Howdy, Sparky here.
Sometimes the world
needs a hero or a two,
vanquishing a virus
or attempting a rescue.
Lend your support,
show you care too.
As they perform their
acts of derring-do.
Ever since the meeting called by Mrs. Ulukah last week we
had all been scouting for things that float on water so we entered this week
with thoughts of getting our ‘stranger from across’ Mr. Peacock safely back to
his home, across the river.
Half way through the week it had become second nature to
us to look around constantly for anything float-worthy and to assess if it
would take Mr. Peacock’s weight. While every one of us was thus occupied, Mr.
Peacock would just walk around the island aimlessly, sending out a stray call
every now and then. His aimless wanderings increased in frequency as he kept
walking in a near-perfect circle around the island as the weather changed under
the influence of cyclone Tauktae passing along our western coastline some 200
odd KM away.
This was when the Otters even debated if they would be able
to carry the peacock across the river. They brainstormed and had the blueprint
ready of how to execute the plan. Mr. Peacock was to stand on Udra who was the
heavier of the 2 otters and Samudra was to take the weight of the peacock’s
tail on his body.
As they got ready for a test-run, I could see Udra checking
the claws of Mr. Peacock. Anybody else would have backed away from having those
claws on their back, but Udra turned to be a real brave-heart, he still didn’t back
off.
Initially Mr. Peacock was gung-ho about the idea, then
when they did a ‘dry run’ on land, Mr. Peacock could hardly balance on the
smooth coat of the ‘Smooth-coated Otter’. Someone in the audience gathered
around suggested that the peacock sit down to achieve better balance.
So that was tried with far better result. Next obvious step
was to do a ‘wet-run’ in the water. They tried this by the water so the otters
could glide into the water without upsetting the peacock’s balance.
The Otters had just taken a couple of short strokes when
Mr. Peacock was unsettled by the wide river that lay in front of him. Scared
out of his wits he jumped into the water and scrambled past the 2 otters
dragging his wet and heavy tail behind him. Then he spread his tail and shook
the water off his feathers promptly drenching us all. So, that was the end of
that plan.
Now, returning back to the cyclone, this tropical cyclone
rose in the Arabian Sea travelled over 2500 KMs leaving behind a trail of death
and loss of property – both in the human and animal world as it made progress
at wind speed of over 200 KM/hour. Such is the power of natural elements. When
it starts spiraling, it spirals even out of its own control.
Cool water temperatures and dry air over the Arabian Sea
are usually not conducive to whipping up cyclones and even if a cyclone does
develop there it’s usually short lived and weak but in the past few decades the
intensity of storms in the Arabian Sea has been increasing. Global warming
which has led to increase in ocean temperature has made Arabian Sea a fertile
ground for brewing storms. Such is the power of human-meddling. It has now
started spiraling and the most clueless-ones are humans themselves.
The cyclone induced weather-change which sent our Mr.
Peacock into his dejected mood eventually was to be the means of his escape.
Two days after the cyclone had moved well away from our
nearest coastal point, Udra came back ecstatic and dancing. He reported that
there was a lot of floating sticks and vegetation close to bank of the river in
a shallow and stagnant part of the river, a little way off of our island. The
level of the river as well as the intensity of the flow of water had increased
with the heavy rains upstream of the river caused by the cyclone. With the
rains subsiding as the cyclone moved away the level of water in the river also
ebbed leaving a lot of floating vegetation deposited in that shallow part.
Udra and Samudra made their way back to that shallow part
of the river and came back dragging the floating vegetation as if it were a trophy.
All of us gathered on the bank of the river around the Otters. The green-brown
mass of sticks, logs and vegetation looked like a stage that the Otters would
climb over and give a performance on.
Mr. Peacock became animated as he saw the means to his
escape from the island. He started hooting loudly which soon gathered all his
friends and family across the river who soon set up an orchestra as a backdrop
to the escapade. As Mr. Peacock was about to jump onto his ‘floaty’, Mr.
Goldback held out his hand and stopped him.
‘Wait, Mr. Peacock, we need to first check if this will
hold up your weight.’
The Otters were heavier than the peacock and didn’t want
to risk testing the vegetation in fear of it breaking up even before the plan
was set in motion. The Otters looked around as if to check if someone as the
same weight as Mr. Peacock would volunteer for the testing. None of the mammals
volunteered, not even the monkeys who could swim. Mr. Goldback, the fearless
leader was obviously too heavy for the task.
Then someone, probably thinking aloud said, ‘If the Pelicans
were still here, they would do very well, they are not even afraid of water.’
Gumphu monkey said, ‘Yes, they take to water like fish.’
Civvy monkey, not understanding the simile replied, ‘Actually,
they take to water for fish.’
Civvy’s mother brought the conversation back on track
saying, ‘The pelicans might not be here but the Woolly-necks are.’
As it was said everyone turned to look at Mr. & Mrs.
Woolly-necks in the gathering.
Mrs. Woolly-neck said, ‘Neither of us are as heavy as Mr.
Peacock.’
Mr. Goldback, running out of patience with the pace at
which things were proceeding said, ‘Two of you together weigh almost as much as
Mr. Peacock. If you don’t mind, could you please hop on to the raft.’
If someone else had said it, it would have been an idea
or at best a request but when Mr. Goldback says it, whether one likes it or
not, irrespective of the consequences attached to it, it is to be taken as an
order.
So, Mr. & Mrs. Woolly-necks hopped on to the
vegetation, one at each end. The vegetation wobbled angrily. I wondered how
much more ‘angry’ the vegetation would be when the obviously heavier and
clumsier Mr. Peacock would step onto it.
The Otters one on either side of the ‘floaty’ began to
tug at it, moving it away from the river bank. Though the vegetation wobbled,
the storks stood their ground. Or in this case, they stood their ‘floaty’.
Again, I wondered if Mr. Peacock would stay calm as the vegetation wobbled its
way to the middle of the river. After all, the storks are a lot more
comfortable around water than peacocks.
Udra and Samudra exchanged a look and expertly spun
around in the water to face us again. They then brought the ‘floaty’ back to
the banks of Banyan Island.
The storks gently alighted the ‘floaty’ with a look of
relief on their faces.
Mr. Peacock began to get very excited and started
bouncing on his legs letting out shrill piercing calls which were promptly and
as excitedly answered from the opposite bank.
Most of us were aghast that he was in this mood while
embarking on his adventure. Mr. Goldback spoke in his most authoritative voice
and said, ‘Mr. Peacock, it was a pleasure having you here but I hope you reach
your friends and family safe and sound. Give my regards to your folks and do
say hello to us once in a while from across the river. Good bye and Good luck.’
The sarcasm was lost on Mr. Peacock but the authoritative
voice did calm Mr. Peacock down. Sensing the magnitude of what was about to
take place, the peacocks on the other bank quietened down too. Taking advantage
of the momentary lull in their excitement, Samudra said, ‘Mr. Peacock, step on
as softly as possible. As you walk on the vegetation to make room for your
train of feathers do be as gentle as possible and once in position it will best
for the balance of the vegetation if you sit down. At any point in time if the
raft were to give away, stay calm we will be there for you.’
Whatever that ‘we will be there for you’ was supposed to
mean. I was glad it wasn’t me setting off on that adventure.
To give credit to Mr. Peacock, once having calmed down he
got into the solemn mood that the occasion demanded.
He walked to the edge of the island, smartly turned
around and addressed us, ‘I don’t have to wait to get to my home across the
river to thank you all. You all have been most kind and generous to me, a
complete stranger and yet as I leave I like you all to know that I leave a bit
of my heart behind. Thank you, kind folks, See you all from the other
side.’
Saying that, he gently stepped onto the ‘floaty’, taking
even the ‘floaty’ by surprise because even before the ‘floaty’ started
wobbling, the peacock had turned on the spot as smartly as he had done on land
and sat down.
A collective gasp rose from us. None of us could believe
our Mr. Peacock to be capable of such finesse.
Udra and Samudra started swimming without losing a moment
and in no time at all were closer to the other bank than us. That’s when the
peacocks on the other bank who till then had stood quietly started hooting
loudly – probably a call of victory. That upset things. 1. It was too early to
start celebrating. 2. It got Mr. Peacock excited.
The excited Mr. Peacock stood up. I am not sure exactly what
was his plan, that is if he had one. Anyway, the moment he stood up, the
‘floaty’ started wobbling dangerously. If he had sat down that moment it would all
have still been alright but he started answering the calls with loud shrikes.
The neck movement this involved was too much for the ‘floaty’. It disintegrated
leaving no solid object for the peacock to be standing on.
In all this the two creatures who didn’t lose a moment’s
attention were the Otters. Not just that, they worked in tandem as one
creature. As the peacock’s stomach touched the water, Udra caught the bird in
one arm and Samudra took the weight of the train of feathers on his body.
The events were unwinding at such a fast pace that before
we had chosen the appropriate sound to utter, in two powerful strokes Udra lead
the way and the three of them were on the other bank.
What an adventure it was, one we will be talking of for a
very long time to come. In fact, now every time our Mr. Peacock calls from the other
bank we think of the adventure and smile. His calls don’t gnaw at our ears and heart
anymore. The distance between us now makes it almost sound like music to our ears.
See you all next week. In the meanwhile, if
you would like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com
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