Varadharajan Ramesh's Blog, page 4

The Tipping Point

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The barbed wire fence was cut after the war that had raged for half a century came crashing to a halt. People from both sides rushed to the centre and hugged each other. Tears flowed openly, there was no shame or enmity anymore.

Task forces were created – farmers, craftsmen, and tradesmen were hurriedly assembled and responsibilities were given. Children from both sides played together, young women and men exchanged shy glances. The war-ravaged land was going to prosper.

All the old Gods were discarded and love was proclaimed as the only God.

All it took was a zombie apocalypse!

Written for the weekly Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. Do find other stories here. 

Snow!

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‘Grandpa! Look, It’s snowing!’

Five-year-old Emily jumped in glee, her little hands coming together in a joyous clap.

I smile at her and run my hands over her hairless scalp. The doctors had given her only three more months to live.

‘Grandpa! Is it Christmas again?’ Her smile drove stakes through my heart. Emily’s generation’s struggles were because of the decadent behavior of my generation.

‘Can I play in the snow, Grandpa?’

‘Not in this snow, sweetheart!’

Outside, the poisonous foam that resembled snow kept falling.

This story was inspired by the contamination of two lakes in my city, Bangalore, which created the aforementioned poisonous foams. The lakes, once sources of drinking water, became ground zero for dumping of unprocessed industrial effluents and sewage contaminating them permanently. There have been efforts undertaken by the Government along with eco-conscious organizations, but progress has been extremely slow. While we, thankfully, live far away from the lakes, there are tens of thousands who still live around the vicinity and are exposed to the potentially carcinogenic environment. Our generation does have a lot to answer to the future. Let’s be responsible as much as possible. Thank you. 

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Actual picture of the poisonous foams from Bellendur lake, Bangalore. 

Written in response to Roger Bultot’s picture prompt for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by our beloved host, Rochelle. Please head over here for more stories.

Jump

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‘It’s all about your core and balance,’ Ralph murmurs. ‘Parkour is tapping into the courage you didn’t know you had.’

His voice was mesmeric and I nod eagerly, eventhough I knew everything he just said. Heck, I have said the same things before.

‘I know you can make the jump, Mikey!’ Ralph steps closer to me on the ledge. ‘C’mon, you can do it.’

I’ve heard these exact words before.

He places a hand on my back.

In fact, I had said the same things to Ralph on that fateful night.

‘Jump, or I’ll push!’

I turn to see black eyes…

Written for the weekly Friday Fictioneers prompt hosted by Rochelle. This week’s prompt is from Sandra Crook. Thank you, Rochelle and Sandra. To read more stories, do head here. 

Hate Prevails

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‘Do you know that Hamburg was nearly wiped out of the map during WWII?’

My parents were impressed. They had come from India to London, where I worked. I’d planned a short trip to Hamburg.

‘More than forty thousand died. They said that there was a tornado of fire that night.’

‘Why are humans so intent on killing each other?’ My mom asked.

‘Everything is rooted in hate. Killings happen when hate prevails,’ My father explained sagely.

A few teenagers, obviously drunk, passed us. One of them showed us the middle finger and spat, ‘Bloody Paki! Get out of our country!’

Written for the weekly Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle. This week’s prompt is from Dale. Thank you, Rochelle & Dale. 

Bluebeard

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They said that he never remained married for long and his wives vanished mysteriously. When his eyes fell on me, I was repulsed. I begged father not to agree to our betrothal. But his wealth, our poverty, and my family’s greed won over.

On the way to his castle, he warned never to open that one door in the cellar. I agreed and we lived quite happily. But curiosity got the better of me.

I stepped in and started laughing.

So, he was a cross-dresser! I’m not like the other women in his life and run away. But he needs a new nickname.

Written in response to the picture prompt provided by Roger Bultot for the weekly Friday Fictioneers hosted by our gracious host, Rochelle, who celebrates her 7th anniversary of being a Fictioneer. Here’s to many more years to come, Rochelle. 

I’m Done

Thank you for your best wishes and concern, my friends! Unfortunately, I haven’t enjoyed a moment of this year’s AtoZ. Last year’s fun, frolic, bonding, and camaraderie has been replaced by apathy and quid pro quo. I’m a writer and I don’t wish to be a part of this poultry market. It’s apt that I say ‘I for I Quit!’ Thank you for supporting me and being with me on my journey. I cherish each and every moment with my blogging friends, but as the bard Jim Morrison crooned ‘This is the end!’ I won’t be participating in any of these mass-market barter blog-fests. I will write only for those challenges that entices and challenges me.

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Hand-holding and Handhelds

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The short vacation after the term tests came to an end just as it appeared it had started. The little monkeys of Vanarapuri dragged their schoolbags and their feet reluctantly into the school. Suri missed the vacation already. He could sleep in late, watch his favourite cartoons whenever he pleased, and most of all he loved playing the Action Monkey game on his Game-Monkey handheld device.

The popular comic book series had been made as a game and all the little fans of the comics had taken to the game with interest. They whooped with joy as they helped Action Monkey overcome his obstacles and defeat the villain, Gruesome Gibbon. But all those happy moments had come crashing to an end with the school reopening. Suri knew that the second term would be when the toughest assignments and class projects will be assigned to the students and they would have to work hard to complete them. His mother, Tara, had hinted at a surprise in school as well.

The little monkeys piled into the class room and immediately started chattering about their exploits with Action Monkey. Suri was completely immersed in the discussion that he didn’t notice Hanu Howler, their language teacher, enter the class. Hanu Howler was a very strict teacher and he did not like unnecessary chattering in his class. The little monkeys were very afraid of his loud voice and the stern punishments he doled out to students he deemed those merited them.

‘Ahem!’ Hanu Howler cleared his throat and immediately the little monkeys fell quiet. They looked at Mr. Howler and each other uncertainly.

‘Suri!’ boomed Mr. Howler, ‘Eki, Sammy, Nani, Pilu… stand up!’

The ones whose names were called out stood up. They bowed their heads not willing to meet Mr. Howler’s stare.

‘So, you are quite interested in talking about video games instead of maintaining discipline in the class.’ It was a statement, not a question. The little monkeys did not answer.

‘Your silence says a thousand words,’ Continued Mr. Howler. ‘A thousand words how you are guilty of indiscipline, and you know that I do not tolerate indiscipline.’

The trial was over. The monkeys waited with bated breath for the punishment.

‘Each one of you will make a presentation in front of the class tomorrow. A thousand-word presentation on the history of Vanarapuri and its most famous heroes who were known for their discipline and adherence to rules.’

The monkeys looked at each other with terror in their eyes. A thousand-word presentation had to be researched, written, and then presented in front of the class. For Suri, this was beyond nightmare. He was always uncomfortable in the spotlight, and making a presentation in front of his whole class and Mr. Howler was unimaginable. Tears sprung from his eyes immediately.

‘Now, let’s get back to our lessons…’ boomed Mr. Howler.

Suri spent the rest of the day hiding in the library. He had few dusty old books spread in front of him as he tried to read about Vanarapuri’s rich history and its many heroes. He started jotting down certain details he found interesting in a notebook but gave up after an hour. More than preparing the presentation, he was afraid of standing in front of the class trying to present it. He knew that he would get nervous and make a goobaloo out of himself in front of his friends. He looked at the clock and realised that there were still few hours before the school ended. Suri was bored, but he didn’t want to go back to his class again.

A sudden idea came into his mind and he fished desperately into his schoolbag and grinned with glee as his hands closed around the Game-Monkey handheld device. He decided to spend fifteen minutes playing Action Monkey before starting to work on his presentation again. Since he was seated in the farthest corner of the library, Suri knew that he would not be disturbed. The last thing he needed was one of his classmates trying to borrow his Game-Monkey or worse, ratting him out to the librarian or to one of the teachers. Quickly, he reduced the volume and loaded the ‘Action Monkey – Into the Mysterious Ruins’ game and started playing.

His fingers moved fast over the keys as Action Monkey jumped, swung, leapt, and rolled his way past various monsters and minions of Gruesome Gibbon. Suri remembered his own adventure in the Vanarapuri ruins and shuddered a little. But soon, all was forgotten as he became engrossed in the game.

He was about to complete the fifth level, when a loud voice interrupted him.

‘Well! There you are Suri!’ It was Mr. Hanu Howler. Suri gulped as he realised that Mr. Howler had caught him playing inside the library, and that too during class hours. Suri scrambled to hide his Game-Monkey inside his bag but Mr. Howler had already come to his side.

‘Well, well!’ boomed Mr. Howler, ‘What do we have here? Do I spy a little monkey playing a game inside the school library? Why aren’t you inside your class?’

Suri couldn’t find the words to answer Mr. Howler. He tried and after much effort squeaked, ‘Presentation..’

‘How wonderful that you are spending time inside the library to research for your presentation,’ Mr. Howler said in a sarcastic voice. ‘But I don’t see anything on your notebook here.’

Suri gulped and said, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Howler.’

Mr. Howler sat opposite to Suri and said in a much softer voice, ‘Sorry for what, Suri? Bunking classes? Not preparing for your presentation? Playing video games inside school? What are you sorry for?’

‘All of them, Mr. Howler!’

Mr. Howler shook his head, ‘I don’t think you are sorry for any of that, Suri. Otherwise, you would have either been in class along with your classmates or at least made headway into the assignment. I think you are sorry that you’ve not been able to resist temptation. Am I correct?’

Suri nodded. Mr. Howler sighed and continued, ‘Do you know why I set you this presentation?’

‘To punish me.’

Mr. Howler smiled kindly and shook his head, ‘No, Suri! I gave you this assignment because I know that you are not comfortable in public speaking. Neither are Eki, Sammy, Nani, and Pilu. I chose you five so that you could practise making a presentation in front of your own classmates first before making one with the whole city as an audience.’

‘I don’t understand, Sir!’

‘Suri, did your mother tell you that a surprise awaits you at school. Well, the surprise is that we are going to present a play about Vanarapuri on the City Day and I have chosen you and your friends to play important roles in it.’

Suri gulped! Him? In a play? Surely, Mr. Howler was joking…

‘No, Suri! It’s not a joke and I’m most definitely not pulling your tail. I have noticed that you talk with a lot of passion and expression when you are with your friends and you talk about things you like. That could be easily translated to a good performance on stage. But I know that you have stage-fright and you are not comfortable in front of an audience.’

‘Yes, Mr. Howler! I don’t think I can do it.’

‘Do you remember the tree race on your birthday?’

Suri’s face reddened in shame. Of course, he remembered that infamous race. He nodded.

‘Do you know how many monkeys were watching you then?’

‘No, Mr. Howler! I did not. All I was focused on was on swinging to the next tree branch and winning the race.’

Mr. Howler smiled and clapped Suri on his back, ‘Exactly! The key to perform without fear before an audience is not to focus on them. You need to concentrate on the job on hand so much so that you won’t even realize that there’s an audience in front of you.’

‘Will it work?’

‘Of course, it will! If you concentrate well. But I don’t think concentrating is difficult for you going by the way you were engrossed with your Game-Monkey.’

Suri smiled. He felt confidence seeping into him as a result of Mr. Howler’s words. ‘I’m very sorry for my behaviour, Mr. Howler. I came to the library to prepare for the presentation but I was so bothered by the fact that I have to perform in front of audience that I lost interest. But now, I feel like I can do it.’

Mr. Howler clapped his hands and said, ‘Well done! Now, pick a character from Vanarapuri’s history who was known for his discipline and start preparing your presentation.’

Suri smiled, he had an idea. ‘Sir, the only person who I can think of is my father, Mr. Angad. He is the head of the City Security and I have never seen him break a single rule and he is my hero.’

Mr. Howler beamed and said, ‘Excellent! Your father indeed is a hero. Start your preparation and while you are going to be busy, allow me to borrow your Game-Monkey. I haven’t been able to cross level six.’

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Goobaloo

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‘Our forests were much different than the ones around Vanarapuri,’ Fathi took a swig of fresh tender coconut water and continued, ‘The trees were not as densely packed as here, and the climate was much hotter as well.’

They were sat in the study of Mr. Angad’s tree house on Marmoset Street. Fathi was sitting on the floor with a big picture album opened in front of her. Around her were Nila, Suri, Tommi, Eki, Sammy, and Unni. They were listening in rapt attention to the stories Fathi was saying about her homeland. Tara was perusing the old table in the study grading the exam papers, but she was listening to Fathi’s words. Even Mr. Angad who had come home just then and was relaxing had his ears tuned to the kids even though his eyes were shut.

‘Did you have tree races?’ Suri wanted to know. He was still smarting from the tree race he lost on his birthday. Though he was spending a lot of time indoors these days, usually with his Game-Monkey handheld, he did swing from the trees outside his home occasionally.

‘Not much, Suri.’ Fathi said with regret in her voice. ‘As I told you, the trees were not that dense over there, so it was not possible to have tree races. It was difficult to leap between the trees for common monkeys. Only the athletically gifted could do it. Even though they were the best of the best, they still had the occasional mishap and injuries. Once, my classmate tried leaping from a tree to the next, but fell down and broke his nose.’

‘What a Goobaloo!’ Suri exclaimed and the other monkeys sniggered.

Fathi looked confused, ‘What is a Goobaloo?’

Tommy piped up, ‘Goobaloos are monkeys who cannot jump between trees.’ He winked and added, ‘like Unni and Sammy.’

‘Oi! I’m not a goobaloo. You take it back.’ Sammy was irritated.

‘Yes, Tommy! That was most unkind of you to say. Don’t be a goobaloo, ok?’ Unni joined in.

‘I’m not a goobaloo! You are,’ Tommy said and folded his hands.

Fathi scratched her head, ‘Does this word have a meaning?’

‘Which word?’

‘Goobaloo?’

‘Yes,’ Suri declared solemnly. ‘Goobaloos are silly monkeys who are being very silly.’

‘Fathi, I can understand your confusion.’ It was Mr. Angad who had decided to join in, ‘Have you ever felt like insulting anyone?’

‘Honestly? Many-a-time, Mr. Angad.’

Angad came over and sat next to them, ‘In those situations, what words did you use?’

Fathi looked down, ‘I’m ashamed to say, Mr. Angad.’

‘No need to repeat those words, Fathi.’ Mr. Angad continued kindly, ‘But you did hurl some hurtful words at someone, right?’

‘Yes, but all those times I was provoked Mr. Angad.  I never hurl abuses at anyone just for the sake of it.’

‘I’m not judging you, Fathi. But have you ever thought the impact of hurtful words on a person?’

‘Every time, Mr. Angad!’ Fathi said, ‘I’ve never felt proud of insulting other monkeys. But sometimes, it just has to be done.’

‘I understand! Now, why do we insult someone else? Is it because we feel angry at them or is it because that they have said something that has hurt us? In either case, will we feel better just by doing the same thing that hurt us in the first place?’

‘No!’ All the little monkeys chorused.

‘No! we will not feel better. In fact, instead of one monkey feeling bad there will be two of you doing so. But we will feel better if that feeling of hurt goes away from us. Now, imagine this. Someone has just insulted you, but instead of you hurling an insult back what if you just say some random word which doesn’t have any meaning?’

‘They won’t understand!’

‘Precisely! They wouldn’t and that will confuse them. Then they will realise that you have defeated their biting words with a completely silly one.’

‘And that word is Goobaloo?’

‘Yes! Goobaloo is just a placeholder for any ill feeling or words that are bubbling to get out of you. When you know the meaning of a bad word and still you utter it, its negative energy surrounds you. Instead of that, just use a word which might have no meaning at all. The anger and irritation will go away from you because you have responded to the insult, but you will laugh about it and not feel bad.’

‘But won’t people start considering goobaloo as a bad word itself?’

‘Ah! That’s were lies the magic of goobaloo. You can use it in any situation, be it good or bad. That’s what I did with these little monkeys here. Now, they use the word to avoid saying something, anything unpleasant. Don’t you think it’s a good thing?’

Fathi smiled, ‘Definitely!’

Mr. Angad smiled back at her, ‘Now! Who’s a goobaloo here?’

‘Not me!’ cried all the little monkeys.

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Fatty and the Flying Monkey

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The next few weeks went in a blur for Suri and Nila. First, they had their term tests and the little monkeys were busy buried in their books. Suri, after the incident at the ruins, had become very wary of venturing outside. He had started to spend more time indoors reading books or playing on his Game-Monkey Handheld. Sammy was a regular visitor at Suri’s house as he had become an integral part of Suri’s gang. Tommy, Eki, and Unni had welcomed him wholeheartedly and they spent a lot of time together.

They mostly hung out in Suri’s or Unni’s place. Sammy was still reluctant to venture into Titi street where Tommy and Eki lived. The only time they went to Sammy’s palatial house on Sifaka street, they had felt very uncomfortable. Sammy’s mother had made them feel unwelcome and after that they avoided going there. Sammy felt sad, but he knew he couldn’t do anything. Also, he liked spending time away from his home with his new friends.

Like Suri, Sammy preferred to stay indoors as well. It was not because of the events at the ruins, but it was the way he had been brought up. Sammy and his sister Silky rarely ventured outdoors. Whatever they had wanted, their father had made them available within their house. They had a full-length swinging course, a huge swimming pool, and even a tennis court. Born into luxury and having had everything at his beck and call, Sammy had grown tired of his lifestyle. So, it was a refreshing change when he started spending time with Suri, his friends, and his family. Especially, he was fond of Tara’s famous sponge cakes.

Silky, on the other hand, immersed herself into her fortunate lifestyle. She knew that their family’s wealth and the fact that her father was he mayor of Vanarapuri brought her privileges and she made sure to exploit that at every corner. She had quite the following in school and there were girls who were ready to do anything to become her friend. Silky never encouraged or discouraged them, she just let them fawn over her. Her only friends were Mini Mangabey and Bhu Baboon and had no interest in adding anyone new to her posse.

Silky tolerated Nila because she had helped with Sammy. It also helped that Nila was one of the teachers’ kid and her father was the head of city security. So, she allowed Nila to hangout with them sometimes. Mostly, silky and her friends used Nila to keep other monkeys from annoying them. Silky was more interested in meeting the exchange student, Fathi. She was supposed to be joining school that day and Silky had big plans for the new student. She would take Fathi to all the nice places in Vanarapuri, some of which was not accessible for the regular town folk. Won’t the new girl be impressed when Silky takes her to the Punk Monkeys concert as well? Silky and her posse would be even more envied and she loved the prospect of that.

Silky wore her Punk Monkeys bracelet and bandanna to school that day. She had a skip in her walk as she made her way to the classroom. Mini and Bhu were already there and were talking to a short and pudgy looking monkey. On Silky’s arrival, they waved her over with excitement.

‘Silky, come over here! Say hello to Fathi.’

The new monkey turned around and smiled. Silky’s face fell. She was not expecting Fathi to be so…plain.

‘Hello, Silky. I’m Fathi.’

Silky said the only thing that came to her mind, ‘Fatty?’

The newcomer looked shell shocked. Mini and Bhu glanced at each other and started laughing.

‘Fatty, fatty, fatty!’ they chanted.

Fathi looked at them and ran away crying. Nila, who had witnessed the entire thing happening, felt very sad for Fathi. She approached Silky who was doubled over with mirth.

‘Silky, that was not very nice! Poor girl had tears in her eyes.’

Silky waved a hand, ‘Don’t worry about that Nila darling! You see, Fathi is just not cool. She will not fit within our group, don’t you think?’

That was the first time that Silky had mentioned Nila and her group in the same sentence. Nila smiled and said, ‘I guess so!’

‘That’s the spirit. Let Fatty cry, who cares? You, on the other hand, have good potential, Nila. You can fit within our group.’

Nila beamed, ‘Really?’

‘Yes! You are my little star, Nila. My flying monkey!’

Tara noticed with growing remorse as her daughter started spending more time with Silky and her posse. While she was pleased with Suri’s friendship with Sammy, she wasn’t in the least impressed with the antics of Sammy’s elder sister. She knew that she had to have another talk with Nila soon.

Few weeks went by and Nila had become a full-fledged acolyte of Silky. She teased other monkeys and passed biting comments while Silky and her friends laughed. Fathi had withdrawn into her shell and she rarely spoke with anyone. The poor monkey looked miserable. One day, during the Physical Training period, Fathi tried her hand in swinging between bars and failed miserably. It was evident that gymnastics was not for her. The other monkeys started laughing. Silky broke into a song,

‘Fathi, Fathi

She came from foreign lands

Fathi, fatty

She could crush our hands

Fatty, Fathi

Ate everything in her home land

Fatty, Fatty

Can you see your own pants?’

The monkeys around started howling with laughter. Fathi felt miserable, big drops of tears started rolling down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and wished that she had never come to Vanarapuri. Fathi hoped that the ground would open and swallow her. She was about to leave when a voice rang out sharply amidst the laughter.

‘Stop this! You are all being very cruel.’

Fathi opened her eyes and saw Nila standing next to her. She had a furious look on her face.

‘You monkeys should be very ashamed of yourselves. This is not the way to treat our fellow monkeys.’

Silky looked stunned. It was the first time that someone had dared to speak out against her, that too in front of the whole school.

‘Nila, what are you doing?’ Silky hissed with anger in her voice. ‘Know your role, flying monkey!’

Nila shook her head, ‘Silky, I’m not anyone’s flying monkey. Did you think that I wouldn’t find what a flying monkey was?’

Silky just flipped her haughtily and said, ‘You are being stupid, Nila. Don’t sidle up with uncool fatty here.’

‘Shut your mouth, Silky! I was indeed being stupid all these days, that I sidled up with you and your friends. Not anymore! Fathi demands to be treated with kindness and respect and not be shamed for the way she looks. If you can’t do that, don’t expect me to treat you any different.’

‘Don’t dare talk to me like that, you little…’

Fathi stepped up to Nila, ‘Thank you very much, Nila! But please don’t fight on my behalf. I’ve faced such unkindness all my life. That’s the reason I wanted to come to a different place and make some good friends. Unfortunately, it looks like monkeys are the same everywhere.’

Nila put her hand around Fathi’s shoulder, ‘No, Fathi! You do have at least one friend here in Vanarapuri. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up earlier. I was blind, but Silky’s song opened my eyes real wide.’

Suri and his friends came running up to Nila and Fathi, ‘Hey, we’ll be your friends too.’

Sammy quipped, ‘See, you have six friends now.’

Fathi smiled tentatively first and then started laughing. Her new friends started laughing along with her. Silky had a furious look on her face as she walked away. Tara, who had been watching the incident from her staff room, beamed with pride.

 

 

 

 

Escapades and Excitement

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The ruins of Vanarapuri were precisely that – just ruins. Though they did have a dark history attached to them, most of the younger generation of Vanarapuri were not aware of it. A decision was taken thirty years ago not to speak about the events that transpired in those premises. There were rumours about the events which had transformed into near myths.

Eventhough the older residents of Vanarapuri wrinkled their nose at the mention of the ruins, it was a very popular place amongst the young. They had picnics and treasure hunts and there were a few birthday parties which were held in the ruins. But the City Security Station and the Mayor’s office had imposed a strict decree that no one was supposed to venture to the ruins beyond dark and they were allowed to peruse only the boundaries and the expansive gardens. The broken buildings and the inner section were strictly off-limits.

By the time Suri and his friends reached the ruins, the sun had decided to take an early nap for the day. Dark clouds had covered much of the sky and a cold wind had started blowing. A slight drizzle had also begun.

Suri swung from the trees into the clearing before the ruins. He pointed towards the ground to his friends Tommy, Eki, and Unni.

‘Can you smell that? That is what we call Perti..perti..petrichor! My Mumma taught me that.’

His friends gave him looks that implied they were impressed. Unni cupped a hand over his eyes and said, ‘It’s going to rain like a thousand monkeys falling from sky. Let’s collect the mushrooms and head home.’

They nodded and took out paper bags from their backpacks and set about searching for the mushrooms along the damp boundary walls.

Ten minutes later, a sound behind them made them jump. Eki and Tommy frowned at the intruder. Unni walked forward and said, ‘What are you doing here, Sammy?’

It was Sammy Sifaka who had been persuaded by his sister Silky to join Suri and his friends. Sammy shuffled forward equally uncomfortable. He looked at Suri and said, ‘Your sister told Silky that I could join you guys…’

Eki and Tommy looked at Suri with accusing stares. Suri shrugged his shoulders, ‘Look guys, Nila requested me that we should include Sammy as well. I’m not very comfortable with the idea as I know that he has been mean to us, especially you two. I told her that we would give him a chance. But if you two are not ok, then that’s my decision as well.’ He looked at Sammy and said, ‘Sammy, you are welcome to pick mushrooms with us. But don’t start teasing us. We don’t like it one bit.’

Sammy hopped on his feet, ‘Ok! I will not do that. All I want to do is come and play with you guys. Silky is the one who keeps telling me to make fun of you. She is my elder sister and I have no other choice other than listening to her.’

Unni said, ‘You always have a choice, Sammy. Eki’s brother is troublesome but Eki here doesn’t allow Tongu to boss him around.’

‘But she tattles to my mother and father. She tells horrible lies and makes them not give me any pocket money.’

A loud clap of thunder interrupted them and Tommy said, ‘Let’s continue talking later. We have to collect five different types of mushrooms. I have the pictures from our book here. Let’s spend the next half an hour looking for the mushrooms. We can share with each other later, ok?’

Eki nodded and said, ‘Yes, I think its going to start raining soon. Let’s finish and head home quickly.’

Unni added, ‘Don’t wander off! Stay close to the walls.’

They waved at each other and went on their way. Suri noticed that Sammy was scared being alone amidst the ruins. He decided to walk with Sammy.

‘Thanks, Suri! I was getting a little scared.’

Suri shrugged and said, ‘It’s ok! Sammy, if you don’t mind me telling, I believe your sister is being a very bad influence on my sister Nila.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, but I can see that she has changed quite a bit over the last few months. All she wants is to impress Silky.’

‘I understand, Suri. Silky is doing the same too. You know I was very fond of her but once she decided that she has to change in order to impress mother, I don’t like her very much.’

Suri didn’t know how to process that information. It was way beyond his level of understanding. So, he just nodded and kept walking. They spent the next fifteen minutes collecting mushrooms. Suri found that behind his prickly exterior, Sammy was just a sweet little boy not unlike himself. He smiled and looked at Sammy

‘You know you are not bad, after all!’

Sammy smiled, ‘Thanks!’

‘You are like a jackfruit.’

Sammy frowned and said, ‘Then, you are like a potato!’

They both started laughing. The walls of the ruins echoed with their laughter. Controlling himself, Sammy said, ‘Hey, do you know? Our school is getting an exchange student.’

‘What is an exchange student?’

‘Someone from foreign lands. It’s the first time here in Vanarapuri. Isn’t it exciting?’

‘How?’

Sammy said, ‘Father said that we can learn a lot about new countries we have never been to and cultures of monkeys in distant lands. Unfortunately, Fathi will be in Silky’s class and I’m sure she will hog all of Fathi’s time.’

‘Fathi?’

‘Yes! Fathi Mandrill is her name.’

‘What a unique name!’

‘Isn’t it? Anyways, I’ve told Silky that I would love to talk to Fathi to know more about her place and culture.’

‘Did your sister agree to it?’

‘She laughed and said go play with your fellow babies! Sometimes, I feel like throwing a banana at her.’

Suri laughed and said, ‘My Mumma told me never to fight with Nila. If I ever get angry with her, I walk away.’

Suddenly, the rain started in a downpour. Suri and Sammy stumbled through the ruined gardens in search of shelter. A cold gust of wind passed through making them shiver. The sun had set by then and they started running. Pretty soon they reached an eerie looking building with no doors. It had a roof though and the little monkeys made their way there.

Three hours later, a worried looking Mr. Angad and his assistant Kota found Sammy and Suri fast asleep behind a pile of debris deep inside the ruins. The whole of Vanarapuri had been searching for them over the past three hours. They told their rescuers that they had lost their way and hid inside the building because of the rain. Tommy, Eki, and Unni were waiting for them with anxiety on their faces. The minute the saw Suri and Sammy, they ran and hugged them. That was how Sammy became friends with Suri and his friends.

Suri and Sammy though had promised each other that they would never tell what they witnessed in the ruins.

Curious? That’s a story for later.