Durgapur, West Bengal
It had been two days since Tomashree arrived at Guimaras Island in the Philippines with her parents. It was her parents’ weekend holiday. Her mother, Shailee, had clearly said, “We’re not going sightseeing everywhere, we’ll just chill on this beach.”
Her father had agreed, yawning. But eight-year-old Tomashree was brimming with energy. She was not one to sit still. At the resort’s beachside, she began swinging on a hammock. Suddenly, through the gap in a palm leaf, she noticed a boy about her own age watching her. Thinking she had found a playmate, she waved at him. The boy, a bit frightened, began to move away.
Tomashree went to the security guard and asked, “Why is that boy afraid to come in here?”
The guard replied indifferently, “They’re Bajau, a nomadic tribe. They’re not allowed to live on land. If the police see them, they’ll arrest them. The resort doesn’t allow them in either. Sometimes they come to fetch drinking water, we don’t say anything then.”
Tomashree asked in wonder, “Then where do they live?”
“In the water.”
“In the water!”
“Yes, their houses are built high above the sea on bamboo and wooden stilts.”
“Don’t those houses get destroyed by sea waves?”
“By the waves? Not at all! Even during the tsunami, their houses stood firm, didn’t tilt an inch.”
“What do they eat?”
“Sea fish, octopus.”
“They don’t eat rice?”
“Where will they get it? If they find it, they eat it.”
“Only fish?”
“They live in the sea, that’s where the fish are.”
“They eat it raw?”
“They collect bits of wood and make a fire when they can.”
“Oh.”
“Some of them secretly do work at the resorts to earn money.”
“That boy, did he sneak in? What’s his name?”
“He’s Hallu. I told you, he comes sometimes to fetch drinking water.”
From the veranda, her mother’s voice rang out, “Come inside! What are you doing there? Lunch is ready in the room.”
Reluctantly, Tomashree went back, her head full of unanswered questions. As she sat down to eat with her parents, her rice was scattered all over the plate. She was thinking about Hallu, had he eaten rice today?
Her father, Bishan, noticed and asked, “Shree, what are you thinking about while eating?”
The flood of questions returned to her mind. She asked, “You know, Dad, there are people here who don’t have any houses on land. They live in the sea, they work there, the kids play there. They aren’t afraid of the water at all.”
“Yes, I know. They’re the Bajau. They aren’t natives of this region, they’re nomads. They build temporary homes on the sea. Since they don’t stay in one place, they aren’t citizens of any specific country.”
“So what happens if they fall sick?”
“If it can be cured with simple herbs, they survive, otherwise, they die.”
“Oh dear, then if Hallu gets sick, he’ll die?”
“Hallu? Who’s that?”
“A little boy, just like me. He came here today to fetch water.”
Shailee warned her, “You better not start playing detective and following Hallu around!”
That night, Tomashree dreamed of a strange underwater kingdom. Jewels and pearls hung from the trees; birds didn’t fly, they swam like ducks. Amid the big fish was a small boy, wearing a golden crown like a king. But his legs were like those of a fish. He beckoned Tomashree. She started moving towards him, her own feet turning into fins. The cold water slowly rose over her chest, her head, she was sinking into the dark depths of the sea.
Her groaning woke Shailee. She shook her daughter. “What’s wrong, dear? Why are you groaning?”
Rubbing her eyes awake, Tomashree looked around, where was the sea, where was that crowned boy? This was their room, their bed.
Shailee said, “It’s already dawn. No more sleeping, come, let’s go for a walk in the resort garden.”
Agreeing, Tomashree came outside. The sun was just peeking over the eastern sky. Its golden shimmer fell through the coconut leaves and sparkled on the sea. In their flat back in Kolkata, she could never tell where the sun rose or set.
Shailee asked, “Do you know the national fruit of the Philippines?”
“What is it?”
“Mango! They grow it in huge farms. Most of them are the Carabao or Manila variety.”
“Wow.”
“Even the raw ones are quite sweet, you know.”
“Let’s go to the beach, Mom.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
The sea breeze made Tomashree feel like a fluttering butterfly. As they walked, she noticed a peculiar boat, it looked like someone’s house. Oh! There was Hallu, helping an older man. How interesting, Hallu lived in a boat-house!
When she smiled at him, Hallu couldn’t help smiling back. His bluish eyes even seemed to sparkle. Shailee noticed the exchange and asked, “Who’s that?”
Absentmindedly, Tomashree said, “The King of the Sea.”
“What do you mean?”
“No, no, that’s Hallu. He doesn’t understand or speak English, so he’s shy to talk.”
In the afternoon, Tomashree came back there again with her father. She stood in front of Hallu’s boat, calling his name. After several calls, Hallu came out and said, “Aku Hallu.”
Seeing her surprised face, Bishan smiled. “Looks like he’s introducing himself.”
Hallu waved his hands and asked, “Ikaw?”
Without understanding, she replied, “Tomashree.”
Bishan laughed, “If he tries to pronounce your name, his teeth will break.”
Hallu said, “Bago?”
A nearby coast guard explained, “He’s asking if you’re new here.”
Amused, Tomashree gestured and asked, “Did you catch fish today?”
Hallu said, “Tinnan natin.”
The guard translated what he said. As they walked back, Bishan remarked, “Shree, you’ve become good friends with Hallu!”
Proudly, Tomashree thought — I’m friends with the King of the Sea.
The next morning, when Shailee woke up, she didn’t see her daughter on the bed. She assumed Bishan had taken her out for a walk. But when Bishan came out of the washroom, she asked, “Where’s Shree?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Why didn’t you wake me when you saw she wasn’t here?”
“I thought she was in the balcony.”
“You can’t just think, let’s go look for her.”
They searched everywhere but couldn’t find Tomashree. The resort manager checked the CCTV footage and saw only the part where she walked away. The security guards, suspicious, grabbed Hallu’s grandfather. Already fearful of trouble, the old man was devastated. He couldn’t answer, Hallu was missing too.
The Bajau people searched the sea for both of them but there was no sign of Hallu or Tomashree.
The next day, Tomashree returned with Hallu. The crowd was about to beat Hallu, but Tomashree stopped them.
“It’s not Hallu’s fault. I wanted to see the sea with him. He gave me rubber flippers for my hands and feet. We floated together, watching so many kinds of fish. But after a while, we drifted far away and reached another island. The island had tall grasses everywhere. While wandering there, we got hungry and saw some fruits hanging from a big tree. We ate them and then I don’t remember anything.
When we woke up this morning, we realized we were in trouble. I was waving my red scarf from the beach. A fishing boat spotted us and came to rescue us. After hearing everything, they brought us back here.”
There were vines and leaves twined around both their heads, like crowns. Seeing her daughter again after the disappearance dressed in this strange way, Shailee burst into tears and hugged her tightly.
“How could you worry us like this? Your curiosity to explore the unknown almost cost everything! Did you even think your life isn’t like theirs? Do you have that kind of strength? What would have happened to us if you hadn’t returned?”
Bishan stroked his daughter’s head gently. “All right, the danger’s over. Don’t scold her anymore.”
Tomashree said softly, “You’re only thinking about me. But what about Hallu’s grandfather? How worried he must have been! What if something had happened to Hallu? His grandfather has no one else. Because of me, they would’ve suffered.”
Understanding her heart, Bishan smiled and said, “So what do I have to do to make it up to them?”
Tomashree replied, “Buy some clothes and lots of food for Hallu and his people.”
Ruffling Hallu’s curly, springy hair affectionately, Bishan said,
“So be it, madam.”