“Come in! I have something to discuss with you” the fat landlord demanded.

“Yes, Master!” Adhiraman bowed and kneeled on the floor.

The fat landlord gazed at the kneeling man in front of him while arranging his thoughts before speaking,

“Forty- years, it has been forty years since you started working for my household. You were seven years old when you were introduced by your father to work for my family. At that time, you pledged yourself to work hard for my family to repay the debt of your ancestors. My father saw promise in you and sent you to work in fields, and you didn’t disappoint him. When I grew up to 16 years of age, I took over some of my family's business and since then you have worked hard under me” the fat landlord stopped and stared at Adhiraman.

“So, I think it is time for you to retire and enjoy your days in leisure” the fat landlord continued.

Boom!

It was like a volcano had erupted in the mind of Adhiraman. He trembled, his forehead almost touching the ground. With trembling lips, he mumbled,

“Master, have I made any mistake somewhere? Is my work not up to your satisfaction now? Or have I unknowingly erred somewhere? Please master! Don’t relieve me of my job. I will work even harder to repay my debt. So, I beseech you don’t leave me.”

Adhiraman begged fervently while kneeling. The fat landlord looked at Adhiraman with a slight contempt on his face and nodded silently to himself ‘This is more like it. These lowly peasants should always stay at the tip of our shoes. Never thinking of revolting.’

He quickly changed his expression and hold up Adhiraman from his kneeling position and replied with an amiable expression,

“No! no! it is nothing of that sort. There is no problem with your work, it is just age seems to have taken a toll on you. You don’t have the vigor and vitality of the youth. So, we were thinking of retiring you with your debt remitted and pay you a pension of ten bronze mudra to live happily after. How is it? Do you like these conditions?” the fat landlord excitedly asked.

“This! This!” Adhiraman was alarmed. ‘Why is the landlord being so nice me to today? Has the sun risen from the west or God had finally given some wisdom to the landlord?’

Adhiraman was in dilemma. The conditions seemed too good to be true. So, hesitatingly he asked,

“Master! The benefits you provided are very good, but….. but what are the conditions to avail these benefits?

“Good! Good! You’re a smart person and I liked dealing with smart persons. The condition is nothing too severe” the fat landlord said with an assuring tone.

“You know one month from now the Rakshasa will awaken and need offerings. Unfortunately, it is our family’s turn this time to provide the offering. You know how much I dote on Raicharan and I can’t bear the thought of parting with my son on whom lies all my hopes and dreams. So, how about it, just like twelve years ago would you agree to replace your son with mine and be debt free and live a happy life after” the fat landlord spoke like a devil from the hell offering a deal with huge benefits to the Adhiraman.

Adhiraman was stunned, he felt the ground slipping underneath his feet. His heart begins to throb with pain, a guilt-ridden expression appeared on his face; as he remembered the incident twelve years ago. His elder son parted from them. He sacrificed himself to lessen the burden of his parents at the tender age of ten. The wisdom he showed at that time was far beyond his age. 

Calming his breath, Adhiraman steeled his expression and replied with a firm tone, “I am sorry master! Rudra is my only living son now. I can’t sacrifice him and be a sinner to my ancestors for ending my lineage prematurely. I and my son will work harder to pay our remaining debt. So, I refuse your proposal.”

“If there is nothing else to do, then I will take my leave landlord” continued Adhiraman with a cold tone. He stood up with a firm stance, silently turned around, and left the hall with steady steps.

‘Your father had sinned already by sacrificing your elder brother, he won’t sin again just to repay for a burden left behind by your ancestors’ Adhiraman silently muttered as the innocent expression of his son appeared in his thoughts.

Seeing the back of the peasant pompously walking out of the hall, an ugly expression appeared on the fat landlord’s face. He dismissed all the servants nearby and silently sat on the luxurious seat. Thinking about the events awhile ago, anger rose upon his face from the depths of his inner heart. He clutched the goblet filled with wine and roared furiously,

“Damn! Peasants. I pay them with food and sympathy, instead of repaying it with gratitude and servitude; they repay me with insubordination.” He angrily smashed the goblet on the nearby wall and kicked away the table.

“All my dreams, my plans for the future. This can’t be happening. Tell me this is all false. No!” the fat landlord roared hysterically. Seeing the mental state of his father fear arose in Marichi’s heart. He fearfully approached his father and with trembling hands, he tried to calm down his father.

“Father! Don’t panic…..there is still a month before the day of offering. We will be able to think of a way to overcome this calamity” Marichi said anxiously. The fat landlord calmed down a little and slumped down on the seat. He seemed to age over a decade in just this short moment. There seemed to be little to no hope in his eyes. He slightly consoled himself, “Yes, everything will be fine.”

After the mental state of the fat landlord calmed down a little he questioned his son, “Where is your younger brother at the moment?”

“He is in the ‘Path Sala’ studying under Guru Bharstacharya now” Marichi replied in a hurried tone.

“Good! Don’t tell your brother anything about the event of today. Do you understand? I will personally tell him about this matter” ordered fat landlord. There was gloominess in his voice.

“Yes, father,” replied Marichi in an obedient tone.

“Oh! What odd tasks are you thinking of assigning to that peasant’s son? Asked fat landlord curiously.

“I will work that bastard to bones. Starting with taking care of all cattle in the husbandry by replacing their water and cleaning their feces, followed by herding of sheep and goats on the small hill. Then I would order him to pick up medicinal herbs from the periphery of Forest of Death. In the evening, he would load the materials from the warehouses in the carts to be sold for the upcoming day” listed Marichi in a single breath.

“How is it, father? If it not enough I will add more tasks” he asked expectantly.

“Hmm! It is fine you can add one or two small tasks here and there” replied fat landlord absent-mindedly. The previous event still weighing down on his mind.

As he was about to dismiss his son, an unexpected idea struck his mind. His eyes gleamed brightly as he muttered, “On the periphery of Forest of Death.”

“Son! You said about herbs on the periphery of Forest of Death” he asked excitedly.

“Yes father, Is something wrong with that?” Marichi asked with confusion evident on his face.

“No! There is nothing wrong with that but instead, it is a brilliant idea, my son. Truly a brilliant idea.” The fat landlord laughed.

“Brilliant Idea? How is that a brilliant idea?” Marichi still confused.

“Yes, let me ask you a question. Where do the Rakshasa live?”

“Forest of Death”

“Where would the peasant pick medicinal herbs?”

“Periphery of the forest of Death. Oh!”

Seemingly catching on the details, Marichi asked,

“Father! You mean to say that we send that peasant regularly to the Forest of Death. But how would that be helpful?”

“Idiot! That’s why I say your younger brother is smarter than you.” The fat landlord angrily bashed his son on the head.

“Listen carefully! We would send that peasant to the forest of death regularly during the next month to fetch herbs. So, it will be normal for him to go to the Forest of Death. Now imagine, on the day of offering he went a little deeper in the forest near the cave of the Rakshasa for a rare herb and the Rakshasa spots him. What would that Rakshasa think about it?” explained the fat landlord with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“The Rakshasa would think him as the offering and gobble him down. This way brother could be saved” Marichi exclaimed excitedly.

“Good! At least you are fast to catch on! Otherwise, I would have doubted the authenticity of you really being my son? rebuked the fat landlord.

Marichi sweat dropped on this remark of his father.

As the father and son duo were concocting a scheme against Rudra. The party in question was merrily gobbling down the food packed by his mother while herding the sheep on the first day of his work.