Shailesh was 10 years old and he was going to Kerala, his native place for the second or third time. But it was the first time for him, as he could not remember much but a few images and faces, no names of the past visits. He was meeting his paternal relatives for the first time. He was excited on seeing the country landscape. Kerala was beautiful; it is one of the most famous tourist destinations for no reason. There were coconut trees, green fields and a stream near his grandparents’ house. The scenic beauty was amazing.
He was enjoying eating all the different fruits, drinking coconut water etc. But most of all enjoyed playing in the stream. Because Shailesh could not swim, he was usually accompanied by some elder relative whenever he went for a dip in the stream.

Everybody knew Shailesh liked playing in the stream and would jump at any opportunity to go there. His uncle Shashi often took him to the stream. Once it was around 8’o clock in the night, Shashi had just returned home after finishing off some work in the field. He went straight to his room, and picked up a towel and some clothes.
Shailesh was watching TV. He said to Shailesh, “I am going to the stream, to freshen up a bit. Do you want to come along?”
Shailesh jumped at the opportunity, he never said no to this. He had already begun to walk to his room to get a towel and shorts before he said, “OK.”

Shashi was a middle aged man, he had never married. The primary reason for this was he never earned enough to support a wife and a family. He was skilled and knew a variety of works which did not require educational qualification like he could do carpentry, plumbing, masonry and lumbering. In addition to this, he also knew all about farm work. So it was mostly physical work for him. He did all the above on a regular basis, which never earned him much but made him strong and masculine. He had really strong arms and broad shoulders. With fair skin tone and deep brown eyes, a beard made him look pleasant and also gave a strong feel to his personality.

They walked along a narrow path between two fields to the stream and it was pitch dark.