The Adopted Daughter Who Was Sold

After 40 years…… Once in late winter a group of traders came to the village in mid-morning. Most of them were in between forties to fifties. They looked like they were coming from far place. Everyone carried huge baskets with full of things like cotton and dry chili. They came to village to barter their things for grains. The traders looked weird. All the men held spears in their hands and the women carried a long stick looked like a spears. They were not properly clothed like the people in the village. The men did not wear anything just a small piece of cloth hanging in front of their private part. On the other hand the women wore a short weaved cotton wrapper round skirt just a few inches above their knee and they wore lots of necklaces which reached their tummy. Each of them carried a shawl which was tied it around their waist. Many people used to come from different place to sell their things in the village. The village had around four to five hundred houses. Among the neighboring village, Phusachodu was considered to be the largest village. The lands of the villager were fertile and it was favorable to most of the crops especially grains. When traders come to sell their things, no one in the village vehemently said ‘No’ directly to them. It was some kind of taboo. They always politely refused if it was not necessary for them by saying,” Maybe the next door will be interested.”  Because of richness in grains especially paddy rice, the villager attracts lots of traders with their best product. The village children were astonished by the way the traders clothed so the children followed them as the traders went from door to door for bartering their things. The villager had never seen those new traders before however the traders behave as if they know the way well. They moved from one house to another as they barter their things. The products were very good that the traders sold all their things by noon. Now they were filled with grains in their baskets.  There was an old woman in the group who behave differently from others. The old woman looked in mid-Fifties. Although, all her hair were grey and no single black hair can be seen, she did not look very old. Her skin looked tanned and glowed as if she had exercise regularly. She wore a cream color weaved cotton traditional clothes which reached few inches above her knee. Her shawl was tied around her waist. Her necklaces were made of animals bone and some beads look like seashell. The old woman guided her companions to a particular area in the village. Then, she pointed her finger to the place and said somethings to her friends. Some of the village people who were nearby saw them. However, they cannot understand what she said because the language they used was totally different. Previously in that place where the old woman was pointing there used to be a house but the whole family abandoned the house long time ago. Now the space was empty and people were using as a garden. The traders stood there for some times talked and observed the place. Then they left the village.    “Is that old woman Nalilu?” A group of some men in the village had gathered together and sitting nearby where the traders were talking and inspecting the place. They were hanging out, some men were drinking rice beer and some were making bamboo and wooden crafts. The men knew that they were traders by the things they carried. After sometime, an old woman pointed her finger to the empty place and said something to her friends. They stood there for some couple of minutes and inspected the place and said something to each other and left. The men were curiously watching them because the place was empty. Then one of the old man said, “I think she is. Maybe she wanted to show to her friends where she lived before her parents sold her.” Everyone in the village knew about the story of Nalilu. She was brought to the village from different place however, after some few years her adopted parents sold her. “That was long time ago. The way she looked, she seems okay now.” Said the men “Yes, she looked fine but her parents had committed a great sin.” Then one of the men said, “What our ancestors taught us is correct. We should never sell human being.” Once Nalilu’s adopted parents sold her, the family began to suffer in everything. They became so poor that they cannot live in the village anymore. Everyone talked about their family and the villager considered them to be the worst human beings. The family was so shameful that they left the village at night without informing anyone. “Do you know what happen to the family?” “Yes” said the couple of people in the group. “We met them when we went to neighboring village. After the family left our village, all their sons die of no reason in the youth. I think there is no son left. The parents mourned their children death for many years and they die too” One of the men said.  “Yeah, I heard someone said that.” After the traders left, everyone in the village believed that Nalilu had come to see where she lived before.