Invincible Naga

Chapter 5 Herbal Remedy

The terrible trek the jeep confronted ended at an open place, literally at the peak of the hills. It appeared to be different from the road at the hill foot. As viewed from the neighboring locations, the peak had no pointed edge-like mound. The cold breeze blown at short intervals made them shiver. An anxious group of indigenous people awaited them in the tidy, gorgeous front yard of a hut with hand-built, strong mud walls. A coir-woven and wooden-legged cot had been set up outside for the visitors.

Looking at the anxious faces, Senan asked Pakirappa, 'I can't believe they're waiting for me. How could they come to know it in such a remote place?'

'After striking men, snakes send messengers to them,' Pakirappa said sarcastically. Being physically and mentally hurt, Senan had been leaning toward Pakirappa for both physical and emotional support. So, he forgave it on his own.

Most of the aged men were not in shirts. They had wrapped the upper part of their bodies with a plain white cotton cloth. From Senan's abode, the farmhouse, the hilly peaks were seen as snow-covered. The ambiance was calm, the huts and surroundings were well-kept and clean, and the people were more friendly than he had expected.

They spread a grass mat on the cot and asked the visitors to be seated. Senan sat on it, struggling to find a painless posture for his inflamed leg. The Dhani and the driver moved to the right of the front yard with a man of massive stature and well-defined dominance. From his looks, Senan grasped that it would be Bairu. As usual, Pakirappa took his squatting posture on the earth. Meanwhile, Senan noticed that none of his falls caused any apparent injuries. Two middle-aged men came forward and checked Senan's leg for some time. As the treatment was about to start, the people gathered around Senan had left.

Carrying a green liquid-like herbal remedy with an intense odor of green leaf in a glass tumbler, a man in his middle age emerged from Bairu's hut. Senan had nausea while smelling it and was uncertain if he would be able to gulp it. Bairu's assistants told him to close his nose.

Bairu asked Senan to drink it after praying to his favorite deity for a while. Senan closed his eyes as though he had been in prayer. He could not realize if he had a favorite deity. As soon as he closed his eyes, the hump-nosed pit viper entered his vision. Scared, he opened his eyes and nodded, pretending to conclude his prayer.

'It'll cleanse the poison from your entire system. Stay here for a few hours. I'll check the redressing symptoms. However, you need not worry. This pit viper causes no harm like the other snakes. All right, all right, you carry on,' Bairu said, withdrawing to join the Dhani.

Senan imagined it, closing all his senses for a while. Suddenly, Senan gulped the remedy without letting his mouth detect its flavor. To his surprise, its smell and taste brimmed him as though it went directly to his brain. Although it was neither bitter nor sour, it turned odd and intolerable. Senan felt like taking a large tree's entire leaves in one gulp.

Observing Senan's responses, Pakirappa patted his back and said, 'Previously, I had it twice.'

Bairu's assistants then appeared with a green paste-like remedy from some plant. It was applied to the area of inflammation and the snake's fang mark. It smelled entirely different from the remedy he took. He was asked to rest for ten days and was given herbal remedies for three more consecutive days.

They conversed with Senan in Tulu while applying the herbal paste to his leg. Pakirappa intervened to inform them that since Senan hails from Kerala, Senan does not speak the languages of Tulu or Kannada.

Although Pakirappa had the herbal remedy previously, he carefully listened to their prescription as though he had been new to it.

'Avoid meat for a month. It'll help you a lot,' Bairu added to the descriptions of his assistants.