-mail?

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    Replies
    1. I didn't get the email. Can you please resend it.

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  3. You know what..I love to sit on a river bank and watch the sun set. Unfortunately I have never got that opportunity :( I don't know why, but even the thought of such an evening makes me feel amused. So while reading your post I was thinking what a wonderful time you must have had when you were a kid. Of course you must have felt sad and lonely for obvious reasons, but the the environment in which you have grown up seems heavenly to me.

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  4. I know what you mean.I was grown up in surroundings where nature was abundant.Though I didn't feel at that time, those experiences filled me with amazingly rich and vivid memories which I could take out one by one in my later years and reflect on them and turn them into beautiful stories for you all to read.

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  5. Hi there!!! I am so glad I found my way here again to read your thoughts! I could relate to your experience of staying with your grandparents, being lonely and under strict supervision :) These days on my side of the world grandparents are no longer that strict and I wonder whether it is good or bad for the kids because kids now here seem to be hard-headed. I just loved this phrase you wrote-

    "When I stand at the edge of my land I could see the river shinning like a silver ribbon in the midday and flowing like a whispering mermaid in the evening. I could watch it for days as I was enchanted by the beauty and serenity of the river, and its baffling fascination brought me a solace like no other."

    ....and I was so relieved when I read that part where you managed to escape from the marsh...you were a brave kid! do take care always friend! Bookmarking your site now so I could always read your new post :)

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  6. Welcome back to my site.As always I am happy to read your comments as you are giving them in a completely different environment and culture to ours.Yes. of course. My grandparents were very strict but sometimes I managed to escape that supervising!
    Thank u for visiting my site. Sometimes I drop by at your group blog, Salitype Society and comment. It is a very beautiful blog.

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  7. we do need that jump sometimes, I am glad you did, and am glad you were not caught, I share similar experiences, there were times I took some exploring on myself to explore the unknown despite I may be scolded, I oftentimes get caught, but my parents would not scold me for what had happened already, instead, they would teach me how to prepare well for the circumstances and also how to gauge the safety of the place, or take more precaution next time

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    Replies
    1. Yes.You are correct. We do need to obey our impulses once in a while.But I had no idea of the consequences when I took that jump and it could have been disastrous!

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  8. Obviously you were lucky and the marsh wasn't the type that sucks people in !! There was paddy field in our village where there was a spot(එරුම) famous for its depth. One man who had been ploughing there disappeared with the two buffaloes according to the folklore ! This was of course a myth but we believed every word of the story. We really wanted to explore but never had a chance.

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  9. First of all I warmly welcome you to this blog.
    You may be right.but I still remember, I sank deeper with the every step I took in the mud.Naturally children are drawn to mystery and horror.I could imagine how you longed to unearth the human bones from the paddy field becoming a hero among your friends.

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  10. I wonder that if i could spend my childhood in Sri lanka.......

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    Replies
    1. If you didn't grow up in Sri Lanka, where were you born?

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    2. If you didn't grow up in Sri Lanka, where were you born?

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    3. I born in Sri lanka but i brought up in UAE. Every year i've been there only one Month. That month memory helping me to spend another 11 month with hope. :D

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    4. Wherever u are, you never forget your motherland.One day you will be able to live permanently in Sri Lanka.

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