Winter holidays had begun and Dhruv and Keya were with their grandparents. For a couple of months all they had to do was enjoy themselves. Mishti, their grandparents black lab, loved having them around and tagged along wherever they went. They spend their days reading, eating, swimming in the sea and playing with their friends.
And then, a week after they had been there, Moti uncle, their mother’s brother, came over. Moti uncle was neither fat nor thin, tall nor short. He had about him an air of mystery. No one knew where he worked, or what he did or where he stayed! He would simply land up unannounced at one of his siblings’ houses or his parents’, stay for an indefinite time and then disappear once again. He dabbled in science, astrology, history and more. Dhruv and Keya loved having him around, and often were a part of his many ‘experiments’.
A new adventure
One morning, as they were setting out with Mishti for a run on the beach, Moti uncle rushed out of his room with a cup in his hand.
“Quick, drink this!” he said.
“What is it?” asked Dhruv.
“I can’t drink from the same cup as Dhruv...” said Keya.
Moti uncle looked down and said, “Oh! Mishti is also coming with you all? Then give him some also...”
“Moti uncle!” whined Keya. “You know we can’t all share the same cup...and moreover, we can’t drink something before our run!”
“Oh! Ho! What a fuss you make! Come, I will pour it into different glasses and Mishti’s share I will put into her bowl!”
They trooped into the kitchen and Moti uncle poured the drink into two cups and into Mishti’s bowl. As they drank it up, their mother entered.
“What are you drinking?” she asked suspiciously.
“Energy drink...” said Moti uncle, quickly. A bit too quickly, in fact.
Dhruv and Keya were in a hurry and they had no time to think about this. They ran off to the beach. The sun was just rising, dispelling the faint mist that hung over the sea. A chill wind blew and they shivered.
“Come on, let’s run,” said Keya. “It will warm us up.”
They jogged along the shoreline with Mishti close at their heels. The sea seemed calm and the waves lapped against the sand in an even rhythm. All of a sudden, a large wave came up and engulfed them. Before they knew it, the three of them were being swept off into the sea. Panic gripped them as they tried to fight the strong currents. There seemed to be nothing they could do to save themselves. The wave carried them off at great speed.
Middle of nowhere
Just as suddenly, it was calm and they found themselves bobbing in the ocean. They were out in the big blue ocean with miles and miles of sea around them.
“We are going to die,” said Dhruv.
“No, we won’t!” said Keya, ever positive.
“And, how do you propose we save ourselves?”
“Hmmm....” said Keya, thoughtfully.
Mishti began to yelp and whine.
“Yes, Mishti we are swimming in the middle of the sea! We need to be rescued!” said Keya.
But, Mishti was not consoled. She continued to yelp and whine, even trying to jump out of the sea. They looked at her puzzled, and then following her gaze into the horizon they spotted the hull of a ship.
“See, I told you!” said Keya, jubilant. “Now we need to attract the attention of the ship and get ourselves rescued.” They waved and shouted, while Mishti barked and howled. Much to their joy, they saw the ship change course and head towards them. Soon, a boat manned by a sailor came by and they were hauled on board. The sailor looked strange. He wore loose pants that ended above his ankles, and were rather the worse for wear. He wore a shirt that was once white, with a frilled collar, a woollen short close-fitting padded jacket, over which was a weather beaten jerkin. On his head was placed a large, shapeless cap. His face was flushed and he didn’t look too happy.
“Thank you for rescuing us,” said Dhruv.
“Never you mind,” snapped the sailor, rudely.
Dhruv and Keya exchanged puzzled glances, while Mishti whimpered and tried to snuggle close to them. Her tail was down between her legs.
“I think Mishti doesn’t like this guy,” whispered Keya.
“Yes. But, we have no choice.”
To be continued
