HENRY ISLAND Part 2

The incredible feeling of silence engulfed us. The chortle of the Metho bak, the woodpeckers tapping away,the occasional salik, the cows mooing as they wended their way back to their gowal ghar, and of course the chirping of the crickets and the frog sounds or the occasional splash by an intrepid fish--could actually be heard!!!! Silence is a way of life there.
Of course,there are the rude, jarring interventions by the diesel driven pick-ups and the creaking of the cycle vans--but they are few and far between. Pluto The Pug panted away in the humidity, creating more sounds than all of us put together.

We sat beside the waterbodies on improvised bamboo seats and watched the darkness arrive. It came insidiously from the distance as the skies changed colour to blue-black, then spread over the distant trees like a soft blanket, blurring the edges till they blended with the sky.Then they darkened the nearby palm trees and the houses, and spread all over the water- ripples created by a playful breeze. We started to be recognized by our shapes and voices. Only Pluto barked at the family of cows walking on the uneven brick paths. Our camera flashes were intruding into this natural light play. The occasional tube lights on the passages glinted on the water ways.
Only the sounds of the cowherds driving the cows home could be heard in the distance.
We sat there with our thoughts, till the insect bites forced us back.
Our tryst with Henry Island had just begun.....