Periyavar and Nandana Menike climbed up the hillock behind the bungalow to see the reservoir, which was being filled little by little.
"Aha... You see… you see… over there… that small mountain… Can't you see…? Half of it has gone underwater… See… how the water level is coming up gradually…! What was visible on the previous day had been, to a noticeable level, submerged.
"In another two or three weeks' time, even your home, in which you were brought up by your mother and Koinmenika would be hidden in the water…"
"So soon…!"
Periyavar shook his head.
"Then, Bappa won't be able to remove the roofing sheets… She remembered the loss he would have, if he failed to come early.
"Tomorrow or day after, he would… I suppose…"
"Will this area too go underwater…?" Looking around she asked.
The post indicating the marked point for the water level had been fixed a bit below the hillock, where they were standing.
"Hamu told me that the water level would go up to about one foot above the third floor of the bungalow…"
She guessed the level of water of the reservoir and the location of the bungalow and roughly measured the area from her eye level.
"My god…! I can't even imagine… you see… all the hillocks would go underwater…"
She pointed out the hillocks that had protruded around.
"Then… where can we stay…?" She was puzzled as to where they could stay, once the bungalow would go hiding in the reservoir water.
"Hamu has bought an estate from Rangala… Very soon we will be going there…"
She glanced at the three tiered bungalow, which was made of boulders. It had such a majestic look that it couldn't be compared with any other building in the entire area. Nandana Menike was wondering as to how Bernard could make up his mind, when his ancestral property and pride and almost everything would be lost within a few weeks. She heaved a deep sigh as if she lost what she had earned out of hard-earned money.
"More than the bungalow, for what Bernard feels worried is the submersion of his beloved parents' tombstones…" Periyavar said to Nandana Menike as if he had understood the inner feelings of her.
"Raja Hamu also married a cousin sister…"
"Yes, our Hamu also did a similar thing… but today he is all alone…" Periyavar expressed his pain over the breakup of his master's married life.
"Then… your father also married a cousin sister…?"
"Oh, no…! Our mother married an uncle…"
"An UNCLE…?" It was a surprise for her.
"In Hindu culture, marrying a mother's brother is a custom… Just like Sinhalese marrying their cousins…"
Since it was a peculiar marriage custom for her, she thought of it for some time. In the meantime, her thinking process was disturbed by the sound of a jeep, which was moving through the gate towards the bungalow. An officer, with a file in his hand, got down from the jeep and walked up to the bungalow, checking that file. Bernard looked at him rather inquisitively.
"I think you are Mr. Bernard… Why are you still remaining in this house…? This has to be demolished soon… Sorry, I couldn't introduce myself… I'm a Land Officer from the Mahaweli Project…" Introducing himself, the officer went in briefing the purpose of his arrival.
The Officer again reminded Bernard of the removal of the bungalow, as it would be submerged once the water was filled.
"Yes, I 'm well aware of it… but I have not yet been given a reasonable compensation… Still the court case is going on…" Bernard explained the matter giving reasons.
The officer again examined the documents in the file. There, the officer understood that there was a wide discrepancy between Bernard's claim and the valuation done by the government, which had not been solved. The officer realized that Bernard was trying his best to get what he deserved for his property through the court case.
"But the problem is… this house will definitely go underwater…"
"Yes, up to the third floor…" Bernard quietly remarked.
"Hmmm… made of boulders…! He glanced at the walls of the bungalow realizing the real value of it.
"I'll give you an answer after consulting the Chief Project Officer…"
The officer left the bungalow. Dark clouds had invaded the sky already and there was a shower, which the people in the area experienced last few days. Bernard thought it would turn into a heavy rain. Finally, rain drops fell like ice cubes. On that day, the Electricity Board workers were busy with removing the electrical cables and telephone cables that had been laid along the road, as that area was to be submerged within a few days.
"I cleaned the two chimney lamps and they are ready now… I'll get some kerosene oil before getting dark…"
Nandana Menike was worried more on the removal of the telephone cables than the electrical cables as she thought that she would be able to speak to Sandra only after going to that new house in Rangala Estate. She was worried for not being able to get a chance to inform Sandra about the loss of connectivity.
Instead of the bulbs that chased darkness of the bungalow, the two chimney lamps provided a faded light. The occupants had a great difficulty to make their eyes adjust to the dimness. The effect of lightning outside made a greater impact on the bungalow because of that dimness. Since nothing else could be done in darkness with the light of two chimney lamps, Nandana Menike placed the dices on the chess board thinking of playing a chess game with Bernard.
"I thought you are not going to play today…"
He felt happy as he saw Nandana Menike getting ready for a chess game. He liked it as it symbolically brought a sense of delight to his dim world.
"Bishop is seen like soldiers… in the dim light…" Bernard looking at the dices on his side said.
"Once the work is over down there, Periyavar uncle told me that he would bring that lamp as well…"
Bernard was an expert in chess. Though there were many strategies to defeat incompetent Nandana Menike, he went on playing giving her many chances to move forward. Until dinner time, the kings, queens, soldiers on the chess board didn't have a rest.
"Hamu… dinner is ready…" Periyavar had arranged dinner despite dim light.
"Nanda, bring your dinner also here… only two lamps… aren't they…?"
Since there were only two lamps in the bungalow, Bernard suggested to Nandana Menike to dine with him in the second floor.
"What about the candles brought…?"
"One is lit down there and the rest is on the table… if wanted, you can take them…"
With continuous lightning and thundering, the shower turned into a heavy rain. Nandana Menike and Periyavar came to the second floor with unlit candles.
"You take that lamp with you when you go to bed… This lamp is faulty… it doesn't shed light properly… From time to time, it becomes dim with a sound like 'bog… bog…' Periyavar explained the problem that lamp had.
"I've got a torch… give this to Nanda to keep it in her room…"
Rover was barking in the garage and Bernard went out to see why it was violent.
"There is no light in the garage… It is barking at lightning and thundering…" Periyavar presented the reason for its barking.
"Keep this lamp in the garage then… How can it understand the power cut, then…?"
Periyavar took the faulty lamp and went down to say 'good bye' to his day's work and retire to bed.
Nandana Menike was rearranging the dices to play a game of chess with Bernard.
"Go to bed. Enough for today…"
Obeying his word, keeping a candle in the living room, she went to her room with the lamp.
The cool climate along with heavy rain tempted him to go for a drink.