Be Connected - Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (macos ebook reader .TXT) 📗

something unusual.

‘Ma always expected the unexpected,’ with a chuckle she spoke to her mother.

Brimming with tears her mother looked at her.

‘I will have my prince to take me away.’ When Neena visualized her happy ride on a majestic looking white colored horse on the Chennai roads, she could not avoid smiling.

‘Don’t you feel for this’? Neena’s mother asked her curtly.

‘Why should I? He doesn’t deserve me.’ When Neena replied back, her mother shocked her with an out burst of tears and sharp words.

Neena’s mother did not realize at that time that her words would drive Neena to take the extreme step.
The next day dawned as usual. But not for Neena. She gave the ultimate shock to her mother by ending her life with a painful note.

‘Anyone can blame but not a mother.’ Neena’s note faded away with her mother’s tears.

Chapter 6

"It wont b long, b4 i get u by ma side & jst hold u, tease u, squeeze u. Tel u whtz been on my mind."

When Arun heard the song played from a mobile, he could recognize the words that he saw in the SMS message.

It was pouring heavily when they entered the bypass road that connected Chennai. As usual, he halted the bus in front of the highway restaurant.

Most of the passengers stayed inside the bus as it was raining very heavily. Only a few people got down the bus to sip their cup of coffee or tea.

The whole place looked dark and hid behind the thick screen of continuous down pour. Streaks of lightening flashed across the sky.

The loud sound of the thunder shook every one in the bus and it unheartedly woke them from their deep sleep.

With long strides, Arun ran inside the restaurant. The room was warm and comfortable.

'Hi Arun,' the man sitting at the counter wished him with a broad smile.

'Give me some coffee.' Arun sat at the corner seat and looked out.

Flash of lightening once again lit the whole sky and the current at the restaurant went out for a while. The bearer who brought his coffee lit a candle on the table.

'Hmm, I don't know how I am going to ride safely in this rain.' Slowly sipping the coffee, Arun starred at the darkness of the night. It was not something unusual for him to ride the bus during the late hours in heavy rains. But, on that day, he felt things looked unnatural and he need to be double cautious while riding the bus on the high way. It might take another one or two hours to reach Chennai. Heavy rains might not allow him to go fast and safety was more important than reaching home early.

After five minutes of heavy down pour, the rain stopped suddenly. It was drizzling and cold air swept through the empty space around the restaurant that made him shiver.

Arun could see some streaks of light floating near the lone palmyra tree that stood at the road side. Slowly the light dissolved and after a while it took the shape of a woman. The distinct outline features were visible to his naked eye. It floated slowly and moved near the place where he halted the bus.

'Come, let us go.' His colleague playfully pushed him forward and ran toward the bus. Arun could not believe his eyes for he had never come across such things during his earlier trips.

It took sometime for him to realize that it may be some spirit wandering around the numerous casuarina trees that surrounded the restaurant. The air that swished past the casuarina trees made a sound that could send a shiver down the spine.

Arun took the sacred ash that his mother gave him and smeared it across his forehead. He did not want to encounter any strange happenings on his return trip and wanted to reach home safely without any strange incidents. He would be getting married in another five days and did not want to upset his parents.

Chapter 7

Neena felt light. Yet, some heaviness bogged her soul down. For more than three months, she was away from the earthly life and most of the time was spent in prayers. After she ceased to live the earthly life she realized that only one heavenly force existed that ruled the world.

When she decided to end her life, she could not resist the force that came down to take her away. In a moment, before she could change her mind, her soul departed her body following the streaks of light that led her away from the earthly life. Neena could get a glimpse of the souls of her ancestors that guided her toward an invisible way.

Apart from prayer hours, all the departed souls had the liberty to move around their place of choice. Neena always wished to linger around Arun's house.

There was a huge banyan tree that stood at the east end corner of the street where Arun lived. Every night when the entire locality settled down in deep sleep, Neena slowly moved around the Banyan tree.

Every day Arun returned home only after 11 p.m. On that day, he came walking down the street alone. With the rustle of leaves, Neena's soul fluttered with unknown excitement. Neena's soul lingered among the thick branches of the tree.

For a while, she could not resist the deep desire to have Arun in her hold. Without flesh and bones, the fragile outlined figure like shape slowly fluttered along with the leaves on the tree. With the every swish of the late night breeze, Neena swayed from side to side.

Unlike his usual self, Arun entered the street walking slowly. The moon light brightened the place and he took small steps to enjoy the cool breeze on his face.

After a day's long work he felt smelly and wanted to take a good bath. Wiping once again his face with the hand towel, he looked at the bright moon. The shadows on the moon looked different on that day. He could not see the image of a old lady who always sat making delicious vadas. The shadow looked thick and spread across the moon.

Arun usually left his shirt unbuttoned half way through. That gave him an impressive look. The chillness of the breeze played on the folds of his shirt and sent down a shiver of pleasure.

That night looked as if embedded with some magical moments and they wished Arun to be open and wished to see them.

There were no cats seen around. Arun could hear only the sound of the leaves on the trees. Beady eyed rats and bandicoots crossed the road but they did not scare Arun.

When Arun removed the latch on the gate, Neena moved toward Arun from the tree. Her invisible hands slowly touched Arun's shoulders. The chillness of her touch did not scare him. The touch brought some soothing effect on his inner soul and it moved deep inside his sub-conscious mind.

Chapter 8

'Get away,' Arun's mother pushed open the door with a broom in her hand. Unknowingly it hit hard on Arun's shoulder.

'Ma,' Arun shouted loudly. 'What are you doing?'

'These rats are always a trouble'. His mother replied him without any reaction.

The moment the broom touched Arun's shoulder, Neena moved away from Arun. She dissolved quickly in the air and reached the huge tree at the corner of the street. She never expected such a thing to happen.

Arun came out of the shock with a jerk.

**********

The shrill kik-kik-kik call of the female koel was heard from the tree that stood at the corner of the garden. The repeated koo-Ooo song of the male koel came back as a reply from the tree in the next street. These range of calls reminded the beginning of the breeding season and these distinct calls woke up everyone in the early morning. The Asian koel birds become very vocal during their breeding season. The two syllables are repeated in rapid series, increasing in pitch.

The love song of the koel birds woke up Arun. Once he even recorded the song in his mobile and it was a perfect recital of a love song without any flaw. Sometimes, when they sing for hours together, Arun always wondered if the continuous singing would parch their throats and left them dry.

Indian koel bird is also called as the nightingale of India. The Asian koel has a long tail that measures 45 cm in length. The male koel is bluish black in color and the female koel has a brown colored upper body and white colored lower body. Even though the love song of the koel birds are loud and distinct reaching longer distances, Arun never had the chance to see a male or a female koel bird. These birds always sang beautifully hidden behind the thick leaves and branches of big trees. The loud duet would shift from one place to another and no one could easily get a glimpse of the bird.

During the courtship, the koel birds would look very vocal and excited. If an excited male would spot a female, both would start quick chases among the long branches of trees. For more than nine months, the Asian koel would rarely been seen or heard singing. Only during the breeding season these birds would sing their hearts out and search their soul mates.

The love duet of the koel birds set the mood for the day. With a brimming smile, Arun woke up from the bed and went to brush his teeth.

With the wedding date nearing, as a young bridegroom he must feel excited. Till then he did not show any excitement, but the love duet of the koel birds reminded him that he would get married soon and would enjoy the company of his young bride.

Chapter 10

Three months went away as three seconds. As it was the Tamil month, Aadi, Arun's wife Poorani went to stay with her parents.

According to traditional belief, the newly married couple were not allowed to live together during the month of Aadi (the month of July). It was considered not good to conceive the first child during this month. People believed it may bring misfortune to the family.

Apart from this belief, elderly people wanted to avoid birth of the first child during the month of April, as it is one of the hottest months in India. The suffocating heat waves may affect the health of the mother and the child.

Arun started to feel lonely and wished Poorni was there with him. So, when his colleague asked him to go for the special trip, he accepted willingly. It happened while he was returning back to Chennai.

Arun always enjoyed his drive on the long stretch of NH45. Except for the stars on the sky, darkness spread thickly across the horizon. Every one in the bus was asleep.

"It wont b long, b4 i get u by ma side & jst hold u, tease u, squeeze u. Tel u whtz been on my mind."

Arun slowed the bus near the car which was blasting the song in that late hour.

'Do you need any help,' Arun asked the person who was standing near the car.

'Yes. I don't know what the