There was a canoe floating on the Pond's still water, and Pather stood on it holding a folded fish net in his hands. He swung it back and forth to gain momentum then let it fly with an experienced throw. The net expanded like the wings of a falcon as it flew farther away from him and the boat. It fell into the pond with a splash, and then sank down into the water thanks to the weights tied to its ends. It didn’t sink to the bottom but also became invisible to the people on the shore.

He wore a straw hat on his head and grey pants that he had folded to his knees. He didn’t wear a shirt. His wiry frame made him look sleek like a fish under the blue sky. The sweat covering his sunburned skin would have glistened like crystal glass beads on a sandy beach if were there sunlight in the clearing.

There were some women washing clothes by the shore, and naked kids playing in the water wasn’t an odd sight.

A couple walked past them hand in hand. Both of them were barefooted by choice. The boy had buttoned his brown shirt to the neck, and the girl's light green skirt brushed her ankles when she walked. Both of them were wide-awake and held lovely smiles on their face. They held hands, fingers bound around one another, as if afraid of separation.

“Are you really not going to let my hand go?” Mannat asked politely, though his voice sounded tired. He couldn’t remember the number of times he had asked the question, but he perfectly remembered the answer he received every time.

Sharmilla further tightened her grip. “You will leave me behind if I let you go.”

“I won’t.”

“Yes, you will.” She rested her head on his shoulder and Mannat gave up trying to pry his hand free. She was a little tired, but there was a smile on her lips and peace in her heart. She was happy. They were finally together.

The grass pricked her feet with each step and reminded her that she wasn’t dreaming. It was cold and refreshing both on a physical and spiritual level. She could feel Mannat’s heart beating everywhere their skin touched. Its sound was in her ears. His heart was calm, just like the wind.

“Why did you call me out here so early in the morning?”

Sharmilla didn’t like the sound of those words. They were selfish and demanding. “Do I need a reason to see you?” She said. Some irritation brew in her heart, but she cut it off and threw it away into the pond to feed the fish. She wasn’t going to let negativity ruin their time together.

“We see each other every day,” Mannat said.

He really was clueless about her needs. “There are always others watching us when we meet on the farm.” She complained. Even her voice trembled with her heart. “They tell everything to my grandfather.”

Mannat looked around and let out a sigh. “We are not alone here either.”

“I know,” Sharmilla mumbled softly, so only he could hear her voice. “But we can do anything we want and no one will stare at us here.”

Mannat felt her tremble through their contact and slowed down to accompany her pace. He knew there was something on her mind. She was being too clingy; as if afraid, the rising sun would separate them. He actually knew what troubled her, just didn’t know whether he should ask her or let her tell him. It was a bewildering situation and Mannat was clueless on how to deal with it.

He looked at the blue sky. The sun was rising up to fill the void left by the moon. They had little time left together, and then he’d have to leave her.

His father was finally starting to get back into the groove. They had lost a bit of time because of the explosion, but they could always make up for lost time with good old hard work and overtime. There was not much room to slack. Delay of an hour here and an hour there could easily put them behind and then he’d have to take time out of his other tasks to help his father, and that he wanted to avoid at all cost.

Up ahead, Pathar was rowing the canoe back to the shore. He enthusiastically waved at them with both arms raised to the sky. Mannat waved back, but in a more controlled manner.

“Do you want a fish?” Pathar yelled from the pond. “I caught a lot today!”

Mannat asked Sharmilla and she shook her head. “We are fine!” He yelled back.

“How about keeping an otter?” Pathar picked up a cage and raised it high so they could see. There was something locked inside the cage. The two could hear it shrieking, but it wasn’t visible from the shore. “I am looking for a home for it. I found it injured in the woods yesterday, but Soman wants it out of the house. She can’t stand its shrieking.”

“We are fine!” Mannat yelled again.

Pathar sadly put the cage down.

“Suit yourself.” He commented and got busy getting the fish to the shore.

Sharmilla suddenly stopped walking, causing Mannat to stumble. He somehow managed to stay on his feet, ableit not without dancing his way through a few crab poses. He stared at her when he found his balance and found her staring back.

“What’s wrong?” He said.

“I have to tell you something,”

Mannat kept silent. She was finally ready to tell him the reason she had called him to the pond, and he was ready to listen. She swallowed a mouthful of guilt before parting her dry lips. She hesitated at first, then drew confidence from Mannat’s unfazed eyes and spoke out without further hesitation. “My Grandfather wants to meet you and your father. He will be at your home in the evening.” She paused and gripped his hand harder. “Don’t let him break us. Please.”

“I won’t,” Mannat replied firmly, gripping her hand in return.

They stood close enough to see their image ingrained in each other’s eyes. Mannat could hear her heartbeat and felt her warm breaths on his face. He didn’t know if she could hear his heart, but it was beating just as fast. Nothing could separate them anymore.

“Kiss me,” Sharmilla whispered and Mannat only needed to edge forward for their lips to meet.

The sun peeked over the tree covers on the other side of the pond. Its appearance transformed the rippling pond into a sea of burning fire and entrenched the two figures in a fiery frame.

-----

Raesh was getting a fire burning in the furnace when Mannat arrived at the smithy.

He had gotten the furnace fixed, but the same couldn’t be said for his hair. Raesh had to shave his head clean because of uneven hair growth, but that didn’t pain him as much as the loss of his mustache. He had given years to its growth, and it was gone in an instant. It was a tragedy, a great loss.

Thankfully, his facial hairs were growing strong. The beard was coming out nicely, as did the new mustache.

Raesh was wholly concentrated on the furnace and didn’t notice Mannat’s arrival. He was cautious. Not only had he repeatedly checked the furnace for signs of a backdraft, but he had also gone through the tiles to find signs of pressure developing in the chamber because of varying temperatures, which could have caused the explosion. He didn’t find anything conclusive. He did wonder if the furnace had exploded cause of external factors, but there were no clues to facilitate the thought. Eventually, he decided to build a new furnace. It cost him a sunny coin, but safety was more important than money. They could earn more money, but everyone has only one life.

“How is the furnace, father?”Mannat asked while tightening the fitting belts of his apron.

Raesh acknowledged his presence with a nod and got back to work. Mannat didn’t stay idle either. He went ahead to polish the few arrows that they had forged the previous day.

It was only when Raesh could not find any faults in the furnace did he step back and glance at Mannat. He was surprised at once. The boy sat in a daze with an arrow in hand, which was nothing new, to be honest, but he also had a rosy blush covering his cheeks, and he kept licking his lips for some God-forsaken reason.

Mannat was panting. Though he wasn’t sweating. It definitely wasn’t the summer heat that had gotten to him. Was he sick?

“Are you alright?” Raesh asked in concern.

Mannat ignored his father at first, then got spooked when Raesh touched his forehead.

“I’m fine,” He said. Then his lips curled up. “I’m really feeling great.”

Raesh couldn’t help frowning. He found the situation deeply reminiscent of something that happened a long time ago. He remembered the time he was young and madly in love. The love hadn’t faded, but the love worms that used to live in his stomach had grown wings and flown away. He had also experienced the same thing once. Though his master hadn’t worried for his sanity and harshly berated him for going to the smithy when his mind was elsewhere.

But that can’t be! We were 15 years old when we first did it! The kid is too young for having sex! Raesh thought.

Raesh squinted and stared at Mannat while he worked and made a mess. The boy had a tough time polishing a single arrow. Even with his skill ‘focus’ at the maximum level, he couldn’t focus. The matter had to be big. Maybe it was that, after all.

Raesh couldn’t see the wreck anymore. He carefully gripped Mannat’s shoulder and asked when the boy looked, “What’s the problem.”

Mannat didn’t understand what was going on at first. Was he misbehaving? Why did his father think there was something wrong with him? His thoughts ran amock. It was only when he remembered Sharmilla’s words did he realize what was happening. His father had found out about the news and wanted him to ask for his help. He definitely needed his father’s help if he wanted to stay on the good side of Sharmilla’s grandfather.

Mannat stood up straight to show his conviction and grew serious. His father’s frown deepened, and his forehead creased.

“You can tell me the truth,” Raesh said shaking Mannat’s shoulder and the boy nodded in respect.

Mannat told the truth. “It’s the old man Sardar, he will come to meet you in the evening.”

Raesh’s eyes opened wide in horror. Did the old man find out? He thought and his heart grew pensive.

He needed to get things straight with the boy, or he could cause unnecessary trouble. He knew Mannat well. The boy wouldn’t do anything silly if he wasn’t ready to face the thunder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Raesh said and Mannat’s sighed in relief. “Just tell me one thing. Did you two do anything inappropriate?”

Mannat’s eyes opened wide in surprise and Raesh knew he was right -- his stupid boy had dug a pit and climbed into it. He would have used a hard hand to deal with Mannat if he was a frivolous lecher like his friend Pandit. However, Mannat was after all straight as an iron rod, and two kids were indeed very much in love.

“How did you find out?” Mannat asked as thoughts bloomed in his mind. Could his father also read his mind, or was it something related to being a parent? It had to be the second one, but Mannat wasn’t so sure. His father’s complicated gaze wasn’t much help either.

“Did we do something wrong?” He asked in a quiet tone of voice and made his father’s heart palpitate.

Raesh shook his head and patted his shoulder. “You are just too young. I took my eyes off you for a day and suddenly you are a grown man.”

Mannat felt something was wrong. His father was making too big a deal out of a kiss. He decided to clarify it with his father, but the man had already put the matter behind him.

“Let’s get to work,” Raesh said and then they got busy. Soon Mannat forgot all about the worry he had felt in his heart. Was it a good or a bad thing? He couldn’t figure. He didn’t remember anything that happened in the day but found that the kiss was unforgettable.

Later, Mannat left the smithy and took the cart to the clearing since he planned to return in the evening to meet the old man. The Witch’s cottage no longer disturbed Bhadur; he had even found a friend in the raven. The bird flew from the woods and took perch upon his head. Bhadur snorted and the raven cawed in greeting.

Mannat left the two behind believing everything would be all right. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The two started fighting, pecking, and biting each other the moment Mannat entered the hut.