That lady and the man didn't say anything to him. After standing there quietly, he said in Thamaily, "Have a good time," and started making his way back to Makriva.
A male voice sounded from behind, "Healing a Daitya, what a shame." Anish looked back and saw the man looking at him.
He thought, "Racism won't leave at any time, hmm? Did Viriya used to comments like this? I am not her, but it sure does sting.
...
At least, maybe she isn't hearing this now. And me what me? I am just a guest here, or am I her.. nope not now."
He just gave a gentle smile at the man and moved forward.
In the background, he heard the lady saying something to the man, seemingly trying to convince him of something. As Anish moved forward, that low voice grew even lower.
He went to Makriva, took back the container that Makriva had placed on the ground, and said in Thamaily, "I Follow."
Makriva asked in Hindi, "Did they say something to you? Are they arguing?"
Anish follows in Thamaily, "Nothing, No know argue."
Makriva asked a few more times, and Anish deflected as they went inside.
Anish then helped Makriva however he could. Later, they ate with everyone else on the same ground. In the evening and through the night, both learned each other's language from the paper. Then they went to sleep.
___
In the morning, Anish was with Kavith, choosing what to wear. Makriva suggested the clothes they had already brought for Viriya.
Anish, thinking those would be harder to manage for him, decided to go with Kavith instead.
While on the way to the clothing room, there was an awkward silence between them, but they were surrounded by murmurs around and below them. To break the ice, Anish asked in Thamaily, "So what do I call you?"
Kavith replied, "Call me? Sure. Call me whatever you want — Sir, Ma'am, Un—, —ty, or the easy thing, just call me by name."
"Ahh.. slow–slow, please, what was after Ma'am? Un–ty?"
"Uu–uncle, Aa–aunty. Like a sibling of Mother." Kavith broke it down for Anish.
While talking, they reached the room. Kavith asked, "So what do you want to wear today?"
Anish said in a low voice, "Whatever you're wearing? It's practical and easy to manage."
"Seriously? Again? Have to wear my clothes.. out of all of them. Sure, go ahead. At least don't choose the same colour."
"Ok, then you choose for me — that way there's no conflict." Anish told Kavith with a grin.
"Surrr — Choose yourself, those are right there. You change, I'll be outside." Kavith replied, making a slight face.
After changing, Anish called out to Kavith, "You don't mind fixing my hair, do you? It's — it's complicated."
Kavith came inside and said, "Good, you didn't choose a similar colour. And the hair, right?" She took out a red yarn and made a ponytail for Anish.
She asked, "Better?"
Anish just nodded once.
While heading outside she warned, "The capelets you wore the other days were light — not today in the crowd. It will definitely be uncomfortable. Don't leave it somewhere after taking it off, just give it back to me."
"But I — didn't do that before." Anish replied.
"What? —— Oh, you haven't left anything behind before. Got it. But still, just a warning."
Then awkward silence spread again. To break it, Anish quickly blurted out, "Ok, I'm going down there," pointing at the crowd below, "and do your thing now?"
Kavith laughed and said, "Sure, just don't get lost in the crowd."
Anish and Kavith went their separate ways. Kavith headed inside one of the buildings. After she was inside, Anish yelled, "THANKS FOR THE HELP."
"SURE! NO PROBLEM!" Kavith's loud voice came from inside.
When Anish was smiling hearing that, he got startled by a loud male voice from inside, "Don't scream like that, y'all. Especially you, Kavith."
Anish came down outside the eight buildings. Many more people than usual were there. After coming down from the top, a slight smell of sweat hit Anish. Many of them were some kind of sage — some were bare-chested, wearing only garments on their lower body, some were wearing a large cloth that ran from the neck to the feet.
Ordinary people were there too, most wearing simple clothes, but many in intricate garments.
Anish glanced at his own outfit — his was definitely on the fancier side, casual but fancy.
The festival had already started at dawn. After waiting a while, debating whether he should head towards the middle or not, he pushed through the crowd and reached the inside of the buildings — the water body area. The smell of sweat was still there, but the fragrant of first raindrops from the water body balanced it out. He stood at the edge of the top stair of the water body. From a distance he noticed a tree in the middle, seemingly inside the water, which hadn't been there yesterday. Its branches and leaves were moving.
Anish thought, "Moving — a living tree?
Can it solve my problem?
No.. how could it. If I have to go back, what should I do, hmm.
I was in an accident — am I even alive there?
Is Viriya there? If I cause an accident intentionally?
Nope, not worth the risk."
"No, Dani — Daniva! No." A wailing female voice broke him out of the spiral.
___
Not sure how long it had been, Makriva came and sat beside him without making a sound.
Anish was still looking at the tree, the crowd, the sages doing their rituals.
"Did you remember anything?" Makriva asked Viriya in a low voice.
"Ahh!" Anish was startled, "What? What?"
"Did you remember anything?" Makriva asked, smiling.
"Remember? No, don't." Anish replied.
After a bit of silence he continued in Thamaily, "Don't scare."
Makriva nodded and pointed at the capelet and asked, "What happened?"
Anish noticed the capelet had a wet mark on it and some white paste. He thought, How did this get wet? Maybe when helping her?
"Helped someone, then." Anish replied.
"You free now?" Anish asked.
"Not really." Makriva replied.
"Then why are you here?" Anish asked.
"What do you mean why am I here? Is staying with you any less of a task?" Makriva replied, smiling.
Anish just looked at Makriva, not knowing what to say.
"Maam Khanti told me to stay with you today." Makriva said, seeing Viriya's expression.
"Hmm, ok." Anish replied.
After a while of silence, Anish asked, "What is that tree? Appeared today from nowhere?"
"That's the Praghava tree, it only grows up on this day of the whole year. Some specific days align today according to something — I don't go deep into those." Makriva replied.
"Ok, so a moving magical tree.
What happens when it reaches the bridge on top? And what happens to the tree tomorrow?"
Anish asked curiously.
"It goes past the bridge, the top part splits at the bottom of the bridge then grows again. There are eight sides — sometimes it splits into five, sometimes just one. The most it has ever split is seven.
And before sunrise the next day, it withers and goes back into the water."
They sat there, moved to another place, talked about the tree, about others. It was close to evening then.
___
They were at the bridge of the second floor.
Anish gave back the capelet to Kavith.
The tree split into eight parts — many people were excited, mainly the sages. It was going up in the right direction around the middle of the bridge. Each branch top had a flower bud. A beautiful fragrance mixed with the metallic smell of blood was spreading from the buds, but the fragrance was more potent.
Now most of the ordinary people weren't there, mostly sages. Many people were still doing the ritual — branches from under the water wrapping their hands, some crying, some just standing there, some looking normal.
Makriva said to Viriya, "I will participate now, do you want to?"
"Participate? What need do?
They emotional there, should I?" Anish asked.
"You can choose, no pressure. If you want you can come with me, or just wait here." Makriva replied.
Anish wasn't sure if he would participate or not, but still decided to follow Makriva.
At the bottom of the staircase Makriva stood along some other people. Anish stood a few steps up.
Makriva took some white paste with a few maroon pomegranate seeds.
Anish asked, "What white paste? And that pomegranate?"
Makriva replied, "It's rice paste, and yes it's pomegranate. I will be quiet for a while, you wait."
Makriva extended his hand forward towards the tree and the water and started to mumble something.
A tree branch grew from under the water with palm-shaped leaves and wrapped around Makriva's hand. At that moment he became calm as a wall.
Some other people were done with theirs, their branches retracted into the water and the main tree grew more.
After the calmness, Makriva's expression became slightly sad.
After a few moments he looked happy — smiling, a smile of relief. After some time, Makriva opened his eyes as the branch retracted back with the rice paste. Makriva looked back at Anish and said,
"Viriya,"
...
"Viriya, will you do it?"
Anish asked, "What happened?"
Makriva said, "I saw many close ones, but not you, Viriya."
"Viriya wasn't there? So not dead.. so is she in my body, or am I just.. her?"
Makriva, seeing Viriya staring blankly at nothing, called out, "Viriya, will you?"
Anish, hearing that, snapped back from his thoughts and nodded slightly.
Makriva, seeing Viriya agree, cleaned his hand and placed some rice paste on Viriya's hand.
Makriva continued, "Now point your hand towards the tree, the water, or the connecting point of both."
Anish pointed his hand more towards the water, like the others around him.
"Say this in any language after closing your eyes. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to convey the same meaning."
Anish asked, "Any? Even one that isn't generally known here?"
"Yes, Viriya, it's more about conveying what you are thinking than the exact phrase."
Anish nodded and said, "What do I need to say?"
"You can add your own things, but the main part is — The great palm of Her, the source of the Praghava tree, help me feed the past ones."
Anish closed his eyes and mumbled in Hindi, "The great palm of her, the seed of the Praghava tree, feed my past ones."
As he mumbled he felt something wet wrapping around his hand.
It was a bit uncomfortable, so he opened his eyes.
But he wasn't anywhere near the water body or that tree. He was standing on a barren land extending in all directions. No sound, no smell, just empty.
Anish was startled for a moment, then calmed himself, "Must be a ritual effect."
On the barren land he moved one step forward, then the smell of Coral Jasmine filled his nose, calming his mind so much he didn't think anything else. Coral Jasmine trees started to grow everywhere, covered in flowers. Anish was standing at a tree spot, so he moved to an empty spot where there weren't any trees.
After they had grown completely, Anish could see some paths between the trees made with the same flowers.
He started going down a path, then butterfly pea vines grew and blocked many paths — just one stayed open. Anish followed the single path. It was like a maze but with only one way forward. Anish walked a long time along the single path. He noticed two familiar voices talking to each other.
Anish hearing that thought,
"They —
No —
Not them."
Anish ran towards the voices.
Ma? Papa? No, they are not dead.
After reaching that spot in the maze he saw a man and a woman talking among themselves — no faces, just blank canvases, but the voices were definitely theirs.
How can they be here?
No, it's not them. Yes, there is no face — they are not them.
Anish ran forward to get away from them. Then he noticed another familiar voice, and hearing it he stopped in his tracks.
Who?
No, not her.
No, no,
not Ambi,
no, no — no.
Anish slowly started going towards the voice. It was a woman with no facial features, just a blank canvas like the others.
Anish stood there looking at her. None of her words registered in his mind. But the voice — it's her.
She was talking to an invisible person. No one else was there, or maybe there was someone Anish couldn't see.
Anish tried to observe her movement, her behaviour — it was exactly her, no one else. Just calmer than before.
"Ambi. Ambi? Ambi." Anish called to her hoping for a response, but none came.
She did turn her head towards Anish once.
Was that a response or just a coincidence? Anish wasn't sure.
Most likely she couldn't see or hear him. Realising that, Anish slowly moved forward thinking,
Are they really dead? Can't be, but that was — was.. no, that wasn't them, something must be wrong.
Makriva said he saw his close ones.. but.
Yeah, all of this must be fake. Makriva didn't see Viriya in here.
And and —
Their faces aren't there, because they are just my memory?
Yeah, that must be it.
Yeah.
Yes, I didn't have any old life.
I — I am Viriya. Yes, Viriya.
…
How do I get out? It's all fake. All fake. Everything.
After standing there for a while he moved forward and noticed an unfamiliar voice.
Who is that?
Anish went forward and saw a man in his early twenties. Anish couldn't understand what he was saying, but he sounded happy.
Not knowing who that was, he moved forward thinking,
Yes, at least they all seemed happy..
Anish only noticed that after seeing the unknown person.
While thinking that, his vision blurred, slowly turning blank.
He noticed his eyes were closed. He opened them and saw the branch retracting with the white paste back into the water.
He was a bit confused.
Looking at the tree for a moment, he smiled and looked at Makriva.
Makriva was looking at Viriya, waiting to see what she would say.
Anish said,
"Makriva, teach me thing, forgot everything right?"
Hearing that, Makriva looked at her with a strange expression and said, "Sure..?"
"Let's went second floor. Or anywhere." Anish said, smiling.
Makriva was a bit confused looking at her, but still moved forward, and Anish followed behind.
Anish thought to himself,
"I — I am Viriya."