Wanderers in Eternity – Chapter 8 (Page 2)
“Yes, sir. I come to see him twice a month. It is good that he is in prison, sir. Otherwise he would be dead by now. He would have killed many more.”
“We will do the best we can to help,” the monk said.
“You do look my father, sir,” Janaki said while staring straight into Ajith’s eyes. “Your eyes are just like his.”
Ajith smiled.
“Sir, then my father was born again as a Sinhalese. How do you know that you were my father in your previous life, sir?”
Doctor Saminadan explained to Janaki about reverend Subuthi and how he would hypnotize people to find information about their previous lives. While he was explaining all this Janaki also jabbered away something hurriedly.
“Janaki says that her son Vasantharaja also talks about a dream like that,” Saminadan translated for the others. “When he went to massacre people in Bodhipura, he had come face to face with two woman who looked very familiar to him. So he had not killed the two of them. That was when he got shot.”
“When I saw Vasantharaja for the first time, I also felt like I’ve known him, reverend,” Ajith said. “When I first saw him, he was a little boy. I remember he had a big birth mark on his chest.”
Janaki forced smile. “He is very stubborn boy, sir. He grew up the wrong way.”
In reverend Subuthi’s look, a different thought was evident. “I thought, gentlemen, if we hypnotize that Vasantharaja, we may be able to find out why he behaved in such a way. If only he is willing.”
Saminadan explained this to Janaki.
“Whatever you do, Sadhu, if it will help me son, I don’t mind it. That dream is a real bother to my son, sir. Let me ask him about this.”
After tea they walked towards the camp. This time Janaki walked close to Ajith. Ajith did not hear anything the priest and the doctor said to each other as they walked ahead of him. In walking close to Janaki there was a certain happiness. It was a feeling as if a link from the past had completed this cycle of life.
Just like the twilight that was spreading all around, his heart was by some serenity. Janaki who had been born from his own blood in a previous life was now an adult woman walking next to him. What an amazing thing that was! Everything was thoughts…. thoughts ……
“I know a brigadier here,” the priest said. “I will talk to him and arrange everything. Until then, you can stay in this shade. The prison camp is on the other side of the army camp. I will also talk Vasantharaja before I come back.”
“Sadhu, I am also going to talk to my son. I have very little time to see him.” Janaki said.
While Janaki went ane way, the priest entered from the main getway of the army camp. Along with Saminadan, Ajith walked to the barricade and showed his own army identity card to the soldiers there and struck up a conversation with them. He told them about how he got injured in Jaffna in the bomb blast in 1983 as if he were relating some adventure story. He felt happy talking this. The guarding soldiers inquired him as to what was happening in Colombo. When would this war ever be over, were would heard during the conversation every so often.
“What that reverend Subuthi is doing with another group is very commendable,” one of the soldiers said.
“What is doing?” Ajith asked.
“The work of his foundation. Helping the villagers that were misplaced by the terrorists’ attacks. Not just from Colombo, now people are coming from all over the would to help rebuild the villages.”
“I did not know about that.”