Pooben Narayanen's Blog
November 14, 2014
Mount Hope Mini-Chef Competition – Ételle has to put on her chef hat as one of the youngest participants in the competition…
“Okay,” Ételle said. “I think I’m all set.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya added. “The gym’s completely different.”
“I count twenty fully equipped cooking stations.” Om finished counting with his finger.
The cooking stations were lined up across from with one another. At the furthest end of the gym were the bleachers.
“Chef Vinnie is about to speak,” Ételle said.
They all turned to the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, which was at the opposite end of the gym, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Mini-Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on. “Non-contestants please leave the cooking stations and go to the bleachers.”
“Good luck, cousin,” Om said and high-fived Ételle.
“You’ve got this!” Aditya also high-fived her.
“Thanks guys,” Ételle said.
Om and Aditya joined the rest of the spectators in the bleachers.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. You will be given your surprise ingredients.”
Ételle was given a plastic container. She didn’t touch it, although she was dying to see what was inside.
“Right. You have thirty minutes for the starter round. Get ready!” He raised a stop watch. “Start now!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. She had been given chicken breast, baguette, chillies, onions and garlic. It had been a no-brainer as far as what she had to make, but preparing the dish in thirty minutes was a challenge. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous.
“Time’s up chefs!” Chef Vinnie said.
The judges come down from the stage and went by each table tasting the dishes. There was complete silence.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie gave her a smile. The judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had did their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
***
“First,” Chef Vinnie said. “I would like to say to those of you who have been eliminated, thank you for participating. Now, for those of you who’ve made it to the second round, things are about to get interesting. In a minute you will be given your ingredients, a different set for each of you. You will have 45 minutes to prepare your main dish.”
Ételle watched as they delivered her ingredients. She was not sure what she was getting.
“Don’t touch the Tupperware until I say so!” Chef Vinnie shouted, making Ételle jump. She backed her hand away from the Tupperware. Ételle looked towards where Om and Aditya were sitting, they smiled at her and she smiled back nervously.
“Right,” Chef Vinnie said. Ételle felt butterflies in her stomach. She breathed deeply to calm herself down.
Breathe and relax.
“Judges, are you ready?” Chef Vinnie asked.
Ételle watched as the judges nodded.
“Mini-chefs. Get ready.” Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Start now! You have 45 minutes.”
Ételle opened her container, there was a fish fillet, she wasn’t sure what species, but it didn’t matter, there were two eggplants, a chou-chou and two tomatoes.
She breathed in, thinking about what to cook.
Pan fried fish and steamed chou-chou!
***
Ételle prepared her marinade, she put some black pepper, ginger, garlic, into a mortar and added a bit of cilantro seeds for good measure. She pounded it all with a pestle. Once it was ground into a paste she put it into a bowl and added some olive oil and mixed it all together lightly with a spoon.
Ételle lay the fish onto a tray and marinated it, as she did so she stole a quick look at her neighbour and saw that the girl, who must have been around ten years old like her, was preparing something with tofu and noodles. A dish Ételle was all too familiar with.
I wish I had tofu.
She looked at Om and Aditya who smiled at her.
Ételle put the fish in the pan letting it simmer on low heat. As it was cooking she cut the chou-chou into four pieces and put it in the pressure cooker. Ételle picked up the two eggplants.
What do I do with you guys?
“You have 20-minutes left,” Chef Vinnie said.
Eggplant chutney!
Ételle sliced the eggplants into thin slices. She placed them into a pan and browned them, also turning the fish which was almost ready. The pressure cooker whistled, she felt panic rising inside of her. Things became blurry and the sounds of cooking sounded far, far way. Ételle grabbed the edge of the table.
Like with Bitey.
The image of the shark in the water surrounding the boat came into mind. The great white circling their boat in the lagoon. Panic.
Breath.
Ételle breathed in. The fish was sizzling and the pressure cooker whistled one more time. She sprung into action, turning off the pan and the pressure cooker.
“You have ten minutes,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle turned the tomatoes into two large roses. She still had to get the eggplant ready. She cut some onions, garlic and the little bird eye chillies. She mashed up the eggplant with a fork after having removed the skin. She added some olive oil and mixed it up again.
Oh no! It’s runny!
“Five minutes,” Chef Vinnie said.
Ételle pulled out a plate and placed two pieces of the chou-chou sprinkling a bit of salt on each. She laid the fish in the middle of the plate and placed the two tomato roses at the top of the plate.
“Time’s up!” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle spread the sauce alongside the fish and looked at the plate. It was as good as it gets.
***
Chef Vinnie chewed slowly and pensively. “H’mmm, this is tasty,” he said mostly to himself.
“The baba ghanoush, is really good, Ételle,” Chef Jane said.
What’s baba ghanoush? I will have to look it up when I get home.
“Very good,” Chef Ismail said with his mouth full. “I’m going to have another piece.” And he took another piece of the fish.
“I like the chou-chou. Beautifully done, darling,” Chef Savita said.
“Thank you, chefs,” Ételle said.
“Right guys,” Chef Vinnie said. “To the next competitor.” They all moved on to the next table.
The chefs went through the other tables quickly. At Navi’s table, Ételle saw Chef Vinnie wag his finger at Navi, somewhat menacingly.
That Navi, is he trying to bully Chef Vinnie too? Once a bully always a bully.
The judges went to their table to deliberate. Ételle was joined by Om and Aditya.
“They stayed at your table the longest,” Aditya said.
“Yeah.” Om took a bite from the fish. “That’s why! You have to try this Aditya.” Om passed a fork to Aditya who took a bite.
“Wow, Ételle,” Aditya said. “You’re going to win this for sure.”
“Aren’t you going to eat any?” Om asked.
“No,” Ételle answered and wringed her hands. “I’m too nervous.”
“You should be.” Navi stood in front of the table.
“Shut-up, Navi,” Om said.
“Yeah,” Aditya added. “We saw you getting into trouble with the judge.”
“That Chef Vinnie, he better let me win,” Navi said. “My parents are one of the owners of Mount Hope Hotel.”
“So what?” Ételle narrowed her eyes at him.
“If I don’t win, they lose their jobs.”
“You can’t do that!”
“We’ll see.” Navi shoved the table and moved away towards his station.
***
“Again, I would like to thank those of you who made it this far and wish the remaining five chefs best of luck,” Chef Vinnie said to the audience.
Ételle sighed with relief. She was among the remaining five.
“Now this is the final round,” Chef Vinnie said. “You will be given your ingredients and when I say go that’s when you start. That goes for everyone.” Chef Vinnie and the other Chefs glared at Navi, who looked down at his station. “You will have 45 minutes.”
Ételle was given a Tupperware.
Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Right. Start!”
Ételle opened the container, inside were mangoes, tapioca pearls, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk.
Ételle stared at it for a second.
I know cold tapioca pearls with mango puree!
***
As the tapioca pearls cooled in the bowl of ice Ételle prepared her mango puree.
“Fifteen minutes to go,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle concentrated on what she had to do. She had shut out everything, she didn’t hear chef call out or see Om and Aditya wave to her. She was on a mission, make the best dessert she had ever made. Once she had pureed the mangoes she added it to the tapioca pearls and added the evaporated milk. She mixed everything together. Taking a small spoon she tasted it.
I’m missing something! The vanilla!
Ételle took the vanilla extract and added a few drops and mixed it all together. When she stopped she heard Chef Vinnie. “That’s it chefs, times up! Put your utensils down please!”
That’s it. I gave it the best I could.
***
The chefs each took a spoonful.
All four smiled with each bite and helped themselves to a few more bites.
“Okay, chefs,” Chef Vinnie said. “We have other plates to try!”
“You need to give us the recipe,” Chef Savita said as she moved to the next table.
“Will do chef,” Ételle said and watched as they moved to the next table.
The chefs were soon at their table deliberating.
Ételle was joined by her friends. But she hardly registered their presence. She was so nervous.
Om and Aditya didn’t say much and ate what was left of the dessert.
“Man, this is nerve-wracking,” Om said.
“You got that right,” Aditya said. “Okay Ételle?”
“Yeah,” Ételle answered absentmindedly.
“Chef Vinnie is climbing onto the stage.”
They watched as Chef Vinnie pulled out a list and cleared his throat.
“Right, so we have selected our winners for this year’s Mini-Chef. Everyone ready?” Chef Vinnie waited for an answer.
Chef Vinnie started reading starting with the last placed contestant. Ételle couldn’t hear him, she was so tense.
“Second place, Chef Ételle and first place Chef Navi, there you have it. Congratulations to you all.”
“What?” Aditya and Om said at the same time.
Ételle snapped out of it.
“How does he win?” Ételle said. “I don’t mind being second place but to Navi?”
“He must have threatened Chef Vinnie,” Aditya said.
“He did say his parents own the hotel,” Om added. “Let’s go see Chef Vinnie.”
***
“Threatened me?” Chef Vinnie said and then laughed. “Who that little squirt?”
Chefs Savita, Jane and Ismail all chuckled.
“He said his parents owned the hotel,” Ételle said.
“His parents don’t own the hotel,” Chef Vinnie said. “They come over every once in a while. So you think he threatened us into giving him first prize?”
“Yes,” the three kids answered.
Chef Vinnie laughed again and then looked at them.
“Oh, you guys are serious.” He wiped his tears. “Come with me.”
They followed Chef Vinnie to Navi’s station.
“What do you guys want?” Navi snarled.
“Keep quiet boy, before I take that prize away from you,” Chef Vinnie growled at him, which made Navi back down.
Chef Vinnie took some of his dessert and gave some to each of them.
“Try this flambé,” he said.
Ételle took a bite.
“Wow,” she said. “That’s amazing.”
“Do you need to try the other desserts?”
“No.”
“First prize, then?”
“Yes.” Ételle had another bite.
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya added. “The gym’s completely different.”
“I count twenty fully equipped cooking stations.” Om finished counting with his finger.
The cooking stations were lined up across from with one another. At the furthest end of the gym were the bleachers.
“Chef Vinnie is about to speak,” Ételle said.
They all turned to the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, which was at the opposite end of the gym, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Mini-Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on. “Non-contestants please leave the cooking stations and go to the bleachers.”
“Good luck, cousin,” Om said and high-fived Ételle.
“You’ve got this!” Aditya also high-fived her.
“Thanks guys,” Ételle said.
Om and Aditya joined the rest of the spectators in the bleachers.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. You will be given your surprise ingredients.”
Ételle was given a plastic container. She didn’t touch it, although she was dying to see what was inside.
“Right. You have thirty minutes for the starter round. Get ready!” He raised a stop watch. “Start now!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. She had been given chicken breast, baguette, chillies, onions and garlic. It had been a no-brainer as far as what she had to make, but preparing the dish in thirty minutes was a challenge. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous.
“Time’s up chefs!” Chef Vinnie said.
The judges come down from the stage and went by each table tasting the dishes. There was complete silence.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie gave her a smile. The judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had did their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
***
“First,” Chef Vinnie said. “I would like to say to those of you who have been eliminated, thank you for participating. Now, for those of you who’ve made it to the second round, things are about to get interesting. In a minute you will be given your ingredients, a different set for each of you. You will have 45 minutes to prepare your main dish.”
Ételle watched as they delivered her ingredients. She was not sure what she was getting.
“Don’t touch the Tupperware until I say so!” Chef Vinnie shouted, making Ételle jump. She backed her hand away from the Tupperware. Ételle looked towards where Om and Aditya were sitting, they smiled at her and she smiled back nervously.
“Right,” Chef Vinnie said. Ételle felt butterflies in her stomach. She breathed deeply to calm herself down.
Breathe and relax.
“Judges, are you ready?” Chef Vinnie asked.
Ételle watched as the judges nodded.
“Mini-chefs. Get ready.” Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Start now! You have 45 minutes.”
Ételle opened her container, there was a fish fillet, she wasn’t sure what species, but it didn’t matter, there were two eggplants, a chou-chou and two tomatoes.
She breathed in, thinking about what to cook.
Pan fried fish and steamed chou-chou!
***
Ételle prepared her marinade, she put some black pepper, ginger, garlic, into a mortar and added a bit of cilantro seeds for good measure. She pounded it all with a pestle. Once it was ground into a paste she put it into a bowl and added some olive oil and mixed it all together lightly with a spoon.
Ételle lay the fish onto a tray and marinated it, as she did so she stole a quick look at her neighbour and saw that the girl, who must have been around ten years old like her, was preparing something with tofu and noodles. A dish Ételle was all too familiar with.
I wish I had tofu.
She looked at Om and Aditya who smiled at her.
Ételle put the fish in the pan letting it simmer on low heat. As it was cooking she cut the chou-chou into four pieces and put it in the pressure cooker. Ételle picked up the two eggplants.
What do I do with you guys?
“You have 20-minutes left,” Chef Vinnie said.
Eggplant chutney!
Ételle sliced the eggplants into thin slices. She placed them into a pan and browned them, also turning the fish which was almost ready. The pressure cooker whistled, she felt panic rising inside of her. Things became blurry and the sounds of cooking sounded far, far way. Ételle grabbed the edge of the table.
Like with Bitey.
The image of the shark in the water surrounding the boat came into mind. The great white circling their boat in the lagoon. Panic.
Breath.
Ételle breathed in. The fish was sizzling and the pressure cooker whistled one more time. She sprung into action, turning off the pan and the pressure cooker.
“You have ten minutes,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle turned the tomatoes into two large roses. She still had to get the eggplant ready. She cut some onions, garlic and the little bird eye chillies. She mashed up the eggplant with a fork after having removed the skin. She added some olive oil and mixed it up again.
Oh no! It’s runny!
“Five minutes,” Chef Vinnie said.
Ételle pulled out a plate and placed two pieces of the chou-chou sprinkling a bit of salt on each. She laid the fish in the middle of the plate and placed the two tomato roses at the top of the plate.
“Time’s up!” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle spread the sauce alongside the fish and looked at the plate. It was as good as it gets.
***
Chef Vinnie chewed slowly and pensively. “H’mmm, this is tasty,” he said mostly to himself.
“The baba ghanoush, is really good, Ételle,” Chef Jane said.
What’s baba ghanoush? I will have to look it up when I get home.
“Very good,” Chef Ismail said with his mouth full. “I’m going to have another piece.” And he took another piece of the fish.
“I like the chou-chou. Beautifully done, darling,” Chef Savita said.
“Thank you, chefs,” Ételle said.
“Right guys,” Chef Vinnie said. “To the next competitor.” They all moved on to the next table.
The chefs went through the other tables quickly. At Navi’s table, Ételle saw Chef Vinnie wag his finger at Navi, somewhat menacingly.
That Navi, is he trying to bully Chef Vinnie too? Once a bully always a bully.
The judges went to their table to deliberate. Ételle was joined by Om and Aditya.
“They stayed at your table the longest,” Aditya said.
“Yeah.” Om took a bite from the fish. “That’s why! You have to try this Aditya.” Om passed a fork to Aditya who took a bite.
“Wow, Ételle,” Aditya said. “You’re going to win this for sure.”
“Aren’t you going to eat any?” Om asked.
“No,” Ételle answered and wringed her hands. “I’m too nervous.”
“You should be.” Navi stood in front of the table.
“Shut-up, Navi,” Om said.
“Yeah,” Aditya added. “We saw you getting into trouble with the judge.”
“That Chef Vinnie, he better let me win,” Navi said. “My parents are one of the owners of Mount Hope Hotel.”
“So what?” Ételle narrowed her eyes at him.
“If I don’t win, they lose their jobs.”
“You can’t do that!”
“We’ll see.” Navi shoved the table and moved away towards his station.
***
“Again, I would like to thank those of you who made it this far and wish the remaining five chefs best of luck,” Chef Vinnie said to the audience.
Ételle sighed with relief. She was among the remaining five.
“Now this is the final round,” Chef Vinnie said. “You will be given your ingredients and when I say go that’s when you start. That goes for everyone.” Chef Vinnie and the other Chefs glared at Navi, who looked down at his station. “You will have 45 minutes.”
Ételle was given a Tupperware.
Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Right. Start!”
Ételle opened the container, inside were mangoes, tapioca pearls, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk.
Ételle stared at it for a second.
I know cold tapioca pearls with mango puree!
***
As the tapioca pearls cooled in the bowl of ice Ételle prepared her mango puree.
“Fifteen minutes to go,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle concentrated on what she had to do. She had shut out everything, she didn’t hear chef call out or see Om and Aditya wave to her. She was on a mission, make the best dessert she had ever made. Once she had pureed the mangoes she added it to the tapioca pearls and added the evaporated milk. She mixed everything together. Taking a small spoon she tasted it.
I’m missing something! The vanilla!
Ételle took the vanilla extract and added a few drops and mixed it all together. When she stopped she heard Chef Vinnie. “That’s it chefs, times up! Put your utensils down please!”
That’s it. I gave it the best I could.
***
The chefs each took a spoonful.
All four smiled with each bite and helped themselves to a few more bites.
“Okay, chefs,” Chef Vinnie said. “We have other plates to try!”
“You need to give us the recipe,” Chef Savita said as she moved to the next table.
“Will do chef,” Ételle said and watched as they moved to the next table.
The chefs were soon at their table deliberating.
Ételle was joined by her friends. But she hardly registered their presence. She was so nervous.
Om and Aditya didn’t say much and ate what was left of the dessert.
“Man, this is nerve-wracking,” Om said.
“You got that right,” Aditya said. “Okay Ételle?”
“Yeah,” Ételle answered absentmindedly.
“Chef Vinnie is climbing onto the stage.”
They watched as Chef Vinnie pulled out a list and cleared his throat.
“Right, so we have selected our winners for this year’s Mini-Chef. Everyone ready?” Chef Vinnie waited for an answer.
Chef Vinnie started reading starting with the last placed contestant. Ételle couldn’t hear him, she was so tense.
“Second place, Chef Ételle and first place Chef Navi, there you have it. Congratulations to you all.”
“What?” Aditya and Om said at the same time.
Ételle snapped out of it.
“How does he win?” Ételle said. “I don’t mind being second place but to Navi?”
“He must have threatened Chef Vinnie,” Aditya said.
“He did say his parents own the hotel,” Om added. “Let’s go see Chef Vinnie.”
***
“Threatened me?” Chef Vinnie said and then laughed. “Who that little squirt?”
Chefs Savita, Jane and Ismail all chuckled.
“He said his parents owned the hotel,” Ételle said.
“His parents don’t own the hotel,” Chef Vinnie said. “They come over every once in a while. So you think he threatened us into giving him first prize?”
“Yes,” the three kids answered.
Chef Vinnie laughed again and then looked at them.
“Oh, you guys are serious.” He wiped his tears. “Come with me.”
They followed Chef Vinnie to Navi’s station.
“What do you guys want?” Navi snarled.
“Keep quiet boy, before I take that prize away from you,” Chef Vinnie growled at him, which made Navi back down.
Chef Vinnie took some of his dessert and gave some to each of them.
“Try this flambé,” he said.
Ételle took a bite.
“Wow,” she said. “That’s amazing.”
“Do you need to try the other desserts?”
“No.”
“First prize, then?”
“Yes.” Ételle had another bite.
November 4, 2014
Realistic Art – Someone in Mount Hope is showing a lot of interest in local artwork…
“Check this one out,” Aditya said and pointed to a sand sculpture. “It looks like a triceratops.”
“How did she get the horns to stay put like that?” Om asked.
“Is that even possible?” Ételle added.
“It’s all about the right mix of water and sand,” a voice said behind them.
“Hi, Yovi,” the three of them said when they saw it was Yovi, the artist who was making the sand sculptures.
“Hello, kids,” Yovi said. “What do you think of my artwork?”
“It’s awesome,” Aditya said.
“I love the detail,” Ételle said.
“How come you don’t teach us any of this stuff in class?” Om asked.
“Because we’re not there yet,” Yovi said. “Besides it’s only a summer class, it’s supposed to be for fun and light stuff.”
“Why are you doing these again?” Aditya asked.
“Its part of a campaign to attract people to Mount Hope,” Yovi explained. “I’ll be doing a bunch of different animal designs over the next few days. All of them will be right here on the Mount Hope Public Beach.”
“They’re really cool,” Om said.
“So dinosaurs today?” Ételle asked. “What are you doing next?”
A group of boys of laughing loudly interrupted them.
“Navi and his idiot friends,” Aditya said.
“These are so stupid!” Navi said. “Look at this one.” He pointed to the triceratops. “What kind of rhino is that?”
It was the turn of the kids to laugh.
“It’s a triceratops,” Aditya rolled his eyes.
“A dinosaur,” Ételle added. “In case you were wondering.”
“Yeah,” Om said trying not to laugh. “You can find them in the north of Mauritius.”
The three of them laughed as Navi and his friends scowled.
“Don’t be mean kids,” Yovi said.
“Whatever,” Navi said. “They all suck.”
With that Navi and his mates walked away.
“What’s his problem?” Yovi said. “His mom is one the people sponsoring this event.”
“He always has a point to make,” Aditya said.
“What do you have planned for tomorrow?” Ételle asked.
“You’ll have to wait and see!” Yovi winked at them.
***
The next day the three friends made their way to the Mount Hope Public Beach, where they found Yovi and a number of people standing around the triceratops. They all seemed upset.
“Look,” Yovi said when she saw them.
The triceratops was missing its two legs. It looked as if someone had kicked it.
“What happened?” Aditya asked.
“We don’t know,” Yovi answered. “I came in this morning and this is what I found.”
“It can’t be the tide,” Om said. “You’re really far from where the water comes in.”
“No,” Yovi said. “We had checked out how far the tide comes in before we started.”
“Do you think it was done on purpose?” Ételle asked.
“No idea,” Yovi said and then sighed. “I’ll have to put all back together again. Whoever or whatever did this also damaged the T-rex.”
She led them to a sand statue of the T-rex.
“You see.” Yovi sat down on the sand and showed them part of the T-rex’s leg which was also damaged. “I spoke to the police, they say they’ll send a patrol by at night. I better get back to work guys. I’m doing a herd of deer. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Aditya asked.
“That’s nice of you dear,” Yovi said. “But I’ll manage.”
The three of them watched Yovi walk away.
“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Aditya asked.
“Navi,” Ételle said.
“But we have no proof guys,” Om added. “We can’t just accuse him. What with his mom being the sponsor and all.”
“Then we need proof,” Aditya said. “We’ll have to keep watch tonight.”
“Yovi said the police will send a patrol around,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, but they won’t keep watch throughout the night.”
“Besides all they have to do is set up a lookout who can warn the others when the cops show up,” Om said.
“Exactly.”
“So we come here tonight then,” Ételle said. “Where do we hide so we can observe the statues?”
The three of them looked around to see if there was a good vantage point.
“There.” Ételle pointed to a building right across from the beach. It had a fire escape on the side. “We just have to climb to the roof and we’ll be able to see the whole beach.”
“Perfect,” both Aditya and Om answered at the same time.
***
“See anything?” Aditya asked as Om leaned over the wall that was on the roof.
“Nope,” Om replied.
“From this vantage point nobody will be able to come onto the beach without us seeing them,” Ételle said.
“And with the moonlight we won’t be able to miss them.”
“I just hope the folks don’t find out we’re not home sleeping,” Aditya said.
“As long as we’re back before sunrise we should be fine.” Om pulled out a water bottle from his back pack.
“Good thing it’s a Friday and no one’s about,” Ételle said. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost midnight,” Aditya said.
“We’ve been here for an hour and nothing yet,” Om said. “I bet they’re coming soon. We should take turns keeping watch.”
“Okay,” Aditya said adjusting his binoculars. “I’ll take first watch.”
His two friends leaned against the small wall that was at the top of the building.
“I wish I had night vision,” Aditya said.
“You can see fine with the moonlight,” Om said.
“Wake us up if you see anything,” Ételle added.
“Sure.” Aditya said and took a sip of water.
Aditya could see Turtle Bay in the moonlight, as well as the waves’ white crests as the open ocean hit the reefs that surrounded the bay. Although, it was far he could even hear the sound of the waves crashing.
It’s so quiet that I’ll be able to hear Navi and his friends even if I don’t see them.
Aditya didn’t see much except for a police van that stopped by the sculptures. An officer stepped out and shone his torch around the sculptures before going back into the van and driving off.
“I see something!” Aditya whispered to his friends.
Om and Ételle woke up.
“What?” They both whispered back.
“Oh, sorry for waking you guys up,” Aditya said. “It’s just a dog.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Om said. “Let me take watch now. You guys sleep.”
Aditya made himself comfortable against the wall. He saw that Ételle was back to sleep. Om was looking through the binoculars.
***
“Aditya, Aditya, wake up.” Ételle’s voice came to him dreamily. Aditya woke up and rubbed his eyes.
“Did you see something?” He whispered.
“No,” Ételle said. “Nothing. The sun is coming up. We need to get home.”
“Okay,” Aditya said feeling disappointed.
“Let’s meet back here at around 9,” Om said. “That’s 4 hours from now.”
They made their way down the stairs where they grabbed their bikes and went home, where they all went to bed.
***
“I can’t believe it!” Aditya said looking at the sculpture of a deer with its hind leg missing. The three of them had come back to the beach at exactly nine.
“I know,” Yovi said. “It happened again!”
“How is that possible?” Om asked.
“We didn’t see anything!” Ételle
“What do you mean?” Yovi asked frowning.
The three friends told them of their vigil.
“That was sweet of you guys,” Yovi said. “But you shouldn’t have done that! You could’ve gotten hurt or something.”
“You’re not going to tell our parents are you?” Aditya asked worried.
“No, but never do that again!”
“Okay,” they answered together.
“Also Navi isn’t here, he’s been with his mom at some hotel in the north since we last saw him.”
“Then who?” Aditya asked. “Unless.” Aditya got on all fours. Looking at the sand. “I got it!” He started to crawl away.
“What are you doing Aditya?” Yovi asked.
“Dude?” Om said.
“I think I know what Aditya’s spotted,” Ételle said and she followed Aditya who walked around the life-size sculptures of the deer herd.
“There’s your culprit!” Aditya pointed to a dog, one of the many strays that hung around Mount Hope.
The dog was trying to bite the leg of a fawn.
“I saw what looked like bite marks on the other deer and then the tracks on the sand,” he explained to his friends.
Yovi shooed the dog away. Who ran off looking back longingly at the fawn.
“Well done, Aditya,” Yovi said. “The problem is how do I keep them away from the sculptures?”
“Maybe you should only do sculptures of vegetables!” Aditya said making them all laugh.
“How did she get the horns to stay put like that?” Om asked.
“Is that even possible?” Ételle added.
“It’s all about the right mix of water and sand,” a voice said behind them.
“Hi, Yovi,” the three of them said when they saw it was Yovi, the artist who was making the sand sculptures.
“Hello, kids,” Yovi said. “What do you think of my artwork?”
“It’s awesome,” Aditya said.
“I love the detail,” Ételle said.
“How come you don’t teach us any of this stuff in class?” Om asked.
“Because we’re not there yet,” Yovi said. “Besides it’s only a summer class, it’s supposed to be for fun and light stuff.”
“Why are you doing these again?” Aditya asked.
“Its part of a campaign to attract people to Mount Hope,” Yovi explained. “I’ll be doing a bunch of different animal designs over the next few days. All of them will be right here on the Mount Hope Public Beach.”
“They’re really cool,” Om said.
“So dinosaurs today?” Ételle asked. “What are you doing next?”
A group of boys of laughing loudly interrupted them.
“Navi and his idiot friends,” Aditya said.
“These are so stupid!” Navi said. “Look at this one.” He pointed to the triceratops. “What kind of rhino is that?”
It was the turn of the kids to laugh.
“It’s a triceratops,” Aditya rolled his eyes.
“A dinosaur,” Ételle added. “In case you were wondering.”
“Yeah,” Om said trying not to laugh. “You can find them in the north of Mauritius.”
The three of them laughed as Navi and his friends scowled.
“Don’t be mean kids,” Yovi said.
“Whatever,” Navi said. “They all suck.”
With that Navi and his mates walked away.
“What’s his problem?” Yovi said. “His mom is one the people sponsoring this event.”
“He always has a point to make,” Aditya said.
“What do you have planned for tomorrow?” Ételle asked.
“You’ll have to wait and see!” Yovi winked at them.
***
The next day the three friends made their way to the Mount Hope Public Beach, where they found Yovi and a number of people standing around the triceratops. They all seemed upset.
“Look,” Yovi said when she saw them.
The triceratops was missing its two legs. It looked as if someone had kicked it.
“What happened?” Aditya asked.
“We don’t know,” Yovi answered. “I came in this morning and this is what I found.”
“It can’t be the tide,” Om said. “You’re really far from where the water comes in.”
“No,” Yovi said. “We had checked out how far the tide comes in before we started.”
“Do you think it was done on purpose?” Ételle asked.
“No idea,” Yovi said and then sighed. “I’ll have to put all back together again. Whoever or whatever did this also damaged the T-rex.”
She led them to a sand statue of the T-rex.
“You see.” Yovi sat down on the sand and showed them part of the T-rex’s leg which was also damaged. “I spoke to the police, they say they’ll send a patrol by at night. I better get back to work guys. I’m doing a herd of deer. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Aditya asked.
“That’s nice of you dear,” Yovi said. “But I’ll manage.”
The three of them watched Yovi walk away.
“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Aditya asked.
“Navi,” Ételle said.
“But we have no proof guys,” Om added. “We can’t just accuse him. What with his mom being the sponsor and all.”
“Then we need proof,” Aditya said. “We’ll have to keep watch tonight.”
“Yovi said the police will send a patrol around,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, but they won’t keep watch throughout the night.”
“Besides all they have to do is set up a lookout who can warn the others when the cops show up,” Om said.
“Exactly.”
“So we come here tonight then,” Ételle said. “Where do we hide so we can observe the statues?”
The three of them looked around to see if there was a good vantage point.
“There.” Ételle pointed to a building right across from the beach. It had a fire escape on the side. “We just have to climb to the roof and we’ll be able to see the whole beach.”
“Perfect,” both Aditya and Om answered at the same time.
***
“See anything?” Aditya asked as Om leaned over the wall that was on the roof.
“Nope,” Om replied.
“From this vantage point nobody will be able to come onto the beach without us seeing them,” Ételle said.
“And with the moonlight we won’t be able to miss them.”
“I just hope the folks don’t find out we’re not home sleeping,” Aditya said.
“As long as we’re back before sunrise we should be fine.” Om pulled out a water bottle from his back pack.
“Good thing it’s a Friday and no one’s about,” Ételle said. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost midnight,” Aditya said.
“We’ve been here for an hour and nothing yet,” Om said. “I bet they’re coming soon. We should take turns keeping watch.”
“Okay,” Aditya said adjusting his binoculars. “I’ll take first watch.”
His two friends leaned against the small wall that was at the top of the building.
“I wish I had night vision,” Aditya said.
“You can see fine with the moonlight,” Om said.
“Wake us up if you see anything,” Ételle added.
“Sure.” Aditya said and took a sip of water.
Aditya could see Turtle Bay in the moonlight, as well as the waves’ white crests as the open ocean hit the reefs that surrounded the bay. Although, it was far he could even hear the sound of the waves crashing.
It’s so quiet that I’ll be able to hear Navi and his friends even if I don’t see them.
Aditya didn’t see much except for a police van that stopped by the sculptures. An officer stepped out and shone his torch around the sculptures before going back into the van and driving off.
“I see something!” Aditya whispered to his friends.
Om and Ételle woke up.
“What?” They both whispered back.
“Oh, sorry for waking you guys up,” Aditya said. “It’s just a dog.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Om said. “Let me take watch now. You guys sleep.”
Aditya made himself comfortable against the wall. He saw that Ételle was back to sleep. Om was looking through the binoculars.
***
“Aditya, Aditya, wake up.” Ételle’s voice came to him dreamily. Aditya woke up and rubbed his eyes.
“Did you see something?” He whispered.
“No,” Ételle said. “Nothing. The sun is coming up. We need to get home.”
“Okay,” Aditya said feeling disappointed.
“Let’s meet back here at around 9,” Om said. “That’s 4 hours from now.”
They made their way down the stairs where they grabbed their bikes and went home, where they all went to bed.
***
“I can’t believe it!” Aditya said looking at the sculpture of a deer with its hind leg missing. The three of them had come back to the beach at exactly nine.
“I know,” Yovi said. “It happened again!”
“How is that possible?” Om asked.
“We didn’t see anything!” Ételle
“What do you mean?” Yovi asked frowning.
The three friends told them of their vigil.
“That was sweet of you guys,” Yovi said. “But you shouldn’t have done that! You could’ve gotten hurt or something.”
“You’re not going to tell our parents are you?” Aditya asked worried.
“No, but never do that again!”
“Okay,” they answered together.
“Also Navi isn’t here, he’s been with his mom at some hotel in the north since we last saw him.”
“Then who?” Aditya asked. “Unless.” Aditya got on all fours. Looking at the sand. “I got it!” He started to crawl away.
“What are you doing Aditya?” Yovi asked.
“Dude?” Om said.
“I think I know what Aditya’s spotted,” Ételle said and she followed Aditya who walked around the life-size sculptures of the deer herd.
“There’s your culprit!” Aditya pointed to a dog, one of the many strays that hung around Mount Hope.
The dog was trying to bite the leg of a fawn.
“I saw what looked like bite marks on the other deer and then the tracks on the sand,” he explained to his friends.
Yovi shooed the dog away. Who ran off looking back longingly at the fawn.
“Well done, Aditya,” Yovi said. “The problem is how do I keep them away from the sculptures?”
“Maybe you should only do sculptures of vegetables!” Aditya said making them all laugh.
November 3, 2014
The Great War books. Any recommendations?
Hello Good Goodreads people!
Can anyone out there who are military history buffs recommend a good non-fiction book about the Great War (1914-1918)? One that covers all the campaigns?
Thanks!
Can anyone out there who are military history buffs recommend a good non-fiction book about the Great War (1914-1918)? One that covers all the campaigns?
Thanks!
October 30, 2014
Extract from Chapter 7-Smelly Fish: Aditya becomes a Ninja to get some bait…
At the top, Aditya looked around to make sure there was no one was around. Then he slipped down into the fish market’s backyard.
I need to be stealthy like a ninja.
Aditya crept along the wall of the building, staying in the shadows. He peeked around the corner and saw the huge wooden container in which the plastic garbage bins for leftover fish were kept. The smell made it impossible to miss. He did another quick check before sneaking towards the container. He propped the cover open and inside were the bins similar to what he had at home. He opened the one in front of him. The smell was overpowering. Aditya slowly put the lid back in its place and caught his breath.
I’ve got to do this. Bitey needs our help.
Holding his breath, Aditya opened the lid, and plunged in his bucket, filling it with fish bits, guts, blood, and oil. This is great chum. As he finished filling the second one he heard barking. That’s Om! But then he realised that the barking was coming closer. Oh man! It’s a real dog!
Aditya turned around to make his way to the wall and saw that the dog had stopped and was staring at him, growling softly.
“Hey, buddy,” he whispered. But the dog only growled back menacingly, baring its teeth as it walked towards him.
Placing the buckets slowly in front of the dog, he raised his hands. The dog looked at the bucket, sniffed it, and began to eat, ignoring Aditya, who breathed a sigh of relief.
Dogs like fish too!
He reached down to pick up the other bucket, but the dog growled.
“Okay you can have this one too,” he whispered. “Just don’t bite.”
Then he heard Om’s barking signal and a man’s grumpy voice.
“Who’s over there?” the man asked.
Om’s barking was louder than ever. Aditya backed away from the dog to the bins. He grabbed one of the plastic bins and pulled it out of its place. It’s not that heavy. He closed the wooden container and climbed on to it.
He could hear the chum swishing around in the bin as he heaved it onto the wall. Can’t be sick. He scrambled up after it. The light from the guard’s torch was already shining on the wall. Oh man! Security! I’ll have to go over this wall. On the other side was the sea. Aditya dropped the bin over the side praying it would not open and spill. It simply splashed into the water and floated. As he jumped, he saw the guard coming around the corner.
“Silly dog,” the guard said. “Barking at shadows again.”
Aditya was knee deep in water. He pushed the floating bin towards the car park. He saw his friends hiding and watching the entrance of the fish market.
“Hey guys!” he whispered. “Over here!”
Ételle and Om brought all the bikes to where he was.
“We thought you got busted!” Ételle said.
He handed the bin to Om and climbed the little sea wall that protected the car park from flooding and erosion. “Almost! I left the buckets and got a bin full of chum!”
“Let’s take a look,” Ételle said excitedly.
Before he had a chance to stop them, Om had opened the lid. The smell made both of them gag.
“Yeah, it’s really stinky!” he said with a grin.
“Perfect for Bitey,” Ételle said. “She’ll love it!”
“Let’s get it to the Red Devil.” Aditya grabbed his bike.
Aditya and Om held the bin between them as they pedalled to the quay. No one was in sight. They lifted the bin onto the boat, raised the sails and were soon on their way to Bitey.
I need to be stealthy like a ninja.
Aditya crept along the wall of the building, staying in the shadows. He peeked around the corner and saw the huge wooden container in which the plastic garbage bins for leftover fish were kept. The smell made it impossible to miss. He did another quick check before sneaking towards the container. He propped the cover open and inside were the bins similar to what he had at home. He opened the one in front of him. The smell was overpowering. Aditya slowly put the lid back in its place and caught his breath.
I’ve got to do this. Bitey needs our help.
Holding his breath, Aditya opened the lid, and plunged in his bucket, filling it with fish bits, guts, blood, and oil. This is great chum. As he finished filling the second one he heard barking. That’s Om! But then he realised that the barking was coming closer. Oh man! It’s a real dog!
Aditya turned around to make his way to the wall and saw that the dog had stopped and was staring at him, growling softly.
“Hey, buddy,” he whispered. But the dog only growled back menacingly, baring its teeth as it walked towards him.
Placing the buckets slowly in front of the dog, he raised his hands. The dog looked at the bucket, sniffed it, and began to eat, ignoring Aditya, who breathed a sigh of relief.
Dogs like fish too!
He reached down to pick up the other bucket, but the dog growled.
“Okay you can have this one too,” he whispered. “Just don’t bite.”
Then he heard Om’s barking signal and a man’s grumpy voice.
“Who’s over there?” the man asked.
Om’s barking was louder than ever. Aditya backed away from the dog to the bins. He grabbed one of the plastic bins and pulled it out of its place. It’s not that heavy. He closed the wooden container and climbed on to it.
He could hear the chum swishing around in the bin as he heaved it onto the wall. Can’t be sick. He scrambled up after it. The light from the guard’s torch was already shining on the wall. Oh man! Security! I’ll have to go over this wall. On the other side was the sea. Aditya dropped the bin over the side praying it would not open and spill. It simply splashed into the water and floated. As he jumped, he saw the guard coming around the corner.
“Silly dog,” the guard said. “Barking at shadows again.”
Aditya was knee deep in water. He pushed the floating bin towards the car park. He saw his friends hiding and watching the entrance of the fish market.
“Hey guys!” he whispered. “Over here!”
Ételle and Om brought all the bikes to where he was.
“We thought you got busted!” Ételle said.
He handed the bin to Om and climbed the little sea wall that protected the car park from flooding and erosion. “Almost! I left the buckets and got a bin full of chum!”
“Let’s take a look,” Ételle said excitedly.
Before he had a chance to stop them, Om had opened the lid. The smell made both of them gag.
“Yeah, it’s really stinky!” he said with a grin.
“Perfect for Bitey,” Ételle said. “She’ll love it!”
“Let’s get it to the Red Devil.” Aditya grabbed his bike.
Aditya and Om held the bin between them as they pedalled to the quay. No one was in sight. They lifted the bin onto the boat, raised the sails and were soon on their way to Bitey.
October 27, 2014
New book
Hello everyone,
Stay tuned the second Mount Hope Explorers Book is due out anytime now!
In this set of adventures the kids find themselves in Madagascar caught up with foreign mercenaries, Interpol and a series of events that might change Madagascar's landscape drastically!
Stay tuned the second Mount Hope Explorers Book is due out anytime now!
In this set of adventures the kids find themselves in Madagascar caught up with foreign mercenaries, Interpol and a series of events that might change Madagascar's landscape drastically!
October 24, 2014
Ételle in the cook off- Ételle takes part in the Mount Hope Junior Chef Competition
“Okay,” Ételle said. “I think I’m all set.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya said. “Chef Vinnie is about to speak.”
They all watched the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Junior Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and your siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize is a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. Right so we start in five minutes! Get ready!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous. The buzzer went off indicating that time was up. The judges were going by each table.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, made of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie smiled at her, the judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had done their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya said. “Chef Vinnie is about to speak.”
They all watched the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Junior Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and your siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize is a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. Right so we start in five minutes! Get ready!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous. The buzzer went off indicating that time was up. The judges were going by each table.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, made of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie smiled at her, the judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had done their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
April 14, 2014
A Night at the Governor's Lodge
“Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge. Mount Hope’s Only Historical Bed and Breakfast,” Aditya read on the gate. He held it open so his friends Ételle and Om could walk in.
“Wow, they really cleaned up the place,” Om said.
“Remember how it was all overgrown?” Aditya closed the gate behind them.
“Look at the lodge, it’s beautiful,” Ételle said. “They’ve put corrugated iron on the roof and repainted it.”
Just then the door to the lodge opened and Aditya’s Uncle Rajesh walked out.
“Hello, children,” Rajesh said. “Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge.”
“Hi, Uncle Rajesh,” the three kids said. Om and Ételle called him uncle too as they had known him their whole life.
“Come on in.” He beckoned for them to enter. “Your Aunty Kavita is waiting for you all out back.”
They entered the main hall of the lodge.
“It looks really nice,” Aditya said.
“Yeah, you did a great job restoring it.” Om touched the hand rail to the staircase that was next to the door.
“Dr. Gail says it’s seventy years old,” Ételle said.
“It’s seventy-two actually,” Uncle Rajesh said. “The British Governor used it when he’d come visit Mount Hope. For a long time it had no use and when I offered to buy it from the government they were more than happy to sell it to me.”
“Dr. Gail also said that it’s a heritage building.”
“It is. The government also asked that I keep it as original as possible. Which we’ve managed to do with Dr. Gail’s help. Once it’s done it’ll be the only historical bed and breakfast in Mount Hope.”
“Like it says on the sign!” Aditya said.
“That’s right.”
“When will you finish?” Aditya could see that the stairs in the hall next to the entrance and the walls had all been either repainted or varnished.
“Another week or so, we still have renovations to complete upstairs. I’ll show you kids next time.” Rajesh saw their long faces. “Don’t be so disappointed. Come on let’s get some BBQ.”
***
“You kids want something else to eat?” Kavita asked.
“We’re all so full Aunty Kavita.” Aditya patted his belly.
“All right,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Let’s get the fire going.”
“Awesome!” The kids sat down on their camper beds which were installed around the fireplace in the lounge and restaurant.
“The lounge and restaurant is really nice, Uncle Rajesh,” Ételle said.
“Thank you Ételle. But we’re not done yet which is why we’re camping here tonight. I’d show you guys the kitchen but it’s not finished. That’s why it’s locked.” He pointed to the windows. “Those and the door to the garden aren’t done either. They’re all sealed shut.”
“Is this the electronic equipment that we’re all guarding for tonight?” Om lifted a blanket revealing a flat screen TV in its box. He could see there were more boxes.
“That’s right,” Kavita said. “Thanks for helping us keep an eye on things kids. We didn’t want to leave it here overnight. You just never know.”
“This is fun, Aunty,” Ételle said. “Just like camping. With the fireplace it’s even nicer.”
“Uncle Rajesh?” Aditya asked.
“Tell me, son.”
“You think this place is haunted?”
“Yeah, is it?” Om asked.
“Don’t be silly guys,” Ételle said. “But is it, Uncle Rajesh?”
“Well, the other day, I heard noises upstairs and when I went up to look…”
“Stop scaring the children, Rajesh,” Aunty Kavita interrupted him. “He didn’t hear anything. The lodge is not…” She suddenly grabbed her stomach. “Ow!”
Rajesh rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong dear?” He took a hold of her hand.
“My stomach,” she said. “Must have eaten too much.”
She got up but yelled out and sat back down again.
Ételle sat down next to her and started rubbing her back.
“Thank you dear,” Aunty Kavita said.
“I think it might be appendicitis,” Om said.
They all looked at him.
“My brother Dan had the same kind of pains last year and that’s what it was.”
“I think you might be right, Om,” Kavita said.
“Then we should go to the hospital.” Rajesh stood up and held a hand out to help his wife.
“What about the children?”
“Aditya, call your mom to pick you guys up. Just lock up and I’ll pick up the keys later. I have a spare set.”
“Okay, Uncle Rajesh,” Aditya said.
They helped Kavita to the car.
“Call your mom, dear,” she said as she sat down.
“Yes, Aunty,” Aditya said. “You get better.”
Uncle Rajesh started the car.
As the car left it hit Aditya. “Guys, we don’t have a phone.”
Just then there was a crack of lightning followed by thunder and heavy rain.
***
The three of them ran inside and closed the door.
“What do we do now?” Ételle asked.
“We can’t walk home in this rain,” Om said. “It’s too dark and too far away.”
“We might as well stay and keep an eye on things. What do you guys think?”
Aditya led the way back to where their camper beds were.
“You’re right,” Om said. “Uncle Rajesh should be back soon.”
“I hope Aunty Kavita’s okay.” Ételle unrolled her sleeping bag.
“I hope so too.” Aditya got ready for bed.
“Goodnight guys,” Om said and turned off the hurricane lamp.
“Goodnight,” Aditya and Ételle said.
Soon they were all asleep.
***
Aditya woke up with a start. The rain had turned into a drizzle. His friends were sleeping soundly. The whole place was eerily quiet. He lay back down, but woke up again.
Were those footsteps?
He listened carefully.
Footsteps! Upstairs!
“Who’s walking upstairs?” Om whispered making Aditya jump. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I have no idea!”
“Ételle wake up.” Om shook Ételle’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ételle rubbed her eyes. “Are they back?”
“No. Shhh.”
The pitter-patter was right above their heads.
“Someone’s upstairs!” Aditya whispered.
There was a loud thump, followed by dragging.
Aditya turned on the hurricane lamp which illuminated the room.
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” he said.
The three of them walked quietly out of the restaurant into the main hall to the stairs. The light from the lamp cast eerie shadows all around them.
A groan from the second floor broke the silence, it slowly turned into a screech. The three of them stopped at the foot of the stairs.
“Whoever’s up there we called the police and they’re going to be here soon!” Om yelled.
“Good one, Om.” Aditya silently high-fived him.
“I can still hear them walking,” Ételle said.
“Let’s go see what’s going on.” Om grabbed a broom that was leaning next to the staircase.
“Yeah,” Aditya said. “Come on.”
“Wait!” Ételle picked up an old carpet duster. “Okay let’s go.”
They bunched together as they made their way up the stairs.
The sounds of screeching and groans continued.
Oh man, he thought as lifted the lamp. At least they’ve stopped walking. Whoever or whatever they are.
“That noise, that screeching, it’s coming from down the hall,” he whispered. “I think it’s the room above where we’re sleeping.”
They were soon in the corridor and the door to the last room that faced them, was open.
“I think the voices are coming from that room.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” Om said.
“Come ‘on let’s go see who’s there.” Ételle raised the carpet duster.
“Wait!” Aditya stared at his friends.
“What?” Ételle whispered.
“What if it’s something that’s not, you know…” His friends’ eyes were wide open. “Earthly.”
“Like a ghost?” Ételle asked.
“Don’t say that.” Om grabbed his broom tighter. “It’s a person and he’s going to wish that he didn’t break into the lodge.”
“Could be a she.”
“Only one way to find out.” Aditya led them down the hall.
All the other rooms were closed.
“That’s the only room that’s open,” he whispered.
They were soon in the doorway. When the hurricane lamp flickered and died.
“Man! I can’t see anything.”
At the same moment, the window flew open. A crack of lightning lit up the room.
A white figure stared at them from the middle of the room.
This isn’t happening!
There was another burst of lightning. Another window flew open with wind and rain coming in. The figure emitted a loud blood curdling screech and started moving towards them.
They all screamed, dropped whatever was in their hands, and ran.
Aditya looked back.
“It’s coming!” he yelled.
They ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. They turned around and in the half-light there was the figure at the top of the stairs.
There was another crack of lightning, followed by another blood curdling screech. The figure moved down the stairs.
They screamed again.
“The restaurant!” Aditya yelled.
They ran to the restaurant and closed the door behind them. A huge crash came from behind the door but they did not open it to investigate.
“We should barricade the door,” Aditya said.
“Can’t ghosts go through walls?” Om asked as he helped push a sofa to block the door.
“We don’t know what it was.” Ételle turned on the other hurricane lamp. “What do we do now?”
“We can’t go anywhere, the door to the garden and the kitchen is locked.” Om tried to open a window with no luck. “The windows are sealed shut remember?”
“We’re stuck here,” Aditya said.
The three of them sat down on one of the camper beds.
Aditya looked at the door.
Man! A ghost and I thought Uncle Rajesh was joking…
He got up, climbed on the sofa and put his ear to the door.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said. “But we should stay up. Just in case.”
They tried to stay awake for the remainder of the night. But soon fell asleep with the sound of rain drops on the roof.
***
For the second time, Aditya woke up with a start. He looked around. Om was in his camper bed and Ételle sleeping on a sofa.
The sun’s up. What woke me up?
He heard knocking on the restaurant door.
“You kids in there? Open up!” Uncle Rajesh yelled.
“We’re here, Uncle!” he yelled back, waking up Om and Ételle. “Give me a hand to move this.”
Om got up and rushed to help him push the sofa away. They opened the doors to let Uncle Rajesh in.
“Why did you block the door?” he asked. “You kids okay?”
Aditya and his friends went over what happened after he had left.
“Ghost?” Uncle Rajesh laughed. “So that’s what happened? Come on I’ll show you your ghost.”
He led them to the hallway and at the bottom of the stairs was a mannequin with a white sheet lying next to it.
“That’s the ghost!” Aditya pointed and yelled.
“It’s a mannequin. Like the one tailors use.” Uncle Rajesh picked it up. It had a head and torso and was on wheels.
“But it made noises,” Om said. “Blood curdling noises.”
“And it came after us,” Ételle added.
Uncle Rajesh covered the mannequin with the sheet and rolled it around. It made a blood curdling screeching noise as Uncle Rajesh rolled it faster.
“That’s your ghost! See it gets louder as it rolls faster. It is pretty creepy though.” He stopped rolling it. “The window in that room needs to be fixed, so the storm must have blown it open and the wind pushed the mannequin around.”
“What about the footsteps and the dragging?” Aditya asked.
“It’s the cats,” Uncle Rajesh said. “They’re always playing with the floor mats and covering. I don’t have the heart to put them into the animal shelter.”
“So no ghosts?” Aditya asked.
“No,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Now come ‘on. Let me get you kids to the hospital. Your Aunty had her appendicitis removed last night which is why I didn’t return earlier. But all she keeps asking about is if you kids are okay.”
They followed him out. As he closed the door, Aditya peeked upstairs and saw a cat looking down at him.
“Wow, they really cleaned up the place,” Om said.
“Remember how it was all overgrown?” Aditya closed the gate behind them.
“Look at the lodge, it’s beautiful,” Ételle said. “They’ve put corrugated iron on the roof and repainted it.”
Just then the door to the lodge opened and Aditya’s Uncle Rajesh walked out.
“Hello, children,” Rajesh said. “Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge.”
“Hi, Uncle Rajesh,” the three kids said. Om and Ételle called him uncle too as they had known him their whole life.
“Come on in.” He beckoned for them to enter. “Your Aunty Kavita is waiting for you all out back.”
They entered the main hall of the lodge.
“It looks really nice,” Aditya said.
“Yeah, you did a great job restoring it.” Om touched the hand rail to the staircase that was next to the door.
“Dr. Gail says it’s seventy years old,” Ételle said.
“It’s seventy-two actually,” Uncle Rajesh said. “The British Governor used it when he’d come visit Mount Hope. For a long time it had no use and when I offered to buy it from the government they were more than happy to sell it to me.”
“Dr. Gail also said that it’s a heritage building.”
“It is. The government also asked that I keep it as original as possible. Which we’ve managed to do with Dr. Gail’s help. Once it’s done it’ll be the only historical bed and breakfast in Mount Hope.”
“Like it says on the sign!” Aditya said.
“That’s right.”
“When will you finish?” Aditya could see that the stairs in the hall next to the entrance and the walls had all been either repainted or varnished.
“Another week or so, we still have renovations to complete upstairs. I’ll show you kids next time.” Rajesh saw their long faces. “Don’t be so disappointed. Come on let’s get some BBQ.”
***
“You kids want something else to eat?” Kavita asked.
“We’re all so full Aunty Kavita.” Aditya patted his belly.
“All right,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Let’s get the fire going.”
“Awesome!” The kids sat down on their camper beds which were installed around the fireplace in the lounge and restaurant.
“The lounge and restaurant is really nice, Uncle Rajesh,” Ételle said.
“Thank you Ételle. But we’re not done yet which is why we’re camping here tonight. I’d show you guys the kitchen but it’s not finished. That’s why it’s locked.” He pointed to the windows. “Those and the door to the garden aren’t done either. They’re all sealed shut.”
“Is this the electronic equipment that we’re all guarding for tonight?” Om lifted a blanket revealing a flat screen TV in its box. He could see there were more boxes.
“That’s right,” Kavita said. “Thanks for helping us keep an eye on things kids. We didn’t want to leave it here overnight. You just never know.”
“This is fun, Aunty,” Ételle said. “Just like camping. With the fireplace it’s even nicer.”
“Uncle Rajesh?” Aditya asked.
“Tell me, son.”
“You think this place is haunted?”
“Yeah, is it?” Om asked.
“Don’t be silly guys,” Ételle said. “But is it, Uncle Rajesh?”
“Well, the other day, I heard noises upstairs and when I went up to look…”
“Stop scaring the children, Rajesh,” Aunty Kavita interrupted him. “He didn’t hear anything. The lodge is not…” She suddenly grabbed her stomach. “Ow!”
Rajesh rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong dear?” He took a hold of her hand.
“My stomach,” she said. “Must have eaten too much.”
She got up but yelled out and sat back down again.
Ételle sat down next to her and started rubbing her back.
“Thank you dear,” Aunty Kavita said.
“I think it might be appendicitis,” Om said.
They all looked at him.
“My brother Dan had the same kind of pains last year and that’s what it was.”
“I think you might be right, Om,” Kavita said.
“Then we should go to the hospital.” Rajesh stood up and held a hand out to help his wife.
“What about the children?”
“Aditya, call your mom to pick you guys up. Just lock up and I’ll pick up the keys later. I have a spare set.”
“Okay, Uncle Rajesh,” Aditya said.
They helped Kavita to the car.
“Call your mom, dear,” she said as she sat down.
“Yes, Aunty,” Aditya said. “You get better.”
Uncle Rajesh started the car.
As the car left it hit Aditya. “Guys, we don’t have a phone.”
Just then there was a crack of lightning followed by thunder and heavy rain.
***
The three of them ran inside and closed the door.
“What do we do now?” Ételle asked.
“We can’t walk home in this rain,” Om said. “It’s too dark and too far away.”
“We might as well stay and keep an eye on things. What do you guys think?”
Aditya led the way back to where their camper beds were.
“You’re right,” Om said. “Uncle Rajesh should be back soon.”
“I hope Aunty Kavita’s okay.” Ételle unrolled her sleeping bag.
“I hope so too.” Aditya got ready for bed.
“Goodnight guys,” Om said and turned off the hurricane lamp.
“Goodnight,” Aditya and Ételle said.
Soon they were all asleep.
***
Aditya woke up with a start. The rain had turned into a drizzle. His friends were sleeping soundly. The whole place was eerily quiet. He lay back down, but woke up again.
Were those footsteps?
He listened carefully.
Footsteps! Upstairs!
“Who’s walking upstairs?” Om whispered making Aditya jump. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I have no idea!”
“Ételle wake up.” Om shook Ételle’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ételle rubbed her eyes. “Are they back?”
“No. Shhh.”
The pitter-patter was right above their heads.
“Someone’s upstairs!” Aditya whispered.
There was a loud thump, followed by dragging.
Aditya turned on the hurricane lamp which illuminated the room.
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” he said.
The three of them walked quietly out of the restaurant into the main hall to the stairs. The light from the lamp cast eerie shadows all around them.
A groan from the second floor broke the silence, it slowly turned into a screech. The three of them stopped at the foot of the stairs.
“Whoever’s up there we called the police and they’re going to be here soon!” Om yelled.
“Good one, Om.” Aditya silently high-fived him.
“I can still hear them walking,” Ételle said.
“Let’s go see what’s going on.” Om grabbed a broom that was leaning next to the staircase.
“Yeah,” Aditya said. “Come on.”
“Wait!” Ételle picked up an old carpet duster. “Okay let’s go.”
They bunched together as they made their way up the stairs.
The sounds of screeching and groans continued.
Oh man, he thought as lifted the lamp. At least they’ve stopped walking. Whoever or whatever they are.
“That noise, that screeching, it’s coming from down the hall,” he whispered. “I think it’s the room above where we’re sleeping.”
They were soon in the corridor and the door to the last room that faced them, was open.
“I think the voices are coming from that room.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” Om said.
“Come ‘on let’s go see who’s there.” Ételle raised the carpet duster.
“Wait!” Aditya stared at his friends.
“What?” Ételle whispered.
“What if it’s something that’s not, you know…” His friends’ eyes were wide open. “Earthly.”
“Like a ghost?” Ételle asked.
“Don’t say that.” Om grabbed his broom tighter. “It’s a person and he’s going to wish that he didn’t break into the lodge.”
“Could be a she.”
“Only one way to find out.” Aditya led them down the hall.
All the other rooms were closed.
“That’s the only room that’s open,” he whispered.
They were soon in the doorway. When the hurricane lamp flickered and died.
“Man! I can’t see anything.”
At the same moment, the window flew open. A crack of lightning lit up the room.
A white figure stared at them from the middle of the room.
This isn’t happening!
There was another burst of lightning. Another window flew open with wind and rain coming in. The figure emitted a loud blood curdling screech and started moving towards them.
They all screamed, dropped whatever was in their hands, and ran.
Aditya looked back.
“It’s coming!” he yelled.
They ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. They turned around and in the half-light there was the figure at the top of the stairs.
There was another crack of lightning, followed by another blood curdling screech. The figure moved down the stairs.
They screamed again.
“The restaurant!” Aditya yelled.
They ran to the restaurant and closed the door behind them. A huge crash came from behind the door but they did not open it to investigate.
“We should barricade the door,” Aditya said.
“Can’t ghosts go through walls?” Om asked as he helped push a sofa to block the door.
“We don’t know what it was.” Ételle turned on the other hurricane lamp. “What do we do now?”
“We can’t go anywhere, the door to the garden and the kitchen is locked.” Om tried to open a window with no luck. “The windows are sealed shut remember?”
“We’re stuck here,” Aditya said.
The three of them sat down on one of the camper beds.
Aditya looked at the door.
Man! A ghost and I thought Uncle Rajesh was joking…
He got up, climbed on the sofa and put his ear to the door.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said. “But we should stay up. Just in case.”
They tried to stay awake for the remainder of the night. But soon fell asleep with the sound of rain drops on the roof.
***
For the second time, Aditya woke up with a start. He looked around. Om was in his camper bed and Ételle sleeping on a sofa.
The sun’s up. What woke me up?
He heard knocking on the restaurant door.
“You kids in there? Open up!” Uncle Rajesh yelled.
“We’re here, Uncle!” he yelled back, waking up Om and Ételle. “Give me a hand to move this.”
Om got up and rushed to help him push the sofa away. They opened the doors to let Uncle Rajesh in.
“Why did you block the door?” he asked. “You kids okay?”
Aditya and his friends went over what happened after he had left.
“Ghost?” Uncle Rajesh laughed. “So that’s what happened? Come on I’ll show you your ghost.”
He led them to the hallway and at the bottom of the stairs was a mannequin with a white sheet lying next to it.
“That’s the ghost!” Aditya pointed and yelled.
“It’s a mannequin. Like the one tailors use.” Uncle Rajesh picked it up. It had a head and torso and was on wheels.
“But it made noises,” Om said. “Blood curdling noises.”
“And it came after us,” Ételle added.
Uncle Rajesh covered the mannequin with the sheet and rolled it around. It made a blood curdling screeching noise as Uncle Rajesh rolled it faster.
“That’s your ghost! See it gets louder as it rolls faster. It is pretty creepy though.” He stopped rolling it. “The window in that room needs to be fixed, so the storm must have blown it open and the wind pushed the mannequin around.”
“What about the footsteps and the dragging?” Aditya asked.
“It’s the cats,” Uncle Rajesh said. “They’re always playing with the floor mats and covering. I don’t have the heart to put them into the animal shelter.”
“So no ghosts?” Aditya asked.
“No,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Now come ‘on. Let me get you kids to the hospital. Your Aunty had her appendicitis removed last night which is why I didn’t return earlier. But all she keeps asking about is if you kids are okay.”
They followed him out. As he closed the door, Aditya peeked upstairs and saw a cat looking down at him.
February 14, 2014
Bats?
So you're mom has asked you to go pick up some fruits from your uncle's place. Couldn't be easier.
But then it so happened that there a bunch of angry fruit bats that are hanging about! What to do?
http://www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com...
But then it so happened that there a bunch of angry fruit bats that are hanging about! What to do?
http://www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com...
February 3, 2014
New website
Hello Goodreads,
How is everyone doing? Okay I haven't posted in a while.
But I have launched my website: www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com
On the site you will find short stories from Mount Hope. Whether its weird happenings or handling bullies (yeap you have bullies in Mauritius too!).
Take a look and send me your feedback Goodreads. It is safe to read at work guys.
How is everyone doing? Okay I haven't posted in a while.
But I have launched my website: www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com
On the site you will find short stories from Mount Hope. Whether its weird happenings or handling bullies (yeap you have bullies in Mauritius too!).
Take a look and send me your feedback Goodreads. It is safe to read at work guys.
January 2, 2014
Hello Goodreads!
Hello Goodreads people! First of all Happy New Year 2014, I wish you all nothing but the best for the coming year.
My year has started as a very wet one as there is a tropical cyclone in my neighbourhood of the South-West Indian Ocean. A cyclone by the name of Bejisa which is about 300 km from here, it is a pretty big one and according to the meteorological services it’s going to come close to Reunion Island which is about a 45 minute flight from Mauritius. I hope they get through this. As for Mauritius, the powers that be have issued a Class 2 cyclone warning. There are four cyclone warnings, when a Class 4 has been issued you batten down the hatches.
The cyclone has put a damper on all our New Year celebrations, well for most people in Mauritius anyways. As it is a time when you get invited or host lots of dinners and lunches. As per tradition for New Year you go visit family to say ‘bonjour’ and to wish them all a great year, eat and drink your fill. Sometimes, a cousin will come over to say hello and later that day you will be going to their place. Invariably you put on weight during this time! I wouldn’t be surprised that people have gone out today regardless of the rain and cyclone warning.
I am sure there are plenty of school kids who wish that the Class 2 warning was issued when school starts. I remember when I was a kid I looked forward to a class 2 cyclone warning because that means no school. I used to be excited until I found out there were some kids who were not excited at all about cyclones because they lived in homes made from wood and corrugated iron. Strong cyclone gusts could bring down their home like a house of cards which means they end up in a refugee centre. After I found out that’s what could happen to some of my classmates I preferred no cyclones to a cyclone and no school.
My year has started as a very wet one as there is a tropical cyclone in my neighbourhood of the South-West Indian Ocean. A cyclone by the name of Bejisa which is about 300 km from here, it is a pretty big one and according to the meteorological services it’s going to come close to Reunion Island which is about a 45 minute flight from Mauritius. I hope they get through this. As for Mauritius, the powers that be have issued a Class 2 cyclone warning. There are four cyclone warnings, when a Class 4 has been issued you batten down the hatches.
The cyclone has put a damper on all our New Year celebrations, well for most people in Mauritius anyways. As it is a time when you get invited or host lots of dinners and lunches. As per tradition for New Year you go visit family to say ‘bonjour’ and to wish them all a great year, eat and drink your fill. Sometimes, a cousin will come over to say hello and later that day you will be going to their place. Invariably you put on weight during this time! I wouldn’t be surprised that people have gone out today regardless of the rain and cyclone warning.
I am sure there are plenty of school kids who wish that the Class 2 warning was issued when school starts. I remember when I was a kid I looked forward to a class 2 cyclone warning because that means no school. I used to be excited until I found out there were some kids who were not excited at all about cyclones because they lived in homes made from wood and corrugated iron. Strong cyclone gusts could bring down their home like a house of cards which means they end up in a refugee centre. After I found out that’s what could happen to some of my classmates I preferred no cyclones to a cyclone and no school.
