Floating into my Memory -3

The Old Man and Badighat River
"Lets' go to the river for fishing",  said Pun Baaje clearing his throat instinctively. It was dark like vinegar outside since twilight had changed into night. He had a fishing net dangling over his soldier and a small basket made up of bamboo skin to carry fish hanging over his right hip. He was wearing a half pant and a netlike t-shirt just above it. It was summer and the climate was above 30 Degree. I and my brother were only in the house because other family members used to live in a village uphill. " It will be exciting to just follow him through thin water on the edges of the river and sometimes putting hands into the gap of the stones under the water to catch fishes" my brother smiled shrinking more than stretching his cracked lips.

We three walked through the paddy field like a pendulum with the help of a torch. As soon as we reached to the bank of the Budget River, we took off the clothes and made a bundle of it to carry with us. Pun Baaje started throwing the net overflowing water making splashing sound and we started searching fishes putting both hands under the stones in the river. When we felt cuddling on our palms, we would cry in joy and sometimes would jump out of the river. My brother caught a fish as big as my middle finger. He said that it was 'Asala' feeling proud of being a winner. I moved faster to go in front of them so that I could catch more fishes in silent water. Pun Baaje was invisible somewhere in the middle of the water. He was a skilled fisherman. But he hadn't caught any that day. 

Since I couldn't catch a single fish even a buduno, I went a bit farther than they. I could hear gargle of water and feel the rippling of the waves. I could also feel the grains of sands beneath my feet. The  Yelping of the wolves and the roaring of the river made us dumb towards other sounds. I had to speak loudly several times to know where they were. Sometimes I would slip onto the rocks hurting the legs. 

When I reached below the paddy field of Nandaram Thapa, I saw a flickering light near Kaaliraha. I thought it would be the light of some fisherman. I looked around through the darkness if I could see my brother and Pun Baaje. But I couldn't see them. I was still in the water and putting hands under the stones. Meanwhile, I felt quavering of a fish as spineless as a jellyfish. When I tried to bend the fingers to catch it through its gills gulls, it moved away as swift as an arrow. Then I came on the bank of the river. There was still light near Kaaliraha. After sometimes, Pun Baaje and the brother came nearby me. Pun Baaje had caught no fishes, and the brother was carrying a plastic bag into his teeth having three trots. I showed them the light. Pun Baaje said happily, " Lets' go there now. There is a man fishing from the opposite bank of the river. It can be a fat chance for us." I thought It could be a chance to catch a fish if I went there before them. I ran towards the light stumbling over rocks.  When I approached closer to it, I saw it on our side and different from our expectation. I saw a man sitting on a slab of stone and light on his hand. I stood there for a while waiting for them. As soon as Pun Baaje saw the man with lights, he asked us not to move ahead. I was curious though a bit coward too. I walked a few steps ahead of them. I noticed the lights of different color on his hand and the white hair and long beards just above the light. He was wriggling his head making movements of his lips. It was a scary ghost in the horror movies.

At the meantime, Pun Baaje asked us to go home silently without doing any mischievous activities. Then we turned back and climbed into the field. Secretly, I took a flake of stone and threw it towards the mysterious old man. No sooner had I thrown a bit of stone, than we saw the light exploding over. It made the whole landscape visible. Then the light scattered in different colorful clusters and flew upwards the hill. We ran to the house. Pun Baaje asked us not to tell this to anyone. Neither did we.

This is based on a real incident when I was only fourteen.