Vandhiyathevan looked back. The intestines rose from his stomach and blocked his chest. Then they went up and choked his throat. A thousand lightning flashed through his body. A hundred thousand dried needle points pierced his whole body – such a horrible sight was before his eyes.
Ten, twenty, a hundred fiery fires appeared here and there in the endless darkness. There is no smoke from them; There was no light; Nor are the flames produced by the burning of firewood below. Just flames. Somehow they rose from the earth. Suddenly, some of them disappeared. A few other flames rose anew.
A gigantic dark and darkskinned giant, like a kabandha, with no head and no mouth. But he wasn't a mouth on his stomach; Many mouths. He often opened and closed those mouths. When he opened, flames of fire came out of his stomach through his mouths. Disappeared at closing.
Seeing this scene, Vandhiyathevan's body seemed to bleed through every hair leg. He had never been overcome by such terror. Not even in the cellar of the elder Pazhuvertaraiyar. He heard a laugh behind him, "Ha ha ha!" and he turned around.
It's Poongkuzhali! On another occasion her laughter would have filled him with infinite terror. Now the same laughter gave me courage. The fact that a woman of flesh and blood, body and soul was standing beside him served like a stick in great danger. "Have you seen my lovers?" asked Poongkuzhali.
"These fiery devils are my lovers. I come here in the middle of the night to flirt with them."
There was no doubt that this girl was mad. Is it possible to go to Ilankai with her help? – So thought Vandhiyathevan. Something else was struggling to come out of his mind. What is that? Something about these fiery devils.
"Can your friend Senthan Amuthan compete with such lovers?" said Poongkuzhali like a voice coming from inside a well. Because his heart was trying to remember something. Aa! A great struggle at last; I remember this in my mind...
In places of sulphurous soil, where water remains stagnant for a long time and becomes swampy, such apparitions occur at night. When sulfurous gas comes out of the earth, it is like a flame. Sometimes it lasts. Sometimes it appears and disappears. Seeing this natural appearance, ignorant people will be afraid. They will be terrified by the terrible name of the fiery devil...
He remembered what he had heard from the elders. Then there was a battle between his intellect and his fear. Knowledge triumphed. But it's no use telling this delusional girl now. Somehow I had to say a good word to her and take her away.
"Girl! Your lovers wont go anywhere, they will stay here. Lets come and see them tomorrow, cant we? Let's go home, come!"
Poongkuzhali did not reply; She began to sob.
'What trouble is this?' thought Vandhiyathevan. Then he was silent for a while.
"Girl! Shall we go?" he asked again.
The sobs didn't stop.
Vandhiyathevan was tired.
"Okay; Do as you wish! I am sleepy. I'm leaving," he said and began to descend.
Poongkuzhali immediately stopped sobbing. She began to descend the mound. She jumped down and stood in front of Vandhiyathevan.
Vandhiyathevan ran and caught her.
The two of them started walking towards the lighthouse.
'Trusting this mad woman to get into the boat? Crossing the sea? – But you see there's no other way? Shall I try to make friends with some nice word?'
"A comet appears in the sky! What is your opinion about that?" asked Poongkuzhali.
"I don't have an opinion. The comet appears; That's all!" said Vandhiyathevan.
"They say that if a comet appeared in the sky, there would be great calamities on the earth!"
"That's what some people say."
"What do you mean?"
"I have not studied astrology. I know people say that."
They walked on in silence for a while.
Then Poongkuzhali said, "Isn't it true that they say that the emperor is not well?"
'She is not such a crazy girl,' thought Vandhiyathevan. He felt a little confident.
"I saw it with my own eyes. The emperor is bedridden. There is no feeling in both legs. You can't take a single step. I have come to bring herbs to cure him. Girl! Will you do me a favor?"
Without replying, Poongkuzhali asked, "Is it true that they say that the emperor will not live long and will die soon?"
"If you don't help now, it will happen. There is a rare panacea herb in Sri Lanka. If you bring it, the emperor will survive. Will you come to Ilankai by pushing the boat?"
"If the emperor dies, who will succeed him?" asked Poongkuzhali.
"Girl! What does it matter to you and me? What do we care who comes to power?"
"Why don't you care? Are you and I not citizens of this kingdom?"
'This girl is not crazy at all. You have to be careful with her. There must be another reason for her strange actions.'
"Why don't you speak? Who will come to the next title?" asked Poongkuzhali again.
"Athitha Karikalar has been crowned as Yuvaraja. He should rightfully succeed to the next degree."
"Mathuranthakar, – doesn't he have any rights?"
"Didn't he say he didn't want the kingdom?"
"He said so before; Isn't he saying that he wants a kingdom now?"
"Is it enough for him to say? Shouldn't all citizens agree?"
"There are a lot of big people in his party, aren't there?"
"That's what I heard. I'm amazed that all this has reached your ears."
"What will happen if Sundara Cholar dies suddenly?"
"The whole land will be in chaos. Your help is needed now to prevent that..."
"What can I do to help?"
"I told you before. I have to go to the island of Ilankai to get herbs urgently. You'll have to row for that."
"Why are you calling me? Aren't you ashamed to ask a girl to push a boat?"
"Your father says there is no one else. Didn't your brother also leave yesterday?"
"What if he goes? Don't you have two hands and the one who came with you two?"
"We don't know how to row..."
"What a magic trick to row! If you hold the oar, the boat will go on its own!"
"You have to know the direction, don't you? If you don't know the direction in the middle of the sea...?"
"If you don't know the direction in the middle of the sea, drown yourself! What can I do about it!"
They had come to the lighthouse. Vandhiyathevan also wanted to stop talking. He didn't want to talk further and confirm Poongkuzhali's refusal. Though she answered so sternly, her voice and the tone of her speech produced a faint glimmer of hope in his heart.
Vandhiyathevan could not sleep for a long time after lying down a second time. His mind was very confused by some thoughts. He slept at the beginning of the fourth watch.
Vandhiyathevan dreamed in his sleep. He and Poongkuzhali were sitting opposite each other in a small boat with a mast. The sea on all sides; Water everywhere. Happy Garden; The boat was moving as if floating in the wind. Poongkuzhali's face was beautifully shaped. His curly hair drooped from his forehead. The saree title flew. Vandhiyathevan had forgotten where he was going and why he was going. It seemed that he had been travelling all these days to go by boat with Poongkuzhali. Only one was lacking. What is that? What is that? Aa! Poongkuzhali's song! Didn't Senthan Amuthan tell you?
"Girl! Won't you open your coral mouth and sing a song?" said Vandhiyathevan.
"What did you say?" asked Poongkuzhali with a smile. Aha! Won't that smile get the seven worlds?
"Won't you open your mouth and sing a song?"
"What will you give me if I play the anthem?"
"Come close to you and kiss your beautiful cheek..."
Poongkuzhali immediately took a sharp knife from her lap. She raised her hand holding the knife.
"Look! If you come an atom beyond that mast, Ill stab you with this knife. The fish in the sea are very hungry!"