A New Home For A New Friend - Chapter Three - A Slip And A Fall
Nisha makes a strange discovery in the parking lot near her house, after which her life turns upside down and she finds herself in the thick of an adventure
It had only been a few hours since Nisha had gone to sleep, when Sushmita akka, Nisha’s grandmother’s neighbourhood friend, burst into her room in a frenzy to wake her up.
“Nishaa! Nisha betaaaaaa!” She called, seating herself at the edge of Nisha’s mattress to gently shake her leg and wake her up. “Drink some water dear child, you must get dressed and come quickly to the hospital.”
“What happened akka?” Nisha asked, sitting up with her eyes half open as gulped down water from the glass her aunt had hastily handed to her. “Who’s in the hospital?” She took another gulp, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and asked, “Where’s ajji?”
Sushmita akka had been toying with the edges of her saree’s pallu, waiting for the right moment to break her unwelcome news. “It’s ajji who’s in the hospital Nisha,” she said looking away, “it seems she has suffered a grave injury earlier this morning.”
“Ajji? This morning?” Nisha asked, now fully awake and attentive.
She wondered for a moment if her ajji had suffered from a snake bite but then dismissed the idea when she remembered that she had seemed fine when she had seen her enter their home earlier that morning. Unless, Nisha thought, she had gotten bitten after she had reached home, which would mean that there were snakes, one, if not many, hidden somewhere in their house.
Nisha shivered at the thought and made a mental note to search her grandmother’s room the next time she had a moment alone.
“What happened to her?” Nisha asked, turning to Sushmita akka.
“The doctor said she had a concussion beta. Do you know what ‘concussion’ means? It means an injury to the head. She’s breathing but still unconscious. We must go over there quickly before there's any more bad news.”
Nisha nodded resolutely. Then she began gathering a few of her things; some money, a phone charger, house keys and 2 of her ajji’s favourite ladoos, in case, she thought, her ajji was hungry when she woke up. Then as she washed her face, brushed her teeth and vigorously combed her thick, long, wavy, black hair, while doing which, she pestered Sushmita akka for more information.
“How did you find out ajji is in the hospital, akka?” she asked
“Well, they called me! That's how!” exclaimed Sushmita akka, looking indignant and hurt. “I’m her emergency contact now, aren't I? She said with a hint of pride. “In any case, who else would they call? It’s not like your mother would come running from whatever ashram it is that she’s finding herself in these days”
She looked away, ostensibly annoyed. Sometimes her flair for drama would get in the way of what she knew to be important priorities. She never meant any harm, but had nonetheless earned the reputation of being a bit of a drama queen from other women of their neighbourhood, except Nisha’s grandma who had taken an instant liking to her the moment she had married into the area 6 years ago. Despite their age difference, the two could often be seen gossiping and joking on the Ashwath katte 2 blocks away.
“That’s true akka, but how did she even get there?” Nisha asked, ushering her still pouting aunt out of the door. “You didn’t take her, did you?”
“Heavens! No! We’ll find out once we get there. Now hurry! More walking, less talking, child.” Sushmita akka retorted before she set off into a brisk pace down the road towards where the Primary Health Centre (PHC) was located, a few hundred metres away.
It wasn't long before Nisha was at her ajji’s bedside, looking intently for any sign of life other than the ECG machine and its reassuringly incessant beeping. She lifted the bandages tied around her ajji’s forehead to glean the damage that had been done, only to find no sign of any aberration on her smooth, husky skin. I wonder what happened, Nisha thought to herself, scrunching up her eyebrows as she racked her brain to try and piece together all the information she had.
In the background Nisha could hear Sushmita akka speaking to the nurses in charge, enquiring after the doctor and her grandma’s schedule of routine check ups. She looked around to see other bedridden patients, surrounded by their loved ones, in cubicles of their own, separated only by thin, plastic curtains. Drawing a stool to the edge of her ajji’s cot, Nisha held her hand in her own, noticing for the first time how small her grandmother looked, lying motionless and tucked between the hospital’s greying sheets.
Nisha waited patiently till the doctor arrived an hour later, on his rounds to check on her ajji and to explain to her and Sushmita akka the course of treatment that had been determined for her. As he spoke, Nisha’s eyes wandered around the room, lingering only for a moment on a little girl hugging her tattered doll by the window.
A nurse entered the room then, with a syringe full of medicine for the little girl, who, on seeing which, began to wail louder than a howling dog, plunging the entire ward into utter chaos. The little girl began running around the ward, sometimes jumping over patients while other times ducking under their cots. Nurse after nurse joined the mission to catch her, until there were about 7 of them chasing this pesky, little child, who when she saw her opening, ran out into the corridor, still screaming at the top of her voice.
This little girl must really be very, very scared of needles, thought Nisha to herself, glancing in her grandmother’s direction, who, she found to her immense surprise, was no longer sleeping in her bed! She was in fact, nowhere to be seen!
Nisha walked around the room, checked the bathroom, then walked around the room once again but could see no sign of her grandmother. What she did find after about 3 more minutes of frantic searching though, was an earnest pair of eyes looking out at her from under her grandmother’s bed. It was the same little girl who the nurses had been chasing only minutes ago. She beckoned Nisha to come closer and then handed her a folded piece of paper, before she once again ran into the hallway, disappearing as silently and swiftly as she had arrived.
Trembling, Nisha opened the folded piece of paper on which was printed the following message, in neatly written capital letters.
Give us what we are due and we will return Nisha back to you.
Bob