Spies in the Attic!

The summer vacation had started, and at our ancestral home, near Kochi, my daughter Gauri and her cousin Anay had begun celebrating their holidays. Occasionally, other kids would also come for brief stays which added to the fiesta and often ended up in complete mayhem.

The current generation has completely turned indoors in their activity choices. The kids did not prefer to go outdoors to play. They were unaware of the various summertime outdoor excitements that nature had to offer. Sadly, they missed out on the joys of waiting for windy and rainy evenings to pick up ripe country mangoes, or the pleasures of climbing a jamun or a guava tree.

However, the other day, I saw them playing badminton for a while, which relieved me. But, soon they were again on the computer, taking turns and playing digital games. I tried to keep a watchful eye on them, ensuring their choice of games was regulated and age-appropriate. My mother, their granny (Ammoomma), was always happy that the kids stayed indoors. Age has mellowed her outgoing streak, thus making her overprotective towards the children.

On a Sunday, while I was trying to slip into aan afternoon nap.  I noticed the duo getting into hushed discussions, calling each other by code names. I just let it go and in the evening, as I was mashing up the robustas for a homemade jam, I asked Gauri what this “cluckpro7” and “dabber” was all about.

 “Hey Acha, be quiet! We are spies now, and the entire house is under our surveillance. These are our undercover names. Please don’t spill the beans to anyone,” whispered Gauri, as she scampered away, with excitement flickering in her eyes. “We feel something spooky is happening in the attic, and we are going to find out the source of those weird noises we hear during the night,” she added.

“Okay, but both of you have to be careful with the wooden stairs, and watch out for spiders up there,” I cautioned.

 “Hey Uncle, don’t you worry about all that stuff. I can take care of spiders or other creatures,” Anay announced.

With a little hesitation, I agreed to their plan as I didn’t want to spoil their fun, but the spies rejected my plea to share the launch plan of their attic mission. They explained that these were top secrets and that the spies operated discreetly.  Anay gave me a brief lecture on RAW and its operatives.

“Ah, true, very true, ” I nodded, in complete agreement.

A few days passed, and the spies were on a roll and began roaming around the house, pulling pranks on others. I became busy with my chores, and eventually, the attic inspection plan slowly got erased from my thoughts. Then, on a Sunday evening, during an after-dinner walk,  I was startled to hear a loud cry followed by the clattering of vessels, the breaking of mud jars,  fierce snarls, and loud thudding noises. I sprang from my bed and sprinted towards the attic, grabbing the long torch. I could hear cries behind me from the aunts, uncles, and Gauri’s grandmother who had come out of their rooms.

 I rushed up the steps and found the two spies lying on the floor among scattered old vessels and broken mud jars.  They lay frightened and in shock. Moreover, I saw two horrified palm civets jostling against each other to get out through the tiny ventilator at the end of the room. Without wasting any time, I pulled up both the spies and took them down into the midst of a small group of worried onlookers. The spies couldn’t handle the interrogation for long, and they made their confession.

 “The expedition to the attic during the night had Accha’s approval and we had also discussed it with him,” Gauri said.

The spies, with their misfired mission, had ultimately landed me in real trouble. It took a while for me to give a proper explanation at the court-martial by the family and make my way to my room to sleep.

I have tried to narrate a hilarious incident from the children’s  recent summer vacation which came to an end in May. Times have changed and it is nothing like it was a few decades ago, but when it comes to children and their adventurous spirits, things  don’t seem to have changed much!