Kadallama Rakshikane: Mother Sea Protector

The Wave Follows

Humming a tune to herself, twisting a lock of hair on her finger, Arya stands at the same spot on the beach she stood on yesterday. She looks out to the sea expecting the same grey-blue waters going back and forth as usual; instead she finds that the shoreline has receded way back towards the horizon.

This makes Arya think for a minute. "How unusual," she says to herself. Still looking, still wondering she spots a small building at a little distance. “This was never here before!” she mutters to herself she walks onto the sea-less sands.

The curious 17-year-old begins to walk towards the building. After 500 meters into the sea she discovers to her surprise that the structure is a ruin of an old temple and a well.

“Hmm…ancient?” she wonders to herself and peers around a bit more. The wet black stone of the temple is reflected in her big intelligent eyes. Biting her lip she picks up a shell from near the well. Her fingers play with the rough and smooth surface of the shell, while she is engaged in her exploration. Carefully, she stoops towards the well to look inside; just then she hears her granny calling out, “Aryamol, come home for lunch, will you, Molu?”

She picks up one more shell on her way back and skips onto the road, which runs parallel to the sea, excited to tell her family about her new find. While she is still standing at the doorstep, she hears a rumbling sound behind her, like a big roar…like a plane in the sky…like…

She turns around, and before she could run or shout for help, a wall of muddy water slaps her hard into the house, toppling the dining table and submerging her under tonnes of water.