A day with Manual

 It was an Amawasi night. The moon had shied itself away from the sky. A housewife, tired of litting fire to moist wood said, even the sky is darkened by this thick smoke. See, not a single star is to be seen, and those around her shook their heads in agreement. A poet at another place commented that the earth had hidden itself behind the curtain of darkness to conceal the atrocities committed by man from the eyes of heaven. Or was it the veil of darkness created by weaving bigotry, intolerance, nepotism, lust, greed, anger, pride etc. together with the threads of ignorance?  A few glow worms flew in that darkness as if to cast a ray of hope and peace when love was waxed cold by sorrows and sufferings and iniquities.

It was not so quiet in the man’s world. Many were there to take advantage of the all consuming darkness. Two friends – Kunjumon and Kuriako, known to everyone as Looty and Extra after spending the days earnings on illicit liquor started walking east towards their homes. Kunjumon earned the name ‘Looty Madama’ after looting a tourist of her camera. That was now reduced to mere Looty. Some were fond of calling him ‘Ganga Jamuna Looty Madama’ to highlight his capability to loot even the rivers like Ganga and Jamuna. Some were of the opinion that Kuriako earned his name Extra  as his mother was carrying him at the time of marriage. While others maintained that he was made an extra after netting two self goals in a football match.

“Hey Luty, why man, can’t walk properly? Did I not warn you not to drink so much?”  Kuriako moved closer to support his friend.

“Where’s the road? Who let the government fellows to make ditches on the road?”  Kunjumon who had walked down to a ditch stood there helpless.

His friend who was successful in standing on the road gave him a helping hand and lo, the next moment he was also in the ditch.

“Now I’m also wet. Damn this darkness. I won’t know if I turn blind also.  Now come up on your own.” Kuriako was not ready to help his friend for a second time. After a while both of them were seen walking on the road again.

“It’s totally wet. Let’s take the shortcut thru the cemetery to reach home.” One was heard saying. “If my eldest son’s mother says something about this I’ll kick the life out of her and will sleep only then.” The other one said,

“What about your second son?  Is not she his mother also?”

“Maybe,  But when I ask who his father is, she just stares at me.” He said and trotted forward. They were spotted again standing under a lamp post near the compound wall of the cemetery.

“ Eda, you know where we are standing?  Near the cemetery! My Yesu Messiah, if some soul unconcerned about time comes up!“ Kuriako moved closer to  his friend. His expression was as if he truly believed that a soul, having ill feelings towards him was going to appear before him. “ Not a soul rise from here before the judgement day. On that day we, who drink arrack and Mothalali who drink scotch and whisky, all will stand together without any difference, to hear the judgement.“ Kunjumon said,

Kuriako was not able to digest this. How could common folks like them and a rich man like their Mothalali become equal!

“So, all these difference will cease on the judgement day, Correct?”

“Why judgement day?  The differences will cease on the day we die. Then this body will be food for worms. We will be buried in coffins of cheap wood and Mothalali, in a teak wood coffin. We will become soil before Mothalali because he has to wait till the worms eat away the teakwood. And that will take a hell lot of time.”

“Poor Mothalali.”  Kuriako felt sympathy towards the rich man.  He could not help laughing at the thought that all these riches couldn’t help the Mothalali from falling into a worser condition than them after death.

“How interesting to know that even the filthy rich Mothalalis will also be meat for worms after death!  How can our Mothalali’s soul rest in peace without his flesh that he feeds daily with chicken and fish.”

“Be  silent because it’s no good to talk weighty things on a heavy stomach.” Kunjumon warned his   friend.

It was then a curious sound arrested Kuriako’s attention.

“Shh… listen.  Can you hear a soul wailing in agony. That’s why I said this is a haunted place.” This time Kunjumon also heard it and his valor left him.

“You devil, you Satan.”  He screamed as he kicked his feet on the compound wall. “How dare you do this? Are you a man? If you are, come out.” He then turned to Kuriako and said in a low voice, “Scaring me! That fool.”

“If you are a woman then also come out. Just for us to see.”  Kuriako by now had regained some courage. “ If you are no man and no woman stay there. We don’t want to see you.”

Though they shouted in their loudest voice, they couldn’t gather enough courage to move forward. After a while Kunjumon started having doubts about the whole incident. “I feel it was an illusion.” He said.

”But I heard it clearly . It was the wailing of a soul when it found its body being eaten away by worms. All that he had done for its pleasure has been wasted.”

“Hey, it can’t be so.”

“Sure it was. A soul was wailing when it remembered that it was going to end up in Hell.“ Kuriako was adamant in his stand that he heard the voice.

“Pah! you talk rubbish.” Kunjumon gathered a few stones and started hurting it over the wall.

“If the wailing was real it’ll wail now. Can you hear it now?  It might have fled to hell. Come, let’s go from this place.”  They left as they felt it better not to stay there for long.

That evening two gentlemen found a girl in a lonely place, while travelling in a car.  She was known to the one driving.

“Isn’t that Litha?  My Goodness! How has she grown up!” He muttered away to himself.

“Wow! A chick!  Do you know her?”  The second one turned back to have a good look at her.

“I know the whole family.”

“Then what’s the problem? Listen, her father is hospitalised and we have been sent to fetch her. O.K. Stop the car and ask her to get in. The rest I will manage.”

“But she is only a young girl. Just twelve or thirteen.”  The first one was uncomfortable with the very thought of taking advantage of her.

“Not another word from you. Are we fools to miss such a good opportunity?”

He succumbed to his friend’s persuasion and stopped the car. As preplanned they made the girl get inside and sped away.

She was in a state of helplessness, worrying about her father, when those two, blinded with lust, pounced upon her.  She couldn’t bear the shock of being attacked by people whom she trusted and  fainted.  They came to their senses only when they saw her lying unconscious.

“Lord God, is she dead? Then we are in deep trouble.” The first one wiped the sweat from his brow and took stock of the situation. He couldn’t foresee such a problem while succumbing to temptations. Then his only aim was to devour that helpless deer, who had fallen into their trap so easily.

“How can it be? You check her pulse.” The second one tried to conceal his fear. A thousand thoughts on the precautions to be taken if the girl was dead fled through that mind.  It was imperative not to leave any evidence as the crime was committed in his property.

“ No pulse. Now what?”  The first one was scared to death.

“Did you check it properly? Now it’s too dangerous to keep her here. If anyone spots us now it will be hell for us.”

“This was unnecessary.” The first one fell into a deep remorse.

“You didn’t feel so till now, did you?”  The second one raised his voice. ”Now think on what is to be done. I’ll go out and see if anyone is around. Then we will dispose her somewhere and forget about this.”

 

After roaming around with the girl whom they thought to be dead, they finally came to a cemetery, hoping to hide the body inside a tomb so that no evidence was left against them. They parked the car under a tree and carried the body to the cemetery.

They examined a couple of tombs and realized that it was not as easy as they thought of. The tomb’s covering slab which was firmly fixed had to be removed first and it had to be cemented back so as not to create any suspicion.

“We need a hammer.”  The second one said examining a tomb.

“ Where from?” The first one asked

“We have to fetch it. Also a chisel, cement, sand and other items.”

Suddenly they stood silent as they heard some one talking from outside.  Yes, some people were coming towards the cemetery. Whoever it be they were now standing under the lamp post just outside the compound wall.

It was precisely at that moment ‘the dead girl’ regained consciousness and wailed in agony. Both the rapists fled from the scene for fear of being exposed.

Yes, someone had indeed seen them. But contrary to their belief it was a celestial being, who happened to pass that way accidently, who had seen them.  When he saw two people trying to silence a girl who was screaming in pain he couldn’t proceed ignoring them. Two people hurling stones at the cemetery made him curious. By the time he descended and came nearer to see what was happening the malefactors had already fled from there.

The girl, weak from the atrocities committed on her, opened her eyes and saw a person with an attire that no man could whiten standing before her. If the attempts on her were committed in the darkness till then, now it would be in the light emitted by that person, she feared and shut her eyes tightly. By now she had no strength even to raise her hand in defense. Her protest was expressed in that closing of the eyes in fear. She tried to gather enough strength to escape from there. The scene of that hapless girl trying to move away, pleading, don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me,  stirred his conscience and he was troubled. He was filled with compassion for her.

“Lassie, what’s your name? What happened to you?”  He took a step towards her.

“Don’t hurt me, please.”  Her response was as if those human beasts were still around and it was futile to expect any sort of humaneness from them.  The newcomer stood there confused on how to comfort that child of mankind. She started crying again, this time calling for her mother.

“Fear not. Peace be with you.“ He made an attempt to comfort her. Though that celestial being had no direct role in the affairs of mankind, it was difficult for him to leave her in that condition.

“God, why did you do this to me?”  She cried, ignoring his words. She, who was deceived by the very people whom she had trusted couldn’t be comforted easily.

“It is not God, but man who did this to you, isn’t it?”  He asked and wondered how man could act so cruelly.

“I can’t bear this pain any more.” she tried to hide herself behind a tomb and was quiet as if she found a safe place.

“I’ll save you from your pains.“  The angel promised after brooding for a moment. She opened her eyes and cast a look at him who had offered her the words of comfort. Her eyes fell on the stranger with a lovely face and whitened attire and she raised her head further wondering whether her eyes were trying to illusion her mind, now weak and tired from the assaults. She understood that he was a reality and not an illusion and a faint smile appeared on her bruised lips.

“Hold my hand.” The Spirit from above commanded her. “The moment you touch me you will be freed from your sufferings.”  She took a great deal of effort to raise her hand and touch him. At that moment itself her pains left her. Her face was filled with peace and joy.

“Get up.” He told her and she obeyed as if she was invigorated by his touch.

“What happened? How did you reach here?” He asked. His questions brought back all those unpleasant memories to her mind.  Her face contorted in fear and pain and she shut her eyes to escape from those thoughts. She tried to free her hand and to slip behind a tomb.

“Don’t remember anything. If the memories are painful, forget it.”  He kept his hand on her and said. “Be comforted, for you are under my protection now. No body will harm you again.”

He raised his eyes towards heaven when he found her fear and anxiety unabating and prayed “Lord, you are graceful. Be merciful to this young girl who is a prey to man’s iniquity.”  He turned towards her again. “This place itself is scaring you. Let’s go inside that church and calm ourselves. Come.”  He said turning his eyes towards the church.

Suddenly it struck her that everything that was lost in darkness until then was visible now. The presence of that heavenly being who could ease all her pains with one touch had taken away the differences between days and nights, light and darkness.

She reached the church holding his hand and found its doors wide open. The doors were closed when seen from the cemetery. Might be because she hadn’t looked carefully, thought she and stepped inside. All the candles were lit on its own at that moment.

When she looked again the doors were found closed. The hinges ought to have cried when those huge doors opened and closed!

She, fearing that she was still haunted by illusions, stood in front of the altar and started praying silently, He sat on a step of the altar and watched her and asked her to come closer when she finished praying.

“I’d given word to protect you, hadn’t I?“ He asked with a smile. “Again I repeat, fear not, You can believe me.”

“How did you hear my prayers?” she asked wondering how he could understand what she had prayed in her mind without moving her lips.

“Not a single prayer goes unheard and no petition goes unconsidered. I know what is in your mind before it come out as words.”

“Are you God?” She asked innocently when she heard his answer.

“One who shares the Spirit of God and one who proceeds from him.” He answered.

“I used to pray daily for protection. Then why did you desert me?”  She couldn’t hide her disappointment when she thought that her prayers were unheeded and unanswered. “Why didn’t you save me from those wicked?”

“We are bound by limitations. We’ve to obey instructions.”

“What instructions! I prayed but my prayers fell on deaf ears. If I’d known this to be the outcome I wouldn’t have wasted time on prayers.” She raised her voice unable to control herself.

The angel of the Lord waited for a few seconds to let her express her anger and then kept his hand on her shoulder.

“How I wish you to possess the ability to see an incident as a cause or as a part of a series of incidents destined to glorify the Lord.” He said as a matter of fact and continued, “Don’t worry about it now. Tell me, wasn’t there any chance to escape from them?”

“I didn’t know that it was a trap. One of them was a familiar face.” She started sobbing. “When he said that my father was ill I couldn’t distrust him.”

“Mankind!  Fie on you for how difficult is it for you to fight evil“ The angel mumbled in a low voice. It was urgent that he did something to console her, who was sobbing bitterly.

“Look, do you know what these are?”  He drew her attention to a stream of light beads coming inside that church through a broken window pane. All the candles were blown out on its won and the church was engulfed in darkness, save for those light beads.

“Glowworms! And that too so many of them! Where did these come from?” She forgot her worries when she saw hundreds of glowworms together and looked at them with delight.

“Glow worms, this girl has recognised you! Do you know her?” The angel asked. All of a sudden those tiny creatures started moving to and fro on the wall. For a moment she was awestruck for those winged creatures had aligned themselves to form her name on the wall. They moved and wrote her name in another language. They proved that they could handle a third language too. Then the angel directed them to write his name. “Manual,” she read his name without any difficulty. He waved his hand as if to bid them farewell and they went out through the same window they came in. And the church was lit again by candles.

“Man, the master of everything, with big intellect.  The rest, nothing in comparison with him.  And the time and efforts spent for everything else is nothing when compared to that of man.  Yet how harmoniously they came together to comfort a child of mankind in distress.  Will man, the prudent one, comfort his brother in distress even if asked?  Why, isn’t it man who is responsible for the cruelty done on this girl, who is their own child?”  Manual asked in an angry tone.  He found her listening and stopped.

She took a burning candle in her hand. Its wax was not melting! And the thread was found white, not blackened. She kept it back when she saw the doors opening silently. Another person, similar to Manual in appearance, came in and she took a step backward. She could treat strangers only with suspicion, such was her state of mind.

“Be not afraid. This is one among us, but with a difference. He is a tempter. See that black mark on his hand. That is the sign to recognise them.” Manual tried to ease her discomfort.

“There’s no rest if I can rest only when I’ve finished. The only consolation is that I am doing justice to my duty. My failures can be counted in single digit but those who have failed before me can be equated to the  number of stars in the sky.”  The new comer started to talk as soon as he came in.

“Then take a little rest, Sanpo.”  Manual welcomed him with  a warm smile. “I know you are dutiful.  But why do you want to finish everything in a single stroke?  Look at me, I’m on the mission to look for people worthy of God’s love, who are in the same cadre of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Countless time have I checked the nuke and corner of this world.  What’s my reward, nothing!  All my efforts end up in vain. And so this time I had only a light search for I could foresee that this was also going to be a futile exercise. If I had searched hard hoping to find some one, I too would have been tired and dejected by now.”

“You can say that, Manual. There’s no problem even if you fail, because we know that it’s hopeless. That’s not my case. I’ve to produce results when I work.  When questioned on my efforts I need souls to satisfy them.”  He answered sitting on a step.

“It’s nice to work when you can see the results.”  Manual said.

“Sometimes even hardwork doesn’t bear fruits,”  said Sanpo “A priest is putting up a big challenge.  He has no wants and needs as he is a true follower of the Lord. Nothing tempts him.  I’ve tried out all that I know but he has resisted all my attempts with prayer and fasting. Now my only hopes are pinned on his son. He will fill my quiver with arrows when he becomes of age.”

“How exciting to know that there’s at least one priest who can withstand temptations and keep himself away from tempters.”  Manual cast a sly look at Sanpo and continued. “The priests here had given us a lot of hope.”

“It won’t  be difficult for the angels to pick the good seeds at the time of harvest, for so plenty are the weeds. They can be bound together and cast on fire.  After teaching those shepherds ‘give your coat to who tries to take your cloak’ they exhort the sheep to take over churches by force and to attack first to have tactical advantage as in a war. They are crestfallen before wealth and power. They yearn for the main seat in parties, for wishes in the market place and to hear the tingling of coins more than the company of the Heavenly Father. They don’t try to earn the everlasting life as they consider it to be their birth right.”

“Is the boat carrying the high priests and other ‘divinities’ still lost in the mid sea?  Then nothing can be worser. How will these blind men lead others to everlasting life?”  A tinge of sadness was felt in Manual’s voice.

“There wasn’t a bigger reap than this after the Holy wars.“ Sanpo said proudly.

“Then it was the meaningless exercise of rescuing Jerusalem that had misled them, wasn’t it?”

“Rescue from whom? and for what? They forgot the very essence of Jesus’ sacrifice – that he had come to give his life as  ransom for all. They were defeated by their own vanity.” Sanpo answered wryly.

“But I find today’s situation much better.” Said Manual. “The fact that they can recognise temptations and differentiate a meaningful exercise from one which is not, will give them enough strength to withstand temptations.  Just now you told that a priest was giving you a big challenge.  Likewise, the others will know the truth and the truth will free them from sins. They’ll prove themselves to be hard nuts to crack. You will taste defeat at their hands.”  Manual raised his voice in excitement.

“Why’re you getting wild at me? What’s between you and me?” Sanpo tried to contain his temper. But it helped only to add fuel to Manual’s anger.

“You’re a tempter. You and your friends are mankind’s worst enemies.”

“I’m a tempter, I agree,“ Sanpo said in a serious tone. ”But we can only tempt them. It’s the man himself who commit sins. And its sole responsibility lies on his shoulder. The sower has sowed good words among  man. Don’t you know that it is our duty to sow weeds in their  minds when they sleep?  And you angels, you also don’t remain idle. Don’t you try to sow new seeds of hope, peace, righteousness and knowledge among man?  The only difference between us is that we succeed often.”

“If the punishments for sins were doled out instantly, things would’ve been different,” said Manual.  “A man sins clandestinely fearing whether he would be found out and reproved.  Neither is he found nor reproved.  A sin unseen sows the seed of other sins, thus leading to a torrent of sins.”

“It you gather the weeds before reap, you may pull out the good plants also.  So it’s said that it be allowed to grow till the time of reap.” Sanpo continued looking at the crucifix. “And a righteous person is not rewarded instantly. ‘You sell whatever you have and distribute it among the poor.  You will have rewards in heaven.’  That’s what is told and see, the rewards are unseen.”

“One doing a good deed will feel happiness and satisfaction.”  Manual countered.

“An evildoer will feel remorse, that too immediately.  It should keep him away from more evil, shouldn’t it?”

“Some  misuse confession to counter their guilty consciousness.”

“But what use of it for those who repent not?” said Sanpo. “How is it going to help the ones who repeat the sins. And who take confessions! Are they worthy to save themselves, then how can they remit the sins of others?  Whatever it is, you can’t agree that it’s  the fruits of our efforts, can you?”

“The final victory will be mankind’s.  He will become worthy of everlasting life and you will face your judgement.”  Manual said in a firm tone.

“Let’s wait and see.”  Sanpo retorted.  His attention was drawn towards the girl who was listening to their conversation silently.

“Manual, who’s this and what’s her role here?” He enquired.

“This is Litha – a prey to man’s cruelty. I brought her here because she had to suffer more than she could bear.”

“Was she subjected to man’s cruelty at such a tender age?”  Sanpo seemed surprised.

“You’ll have to answer for this, you tempter.” Manual pointed his finger accusingly at Sanpo and continued. ”How could you tempt a man to act so cruelly to his own kind?”

“None of us tempted them to ravish her.  See how degraded they have become. Jehovah had promised to multiply them as the sand on the shore and like the stars in the sky. What did he get in return for protecting  and multiplying them?  Have they returned anything other than never ending headaches and deep despairs? Is there any end to their prayers for wealth that is sure to turn them away from God!  They take pride in launching satellites and creating weapons of mass destruction under the notion that it is development. Is anything worthy of their pride enough to make Jehovah proud about his creation?  Manual, just now you told that you finished a search for a few good men. Could you find even one man living in righteousness? The creation of man is an utter failure. The moment man got the power to distinguish between good and evil, his mind was wedded to evil. He can’t rise up to Jehovah’s expectations. Accept that and wipe them out completely-that’s what I demand.”

“It’s in His authority to decide whether his creation is a success or a flop.”  Manual corrected Sanpo. “How many a time did they murmur against him? How many times did they turn to worship idols denying him? Despite all these setbacks he loves them wholeheartedly, that too without expecting any returns. Then how can we judge man to be a total flop? There might be hundreds and thousands of righteous men living to prove that our Master’s efforts haven’t gone futile. The fragrance of their goodness might be spreading far and wide in the garden of mankind.”

“Hundreds and thousands! Pah!” Sanpo rejected it as a tall claim. “Manual, it was just now you told that you couldn’t find even one right man. Still you claim to have hundreds and thousands of men worthy to be proud of.”

“I stand firm on what I said – hundreds and thousands of good men worthy of life in heaven are there in this world.”

“Then why couldn’t you find even one?”

“I was looking for people in the cadre of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.”

“Find one thousand men that can make Jehovah say proudly that he is happy that he created them.”

“One thousand!” Litha, who was silent till then exclaimed loudly. She felt her interruption unnecessary and felt uneasy.

“See, even this girl agrees that one thousand is impossible.” Sanpo looked at Manual triumphantly. “You need to find just a hundred.”

“I accept the challenge.” said Manual, “I will come with the book of life containing the names of a hundred good creations within seven days.”

“We should meet here tomorrow at the same time.  We will meet when that clock strike ten tomorrow might.  If you find just ten men living in righteousness, you win.”

“Agreed.”  Manual consented to the terms.

“If you fail, you shouldn’t tempt man any more.”

“If I win you should tell Jehovah that the creation of man is a total failure.” Sanpo disappeared uttering these words.

The girl started crying as she felt that Manual would leave her alone now that he had taken up the challenge.  He understood her anxiety and gave her word to take her along with him.

“It’s my duty to send you where you should be.”  He said and looked at the clock. It started chiming ten at that moment.