The day passed easily for Vandhiyathevan. He slept more than half the time. The entire waking hours were spent thinking about Poongkuzhali's strange nature.
What wondrous woman? What a sweet and fluent name? But how severe is temperament? Is it just "tough"? There was sweetness in it! How casually she had spoken of the killing of the leopard! Why does she sometimes act like a madman? There must have been some bitter incident in this womans life. A bitter incident, or a sweet incident! Such a woman could have gone mad because of both! Or was she born with such a nature for no reason? There is nothing special about her parents' nature. They are pleasant and meek... Let the character be anyway. Why is she so interested in us? Has she tried so hard to save us from being caught by the Pazhuvur men? Didn't she say that she was taking a boat to Ilankai? Is there any disappointment in all this?... Never. But why did she change her mind? What kind of favour does she expect from us? Did she say she would tell you later? What could it be?...'
While Vandhiyathevan was thus thinking, as Poongkuzhali had said, there was frequent commotion around him on all sides. The galloping of horses, the rattle of men, the frightened cries of small forest creatures, the chirping of birds – all this combined to create a commotion at times. Then there was silence and silence. Vandhiyathevan felt that all the commotion was to find him. The treachery of the doctors son kept coming to his mind!
'Nirmoot! He might think that Poongkuzhali had already fallen in love with him! It's like the water in the small pond fell in love with Vadava Mukakini! The story of a mouse marrying a lioness! But how this woman had taken advantage of his stupidity! How she had kindled a fire of jealousy in his heart?... She had made him a traitor in half an hour! The power of womanhood is amazing!"
'Vandhiyatheva! One thing you must admit. You thought you were very clever! You were proud that you had no equal in the art of magic! But this uncivilized savage girl has defeated you! What was her strategy to get you into this hidden hall when you were bathing in the sea? If she hadn't run away with your half-coil, what would have happened all this time? You would have fallen into the hands of the Pazhuvur men! Things would have been ruined... Yes, you mustn't be so careless ever again.'
The sun had set over the western sea. It's a wonderful sight in Kodikarai. Until then, the south-facing coast turns at a straight angle to the west at that point. Therefore, if we look from the high ground at Kodikarai, we can see the sea spread in three directions – east, west and south. In a few months, you can see the sun and moon rising in the eastern sea. In the west, the sea can be seen turning gold and disappearing. Vandhiyathevan was curious to climb on the sand bar that covered the mandapam and see the sun set in the sea. He suppressed it with difficulty.
Darkness enveloped all sides. The darkness that had already settled in the hidden hall became many times darker. Vandhiyathevan could not stay there any longer and came out. He stood on the sandbar that covered the hall. The light of the lighthouse could be seen in the distance. Diamonds glittered in the sky. There were many strange sounds in the forest. There was a great difference between the sounds of the forest during the day and the sounds of the night. The sounds of the night were mysterious, creating fear in the mind and thrill in the body. Even if you see a tiger in front of you during the day, the mind is not disturbed; There is no fear. Even if a little mouse runs in a bush at night, the heart is startled!
Here is the cuckoo's voice; 'Cuckoo!', 'Cuckoo!' The voice sounded in Vandhiyathevan's ears like a celestial song. He went in the direction of the voice. Poongkuzhali stood there. 'Come with me without making a noise,' she signalled. From there it turned out that the beach was very near.
The boat was ready on the beach. It had a sail tree, a mat and a rope to tie it up. Two poles were protruding from the boat. At the end of the poles was a large piece of wood. Vandhiyathevan went to help lower the boat into the sea.
'You keep quiet!' signalled Poongkuzhali.
She pushed the boat deftly and lowered it into the sea. The boat landed noiselessly in the sea.
Vandhiyathevan tried to get into the boat. "Hush! Wait a minute! You can get into the boat after going a little distance!" said Poongkuzhali in a low voice and dragged the boat along.
Vandhiyathevan pushed the boat thinking that he too would help. The boat stopped.
"You just have to come!" said Poongkuzhali.
When they had crossed the edge of the wave, she said, "Now you can get into the boat!" and climbed in first. Vandhiyathevan also jumped up. Then the boat rocked a lot. It seemed as if Vandhiyathevan would fall into the sea in that game; He managed to sit down. Yet his heart was pounding.
"Let's talk about something now, can't we?" he asked.
"Let's talk well. If you are free from trembling, we can talk!" said Poongkuzhali.
"Trembling? Trembling for whom? It's nothing."
"Nothing at all!"
"Don't you want to build a sail?"
"If we build a sail, people on the shore will probably see us. They'll run and catch you."
"If they come, I'll give them a hand. You need not be afraid at all!" said Vandhiyathevan and began to proclaim his heroism.
"Now there's a headwind. If the sail is unfurled, the boat will be carried back to the shore and crashed. Winds may return after midnight. Then it will be useful to spread the sail!" said Poongkuzhali.
"Oh, you know all this very well; That's why your father told me to take you."
"My father? Who do you mean?"
"I mean your father. Let me tell you the Martyrdom of the Lighthouse."
"He's my father when he's on shore, if he gets out to sea..."
"Will the father change too?"
"Yes; Here Ocean Rajan is my father. My other name is Samuthrakumari. Didn't anyone tell you?"
"I didn't say! What strange name is that?"
"Some people call the emperor's younger son as 'Ponniyin Selvan'! It's like that!"
Hearing this, Vandhiyathevan rubbed his coil.
Poongkuzhali noticed that and asked, "Isn't it safe?"
"What are you asking about?"
"It's about the stuff you have in your coil."
"Sorel" said in Vandhiyathevan's mind. A little doubt was born.
Poongkuzhali was paddling while talking to him. The boat was moving.
"When can we reach the island of Ilankai?" asked Vandhiyathevan.
"If we row in pairs, we can get there before dawn, if the wind helps us!"
"I paddle, too; Shall I leave you alone?"
Vandhiyathevan grabbed the oar beside him and squeezed. Aa! Rowing is no easy task. Very hard work. The boat whirled and came to a stop.
"What is this? If you row, the boat goes; It stopped as soon as I touched it!"
"Am I not an ocean princess? That's why! You just have to be quiet! I will somehow get you to Ilankai; Right?"
Vandhiyathevan felt a little ashamed. He was quiet for a while! Looking around, he saw sticks and logs protruding from the boat.
"What is this wood for?" he asked.
"To keep the boat from rocking too much."
"Does the boat rock more than this? Is it the game that needs to be played right now? I feel dizzy."
"Is this a game? Don't you want to see when the wind blows during Aippasi and Karthikai?"
From the shore, the sea seemed calm and sheety. But Vandhiyathevan saw that this was not really the case. The foamless waves rose and fell. They rocked the boat like a cradle.
"What happens to this log when the wind blows?"
"It depends on how big the wind is. Ordinarily, even in a strong wind, this log would hold the boat back from capsizing. If there is a whirlwind and the boat capsizes, instead of untying this log from the boat, we can hold on to it and try to survive.
"Alas! Will the boat capsize in the wind?"
"If there is a whirlwind, all the big ships will be smashed. What is this small boat?"
"What is a whirlwind?"
"Don't you even know this? When the wind blowing from one side and the wind blowing from the other side collide, a vortex is formed. Here, during the months of Thai and Masi, 'Kondal wind' blows. There was no danger then. You can easily go to Kodikarai and Sri Lanka. "Let's go away tonight and come back. The 'Chola wind' will blow from Vaikasi. It is a little difficult to go from here to Ilankai in the Chola wind. Now is the time between the Chola wind and the smelly wind. Sometimes the wind and the wind collide in the sea. The wind churns the ocean like curd churns with wine. Mountains of waves will rise and fall. There will be huge craters in the sea. The water in the hollows will swirl hoarsely. If the boat gets caught in that vortex, it's Arohara."
Vandhiyathevan suddenly had a panic in his mind. A suspicion arose at the same time.
"Alas! I'm not coming! Take me to the shore and leave me!" he shouted.
"What are you talking about? Be quiet! If you are afraid, close your eyes, or lie down!"
Vandhiyathevan's suspicion was now confirmed. "You are a big bastard! You are taking me to drown in the sea. You see that if I sleep, your task will be much easier!"
"What the hell is this?"
"I'm not crazy! Turning the boat, aren't you? If I don't turn around, I will jump into the sea!"
"Jump freely! But before you jump, give me the letter you are taking to Ponniyin Selvan!"
"Oh! How did you come to know about that letter?"
"I saw when I untied the coil around your waist. Would I have agreed to push the boat for you without knowing who you are and why you are going to Ilankai? In the morning I sat on the tree and untied your half scroll and looked at the leaf..."
"Idiot! I have come to trust you! Will you turn the boat or not?"
Vandhiyathevan's horror and frenzy multiplied. "Turn the boat! Turn the boat!" he shouted.
"If I had been junior stateswoman Kundavai, I would not have sent such an important letter to a fickle intellect like you!" said Poongkuzhali.
"Oh! You even know who gave the letter! There is no doubt that you are an impostor. Turning the boat? Shall I jump into the sea?"
"Jump! Jump freely!" said Poongkuzhali.
A frenzied Vandhiyathevan jumped into the sea. He jumped, thinking that there would be a little water on the shore. He did not know that by then the boat had come to the deep sea where it could not swim. He knew it only after he jumped into the sea. When he found out, he screamed.
By this time Vandhiyathevan had learned to swim to some extent. But his natural fear of water weakened his limbs. In the river or in the pond, there was room for courage to look at the bank nearby; This is the ocean. Everywhere you looked, there was only water. There was a light tide in the sea. At one time, however, it brought him up, and at another time it pushed him into the ditch. When he came up, the boat came into view. "Oh!" he shouted. The boat was not in sight when it fell into the ditch. All around was a wall of dark water. His tongue had even lost the power to scream, 'Oh!' The third time the tide brought him up and the boat seemed to be farther than before. 'That's all we are going to drown in the sea,' the thought occurred in his mind! We don't just drown; Our girdle and the leaf in it are going to be drowned! Kundavai Devi's face came in front of his mind's eye.
It was like asking, "Have you done this?"
"Aha! What did we dream? What mental fortress did we build? Didn't we think that the old kingdom of the Varnar tribe would come back and sit on the throne with the jewel with the junior stateswoman by our side? It's all ruined! This wretched woman has been spoiled! She's not a woman; Female Ghost! She belongs to the Pazhuvertaraiyars. No, that Mohini devil belongs to Nandhini. It doesn't matter if we drown in the sea. If this female ghost is caught in our hands now, she will be strangled... Cheechee! What a thought this is! Think of it as a good thing when we die! Let's remember God! Umapathi! Parameswara! O Lord of Palani! Pallikonda Perumal in the ocean of milk... Kundavai Devi! Sorry. I'm leaving without finishing what I agreed to... I see the boat there. If only the girl could get her hands on it now!"
Poongkuzhali remained indifferent until some time after Vandhiyathevan jumped into the sea. She thought he would stumble and swim and cling to the boat. She increased the distance between him and the boat with the thought, 'Let it be a little difficult.' She soon found out she was wrong. 'He doesn't know how to swim well; And he was terrified; 'Ah!' and 'Oh!' was not a joke for him; It's out of real fear. If he goes a little further, he will begin to drink salt water! He will drown. Then his body could not be found. Cheche! Didn't we make a mistake? The game is going to end badly! We should have kept our mouths shut until we got to the other side. We must not pretend that we know his secret. We were in a hurry by then. But who knew this ruffian would do such a thing? Who knew he would be so afraid of water?'
The next time Vandhiyathevan appeared at the top of the wave, Poongkuzhali steered the boat towards him. In an instant the boat was close to him. "Come on! Come on! Come and climb!" But he didn't seem to hear. Even if he fell, he didn't seem to be going to climb the boat. He seemed to have lost his ability to hear and see. But there was only the power to scream. He raised one hand, raised his head, and screamed for a moment, 'Oh!' Poongkuzhali knew that it was the cry of a man who had lost all hope and was about to drown. When he raised his head, his face was for a moment visible in the pale moonlight of the crescent moon. It was the face of a madman! It is useless to think that he will come and get into the boat on his own... We must save him and put him in the boat! We brought ourselves a good embarrassment! They say, 'Female intellect is backwards', that's right!"
Immediately Poongkuzhali did some things with great excitement. She tied one end of the sail rope to the log protruding from the boat. She tied the other end to her waist; She jumped into the sea. She waved her arms very deftly and swam away. She went near Vandhiyathevan. She stood within leaping distance of her hand.
Vandhiyathevan also saw her. There was a terrible murderous look in his face and eyes.
Poongkuzhali's heart was moving very fast. She knew what those who did not know how to swim and who were about to drown in the water with their hands exhausted would do at the last moment. If someone came to their rescue, they would grab him by the shoulder or by the neck. Those who come to save will also make it impossible to swim; The lust for life would give them the strength of an elephant at that time. They would try to grab those who came to save them and drown them in water. Nor can they be freed from their terrible monstrous grip; You can't swim. The two of them must go under the sea together!
Poongkuzhali who was well aware of all this thought with lightning speed; She made a decision. She moved a little closer to Vandhiyathevan who was struggling for his life. She came to his head. She swam with one arm and clasped the other. She punched Vandhiyathevan hard in the face. The punch landed between the nose and the forehead. The dagger that the boat stabbed with her hardened hand hit Vandhiyathevan like a thunderbolt. His head was a thousand pounds. His eyes became ten thousand pieces. A hundred thousand sparks flashed before every blink of an eye. In every electric spark, the face of the ocean princess appeared and laughed ha His ears were deafened by the hideous laughter of thousands, tens of thousands, millions of demons. Then he could not hear; I don't know! I don't remember! Endless darkness! Infinite silence!