Episode 3

Door latch

A silent afternoon, it was. Everything in the house is sleeping. The big fat BPL tv is at rest. All toys from plastic ball to clapping monkey stay intact.  But she is restless. 

Spilled milk on the floor grows a little while the girl in yellow petticoat blows it gently. The yellow hem is swaying in the milk making patterns. She got up, standing on toes and reaches the tv switch box. Milk is dripping from the hem.  She gave up after a few attempts. Her index finger could reach only half feet below the switchboard. Instead, her hand grabbed the rotating red-bulb nosed dolphin. When baby sister coos, she rushes to the saree crib and jiggles the dolphin toy.

 While she busy dawdles from one end to the other in the dining space, her intention of smacking down things from the top cupboard never succeeded. Her eyes laid on the footstool lying under the table. A footstool, made of mahogany wood, is of circular in shape, legs attached to the middle of the edge with special instructions from Ammuma.

 Circular top of the footstool rests on her belly while she struggles to lift it up. With shaking legs, she slowly placed the footstool aside the latticed wall. The hem of yellow petticoat falls down to the knees. Holding on the hexagonal lattice, she successfully climbed on it. She is watching her Ammuma talking to Vijayamma near the washing stone through the wall. Her plump hands grabbed the wooden door latch and locked.  In the joyous world of a three-year-old, it is an adventurous act. Clapping her small hands, she bounced to the floor. She cheerfully looked around and saw the lego man, wooden lorry, toothless piano, broken crayons applauding in awe.

Minutes passed.

Softly,  a teaming sharp noise comes, as milk forths out. The floor below the saree crib is wet and is still dripping. Within no time, that screeching sound echoed in the whole house. The first sign of fear appeared on her eyebrows.

“Thud, Thud, thud thud.”,From outside.

 The sound is louder and louder from outside. Dropping blue plastic school van on the floor, the girl in yellow petticoat ran to the door and tries to reach the big wooden latch. Standing on toes, she tried to reach the latch, but all in vain. A small lump of worry slowly comes out of her mouth and bursts out loudly. Her Ammumma, one bald and other big mustached man waved hands through the lattice. But her sobbing has become a thundering sound along with the screeching cry from the saree crib.

Tears rolled down through the cheeks and it easily channeled to the curved mouth. She ran to the front door and tries to open it. She couldn't reach it. She could see people running around the house through windows. She stood at the middle of the room, looked all around and screamed with all her voice.

A lot many numbers of voices joined in the heated conversation outside.  As she sobs in a lower tone, a rattling sound from the kitchen came out. She looked up to the roof truss. Two sooted tiles are removed, a lungi clad leg is hanging through the hole carefully, one big mustached man landed on the floor. He gave a gentle pat on the cheeks as he re-clad his lungi. Soon he opened the big wooden door latch. Ammumma rushed to take the one in wet nappy. Girl in yellow petticoat stood near the door with teary eyes, behind that she hides a playful smile.