Monday early morning. The sun had just risen. But, it was invisible hiding behind the grey rain clouds in the morning sky. It was not raining, though. It looked like it could start raining again at any moment.
Shibly was travelling to Marudur. He was about to start a fresh new working week. He was not feeling well. This weather could make anyone lazy and sick. The sun had never shown up for the last few days.
The heavy showers and blowing wind had left behind their brutal crafts throughout Shibly’s journey to Marudur. There were fallen trees and occasional landslides of various sizes.
Shibly had no idea of Marudur-Flood. The power supply had disrupted in Shibly’s house, after the previous evening wind. His smartphone battery was dead and he was unable to plug it in for power. So he could not check any Marudur-related social media updates.
Shibly could see the normalcy of life being disrupted throughout the places on his way to Marudur. Buses were not as crowded as usual, despite it being a Monday morning. Even Vijayapura town looked unusually dull.
Shibly got off the bus near the Marudur junction. The street leading to Marudur was muddy. The water had stagnated from place to place. It was not easy to walk without his well-ironed trousers and polished shoes getting dirt.
The scene of the previous day’s disaster was well-evident when Shibly arrived at the Marudur Bazar. All the shops were filled with muddy soil and sand. Nothing much could have been rescued. Those small shop-owners had become practically bankrupt overnight.
Many people were helping the shop owners to clean their shops.
Thajudeen Nana, the tea-store owner, saw Shibly in the street, and told him, “Master, you are coming? I have never seen a flood like this before, master. All the shops and houses were completely washed away. No one expected it”.
Shibly could not easily digest the harshness of the scene.
It was doubtlessly a heavy disaster. Shibly could clearly witness that the flood had attacked the slum area in Marudur, where poor-dwellers predominantly reside.
“I didn’t know there was a flood here. It seems there could be huge damage…?”, said Shibly.
“Very huge damage, master. Very huge loss. Almost everything in the slum was destroyed. Nothing left. Everyone now stays in the school,” said Thajudeen Nana with a sorrow-filled tear, “it looked like it will rain again. If it will, there could be another flood. May God save us”.
Shibly walked towards the direction of the school, uttering a few comforting words. He needed comforting words for himself. This was not the scene Minhaj expected to witness this morning.
The school was full of people, including elders, patients, children and women.
There was a team of volunteers. Hamzi was among them.
Hamzi saw Shibly and walked towards him.
“Hello bro, you are back? I did not expect you to come today,” said Hamzi with a smile.
Shibly smiled awkwardly. This was not the scene he ever expected. He did not know what to talk to Hamzi about.
“I didn’t know there was a flood. I just came here as usual”.
“It was a terrible flood, bro. Your area was not affected?”
“Usually, my village gets affected. But, not this time”.
“You are lucky, bro. If not, today morning you also would be bankrupt,” laughed Hamzi loudly.
Shibly could not ascertain whether it was appropriate to smile in that atmosphere.
“I was just joking, bro,” Hamzi tapped Shibly on the back.
Shibly smiled.
“My father could not be contacted from last evening. That’s what I was worried about,” said Hamzi.
“What? Where is he?”
“I wasn’t home last evening. Yesterday my father had gone outside after it started flooding. He did not return”.
Shibly was terrified. This did not sound normal, though Hamzi attempted to pose his usual charming nature.
“Did you search anywhere? I mean, nothing to worry about, but, not-getting home for a whole night doesn’t sound normal, does it?”
“He usually works until late at night, for community work. Sometimes he comes home only after midnight. So, we didn’t worry about”.
“Was he working with anyone outside, I mean with Mr. Shareek or someone else?”
“That’s the problem. Mr. Shareek has no idea. He hasn’t met my father”.
It was alarming. Something was terribly wrong there. Mr. Shareek would be the first person the principal would contact when it comes to his community work. But, Mr Shareek was not contacted. Then, where is he?
The principal is apparently missing. Shibly could see the nervousness in Hamzi’s face as well. Usually charming, the playful young man was unable to hide his worries.
“I came home from Colombo late last night. I just slept exhaustively. I did not take it seriously even when my mother woke me up”.
Shibly was thinking. It was flooding the previous evening, before more than fourteen hours. If the principal is missing for all this time, something must be done about it.
“We have to do something, Hamzi. What to do?”
“Mr Shareek will come now. I am waiting for him. We are going to lodge a police complaint first”.
An Indian motorbike came and stopped.
Mr Shareek was on it.
Hamzi got on the bike, and it left.
Shibly was standing there staring at the moving motorcycle. His heart was pounding fast.
((To be continued))
_ _ _ _
Next chapter: chapter 23 (2) - the cousin brother and elder brother
Previous chapter: chapter 22 (3) - a grave mistake
* Characters, events and the places in this story are fictional and a mere product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real-world events or characters is merely coincidental.
** Vijayapura and Marudur are fictional places.
Riza Jaufer
Akurana -Kandy,
Sri Lanka
