After dinner, Vandhiyathevan met the head of the lighthouse privately and told him that he had to go to Ilankai urgently. The old man by name Thiyagavidanga Karaiyar expressed his regret.
"There was a time when there were many big boats and small boats along this coast. They have all gone to Sethkarai now. They have gone to help our army in Ilankai. I own two boats. My son has gone in one of them with two men who came yesterday. I don't know when he'll be back. What should I do?"
"Who are those men? Didn't your daughter say they were kind of people?"
"Yes; I don't like them either. I don't know who they are; I don't know what they're going for. They had Pazhuvertaraiyar's palm emblem. Even then I would not have asked my son to go. But my daughterinlaw is very money-loving. After listening to their promise to give her a bag full of money, she insisted that her husband should go..."
"What is this, sir, is this funny? If a little girl at home who has no experience of the world says, is that what your son should listen?" said Vandhiyathevan. Then, with some hesitation, he said, "I'm sorry, it's your family matter!"
"Uncle! There is nothing wrong with what you ask. There is a curse on my family. My son..." He hesitated.
Vandhiyathevan then remembered what Senthan Amuthan had said about this family.
"Can't your son talk?" he asked.
"Yes; How did you know?" asked the old man.
Vandhiyathevan told him about Senthan Amuthan and his mother and how he had stayed in their house.
"Aha! Is that you? News of you has already been here. Are they looking for you all over the country?"
"Maybe; I don't know about that."
"Now I know why you want to go to Ilankai in a hurry."
"Great! What you think is not right. I did not go to Sri Lanka just to save my life. I'm going to bring a very important letter to someone there. You can see it if you want."
"Not necessarily. The junior stateswoman has written about you is enough for me. But I can't help you at this time!"
"You said there was another boat?"
"There's the boat. There is no one to push. If you and your friend are going to push, I will give it to you..."
"Neither of us knew how to row. I am a little afraid of water. Especially if it's the sea..."
"Even if you know how to row, you can't sail in the sea if you don't have experience. If you go a little farther into the sea, the shore will disappear. Then you'll have to lose your direction."
"I won't take the man who came with me. We must leave him here to collect herbs. You have to find some way to help."
"There is a way. It is not an easy thing to do. You should try it too! If luck is on your side..."
"What should I do? Periyavaar, if you tell me, I will definitely do it," said Vandhiyathevan.
"There is no one in this area who knows how to push a boat as cleverly as Poongkuzhali. She had been to Ilankai many times. I tell her; Listen to me too!"
"Call me now; Let's ask."
"Don't; Very stubborn. Now, if she says 'no' right away, then she won't be able to change her mind. Ill tell her tomorrow is a good time. Look at yourself and listen!"
Having said this, Thyagavidanga Karaiyar went towards the lighthouse.
Vandhiyathevan slept on the verandah of his house. The doctors son who had accompanied him had already fallen asleep. Sleep came around Vandhiyathevan's eyes due to the fatigue of the long journey; He soon fell asleep.
Suddenly sleep was disturbed. There was the sound of the door opening. Vandhiyathevan opened his tired eyelids with difficulty. A figure was seen leaving the house. He looked more carefully. He saw that it was the figure of a woman. The light from the lighthouse fell on the figure. Aa! She is Poongkuzhali! No doubt. What did she tell us? "Follow me at midnight! Let me show you my lovers!" Didnt we think it was a joke? Now does she really get up in the middle of the night? Where is she going? If she were going to see a lover or a lover, would she tell us so? "If you follow me, I'll show you," she said. There must be something mysterious about it! Or maybe... Anyway, why not follow up and have a look? Tomorrow you have to talk to her nicely and convince her to push the boat to Ilankai. It may be helpful to follow her now. Something might put her in danger! If we can save her from that, won't we be able to agree to what we ask tomorrow?
Vandhiyathevan got up without making a sound. Poongkuzhali followed the path. He remembered well the evening when he had plunged into a puddle. He didn't want it to happen again. Therefore, Poongkuzhali should not be lost sight of him.
It was open for a short distance from the lighthouse. Therefore, Poongkuzhali's figure was also visible. It was not difficult to go the way she went. He walked quickly, intending to get close to her. But it was not possible. The faster he walked, the faster her pace became. She didn't seem to notice him following.
Beyond the open space came the upland covered with forest. Poongkuzhali went around the mound without climbing straight on it. The ridge and the forest came to an end. She bent the corner and walked away. Vandhiyathevan also hurried and when he turned the corner, he saw her going at a distance. "Good luck!" he ventured. But the next moment she was suddenly gone.
How could she have disappeared so suddenly? Is this magic or magic? Was there a hole there? After running and walking, he came to the spot where Poongkuzhali seemed to have disappeared, stopped there and looked in all directions. She couldn't have gone three pages. If he had gone, he could not have disappeared from his sight. He planted his foot carefully in the place to make sure that there was no mud. So he must have climbed the hill and gone into the forest.
A closer look revealed that there was a footpath to climb the steep mound. Vandhiyathevan climbed into it. As he climbed, he shook his head. There was no dim light from the lighthouse. The evening crescent had already sunk into the sea. In the light of the twinkling stars, the way was not far away. Boxbushes and dwarf trees took on horrible shapes. Their shadows turned into dark ghosts. As the leaves of the plants swayed, so did the shadows. Every move moved Vandhiyathevan's heart. Who knew where and what danger awaited in that dark darkness and shadow? Poisonous creatures and wild animals can lurk and flow. Danger can come from above; Can also come from the sides; It can also come from behind. Damn! What is this, we are stuck here? You didn't even bring your work with you?
What was that rustling noise? What is that dark figure on that tree? Two tiny dots of light twinkle in the darkness of the bush. What could they be?
Vandhiyathevan's legs trembled without knowing him. Okay! Okay! What works for us here? Why did we come here? – What nonsense? You must go down at once!
Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a voice. A heart-wrenching voice; A woman's voice. A sobbing sound. And then this song:
"The tide and the sea are at rest
Why does the ocean dance in the moon's embrace? As the land rests in tranquil grace, Why does my heart in longing race?
In the vast expanse where waves collide, In the stillness of night where dreams abide, Why does my soul seek to confide?
Vandhiyathevan gave up the idea of going down from the mound. He climbed up to where the voice came. Soon the top of the mound was visible. There she was. It's Poongkuzhali. It was she who sang. She looked at the stars in the sky and sang. Perhaps she sang the stars, thinking that they were the Rasika Mahasabha who would listen to her song!
One of the stars is Dhoomaketu. The beam of the ray that rose from it spread out like a long fan. The silhouette of the girl on the top of the mound, her voice and song and the dhoomakethu in the sky together made Vandhiyathevan lose his senses. His legs carried him to the summit.
He stood face to face with Poongkuzhali. Behind her, in what seemed a long distance, the red glow of a lighthouse beacon appeared. The vast ocean stretched over it. The silver tide stretched and curved as if bounding the sea.
"Have you come? I saw that you slept on the porch like Kumbhakarna ..."
"I woke up to the sound of the door opening. You've walked away! There was no looking back. Mother! How hard is it to run after you?"
"Why did you keep coming?"
"Good question! Didnt you ask me to come? Have you forgotten?"
"Why did I ask you to come? Do you remember?"
"What if you don't remember? You said you would show your lovers! Where are your lovers? Show, let's see!"
"Look behind you!" said Poongkuzhali.