3 January 2015
Another abridged translation from Malayalam original.
Another abridged translation from Malayalam original.
KILLING THE DEMONS
She came upstairs when her twin boys started making all sorts of noises to let her know they were awake. She hugged her three year olds- the Sun and Moon of her life- with pure joy, and kissed them all over. They giggled, and pulled her to the cot. 'Sit, mumma, sit here for sumtime'. They insisted. Her holidays were festive days for them. She would play with them, take them out to park, would give them an oil massage, let them play in water for a long time, and she would let them watch cartoons. Their granny never lets them watch TV. They love their granny, she tells them stories, sings for them, and teaches them how to pray to their favorite God and superhero Lord Krishna. But all the stories she used to tell them come alive only when they actually watch them on TV. After watching the childhood stories of Krishna, they would role-play, which is a lot of fun to watch. So she lets them watch it. She thought of the other day Devan climbed on top of a chair and Kannan tried to climb over him trying to take 'butter' hanging from the ceiling fan. She came to the room just in time to save them from falling and breaking their legs. If granny hears the story all three would get nicely from her, so mother and kids all kept silent about it.
'Mumma, see Krishna is dancing on Kaaliya's head', Kannan said and he started jumping on a pillow. Not to be outsmarted, Devan tried to raise a pillow with all his might saying it was Govardhana. She sat there watching the antics and laughing her head off. Their father stays at his workplace in another city and comes every weekend, and those two days the three of them take over the whole house, playing and laughing and wrestling and what not. The boys miss him on weekdays, so she tries to make up for it in every way she can.
'Mumma, now you be the Whirl wind demon', Devan started urging. The Whirlwind demon story was one of their favorites where the demon picked up a baby Krishna and took him to the sky, where Krishna killed the demon by choking him. 'OK', she said, and she took Devan in her arms and he jumped and sat on to her back. She made sounds as if she cannot carry Krishna's increasing body weight. Devan laughed and pressed his index finger on a particular spot on her throat. She felt difficulty breathing- he has observed the exact spot where Krishna in the animation presses his finger on the demon's throat. She tried to remove his hand, and then Devan caught her hands in a tight grip. Kannan was talking to himself, telling some story. Then in his absent-minded way he took the bed sheet and put on her face- 'Thus Krishna choked the demon, and the demon fell crying 'aaarghhh'' he was yelling. She tried to fight off the bed sheet covering her face, but she could not release her hands from Devan's grip and the bed sheet was getting entangled and was tightening around her face and neck. Unable to see their mother's bulging eyes and helpless face beneath the bed sheet, the little boys giggled with pure pleasure of the play.
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When her daughter who went upstairs to bring her kids had not returned after half an hour, granny listened intently. Sound of a muted cry came from top. 'Devan must have done some naughty antic, and she must have pinched him for that. This female! I have told her a hundred times not to beat up or pinch the sweet little ones. She wouldn't listen. Today I have to end it.' Talking thus to herself granny climbed the staircase, reached the upstair bed room and opened the door. There she saw her grandsons, softly crying, each pulling a hand of their mother, calling out to her to please wake up and come and play with them. She took two steps, then froze, for lying between the kids was her own daughter, forever still.
'Mumma, see Krishna is dancing on Kaaliya's head', Kannan said and he started jumping on a pillow. Not to be outsmarted, Devan tried to raise a pillow with all his might saying it was Govardhana. She sat there watching the antics and laughing her head off. Their father stays at his workplace in another city and comes every weekend, and those two days the three of them take over the whole house, playing and laughing and wrestling and what not. The boys miss him on weekdays, so she tries to make up for it in every way she can.
'Mumma, now you be the Whirl wind demon', Devan started urging. The Whirlwind demon story was one of their favorites where the demon picked up a baby Krishna and took him to the sky, where Krishna killed the demon by choking him. 'OK', she said, and she took Devan in her arms and he jumped and sat on to her back. She made sounds as if she cannot carry Krishna's increasing body weight. Devan laughed and pressed his index finger on a particular spot on her throat. She felt difficulty breathing- he has observed the exact spot where Krishna in the animation presses his finger on the demon's throat. She tried to remove his hand, and then Devan caught her hands in a tight grip. Kannan was talking to himself, telling some story. Then in his absent-minded way he took the bed sheet and put on her face- 'Thus Krishna choked the demon, and the demon fell crying 'aaarghhh'' he was yelling. She tried to fight off the bed sheet covering her face, but she could not release her hands from Devan's grip and the bed sheet was getting entangled and was tightening around her face and neck. Unable to see their mother's bulging eyes and helpless face beneath the bed sheet, the little boys giggled with pure pleasure of the play.
********************************************************************************
When her daughter who went upstairs to bring her kids had not returned after half an hour, granny listened intently. Sound of a muted cry came from top. 'Devan must have done some naughty antic, and she must have pinched him for that. This female! I have told her a hundred times not to beat up or pinch the sweet little ones. She wouldn't listen. Today I have to end it.' Talking thus to herself granny climbed the staircase, reached the upstair bed room and opened the door. There she saw her grandsons, softly crying, each pulling a hand of their mother, calling out to her to please wake up and come and play with them. She took two steps, then froze, for lying between the kids was her own daughter, forever still.
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