(harichandran) 14 Servant In The Graveyard (Ii)

Chandramathi had a doubt, How her master would react, If the required fees she asked To pay in the graveyard. Some thieves killed The Kasi King’s child Threw away the dead On the road side. She saw this dead body, Mistook it for her boy, Thinking that some ghost Would have thrown it. She kept it on her lap Loudly began to weep That attracted passersby Who showed their sympathy. But the guards caught her, And repeatedly bet her, Thinking she had killed, For jewels, the king’s child. “It’s not at all worth Now to tell the truth, As none would take it Even I had said that.” She thought like this, And uttered some lies, That a devil she was Eating the dead corpse. Out of her frustration, She took this decision, As she wished to join Her son in the heaven. The guards dragged her And then tied her near The palace main gate To decide on her fate. The king, again and again, Asked her for the reason. She told, “I liked to eat The child’s tender meat.” “I’m a devil with an appetite For eating any child’s meat. So, I killed your son For the same reason.” From her innocent look The minister never took Her for a murderess But a woman in distress. The guards maintained That she only killed The innocent child As she had admitted. “Find out other foot prints If any, leaving her prints, To know none was there, At that time, excepting her.” Like this, when the king said, Viswamithra, by magic, erased All the other foot prints Barring her foot prints. The guards told the fact For the king to react. He still held a doubt, That she was innocent. “If she’s not the killer, I cannot kill her. If she’s the killer, I cannot leave her.” In this dilemma he was. What was the real cause? He couldn’t reason it out. Next day, he decided it. He ordered the executioner Veeravagu, the owner Of the graveyard To cut off her head. On the way to graveyard Some pitied and talked: “Like moon she has her face, And her hands like lotus stems.” “Will such a woman kill? We don’t think she will.” They bet their head Aloud they all cried. Some said, “She must Be the killer worst From her confession And her own admission.” To the graveyard, she was led Harichandran recognized Her as Chandramathi And showed her pity. She consoled him Again this time To do his duty Without any pity. As a sincere executioner Harichandran took her To the city’s outskirt, Passing street after street. Viswamithra came There right in time. He advise Harichandran Not to remain stubborn. He insisted, “It’s not late Even now, if you admit You’ll get back your freedom And also the lost kingdom.” “The dead will come alive And happily you’ll live. This last chance I give, I hope, you’ll receive.” They rejected his offer. Death, she did prefer. He showed no interest For the lands in the least. Having lost his face, Viswamithra left the place. Indran confirmed the defeat. Of the Sage, who went in retreat. Harichandran prayed God. And Chandramathi her husband, As for the wife, her God Was her respected husband. He held the sword high, To behead her, he did try, But as a garland it fell Around her neck well.