The burning sphere rose every time Agumbe closed his eyes and drifted to another world. It had not missed a single time even if he had missed a meal or to help his brother hunt. He wondered about its tireless journey across the sky as the darkness mirrored it on the ground. He had learnt that everything stuck to the ground had a darkness attached to it and that’s the way it is.

Mani had a special look in his face today. He had cleared up the leftovers on his own and had frowned at Agumbe for littering more. He had signaled that they would have to go on a hike very soon.

As the sphere rose high up, Agumbe left along with his brother on their hike. They left their home behind and crossed across the valley into the deep ravine and along the water body that flowed.

As they reached the end of the path, the scene changed as the water gushed ahead and fell down deeper into another ravine. The sound of the falling water deafened them. Mani held his hand out asking his brother to be careful as he crouched lower and moved along the ground. Agumbe followed suit. They approached the edge of the path as the water nearby folded and dropped. Mani stretched his neck and gazed down. He stared at something unseen to Agumbe and snorted.

The mystery was killing Agumbe as he twitched in his spot. He reached out and touched Mani’s back but his brother was awestruck with something. He let a low shriek. Mani turned around and then carefully moved back and pushed his brother to the edge holding him all the time. Agumbe’s stomach protested the whole excitement. He reached the edge and peeped.

The ravine below was no different from the one where they were perched except for a large structure that was in the middle of the water. Agumbe tried to understand it as he tilted his head sideways and then straight. It was nothing that they had ever seen. The shape was different and the contour forming the object just didn’t fit in the landscape.

He slowly retreated back and looked at his brother. Mani nodded and pointed at the structure. Agumbe knew his brother was about to do something dangerous for both of them. He immediately protested but Mani reacted so wildly that he caved in.

They headed to the ravine below as they climbed down the rocks and roots of the trees sticking out from the side of the mountain. They reached the bottom and walked up to the bank of the water and stood. They watched the structure being washed from all the sides.

As the waves pounded on the sides, Mani stepped into the water and wet his feet. Agumbe had seen his brother do this before but he knew that Mani had other intentions. He growled at his brother but Mani showed him no importance. Mani took another step and looked back his brother and pointed at the structure. He definitely proposed reaching it even if it meant wading through the water. Agumbe did not want his brother to go alone and so he joined him in the water.

As they took steps toward the structure the water rose around them, reaching up to their thighs and then their hips. The current slowly tried to push them but the brothers kept their balance. The structure closed in and the sphere above raced to the horizon.

The brothers now stood very close to the structure and the water was chest high and pushing them hard. Agumbe pressed down hard with his feet gripping the stones on the bed. He saw Mani a step ahead and reaching out for the structure.

The structure now glittered reflecting the sphere now falling from the sky ahead, at the far end of the water. Mani put his hand on the structure and screamed when the cold hit his nerves. Agumbe walked next to his brother and did the same. They stood holding on to the structure for some time, figuring out what to do with it. They ran their fingers along the flat surface and the perfect corners. Everything seemed different about it. As they came around the structure the surface changed a bit and became transparent. Mani immediately put his face close to it and looked inside. His face was stuck to it for some time as Agumbe lost patience. Agumbe pushed his brother and followed his idea.

Agumbe noticed various objects shaped in different size that he barely could understand. His sharp eyes looked around as the light slowly reduced. He eyes fell on something that immediately caught his attention. On the corner of the interior lay a coffin. As Agumbe strained his eyes he noticed something, he remembered the creature from the other night. He saw the features of a face in the upper corner of the coffin. The eyes were closed and the lips shut tight. Before Agumbe could say anything Mani pulled him and pointed at the darkening sky. They slowly retreated back to the banks and lay on it for a while thinking about what they just saw. The sky changed color rapidly from blue to orange, then to red and then to a pitch black.

The bright objects in the sky appeared and glittered while the brothers feasted on the beauty. The moon’s light fell on the structure and Agumbe thought about the face inside. He contemplated communicating this to Mani and decided against it considering what his brother might try next.

The creatures of the night slowly awakened and Mani nudged Agumbe to get up and head home before they turn the next meal of a hungry “naree”.

Read Chapter 3