Sandhya loved visiting her grandmother. Her house was close to the beach and her cousin Santhosh was there too. Without the parents around, there were no rules about when and what to eat, when to sleep and what to do. Holiday homework was shelved till the last week, when their parents returned to take them home again. Grandma was cool that way.
One evening, after a lovely tea of hot samosas and cakes, Santhosh and Sandhya walked down to the beach. The sun was setting and they cooled off in the sea. Soon it was dark, and vendors lit their lanterns as crowds gathered around the stalls.
Santhosh and Sandhya wandered off, away from the crowds to the quieter spots near the boats and sat in the shadow watching the waves. It had a mesmeric effect on them. Suddenly, they heard whispers from the other side of the boat. Startled out of their day dreams, they crept out and sneaked a peak from behind the boat. They found three men dressed in lungis with a large bundle between them.
“Just leave it here. It is dark and no one will see it,” said one man.
“Okay then come on, let’s go get the other bundle,” said the other.
“I am not comfortable leaving this here out in the open. Anyone can stumble upon it!” said the third.
“Hah! you are a cautious one,” sneered the first man, as he walked off. The others had no choice but to follow.
When they left, Sandhya and Santhosh, their curiosity piqued made their way to the bundle. It was a large sack and seemed to be loosely packed. They were surprised to find it heaving and moving around.
“What is this?” asked Sandhya.
Santhosh felt it and quickly removed his hand. “Yuck! its all wet and slimy and moving...”
Smuggled
He thought for a while and said, “You know what...I think its a sack full of star tortoises. I read a story in the paper yesterday about people smuggling them out of here. It is a protected species...”
“We have to act fast. Santhosh, run home and inform Grandma. She will know whom to contact...”
Quick as an arrow, Santhosh shot off. Sandhya sat close to the bundle and watched. She was so engrossed in the bundle that she did not hear anyone approaching. Suddenly, she felt strong arms grab hold of her, and a hot fetid breath on her neck. She opened her mouth to scream and a heavy hand clamped it shut.
“See what I found,” said the man. Another came forward and looked down at Sandhya.
“The boat will come now. We can’t let her go. Tie her up, we will take her with us. Once out at sea we will dispose her off.”
Quickly, they tied her and took her down to the water’s edge. A boat appeared out of nowhere. Sandhya and the two bundles were thrown in. She felt the bundles move all over her. She wanted to scream but the gag prevented any sound. She heard the soft lap of water as the men rowed out into the sea. The darkness of the sea highlighted the star studded sky.
“I have never seen the sky look like this,” she thought, and then quickly berated herself with thinking about the stars when her life was in danger.
After what seemed like ages, the boat stopped. Once again, hands seized her and she was lifted onto a large boat.
“What’s this?” asked a voice from the big boat.
“We found her snooping. Couldn’t leave her there. We can dump her at sea. No one will know,” answered the man who had tied her up.
“An unnecessary complication...” muttered the other man. “Okay, come on be quick. I heard there is a Coast Guard somewhere hereabouts...”
Pirates ahoy!
Sandhya and the two bundles of star tortoises were rudely flung on board and then with a loud roar, the motor came on and the boat was moving into the sea. Tied and gagged, Sandhya rolled all over the hold. She could hear a lot of shouting on the deck...she was tired, scared and very cold. Her clothes were damp and she realised she was hungry too. She wondered if Santhosh had returned.
And then, with no warning, the shouting became louder and more agitated. Suddenly, the sound of gun fire rent the air. Heavy footsteps pounded the deck and the boat swayed precariously, lurching first to the right and then to the left. Then she heard footsteps descend.
“Hah! what do we have here? A girl! My god!” More footsteps sounded and more men descended. Some had guns with them, others had swords. In a flash of brilliance Sandhya realised that they were pirates.
“Move on...move on...we have no time to waste,” came the booming voice. In no time, everything including the two heaving bundles, several suspicious looking sacks and crates and Sandhya were taken out. They were loaded onto the pirate ship and as the last man boarded they set sail.
Sandhya looked out and saw there was just miles and miles of water all around. There was no moon and no land in sight. The ship was sailing fast across the waters. All of a sudden, a hoarse voice shouted from the top. Sandhya found a man high up almost as high as the mast...and he was shouting and gesticulating. As if on cue, the men ran helter skelter.
“The Coast Guards...” muttered the men.
“What a time to come around...”
A voice came up over the waters asking the ship to stop. This time no gun shots were fired. The ship stopped sailing and everything became quiet. The the coast guards came on board. They were not surprised to find Sandhya there.
“You have a smart cousin and a spry grandma...” they said.
