“Come Tommy Come.” A kid of near about 6-7 years old asked a pup who was walking on the pavement.
Tommy was busy exploring the world, did not give an
ear to his command.
“Say in Haryanavi (a dialect of Hindi), it will obey
you. It didn’t understand English after all it is a stray pup.” I said
amusingly. How do I know it is a stray pup?
In the morning, while returning from vegetable
market I noticed that a pup of same colour and size was trying to enter the
society gate. The security man just touched a latha to it to shoo away. It
screaming loudly and ran away. It hid himself in the nearby bushy hedges and the
security guard could not find it again. But how he entered the gate amidst
so much security?
“Where did you find it?” A little girl of the same
age asked that boy. He replied, “I can share it with you if you promise me not
to tell anybody else, not even to your best friend.” “God promise!” “In the
morning, I went out to buy a packet of pencils and I saw it shivering near the
bushes. I gently lift it and hid it in my bag.” He smiled.
“Tommy, eat. Look she has bought churama
dipped in milk for you.” The kid took the polythene from the hesitant girl and
opened it nicely so that Tommy could put its mouth inside and gulp. The food
was sufficient for its three meals. It started eating slowly, after eating a
potion, left it and started roaming here and there. The kids were not
satisfied. “Tommy have some more. Come Tommy. Be a good boy.” He lovingly said.
Tommy took a few more morsels to please them.
After
a while, I noticed that the boy was holding Tommy’s neck so that it could not
turn his head and said to the girl who still had a fear for Tommy, “Come near
and pat it gently! It will not say anything.” Tommy did not move. It was now
an obedient boy!
“Tommy,
you can play with my balloon.” The girl gave her balloon. Tommy sniffed,
touched and kicked it.
“Shhh!
Do not make any noise. Tommy is tired. It is sleeping.” The boy instructed the
other kids who joined their group. They were all standing close to the bench in
the society garden on which it was sleeping. The girl gently moved her arm over
Tommy. The boy inquired, “Why are you disturbing it?” The girl softly said, “I
was just flying a housefly who sat on its left eye.”
“Whose
dog is this?” A grumpy fat aunty asked almost each and everyone in the garden
and then reported the matter to the security guard.
The
security guard chased it but Tommy was an Olympic athlete. Somehow, he caught
him to throw it on the other side of the boundary wall of the society. “Oops!
He bit me!” He shouted, lost his grip and it was out of his hands.
“Do not hurt this poor creature. I will take
him out of the main gate.” The boy pleaded. He started playing with it and took
him in the direction of main gate of the society.
At
night, I heard a sharp piercing cry of a pup; it was so harsh and loud that I
woke up. Thereafter continuously, it screamed. I was disturbed. It would
stop as soon as chaos was over. But it didn’t stop. What should I do
in this chilling winter? Should I search it out in cold dark night?
What if I am not able to find it? Might be the shrieks are coming from
the other side of the boundary wall as at night far off noise seemed to be
close. Moreover, I recalled that I was having a maun vrat (Silence until I
finish my particular prayers and charity). What should I do now? My mind
would not be silent if a poor creature is in pain. So keeping mouth closed will
be of no use. I called security guard and inquired, “A pup is screaming from
quite some time. What’s the matter?”
“From
which side sound is coming?” He asked.
“Temple
side.”
“I
will check.”
