The Rain Fury – It is Monsoon Time

The city had been experiencing heavy rain for the last three days. Today also it had been raining since morning. Mohanlal fumbled with the key for opening the door of his house. In the meantime, rain kept on drenching him. He did not bother, rain could not have made him more wet. Already water was dripping from his clothes which were completely soaked in rain. For reaching home he had to wade through knee-deep water for most of the way. At one place as he was crossing the road, the water came to his waist. He asked the people coming from the other side whether the water level was going to rise further. He was told that it was the maximum at that point. The level of water did not rise further. He was able to cross the road without drowning in the water, but all his clothes were completely drenched.

The rain kept on increasing in intensity. It was not rain but a downpour. He thanked God that he had reached home safely without falling into any ditch. Expecting a flood, his family had gone to relatives’ place. He had, however, decided to stay back.

Finally, his hands were steady enough to turn the key in the lock. He put one foot inside and felt water touching his toes. As usual, his tin roof had been leaking. Even after reaching home, and overcoming all kinds of obstacles put in his path by the rain, he was not going to get any rest. He started clearing the water from the house, it took him the better part of two hours. In the meantime, he had put pots, pans and small buckets at the places where the roof was leaking.

Satisfied with his work, yet tired, he collapsed on the sofa. It was a joke of a sofa with stuffing coming out at many places. Yet it was above ground and was still able to take his weight. He took out the newspaper from the polythene bag. It had largely escaped from rain due to plastic cover. He glanced through the news. Heavy rain had been forecast for the next two days also.

He had himself persuaded his family to go to a safer place, he had to stay back to take care of the house. Fortunately, the water was not spreading on the floor now. He only had to empty water gathered in pots outside quite frequently.

His exertions had their effect on his body. His eyelids started drooping with sleep. He did not realise when he fell asleep. When his eyes opened, it was already evening. He dreaded the work waiting for him. By now, utensils must be full and water must have spilled on the floor. It was evening by now.

When his eyes swept over the room, he felt a great sense of relief as the pots he had placed in the room for gathering rainwater had not spilt over. The rain must have stopped or slowed down while he was asleep.

He got up to empty the pots of rainwater outside. As he opened his door, his eyes fell on the rainbow in the sky. It looked so enchanting that he forgot for a while to throw the water from the pot. Perhaps every adversity brings fortune embedded in it. The rainbow could not have appeared without rain.

He was standing under the awning at the doorstep. There were three steps at the entrance for entering the house. His eyes fell on something lying under the awning but slightly beyond the first step. There was something there. He switched the torch on his mobile. Lying there, huddled together were three cubs. Initially, he thought they were puppies. On closer examination, he saw that they were leopard cubs. He was scared, knowing fully well that if cubs were there, mother may not be far off. She must have placed cubs under the awning to save them from rain and gone to forage for food to feed them.

He quietly closed the door and bolted it from inside. All night he could not sleep and kept a watch through a crack in the door. It was only just before dawn that the kids’ mother came. She stood there and looked around. Mohanlal felt that he was safe inside.

After some time, when he looked again, there were no signs of the cubs or their mother. The rain had stopped and they must have left for the forest. The heavy downpour must have driven the animals to his house which was just at the edge of the forest. He felt himself lucky to have escaped unscathed from natural as well as animal fury.

He looked around the house, it was dry.