He looked from a corner lost in the crowd .
The line of fine elephants stood swaying , thier tiny eyes crinkled in amusement .
The drums beat in synched unison .
The cymbals clanged thier full stops ,the mathalam thier commas .
The elephant keepers stood shifting sand in their long hours watch .
The crowd was in a frenzy mesmerised with the rythm thier hands jerking up with the beat .
Exopthalmic eyes open they watched in a trance .
To them there was nothing else but the drum beat and those gentle giants .
But to him his search went beyond
He was looking out for something which made his heart beat faster.
He had watched so for decades now .
She would always come in resplendent white mundum neriyathum , her lithe slim countenance sailing like a floating angel .
The gentle smile on her face was still the same from the time she wore a golden blouse and skirt ,
in those days he a humble temple worker still had some wild hope that he would win her hand ,the hand of the darling of the royal family itself .
He never dared to tell it out but just watched with mountains of love at his etheral beauty .
Her forehead head shone with brightness and the sandalwood paste on it glowed,
Her popping eyes shadowed her setting sun red full lips
He would particularly zoom into those lips and think about the time he would posess its softness.
Her nape of the neck with its gentle down disappeared in fine elegance to forbidden frontiers and his mind would almost feel his nose touching them .
But his love stayed as it was
Did she even know he existed when she got married in the same temple ?
The 6 foot bald man was disgusting to his eyes though he heard he hailed from kottakal kottaram and was a great match .
Later she came only for vritchikotsavam every year more older tireder and sadder though her beauty never dimmed .
She would clutch her children close ,with time they would clutch her as she grew older and slower .
He lasted all along in the same job and never married
He just didnt want and had none to take care of .
He looked forwards to watching the love of his life every year.
He had retired 10 years back
they asked him to at 70 years
Now he stayed in a tiny room nearby mostly eating in temple .
old aqauintances saw that Unniettan never starved
The ettan who loved laxmi thamburatti for 60 years .
He watched her once again leaning on a pillar
His body just slumped as he fell
They quickly carried him to hospital but he had left the world as quietly as he lived .
Laxmi thampratti asked her grand daughter
Endha kutti avide ?
Whats happening ?
Ammmamma one old man fell down maybe your admirer !
They all laughed
Laxmi too sighed
true i had lots she said
The drums beat till dawn
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