Ariel plays a prank

It has been a long time since I wrote and published. There was nothing to write about. There is no pleasure in writing about routine, which my life has been these last few months. Writing about routine is dull and pleases neither the author nor the reader. Too boring to write about the days the three of us, my foster parents and I, spent living in the small Kaushambi flat or our eventless drives and stay at the farm/Dehradun every month. Some times more than once a month.

So, dear reader, you may well ask “what caused you to pick up the jolly pen and write this piece?”

“Nothing much”, I would reply, “except I thought I should share with you how I played a small little prank on my foster parent in the just concluded trip to Dehradun and the farm.”

But let’s begin at the beginning.

Tau ji has been suffering from sciatica for the last several years and no physician could cure him. He had to wear a harness which helped him walk slowly albeit unsteadily. The sight of him wearing a harness was hilarious. I do hope Tau ji does not read this blog. It could hurt his feelings. It was finally decided that he should go in for surgery.

The surgeon said that it was a minor surgery but no surgery is minor, if you ask me. And most certainly not if it is your backbone the surgeon is going to play with. So, we decided Tau ji needed us for support and to attend to him. We drove to Dehradun a few days before he was due to go under the knife. He was taken to the hospital and, to my consternation, my foster Dad too went with him, and did not come back for over 36 hours. I was so worried. When he came back it was only to bathe, eat, rest a while and back to the hospital. No time for me at all. No taking me for my morning and evening constitutionals, no playing with me, nothing. You see, ever since Pramiti – my mom – went to Australia, I feel closest to her Dad, whom I have adopted as my Dad. I feel insecure when he is not near me. True my foster mom was with me all this while but Mom is not Dad. Not by a long chalk. I was very unhappy and missed him so. I would get even with you Dad, I promised myself. And I did. Get even, that is.

Eventually, Tau ji was discharged from the hospital and we all went to the farm where a good support system, what with Bhag Singh uncle, Bhagya Laxmi aunty and Ramesh Bahadur (also called Junior for some strange reason), is in place. I thought Dad would have more time for me at the farm. I couldn’t be more wrong. He was busy looking after Tau ji or pounding that blasted laptop of his. And talking. Talking all the time. Oh, how much humans talk! It beats me. My unhappiness was turning to anger. I was even more determined to get even with him. And this is how I did it.

One evening, I think the day before we were scheduled to return to Kaushambi, Mom and Dad were getting ready to take me out for evening walk. By a lucky chance the rear door of our bedroom was ajar. To slither out and vanish in the surrounding vegetation was but work of a moment for me. Mom and Dad were calling me. I ignored their calls. Soon they were wondering where I was. And I was not a hundred feet away, hiding among the ‘Bird of Paradise’ plants, laughing silently.

At first, they thought I had gone to Bhag Singh uncle’s house and Dad went there to check, passing within ten feet of me. Too close for comfort. Not finding me, he started walking back to the house and I took a leap an Olympian would be proud of and landed in the paddy field. There I made myself invisible under a pomegranate tree and watched them worry themselves sick over where I could be.

Dad was running in circles looking for me while Mom was trying to figure out where I could be. I quietly made my way to the school building through its rear door. There was no one in the school. The children had already gone home. But I had chirping crickets and croaking frogs for company. Having enquired about their well-being, I turned to investigate the lawn where I found some friendly insects.

Hey! That’s me, Ariel

Just when I had started having some fun with my little friends, a snake reared its head out of the grass where it was lurking. I realized afterwards that all it wanted was to join in the fun. But the sight of him had scared the daylights out of me. I ran to seek protection of Dad. Instead I went to the cowshed. What made me do it was the urgent bellows of the cow. I stopped to investigate and found that a young calf, mistakenly thinking the cow was his own mother, was trying to suckle it. The real mother was enjoying the scene with obvious interest. There was nothing for me here. Bhag Singh uncle, or someone else would come by and separate the duo. The clucking hens close to the cowshed were inviting me to play with them.

Ah! I was having the time of life, I thought, running around unattended with nobody to restrain me. This was when I heard Mom asking Dad if a panther had a snack of me. Don’t be silly, Dad countered. Who ever heard of a panther appearing in broad daylight? More likely a human had stolen me, Dad said. What rubbish! Who would want to steal a nine years old Labrador?

I heard Mom and Dad shouting, their voices shaking in panic, “Ariel, Ariel, where are you? Come baby let’s go for a walk.” I should not punish Dad any longer, I thought. And Mom? She is getting punished too, for no fault of hers. Dislodging a hen perched on my head, my eyes shining with joy, I performed some intricate dance steps, covered the distance of a couple of hundred yards in two or three medal winning leaps, threw myself at Dad barking, “fooled you Dad, I fooled you”.

The world’s happiest dog and most relieved foster parents were huddled together for what seemed eternity. My nose cuddled in the nook of Dad’s arm.