Arul and Ram-Part 2

But the rain showed no sign of stopping.It fell, and kept on falling — sometimes slowing, sometimes surging again — without pause.

In village jeeva's heart ached as he thought, "If only i had brought Ramu with me to the village, i wouldn’t be sitting here, worrying about him like this."

The second day passed.The cigarettes were gone.With nothing left to eat or drink, Arul grew weaker.Meanwhile, Ramu, trying to quench his thirst, stretched out his tongue to lap up the flowing water.Watching him, Arul thought, "Maybe I should drink that water too…"But inside, there was hesitation — he wasn’t sure how.

The cigarettes were finished.“Please, show a little mercy. There’s no place to take shelter. Right now, there’s nothing to eat—nothing even that looks like food. Why are you tormenting me like this? Oh God, what did this voiceless creature do? Why this cruelty for that?” Arul questioned the heavens.

On one side, hunger gnawed at him. He kept glancing around, hoping something might come his way. While his eyes wandered outside, he noticed a water can floating towards him in the water. It was drifting directly in his direction.

Arul hooked it with his walking stick and pulled it in. Carrying the water can, he went to a corner inside the bus where water was trickling down. He positioned the can precisely where the drops were falling, letting it fill, drop by drop.

He watched closely until the can was full. Once it was, he drank to his fill and gave the remaining water to Ramu.That day passed in this manner, and night fell. As the night deepened, Ramu leaned against Arul and slept.

The next day dawned as well. But the rain did not stop. Perhaps Arul’s streak of bad luck was unending—his water can, blown by the wind, had fallen outside the bus.Even so, both of them survived the day by drinking the water that flowed below and suppressing their hunger. This went on for two days. Throughout those two days, Arul and Ramu suffered from constant vomiting and burping.

But on the morning of the third day, Ramu lay there on the bed, tongue hanging out. Arul, too, no longer had the strength to stand or walk. Faint from hunger, his vision blurred as he lay still.

Arul, who had raised Ramu since he was a child, looked at him and said,"When there was no one for me, when I was all alone, you stayed by my side. Even now, in this moment, you are my only companion. If not for you, I would have taken my own life long ago, thinking—what am I living for, and for whom? But now… hunger… it’s urging me… to eat you."Saying this, Arul grasped Ramu’s jaw and broke down, weeping uncontrollably.

That day, while watching the news on  Television, Jeeva saw the Meteorological Department announcing that the rain might stop by this afternoon and that from tomorrow there was no chance of rain. Seeing that, Jeeva felt nothing but pure joy.Furthermore, Jeeva’s father said, “Be ready tomorrow. We are going to our hometown tomorrow.”“Tomorrow?” Jeeva asked his father.“We’ll leave tonight. By tomorrow, we’ll be in our village,” Jeeva’s father told him.

Meanwhile, Arul, who was crying beside Ramu, fainted on the spot. After some time, Arul regained consciousness, dazed and unsure of what to do. Ramu’s body lay in a pitiful state. Hunger gnawed at him.Slowly rising, Arul decided to sharpen the iron tip of his walking stick by rubbing it against the bus. 

Just as he planned, he honed it until it became sharp. Then, he tore half of the blanket he had with him. He gathered together all the papers and tickets lying around in the bus. He also checked the matchbox once more.Taking the sharpened tool in his hand, Arul came and sat beside Ramu. Looking at him, Arul said, “Forgive me, brother… I don’t know any other way,” and raised the weapon.

The next morning arrived. Everyone in the village stepped out to see what all the rain had done. Shops were opened. The bus drivers too set out to attend to their work. The driver of the bus where Arul had been staying came to check the condition of his vehicle.The floodwater at the bus stand had receded halfway. When the driver stepped inside the bus, he was struck with shock! He immediately called for an ambulance. The ambulance came and went.

That evening, Jeeva pleaded with his father, “Appa, Appa, please… let’s go to the bus stand and have tea. I also want to see how Ramu is doing.” His father agreed, “Alright, come on, let’s go.”By then, the floodwater from the morning had gone down considerably. When they reached the tea stall, Jeeva’s father bought tea for both of them and began chatting with the locals, asking how things were. Jeeva, meanwhile, bought some biscuits and started looking for Ramu.

“Ramu! Ramu!” he called out. But Ramu didn’t come. Jeeva thought of walking further to search, but his father warned him sharply, “Jeeva, don’t get into the water!” Frightened, he stopped right there.The tea stall owner noticed this and asked, “What’s the matter, kid? Are you looking for that brown-colored dog?”

“Yes, Uncle! Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?” Jeeva asked eagerly.“Yes, son… see that bus over there? Right near it, he’s sleeping. Go and have a look,” the tea stall owner told him.Immediately, Jeeva ran joyfully toward that spot.There, Jeeva saw Ramu.

The moment he saw Ramu, Jeeva’s feet could no longer stay still on the ground — with great joy, he tossed biscuits to Ramu and delighted in feeding him.

I know what you’re wondering: So, what happened to Arul? Right? If Ramu is alive, then what happened to him? Let’s see…

Facing Ramu, Arul said, “Forgive me, my friend… there’s no other way I can see.”He raised the tool in trembling hands. Then, with a sharp motion, he severed the portion of his left arm below the elbow.As soon as it was done, he took half of a blanket and tightly bound the bleeding wound. Then, he gathered the supplies he had stored, along with the torn blanket cloth, and lit a fire.Holding the severed arm over the flames, he burned it thoroughly. Once it was well charred, he fed it to Ramu. Then he too ate, finally easing the hunger that had tormented them for days.

In that pain, his own hunger faded — and the thought that Ramu had been fed filled him with a strange sense of deep satisfaction.

Yes, it was Arul whom the ambulance had taken that morning.After a fierce battle for his life in the hospital, Arul was saved.Upon learning of his actions, the government gave him a shop right at the bus stand and arranged it so that it also served as his home.

Friends, if you had been in Arul’s place, what would you have done? 

1. Done the same as Arul

2. Killed Ramu and eaten him

3. Accepted it as fate and perished from hunger along with Ramu

Comment your choice.