The cool wind currents invited themselves into the house like welcomed guests, driving away the heat that had soaked itself into the very structure of the house.
Ruya was situated near a desert, so the nights were as cool as the days were hot.
As the cattle made their journey back home, their hooves sprinkled the wind with sand, creating dust clouds—manifesting heaven on earth. The sun illuminated these clouds before dozing off to sleep, and the world was painted a fresh orange.
The moon woke up from its slumber and dyed the village blue. The orange now shrank itself to the confines of the kitchen, in the corner of the earthen stove.
Leon had already dropped the jaggery home and then gone back to the field to assist Avian and returned with him as the sun was down.
The evening tea was sweet, the taste made better by the brothers' tales. Avi exaggerated the facts as much as he could, masterfully walking the fine edge of reality and storytelling liberty.
"And when the ladies heard it, they dropped their pots! Crackkk!! I almost felt bad for them—"
"The tea is getting cold. Drink it fast or it will upset your stomach," Mumma ordered.
"It's still too hot. Yeah, and then I ran to them—" Avian made an excuse to continue his story.
"Those poor ladies lost their pots," Talisha pouted.
"I bought new pots and carried them to their home later in the afternoon," Leon answered.
"That's good," Mumma was proud as she twisted her hands and performed a quick blessing.
"Why does everyone keep interrupting me??"
Avian complained.
"The tea is ready to drink now," Mumma interrupted again, patting her son with a warm smile.
....
It had been twice as long as it should have when Avian finally managed to complete his narration.
It was about time for Mumma to start preparing the dinner. Talisha got up to help her. The brothers got up to their own affairs.
Talisha was on her way from washing the vegetables when she saw the two wrestling in the yard.
Leon had both of Avi's legs in his hands as the young boy walked on his hands and struggled to free himself. His small stature working against him. Leon was laughing barbarically when Talisha leapt from behind.
Her fingers knew the precise weak spots to tickle him.
The sudden attack bewildered Leon. He quickly let go of one leg and used his arms to yank himself free of his sister.
"Go now, Avi!" Talisha switched to a grapple. Her slender arms trying their best to hold him down.
The other leg was jolted free by Avian himself as he spun his body and landed on his two feet, immediately launching a punch. His right fist ripped the air in a straight path, but Leon reacted quickly.
He took a step back from the punch, cutting his sister's balance in the process, and swayed his head to the right to dodge. He used this momentum and twisted his torso, grabbing his sister's head with his large right hand and yanking it forward. The move not only broke him free of the shackles but also saved his sister from falling.
During this chaos, his left hand grabbed Avian's wrist mid-air and flung him away.
Avian crashed on his shoulder but quickly flung himself back into position.
"I am on my way!" Mumma shouted from the kitchen. It immediately brought the action to a halt.
The siblings quickly rearranged themselves into position—Avian and Leon grouped together while Talisha took a scolding posture, and started lecturing them.
"How many times have I told you not to play at this hour—" Talisha's performance was cut mid-sentence as Mumma twisted her ear.
"You are too old for this," the tone was low.
Mumma was not impressed with the performance. The siblings returned to their duties after the customary scolding.
.....
Blue changed to black and the world grew quieter.
They had their dinner in silence after waiting for long.
As the night turned darker, uneasiness arose in Leon's heart. He tried to distract himself of questions he didn't want answers to.
"Where even is your father??" Mumma complained to no one and everyone.
"Dear lord, not today, of all the days, please not today..." Leon prayed in his heart.
"Papa's home!" Avian's announcement was as excited as ever.
Leon's eyes were stuck to the ground as he made his way to the front door, nervous to look, nervous to notice. Afraid to find the answer he knew. He approached slowly, not daring to look up, but the smell gave it away.
He gazed timidly at his father's unfocused eyes. The eyelids stuttered, wanting to sleep, and the pupils were moist and red.
Jatan lazily pulled his body forward, as if his own flesh were too hard a burden to bear.
"Here, Papa. This way."
He helped his papa struggle inside.
Avian was silent now.
Jatan looked around in anger and frustration. His lips opened and closed, muttering silent complaints.
Who these complaints were targeted towards, Leon had tried to understand again and again—and failed.
Talisha greeted with a cup of water.
Father returned a smile he thought was pleasing. Talisha forced a smile too.
But he refused the water and then went to lay down on his rope bed, stumbling at every step.
Mumma entered with the food, her eyes unable to hide the anger. She laid it in front of him, her frustration evident from the force.
Father stared at the plate, but Leon wasn't sure whether he saw anything.
"This... This... is this any way to treat food?"
That was the last push.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?? WHY!!! WHY!!! WHY!! WHY??"
"Calm down, Mumma," Leon grabbed his mother.
"THIS BOOZE WILL END YOU, AND YOU WILL DRAG ALL OF US WITH YOU!" Mumma swayed her arms in anger, her voice violent as knife.
"SHUT UP!!" Father snapped the plate away—the iron plate crackled like a whip, the food spilling and mixing with the dirt.
"iS ThiS ANy WaY tO TReAT FOoD?" She mimicked Papa in the most distasteful manner.
Father got up as his vessels pushed blood to his face. Talisha quickly grabbed him by the arm and pulled Avian behind her.
She tugged at her father. The tug was firm but enough to keep him at bay.
"IS THIS THE LIFE YOU BUILD FOR YOURSELF?? FOR YOUR CHILDREN"
Leon had now taken Mumma to her room, but she kept on shouting insults, her eyes filled with tears.
"DO YOU EVER EVEN THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN? LOOK AT THEIR FACES! THEY ARE HORRIFIED! YOU SCARE TH—"
Leon covered her mouth, but it wasn't his hand that stopped her words. It was her own tears that muffled her screams. Her throat fighting back the sorrow. He hugged his Mumma in a powerful embrace.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TELLING ME ABOUT MY CHILDREN?"
Talisha tugged hard as her father made his way to Mumma's room.
"Papa, please," her plea had the sound of tears.
Her father looked at her, and noticed Avian hiding behind. He stopped.
"Come here, little Avi. You're a brave man. You can't hide behind your sister—you should be the one protecting her. What're you afraid of? Huh? Tell me."
"Nothing, Papa," he tried to sound energetic, to sound normal, but the voice he mustered was barely a whisper.
Father pulled Avian to his lap.
"You got a big life in front of you. You can't go hiding behind your sister's skirts all day," he said with an alcoholic smile. The smell made it harder for Avian to conjure suitable expressions. But he was happy to be able to calm down the situation. His father seemed to have forgotten the argument just now and was now speaking in a comforting tone.
Talisha was standing frozen when Father asked her to sit down. She had a moment of self-realization and sat down—maybe way too quickly.
"Are you nervous for tomorrow?"
"No, Papa. I am excited."
"That's my girl." He patted her with his rough fingers.
Mumma tried her best not to let tears spill on her son's kurta. She tilted her head up, looking at him.
"Your papa is a good man... It's the alcohol that speaks at night. Not him."
"I know, Mumma."
"But is this any way to live? The family visits in the morning... Couldn't he... Did it have to be today?? Or is he that weak to his urges?"
Leon felt bad for not having any answers, sadness for not knowing how to help Mumma, and anger towards something—something he couldn't find. He grew angrier when he failed to situate his wrath. Sadness and disappointment crept into his heart, filling corners he had wished to forget.
Talisha entered silently.
"Where is Avi? You didn't leave him alone, did you?" Concern was apparent in Mumma's voice.
"Avi is fine. He went to sleep with Papa."
"He can't sleep inside. The heat will irritate him. I will take him to the roof," Mumma was rising from her seat when Talisha gently held her down.
"It's alright, Maa. He is fine. You just... take care of yourself." Her voice was soothing and brimming with concern.
Mumma had barely sat down when she remembered something.
"The food! I have to clean the food. It's bad omen to let it spill on the floor."
"Calm down, Mumma. It's alright. You can relax," Talisha held her with both arms.
"But the food!"
"Just calm down."
"How do you wish me to stay calm when he comes home like this..." the dried lips uttered in despair. The voice was weak... beaten down... It clawed at their souls, gouging out the surface, rotten by the night.
They spent the next few moments in heavy silence.
...
"I am sorry," she apologized, and suddenly her voice seemed to have aged years.
"Don't be. It's not your fault." The siblings shared their mutual understanding.
"Oh my dear kids... how fine have you grown, taking care of your mother like this. May the blessings of Lao be with you and keep you happy. And healthy." Mumma's tone relaxed back to her usual self. She placed her gentle hands on both of their cheeks, feeling the faces she didn't realise had grown so much. She remembered fondly how little and soft they had felt in her arms.
The siblings grasped their mother's feeble hands with their own, savoring the touch and passing hopeful smiles.
Talisha shifted close to her mother and warmly blanketed her arms around her.
"Rest now, Maa. We have a big day tomorrow. We can't wake up on time without you."
"Look how excited my girl is," Mumma smiled proudly.
....
Avian had emptied his mind, killing his emotions. It was hard, like catching a typhoon in bare hands. But he had been practicing for years.
"Soon the night shall pass. And the morning will be better. Just let me make it through one more night," he prayed amongst the smell and the snoring. Papa's grip was warm and comfortable as always. He had always felt comfortable in it. Yet he hated the current situation.
He didn't know how much time had passed. Mumma had gone quiet some time ago....
He recalled stories in his head, about the snakemen and the heroes, the red mountains and the white temples. He thought about the war of Yahuna and if magic was real. He thought whether he could fly....
Stories turned to dreams without his notice as he dozed off.
.....
"Get up." The whisper was too low even for a whisper, yet loud enough to wake him up.
The first thing he noticed was that the floor was wiped clean. He noticed his siblings next. Must be Talisha. They signaled him to follow them, and he did.
Their father could barely sleep when he was drunk and would suddenly jolt up at midnight and start walking around or sit in the bed, making drunk noises. So it was best for Avian to find a quiet spot while he was still asleep.
They climbed the stairs quietly and made their way to the roof. The air was cool and the sky was wide.
"You ready for tomorrow?" Leon spoke in a low voice as the siblings settled alongside each other on the rope bed.
"Oh! I am excited," Talisha smiled.
"You in a hurry to get rid of us?" Avian taunted.
"Oh, I can't wait," Talisha said in a dramatic voice.
The elder siblings spoke casually of the day tomorrow, ignoring the matter of the night altogether. This was not the time for serious talk. They couldn't let the air get heavy. Not for each other, neither for themselves. And certainly not for their baby brother.
"How will you even decide whether you like him or not in the span of a single day?" Leon asked.
"Women have better instincts than men."
"That's stupid. I am asking seriously."
"Well, I will ask him some questions and notice his behavior and how he acts towards everyone besides me. The priest have already deemed us a match. And if Mumma, Papa, and both of you shall judge him appropriate too, then he should be a good man, right? I don't wish for more."
"Yeah, maybe you are right," Leon's tone was self-reflective.
"What will you do after marriage? Don't you have any dreams? Like something big or grand? Don't you wish you could fly?"
"I will build a nice family. And I will keep it happy. I consider it to be well worth a dream." Talisha smiled, her face outshining the moon itself.
Avian was a little frustrated by her lack of ambition, but her tone suggested that she was in touch with a higher understanding. This frustrated him slightly more as his own ambitions were put into question. He was still sorting his thoughts when she asked—
"What's your big dream, Avi? Do you still want to be the king?"
"I don't know if I want to be the king. But I want to be great. I don't want to be forgotten. I want people to know me, to remember me, and I want my name etched in history."
The siblings' eyes widened as big words came out of his mouth. But these were the words that he believed in ever so faithfully.
"That's the spirit, young man! Never make yourself feel small. You are abundant!! You got the sky in you!! Remember that!!" Leon was pumped and forgot to lower his voice, quickly reminded of his mistake by Talisha as she hushed him.
They talked more and more, laughing and teasing, until their eyes adjusted to the dark and their voices struggled to speak between the laughter. They dragged the night on and on, never wanting to sleep.
...
Inside the house, Jatan woke up, irritated by the heat. He drank some water and made his way outside, cursing to himself about the shortcomings of nothing in particular.
He stared into nothing, flexing and stretching his body. Yawning, barfing, and making other weird noises.
He swayed here and there, wandering inside the confines of his land. His eyes flickering and darting everywhere, relentlessly.
After quite some time of meaningless wandering, below the shallow moon, engulfed by the darkness of the night and his own, he finally found something worth looking at. He stared scornfully at the white grass growing out in his lawn.
It was minuscule. Barely noticeable to even strained eyes. He had stumbled upon it by sheer fate and might not even have noticed it if he was sober.
The authenticity of it really being white was put in question by his own unfocused state of mind and the chance of it just being a trick of the moonlight. He tried to question it by making a gesture in the air, as if really hoping for the night to answer.
He stared at it longer, his face swapping ugly expressions every other instant.
His daughter's face popped in his memory.
And then....
"For my daughter..."
He cursed into the wind as he ripped the twigs out of the mud, crumbled them, and scattered them into the night.