Helen of Anarchia: 5. Toddler

Laku Janaut, Milak Larkin and Sonlu Arani along with the crews with their gaping mouth looked at the island which looked a lot like Anarchia. The pedallers pedaled with greater speed and as they reached closer to the land, they realized that it was Anarchia indeed. Slowly, dozens of people of Anarchia began gathering at the shore and looked in awe at the broken ship which came back in less than two days which had set out on a two months long voyage.

The crew in the ship did not know what to feel. Laku Janaut was confused the most. Whether he should be happy that all the crew members were alive and were back to Anarchia and he had gotten a new opportunity to correct his mistakes and go for a voyage again or whether he should be ashamed for a failed voyage, he knew not.

Anyway, they were in Anarchia. Laku Janaut assured them that they would go on voyage again someday soon better equipped and well prepared than before. Milak Larkin was happy that they had now the opportunity to solve the problem of drinking water.

Remaj Janaut was shocked to see his son at home playing with Helen. Laku Janaut explained everything to his father. Remaj patted him and told that everything would turn out better next time. He advised him to use help of his friends Milak and Sonlu from the very beginning this time, just not invite them in the end to accompany him. He also informed him that Milak Larkin and Sonlu Arani were not going to get back their teaching jobs anytime soon.

Helen was learning things at a rapid pace. The maid took care of her like her own daughter. Remaj was getting very fond of her. Helen was curious. Laku Janaut enjoyed the company of his daughter.

A week after Laku Janaut and his crew members returned back to Anarchia, Nolat Shintu showed up again at Remaj Janaut’s home. The weapon factory owner this time promised to sponsor the voyage in return of which he was to have half of the land of any island they discovered. Remaj Janaut asked him how he could be so sure of the crew finding an island in this vast ocean. He asked him further what he would do if the voyage ended up in failure like last time. Nolat Shintu said that he was trying to help Laku Janaut for the sake of Anarchians, that Anarchians had never been out on the voyage like that and that was the hope to find other fellow human beings which his guts believed existed somewhere far away. Nolat Shintu said that he wanted to inspire Laku Janaut and the crew. Remaj Janaut asked him even if they found an island and if that was inhabited by other human beings, then what was he supposed to do. Nolat Shintu answered with grin that it was his business, Laku and the crew just needed to find one island. Nolat Shintu added that even if they failed to find one, he would not mind.

With her curious eyes, Helen crawled towards her grandfather in white cloth wrapped around his lower body. Remaj Janaut took his granddaughter in his arms and thought why. Why would Nolat Shintu be so much interested in sponsoring the voyage? He also thought about his land which he had to sell to finance the voyage. He told Nolat Shintu that he would discuss with his son and respond to his proposal in two days.

Laku Janaut immediately agreed to the proposal. If he is only to finance the voyage, then it would be great thought. He told his father that it doesn’t matter for what reason, if he is sponsoring the voyage then it’s great. After all, the voyage was his passion and somebody else was paying for it.

Nolat Shintu’s face brightened after hearing their answer. He went to the coast where the ship was being repaired and redesigned and hugged the half naked body of Laku Janaut. ‘You made a fine choice, son!’ he said. Nolat Shintu had brought his daughter Tila Shintu along with him who was as tall as Laku Janaut. Eyes of all the workers and those at the coast were on her; men and women alike were stunned by her beauty. Her manner of wearing cloth was such that the cloth wrapped her body but didn’t conceal her shape and curves. Her wavy hair fell on her chest which looked like long helpless intoxicated snakes falling on the mountains. Nolat Shintu and his daughter walked around the coast and the workers.

The farmers of the northern parts of Anarchia had invented wine. Every grownup in northern Anarchia was drunken since a week. Only few persons were left who were half sober and could make the wine. The price of wine hiked only after a month of its invention. A retired teacher Zarin Kaik began giving several hypotheses on the findings of wine. He began telling people that there was something bigger than Anarchia and someone very powerful who looks after Anarchia, and that he was the one who gifted the farmers of Anarchia with the idea of wine making. Most of the people called Zarin Kaik a mad man. A big rapid change was occurring in all aspects of life in Anarchia and the thinkers were amused at it.

Quickly, the art of wine making spread all across Anarchia. Sonlu Arani observed that after wine consumption, good people were behaving even better and bad people were behaving worse. Those who were in love fell deeper in love and people who hated each other fought on streets. Thanks to the price hike, not everyone could afford wine. Nolat Shintu grabbing the opportunity started a wine making industry in a large piece of his land. Nolat Shintu was gradually increasing his presence all over Anarchia. Hundreds of people were working under him in his weapon factory and wine making industry now. His wife became addicted to wine in no time and spent most of her time in drinking wine and bathing with her maids. Tila Shintu was nothing like her mother. She was thinking of something bigger. She had heard of the idea of a regulatory body in Anarchia which Remaj Janaut and his friends were discussing from her uncle and was amused by it. She assisted her father in most of the works he did. Though, dozens of finest boys of Anarchia fell for her; she did not like anyone.

Helen Larkin was growing fast like the criminal activities in Anarchia. On some days when Laku Janaut missed Helena’s presence and cried in her memory, he took Helen Larkin to the coast and explained her how meticulously he built the ship though she could not understand a thing. He explained to her curious ears that he had built the ship to explore new places because he believed that there must be some other places like Anarchia. He also told her in his weepy voice that he had planned to take her mother to show her the new places he found, had he found any.