Neena and Naveen’s parents were going out and the twins were looking forward to a few hours without adult supervision. The 10-year-olds were rarely alone, for Mr. and Mrs. Selvan readily gave up outdoor entertainment rather than leave them unattended.
When the couple could not avoid leaving home, Neena and Naveen were placed in the care of a neighbour named Anita, who stayed with them till their parents returned.
This evening, however, Anita was out of town. Mr. and Mrs. Selvan rang others for help, but no one was available. It seemed as if Neena and Naveen would have to look after themselves. “Why don’t you go without me?” said Mrs. Selvan.
Mr. Selvan looked worried. “It’s an office party, Savitri,” he said. “My boss expects you to be there. Besides, we won’t be too far away.”
All by themselves
“Can’t you trust us not to get into trouble?” exclaimed Neena impatiently. “We’ll lock the front door and you can let yourselves in with your key. Before you’re back, we’ll be fast asleep.”
Left to themselves, the twins exchanged glances. “What shall we do?” asked Neena, which meant, “What shall we do that we cannot do usually?”
“Race you to the forbidden castle!” yelled Naveen, and the twins dashed to their parents’ room, which was out of bounds when Mr. and Mrs. Selvan were out. There was nothing particularly exciting there, but the twins prowled about curiously.
“Look!” exclaimed Neena. “Mummy has forgotten her phone.” She picked it up from the dressing-table to inspect it.
“Give it to me,” said Naveen, snatching it from his sister and fiddling with it. Neena made a grab for the phone but Naveen ran away. As Neena chased her brother around the room, the phone slid from Naveen’s grasp, fell to the floor and skidded under the bed.
Going down on all fours, Neena went under the bed in search of it. “Got it!” she called, and then let out a cry.
“What’s the matter?” said Naveen, as Neena crawled out, phone in hand.
Neena groaned. “I bumped my head on the edge of Mummy’s steel trunk.”
“It’s bleeding,” said Naveen anxiously. “Wait, I’ll fetch some water and cotton.” He rushed downstairs to the medicine cabinet and was back in minutes. As he clumsily dabbed antiseptic on Neena’s forehead, she burst into tears.
“What’s the problem?” said their father’s voice behind them, and the twins spun round joyfully to see their parents. “We got a call from Mummy’s number,” explained Mr. Selvan, and knew that you two must be up to some mischief. We drove back immediately.
“Sorry!” said the twins, hugging their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Selvan knew that the children had learnt their lesson. “Perhaps,” said Mrs. Selvan to her husband, as she gently dressed Neena’s wound. “We can return to the party after tucking them into bed.”
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