A Gift Of Chappals

smiling Rukku Manni threw open the

door. Ravi and Meena rushed out, and

Ravi pulled Mridu into the house. “Wait, let me take

off my slippers,” protested Mridu. She set them out

neatly near a pair of large black ones. Those were

grey, actually, with dust. You could see the clear

mark of every toe on the front part of each slipper.

The marks for the two big toes were long

and scrawny.

Mridu didn’t have much time to wonder about

whose slippers they were, because Ravi dragged

her to the backyard, behind a thick bitter-berry

bush. There, inside a torn football lined with

sacking and filled with sand, lay a very small

kitten, lapping up milk from a coconut half-shell.

“We found him outside the gate this morning.

He was mewing and mewing, poor thing,” said

Meena. “It’s a secret. Amma says Paati will leave

for our Paddu Mama’s house if she knows we

have a cat.”

“People are always telling us to be kind to

animals, but when we are, they scream. ‘Ooh,

don’t bring that dirty creature here!’” said Ravi.

“Do you know how hard it is just to get a little

milk from the kitchen? Paati saw me with a glass

in my hand just now. I told her I’m very hungry, I

want to drink it, but the way she looked at me! I

had to drink most of it to throw her off the scent.

Then she wanted the tumbler back. ‘Paati, Paati,

I’ll wash it myself, why should I put you to

trouble’, I told her. I had to run and pour the

milk into this coconut shell and then run back

and wash the tumbler and put it back before she

got really suspicious. Now we have to think of

some other way to feed Mahendran.”

“Mahendran? This little kitty’s name is

Mahendran?” Mridu was impressed! It was a real

name—not just a cute kitty-cat name.

“Actually his full name is Mahendravarma

Pallava Poonai. M.P. Poonai for short if you like.

He’s a fine breed of cat. Just look at his fur. Like a

lion’s mane! And you know what the emblem of

the ancient Pallava kings was, don’t you?” he

looked expectantly at Mridu.

Mridu giggled.

“Think I’m joking? Well, just wait. I’ll show

you sometime. It’s clear you don’t know a thing

about history. Haven’t been to Mahabalipuram,

have you?” he said mysteriously. “Well, when

our class went to Mahabalipuram, I saw a statue

of his thatha’s thatha’s thatha’s thatha’s

thatha’s... etcetera, etcetera... Fact is, Mahendran

here is descended from that very same

ancient cat. A close relative, scientifically

speaking, of none other than the lion. The Pallava

lion, emblem of the Pallava dynasty!” Ravi

went on, walking around the bitter-berry bush,

waving a twig up and down, his eyes sparkling.

“This cat is a descendant of none other than the

Mahabalipuram Rishi-Cat! And if I may

just remind you, they worshipped cats in

ancient egypt

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***