Episode 4

Maana

She is a plump lady of age above 60s. Brown skinned, oily, sweat dripping head will always have an aluminum basket, placed on a cloth- ring.  She wore a black thread chain with a Jesus locket. It dangles behind her neck. Her hair has started to get grey.  Her checkered lungi and plain shady colored blouse never come in match. Her fake-stone nose pin strangely glows. When she visits on every two days, her torn flip flop sound arrives first.

Concrete verandah attached to the kitchen in the backyard is the favorite spot of the girl in yellow petticoat. Her morning routine starts from the verandah. She has to move from her crouched position when Maana comes. Her large aluminum basket has to be placed on the verandah. She pushes herself to the other end.  Girl in yellow petticoat takes a look on the basket. Under the wooden planks, she could see bloodied water, where fishes look back at her with their dead eyes.

Maana sits on the edge of the verandah and wipes away sweat from neck and forearm with the shabby cloth.

'You are little late today.' said Ammumma.

'Boatman came late. Wasn't it storming yesterday night ?. Dock has been destroyed. Somehow we cross the lake. Treesakutty house has been completely destroyed in the heavy rain.' Manna replied quickly while taking out fish from the basket. ’This has become a routine for us.' she added. 

Girl in yellow petticoat, holding her clapping monkey, sits on the floor while Maana and Ammuma chatting. She has a bowl of nuts in front of her and Manna has three idiles on her plate. 

Maana usually has her breakfast from Ammumma when she comes.

Hurriedly Maana finishes her breakfast and went outside with a steel glass of water to wash her hands. She gently pats the curly hair of the girl in yellow petticoat and says,' a huge spider can hide in it, she grined. 

'Does your son go to work? In this season?' Ammumma asked.

'He is lazy. But he has become responsible after his son born. Still, he comes home drunk.' sighed Maana. Anyway, his stubborn wife is smart.' said smilingly. She placed her aluminum basket back on her head and put her shabby towel over her blouse and walked away strain fully pulling her legs. It has already been late to other nearby houses.

From morning till the sun sinks in, her laughs, her cries, her fights happen on the side verandah. For a few days, girl in yellow petticoat doesn’t have to move from the verandah since Maana hadn’t visited.

‘Where does Maana go?’ Ammuma muttered.

After  a couple of days, in almost  in the same outfit, Manna appeared on the side verandah.

‘What happened? Why didn’t you come last week?. Ammumma enquired.

‘What can we do when water comes in rage to our houses? Water reached till our knees. Fridge, which we had, it is damaged. Today morning, the water has started to drain off.’, she sighed, putting her basket on the edge of the verandah. Ammumma went inside to take breakfast, still talking to her.

While the conversation goes on between Maana and Ammumma, eyes of the three-year-old stuck on a green thin plastic bag. There are occasional slight movements inside the green cover. After Maana finished her food she left for her routine. but that thin green plastic cover was there under the wooden bench in the dining room.

Girl in yellow petticoat fixed her eyes on that cover. A small slit appeared, through that, a clasping claw emerged out, and two tiny black eyes. More legs came out. One, two, three……A parade of crabs.

Scream!!!!

NB

Maana: local name for fisherwomen