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Chapter 56: Lanka Part:2
"What..."
"How can this be..."
"No, no, no."
"Master, please don't do this. I have a wife and kids to feed."
...
There was an uproar in the crowd as his colleagues knelt and begged as soon as they heard his words. All of them were doing this life-threatening and difficult job because of the burdens on them. They knew that this line of work was life-threatening, But they still chose it for the high payment they received. Now, even that was being denied for them. Although they could still live a frugal life with 30 ridhi, their lives would be more miserable from now on.
But for Selvan, it was a life-ending news. He would literally starve to death after his daughter's treatment. He wouldn't have a place to stay, clothes to wear, or any other life's necessities. His eyes were red, and he was fuming with anger. He clenched his fist tightly until it started bleeding, with his mind consumed by rage, he picked up a rock nearby to throw it at the fat pig.
Before he could do anything, a rock was thrown at the fat supervisor by someone in the rioting crowd. Unfortunately, the rock flew past the fat man.
The fat man, who saw a rock being thrown at him, was startled by the sudden projectile. He had never had this experience, as his life had been spoiled by his father, who worked for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) all his life.
"Ah!"
He yelled as he fell down, clutching his head.
Before Selvan could take pleasure in the misfortune of the fat pig, he saw a white man carrying something resembling a wooden stick with a hole, pointing it at his colleague who had thrown the rock. Seeing this action, he had a bad feeling about it.
"Bham."
"Ah!"
His feeling was right, as suddenly, a loud thunderous sound struck, soon followed by a Barely audible scream, startling everyone. The sound resembled that of Indra's thunder.
Selvan clearly saw that the sound came from the wooden pipe carried by the white man. He looked around to see the effect of the firestick but couldn't spot anything unusual in his surroundings. However, thinking about something bad, he slowly turned his head to look at his colleague who had thrown the rock.
"Ah..!"
To his dread, he was lying on the ground with blood and white matter seeping out of his head. He internally screamed, "How did this happen !" He was horrified by the scene, as he had never seen such a level of violence and destruction before. He used to be an honest farmer in the countryside and had never participated in any battles since he was a child. Seeing this scene, he fell to the ground, dropping the rock from his hand, and trembling all over his body.
Everyone else was no better than him as they couldn't stand still anymore, After seeing the dead body, they started to scream, panic and run away from the scene like headless chickens. It was very chaotic at the scene.
"Bham!"
Another shot rang out from the wooden stick, and everyone froze in their tracks. They first checked their own bodies to see if they were fine, and then they looked around to see if anyone else was dead. Fortunately, no one else was harmed, As the firestick was pointed upward.
Soon, the embarrassed fat man got up from the floor and yelled at everyone with a livid face.
"Listen here, you low-life scum! Be happy that you're getting any money at all. Your glorious masters donated this money to you out of the kindness in their hearts."
"Moreover, you filthy Untouchables," he sneered, "I, the great master, won't lie to you tools of the company. There was a huge loss to the company. But the company still managed to provide you with some wages. Be happy that you are still being paid."
As he said these words, he took out a pile of silver coins and threw them to the remaining workers in a manner that seemed disdainful, as if he were tossing them to beggars.
Selvan was still sitting on the ground with a blank expression on his face, shocked by the unfolding scenes. As the money was thrown closer to him, he instinctively grabbed the silver coins towards him. He could see that he only got 20 ridhi, but he did not voice his dissatisfaction as he knew that challenging the fat supervisor any further would mean death. He didn't want to die before curing his daughter, so he quickly hid his money in his towel.
He quickly took the money and rushed home to see his daughter. When he reached home, he saw something that continued to break his willpower further, pushing him to the brink of madness. Lord Ravana seemed to be testing him because his daughter was trembling all over her body, a sign of the illness relapsing.
"Vidya!"
He cried out as he quickly hugged his daughter to assess her condition. Seeing her in a critical state, he swiftly retrieved the money hidden in the corner of his house and then picked up his daughter, rushing towards the rickshaw. Normally, he wouldn't choose to travel by rickshaw because of poverty, but this was a desperate situation. Witnessing his distress, even the rickshaw driver felt pity and drove a little faster.
Soon, they arrived at the town centre to visit the white doctor who had cured Vidya a few years back. Selvan placed his daughter on the hospital bed and waited for the doctor to arrive. A white man soon appeared. He frowned upon seeing Selvan and his daughter in dirty attire. However, recalling that he had treated the girl a few years back and the money he had earned, he checked on her again. His initial frown was replaced by a scowl as he looked at the father and demanded, 'Treatment will cost 400 ridhi. Pay up, or leave."
Selvan stood there, shocked as he heard the number. "Lord, isn't it 300? I have worked very hard to collect this money. Why is it suddenly 400?" He asked with desperation in his voice, as if he were on the verge of tears.
To Be Continued...