People started gathering at the hall, and hour before the start time.
Vira and Akat went together. Uncle Karn was busy with the last minute arrangements. Laika and Saka were nowhere to be seen.
"Vira! " he rushed. He stopped when he noticed the guest next to him.
"Sorry, you must be Vira's guest.. you are.."
"Akat, from Paschit's house."
Uncle Karn froze for a second then he hugged Akat so hard, Vira was sure Akat would pass out.
Akat murmured, "Uncle Karn, I can't breathe."
But he looked so happy.
Uncle Karn let him go after sometime. "Where are you now? What are you doing? Why did you stop visiting us? Are you alright?"
Akat smiled. Uncle Karn never changed.
"Let's catch up for dinner uncle, if you are free? I heard your son is performing. If it is as good as yours, I can't wait to see it!"
"They say Saka is way better than me, I'll let you be the judge of it. Yes, today, let's have dinner."
"Then uncle Karn, let's have it at Vira's place. He cooks better."
Uncle Karn threw him a friendly punch, but nodded his head. "If Vira will be kind enough to host us..."
Vira responded, "That would be my privilege."
Akat and Vira moved to sit in the available seats as close to the front as possible. The lights dimmed, and the next hour was a performance that blew his mind away.
Where Saka acted, Laika voiced over, lighting and background effect was handled by Uncle Karn and Roma.
Apā, an innocent spirit, rose from the embers of the ocean of infinity. As he grew by the day, unable to fanthom the mysteries of the universe, he began to explore.
His hair was the shade of fire, for fire dwelled in him. Afraid to quench it with his spirit, he allowed it to burn at the top forming his hair.
Wherever he walked, life emerged from his feet. But when the footprint dried, the life form wilted and died with it.
Unable to come to terms of the pain he was inflicting on his own creation, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
He cut himself to a million pieces and covered the universe.
From each of his drop formed a new life.
His blood formed the waterbodies, his tears the rain, his spirit the millions of lives and his thoughts, life's intelligence.
His voice became the Word, the sacred sutra that is a secret passed through generations to the keepers of the Apā temple.
As Saka acted out the life of Apā, the kids vibed with him, his innocence as a young spirit, to his genuine heartbreak for taking away life.
And in the end, he burst into a million bubbles, the ground darkened, and when the focus was on the bubble, Saka disappeared from the ground.
And when the lights turned on, Saka was nowhere in sight. The children of the Island wept so loud, the parents had a tough time consoling them.
"Ask Apā to come back mamma, why did he die for us?"
"Mamma, we should protect Apā."
"Mamma, I don't want Apā to die."
Vira realised one thing. No one treated Apā here as just god. He were more than that, he was their own son, their own little brother, their best friend.
Maybe this is how the Apām temple wanted people to regard god, to associate at a level beyond devotion or fear, to associate as family.
Laika took the stage and said, "When you genuinely wish for him, and pray to him, you will be able to give him a form. He comes to see us this day every year, doesn't he? Remember, Apā loves us so much, he'd do anything for us. So we should remember to share the love okay? So he may feel happy, that we love him too."
The kids stopped crying, loudly atleast. Some were still not able to control themselves.
"Remember, he is there in our breath, in the water, in our blood... to protect him, we should take care of ourselves, we shouldn't cry, for our tears are his blood right?"
Some kids murmered "yes."
Smaller ones just hugged their mom's tightly.
"Thank you for coming today, your support had made our Apā happy. Please leave your offerings at the main shrine."
With that, he left the stage.
Vira felt like an idiot for weeping. He could feel his heart ache.
Akat gently rubbed his shoulder, but his face was tear stained too.
"Akat, can I leave you here for a few minutes? I want to go see Saka."
Akat nodded. "Let's meet at your place, I'll come with Uncle Karn."
Vira patted him on his back, to show his acknowledgement.
Akat spotted Maw Lava and went over to speak to him.
Vira searched for Saka behind the stage and at the temple, but he couldn't spot him.
He bumped into many known faces, but no one had seen Saka.
Many were animatedly talking about the play. He heard Saka's name and stopped. "That boy is taking too much on his shoulders", one mother said.
"He loves the village too much, takes after his mother in that manner."
"That is true, he still colours the hair red and visits sick children at night, to cheer them as Apā. My kids eat their vegetables and medicines now, because they don't want Apā to feel sad!"
"Indeed! Sometimes I feel I worship him unknowingly. The high priest is lucky to have him as his son!"
They chatted on, but Vira did not pause to listen anymore.
Saka was commendable. What did Saka see in a guy like Vira?
He decided to walk to the cliff, Saka's confort zone, to check if Saka was there.
He was. He stood there, this hair a shade of deep brown under the moonlight.
His robe, white, his profile almost unearthly.
He looked sombre as he stared at the full moon.
The wind caressed his hair. From a distance he did look like Apā had been portrayed.
Vira was so drawn in by him, he forgot to breathe.