Pandemonium

Short story:

It is Paramie. She is very happy. She is just after her school. Every day, when she comes back from school, after washing her hands and face, she runs to the room where her new born baby brother is warmed by her mother most of the time of the day.

Paramie has made it a habit to have a very affectionate look at her baby brother after school because of her repleting love, affection and happiness. She goes round her cot singing her favourite nursery rhyme which made her name at the interschool singing competition last year. Sudam is a chubby baby with a very translucent skin that he has inherited from his father. His face is her mother’s, they say.

Punyadasa and Saumya tied their nuptial knots with the blessings of their parents of both sides. They came to know each other at the Dhamma School and later both of them became very popular teachers, there. They imparted their knowledge in dhamma to each and every child who came to their feet and became role model teachers. The incumbent monk of the village temple became a frequent visitor at their newly built house and it became the epicenter of a Buddhist revival in the tranquil bucolic locality, Neluwa, Hiniduma, in the south of Sri Lanka.

When the situation compels, they go down memory lane and reminisce the happy go lucky young life in a very leisurely mood. Punyadasa and Saumya veritably epitomize their names. The eldest daughter Paramie is the pride of the family and the cute little girl Sadhani, the second child, is the apple of the eye. People from all walks of life visit their simple dwelling every now and then because they had earned a good name of the village as good mentors. Punyadasa and Saumya brought up their two daughters in such a way that religion and life were quite synonymous from their very tender age.

They offer flowers at the shrine in the compound together and shower kindness and compassion on every creature each and every morning and evening. They had a pet bath and a specially prepared wooden structure to feed the birds and animals that visit their garden. Inside the house they had a huge statue of Lord Buddha they had brought down from Kusinara. They never leave home without worshipping the statue.

The lay devotees of the temple made Punyadasa the chair of the society of the lay devotees of the village temple with one accord. In any event for the uplift of the temple, he is at the vanguard. Punyadasa usually wears white clothes for the school and Saumya light colour saris most of the days. Punyadasa teaches Buddhism at the village school and Saumya is a very popular teacher of history among the teaching fraternity. Both are held in high esteem by their students and parents because they noticed nothing wrong with these two characters. They are common in their dispositions. Their house nestled nigh the thicket on the river bank and the rustling sound of the bamboo leaves always lull them to family happiness. In the meanwhile, both Paramie and Sadhanie after filling their hearts with some cupboard love made an irresistible plea to their parents to bring a puppy and a kitten. Saumya being a woman with human milk of kindness to animals encouraged her husband to please their two daughters by bringing the pets to teach them kindness to animals. In no time, the two kids were playing and feeding the pets while they were having a good time with the newborn little brother whom they believed as a gift from heaven because of their pious living. The near and dear ones too had the same notion.

In the course of time, the puppy becoming a well grown bitch delivered three puppies. Now the children had to love not only their little brother but also beautiful puppies. They were very playful and time passed happily and kindness to animals was practically taught. In the same manner, the grown up cat gave birth to several kittens. Their house became the happiest place in the vicinity, domestic animals and domestic happiness.

Paramie is always behind her father as her mother told her to follow her father as her role model in life. One day Punyadasa was busy preparing a spacious box with a comfortable cushion at the bottom. Paramie had a mere glimpse, but she didn’t bother to go further. Yet, she had overheard an ongoing discussion between her parents and Saumya had repeatedly pleaded mercy with her husband not to do it. Piaget is correct.

Paramie is a very inquisitive child with a keen sense. She never lacks sensibility in her dealings with family matters. Yet, she is not precocious because of her mild upbringing. She told her mother that the previous night she had heard a motor cycle passing their house in a dream like situation when she was about to close her eyes. Parami is clever at bottling up emotions. Saumya told her that good children see dreams as the angels visit them before sleep.

Lo and behold! To the utter surprise of the two sisters, both puppies and kittens were missing. Parami’s composure did change a lot in the passing days and her cheerful nature vanished. Sadhani was also lacking her joyous spirit and Punyadasa and Saumya devoted more time talking about the sudden change of the children as they had mastered the rudiments of Piget’s theory to the hilt at the teacher training institutes.

One evening after her return from school Paramie started breaking almost all the pots and pans in the kitchen like a bull in a china shop and running round their house crying bitterly. No one was able to pacify her and because of the big commotion in this peaceful house a lot of people in the vicinity made a bee line to their house.

Parents’ faces were fully elongated and Parami’s crying knew no bounds. Sadhani’s eyes were full of tears and everyone was flabbergasted.

Parami knelt down at the feet of her father and begged him not to take her little brother to the temple and leave him there as he can’t eat temple rice, but he needs breast feeding.

Punyadasa and Saumya looked at each other and the crowd dispersed in twos and threes in silence.