| akkaDAviDaki oka chuTTu guDise, ekaraM maDichekka unnAyi. AviDa maridi dAnni dunni paMDistunnADu. EDAdikOsAreLli PalasAyaM techchukOvaDaM alavATu.
guptagAru chAlA maMchivAru. ayOddirAmuNNi vachchi tana millulO gumAstAgA uMDamani maLlI pilchEru. nirATaMkaMgA naDustUnna millullO guptagAri dokaTi. Ayanaki tarAlu kUrchuni tinnA taraganaMta tAta taMDrula Asthi uMdi. Ayana lekkakE aMdananni vyApArAlunnei. sariggA naDavakapOtE peMkula milluni pEraDeij` hOTalugA mArchagala sattA uMdi.
kAni ayOddirAmuDE puvvulamminachOTa kaTTelammalEka akkagAri veMTa A mArumUla pallekochchEDu.
SrIlakshamma tODikODalu guDisenu SuBraMgA aliki muggulEsi uMchiMdi. rOjU pEDakaLlApu veyyaDaM valana daDilOpala vAkili gachchulA SuBramgA uMdi.
vAkiTlO unna vEpacheTTu pUtamIduMdEmO gAli kammani parimaLAnni vedajallutOMdi. cheTTu kiMdunna poyyi mIda annaM vaMDutOMdi SrIlakshamma. peiki tElaDaM lEdukAni ayOddirAmuDi manasu poyyi mIda uDukutunna annaMlA kutakutA uDukutUMdani telusu SrIlakshammaki.
tanaki tammuDeinA koDukeinA vADEkadA, iMkevarunnAru? ikkaDeinA vADu SAMtigA batikitE chAlu.
pakkavAkiTlO kaTTEsi unna mEkapillatO ADukuMTunnAru pillallu. haThAttugA lOpalnuMchi ratnaM mATalu vinapaDDAyi.
'paTTapagalE kIchurALlu rodapeDutunna I mArumUla ULlO nannU pillallnI EM cheyyAlani tIsukochchinaTTu? nuveppuDU aMTuMTAvE leifuleifani, AleifikkaDa dorukutAdanA nI uddESaM?'
'...............'
'iMkA nayaM, vaMTasAmAn&lu paTTukuni vachchEsEM kAdu, pada, mA peddamma koDuku daggiriki pOdAM. akkaDEdO oka pani dorakkapOdu batakaTAniki'
'paTnaM aMTE nelakeMta kAvAlO telsA'
'eMteinA saripeTTukuMdAM. kAvAlaMTE pastuluMDamannA uMTAnu kAnI ikkaDuMDaTaM nA vallakAdu'
marnADu bayaludErutunna tammuNNi, maradalni ApaDAniki prayatniMchalEdu SrIlakshamma. vALLa Bavishyattuni vetukkuMTU vALlu veLtAmaMTUMTE vaddanaDaM tanaki BAvyaM kAdanukuMdi. cheTTu mIMchi kiMdapaDina pakshi egaraDaM svayaMgA nErchukOvAlikadA! vALlekkina bassu kadilEvarakU nilabaDi venakki tigiMdi SrIlakshamma. cheitramAsapu gAli aDavi guburullOchi challadanAnni mOsukostOMdi. mAviDicheTla tOpulOMchi kOyilokaTi goMtu savariMchukuMTOdi. eppuDu kaTTu teMchukuMdO, vAkiTlO geMtulEstOMdi mekapilla. dAnni tIsi apurUpaMgA guMDeki hattukuMdi SrIlakshamma. ika mIda adEkadA tanaki tODu!
kuDikaMTi kolukulO nilichina nITichukka nemmadigA cheMpamIdiki jAriMdi SrIlakshammaki.
(samAptaM)
marO kotta kathatO taruvAyi SIrshikalO kalusukuMdAM...
| 
