2.Paddy Battle Field

(Continued from previous post..)
Mridul likes climbing trees. Himself, Kunjumon and Haneefa climb on jacktree near the paddy field in the sleepy bright afternoons on holidays and each occupies individual branches and they exchange jokes and stories they collect from their classmates and uncles and aunts. They laugh without much reason and sing. The outer world was castaway beyond the fanning jack leaves and they planned adventures from there. On the day Mridul got gun he wanted to climb the tree and puncture jackleaves with his powerful fruitbullets. But Kunjumon had other plans. He is an avid stone missiler like David. His aim is sharp. Despite his good effort Mridul can not shot down the tempting Ko Mangoes with stones. Kunjumon laughs at Mridul saying that he throws like girl. Mridul throwing style is much like cricket bowling, his hand moving in vertical circle as he shoot stone at bunches of mangoes. But Kunjumon's macho style of throwing stones in horizontal circular pre shooting movements. But Mridul is star among them in somersault and diving in flood waters when they float Banana-stem catamaran during rainy season. Mridul's aquatic skills are matured and displayed in the cool waters of Prof Ithapiri's pond in the opposite bank of paddy field. He floats motionless like a log in Prof Ithapiri's Pond much to the admiration of his friends. But in matters of shooting down mangoes and Kutty and Kol play or glass ball plays where sharp shooting skill is a compulsory requirement, Mridul can not shine. But he is as adventurous as his friends. So they ware a lucrative team in the play ground. Today Kunjumon is going to show them a special fishing method. It is called Vettu. Kunjumon's cousin Aboo is a Vettu expert. Mridul has seen Aboo many times on his way to the lake in the middle of paddy filed called Koll. In Koll most of the seasons maximum depth is more than a fathom. There grows thick bush of lotus. In peak summer Buffaloes feast on lotus on the whole day. Children harvest flowers and root of lotus named Kootnthakaya which is a delicious food when cooked in steam. Small rowing boats of Duck farmers is seen keeping the ranks of hordes of ducks swimming like a march past where lotus leaves are not so thick. Aboo lays his vettu in the koll. Vettu is a little more than one foot long Njankana, which looks similar to sugar cane but floats on water because its airy like thermocol. On it several feet long fish line with hooks with small pallathis as baits are atached. The fish caught the bait pulls the vettu as much as it wants. The fishes have their last voyage in the Koll in full freedom before being cooked with bait in their mouth. Aboos victims are mainly Bral and Kari fishes which are delicacies around there. Kunjumon found out Vett laid by Aboo which are hidden in the thick lotus groves. Kunjumon want to show his friends the Vettu and examine if any fishes are caught. if Aboo knows that they are looking for Vettu he would have been quit a menace. So Kunjumon is doing a secret mission. It is like entering a mine field. Kunjumon and Mridul were waiting for others to arrive. By the time Miridul has emptied many fruit bullets in his Kottothok barrel.

1.The Gunmen Under the flower Tree

Mridul got his first gun that day. It is the Kottaseed-Gun he was long dreaming to possess. It is made of naive bamboo cutting. The 6 inch long Seed-Gun smelled raw bamboo and kottakkaya. Mridul's pocket is bulged with fresh bunches of green pea sized kottakkaya. He got a few of them ripen with deep grape red and having a sweet delicious juice. He was chewing ripen kottakkaya, The fibrous kernel squeezed out sweet juice and invigorated him with fresh energy. He was virtually armed to the teeth with his fruit bullets. He pumped the first bullet in to the barrel of his Kottathok with the bamboo stick. The stick is its trigger as well. The barrel of the bamboo has sufficient diameter to squeeze the kottakkaya. One kottakkaya always remains as a readily loaded bullet at the firing end of the barrel. When another bullet loaded in the other end and the shaped slender bamboo rod with a stopper is suddenly pushed down with bottom of palm with force, the air column between two bullets in the barrel get compressed and the bullet at the firing end is fired with a loud bang as the freshly loaded bullet moved and remains at the firing end. When his friend Kunjumon fires the gun actually smokes and the sound is shattering. He sometimes pushes a couple of well rounded green ripen kottkkas one by one and make a power detonation that shrills the surrounding with a spray of seed bullets. The bullet's size and ripeness is critical for a good firing. Kunjumon made Mridul the gun. They both ran out to the pallam near paddy field. Mridul aimed dragon flies and fired. They went under the great elanji tree showering fragrant flowers. The girls picked as much flowers they can in the morning and each made garlands two foot long each. Subi admired Mridul's gun and gifted him the elanji garland she made. All around the ancient trunk of elanji panal grown in thicket. There are sarpams in it. Mridul never met any sarpam. He fired a few kottakka bullets against the invisible Sarpams. He play playfully fired a few bullets on Subi's pulli-pavada. She thrown him with achinga puli she was holding so precious and relishing in cold bites. Kunjumon ventured into the nearby bush to collect that days bullets. The day of the gunmen is very busy. Friends are yet to come. They have to leave the girls behind with their thongikali. The manhood exercises are to be accomplished. Kattapadams has to be tread. Great water wheels has to be pedalled with songs swaying in the winds.
Mirdul decided to hunt the galssy water snakes called neerkoli with his new bamboo gun. The little terrorists were preparing