The next morning, the crimson rays of the rising sun gently roused Vandiyathevan from his slumber. Even after waking, it took him a few moments to regain full awareness. He could not immediately discern whether the light that fell upon him was the sunlight or the beam from the lighthouse. When he tried to recall which of the previous night’s experiences were real and which were dreams, he found himself utterly confused.

At home, only the elder’s wife and his daughter-in-law were present. They told him that the elder had gone to the Kuzhagar temple to offer flowers for the morning rituals. Vandiyathevan did not have the courage to ask them about Poonguzhali. After partaking of the breakfast they offered, he looked around the house, searching with his eyes. Poonguzhali was nowhere to be found.

He thought to go to the temple and see. There, he found her father, who was gathering flowers from the trees surrounding the temple for the puja. The old man said that sometimes Poonguzhali came to string the flowers into garlands, but she had not come today.

“She must be chasing deer somewhere in the forest. Or perhaps she is wandering along the seashore. Go and search for her if you wish!” he said.

“Brother! Be careful about one thing. She is a strange girl; do not say anything to her that might lead her astray. Don’t let the tales you’ve read in poetry tempt you into romantic mischief! She can turn into a fierce Kali in an instant. Then, your life will no longer be your own!” the elder warned him.

Remembering the dreamlike events of his first night, Vandiyathevan shivered with excitement. Then he set off into the forest to search for Poonguzhali. But where in that vast wilderness could he look? After a while, he grew weary of the search. He decided it was enough to simply leave the forest. Once outside, he headed towards the seashore. He wandered a long distance along the shore, but it was of no use. Poonguzhali was nowhere to be seen.

“She will surely return home for the midday meal. I can see her then!” he thought, and turned back. Suddenly, a new idea struck him. The sea was calm and gentle, its waves subdued. He felt a desire to bathe in those tranquil waters. He had already heard that the sea was not deep on this side, and Poonguzhali herself had mentioned it the previous evening. So, what was there to stop him from taking a dip? He decided to cast aside his fear of the sea. It was necessary to overcome this fear. There might come a time when he would have to travel by boat or ship. If he were afraid of the sea, how could he manage? He must rid himself of that fear.

He untied the cloth bundle and the dagger that were fastened around his waist, placed them on the shore, and stepped into the sea. Carefully, slowly, he set his feet, treading with caution. As he went further, the water never rose above his knees. When small waves came and struck him, the water reached his waist. No higher than that. “What a beautiful sea this is! There isn’t even enough water to drown and bathe!” he said to himself, and ventured further in.

‘Oh dear! Thinking there’s no depth, I’ve come quite far from the shore, haven’t I? What if suddenly the sea swells? What if the waves grow large and crash over me?’ This thought struck him, and he turned to look back at the shore.

‘It’s true—I have come a long way from the shore! But the sea won’t suddenly rise up like that!… Oh! Look, there’s Poonguzhali coming! I must get to the shore and catch her. I must seize her and ask her again with sweet words. It seems she’s coming this way only after seeing me! She’s walking straight toward where I am! She’s even making some sign at me…’

‘Oh! Oh! What’s this? She’s bending down on the shore—what is she looking at, what is she picking up? Isn’t that the cloth bundle I left around my waist? Girl! Don’t take that! That’s mine… But my words don’t reach her ears! The roar of these sea waves!’

‘Ah, now she’s heard my voice! She’s saying something to me, too! Poonguzhali! That’s mine! Don’t take it!…’

‘Look at that! Won’t you listen if I tell you? You take it in your hand as if it’s your own and walk away towards the hut—wait, wait!…’

Vandiyathevan began to run toward the shore! For a moment, Poonguzhali turned and looked at him. Then she, too, started running. But she ran toward the forest, in the direction opposite to the house and the lighthouse!

‘Ah! This girl is a mischievous one! Is she mischievous? Or merely mad? Somehow, I must get my half-cloth back from this madwoman…’

Twice he slipped and fell into the sea, swallowing a mouthful of salty water, before Vandiyathevan slowly made his way to the shore. Then he ran after that girl. The more he ran, the faster her pace became. Not far away, a herd of fifty or sixty deer darted past.

“How beautiful it is to see deer startled, leaping and bounding away! But look—this girl too is skipping and running! Her flight is no less graceful than that of the deer! The beauty of women who live so naturally and freely—what beauty it is!… But I must not say any of this to her. If I do, everything will be ruined! Didn’t the elder warn me?… Still, why is she running away so stubbornly? If she disappears into the forest, how will I ever find her again?… There, she’s already vanished into the woods. Now the task has become as difficult as finding a wall in the wilderness. There can be no fool in this world like me!… Will a garland snatched by a monkey ever return?”

Vandiyathevan too