A Second Chance?- Part 1

It's been a long time since I have written a story.. A story .. A tale of mended love,broken hearts, long distance love and unrequited love. What shall I write today? I have no clue. My mind is blank yet it is filled with words that are scattered everywhere.

"What shall I write?", my mind ponders. A story about a girl crushed in love falls in the same trap again. Hmm.. nice plot indeed. It's my story. I sip my coffee as I travel back to time - three years back when I was broken and lost.

Three years! I am still there with painful past and broken heart. I had loved him. But God had made his own plans. He made my love seems so little like the teenage fantasy. I felt naive to believe in love. It took few seconds for the reality to set in. The boy I loved didn't love me. I was one of his fans. He broke my heart like he did with the other girls.

It was midnight. I was at his place. His mum had organised a party. He wasn't there. I had anxiously waited for him to join. It was boring to be the only youngster amongst the oldies. I dreaded the thought of being here. But mum hadn't listened to me. She had pulled me to his place.

Ah! It was the worst new years eve of my life. The hours seemed like years. The patience in me had died out. I was love wrecked. I only wanted to see him and share my love with him. It was 12 AM. My prince charming arrived. I felt like Cinderella. I only wanted to hold him, touch him , hug him tight and never let him go.

But all my desires flew away when he announced joyfully that he was leaving us for good. He had got admission at MIT. My dreams were shattered. I was heartbroken... Well! My mind had told me to stay away from him. I ignored my mind and followed my heart. I felt weak and embarrased to even stay there. How was I going to congratulate him ? He was going to be faraway from me.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 17

She had hit him hard twice. She stopped when she recognised the stranger's yelp. It was familiar sound. "What the hell? Why are you here?", she asked, startled by Sameer's presence. She was thinking about him few minutes back and he appears out of nowhere.

She wondered about ways to be away from him. And God finds ways to bring him anywhere and everywhere. "Happy Birthday!! I wanted to surprise you", he wished while rubbing his tummy due to pain. He ran towards his bike and bought the flowers and cake for her. "What is all this?",she asked, feeling guilty for hitting him as well as irritated that he had reminded her of the dreadful day.

It was this day her father had left her mother and her to their miserable selves. Instead of being there with them during the hard times, he had left them with huge debt and poverty for better life that came in form of an extra martial affair.

Her world came crashing down as she saw her mother coping up with life and her. She had always thought her father loved them. She was so wrong. After her father's departure from her life, she had erased the word called love from her life. She hated men from then.

"You are always snobbish like this? I mean if it was my birthday, I would be jumping and surrounded by many friends.",he said excitedly. "What's so cool about birthdays? They are normal days like other. They come and go every year. In that way, you must celebrate every day because you don't stop growing every day.",she said.

"You are so boring! Won't you take me home? Aunty must have prepared some sweets...", he said but he couldn't complete his sentence. "Why will my mother be awake so late? She is earlier riser and one to sleep early. We don't believe in birthdays at home.",she argued. "Oh come on! Atleast cut this cake at home",he said, dragging her towards home.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 16

Why? Why don't people leave her alone? But they keep coming. They keep bothering her. Only thing she  ever wanted in life is space. Unfortunately people didn't understand this. She always wished that she was at calm place filled with only happiness.

That day was very far away. It would take her long time to come there. She was putting lot of effort to get there. But God wasn't kind to her. She faced difficulties as well as distractions in life. She begged the life to be simple. What's life when there is no twists?

She followed this funda i.e life is filled with twists. She accepted the hardship in their life as and when they came. Anyway she would face Sameer too. But she still didn't understand how she could get him out of his life.

She was annoyed with the offer. How dare he said that? She felt gross when he said that. Be with him. She wasn't so poor to  be with him. She could still manage her mother and herself. She had learnt to be independent in hard way when her father had left her. She had helped her mother to lead a secure life though she was too small to understand what is life.

She tried to distract her mind. But those thoughts came every time she sat empty handed. She decided to go for walk. The air was pleasant. The moon shined bright. The clouds momentarily covered the moon. The road was deserted.  But she wasn't scared. She knew the basic martial arts that was enough to protect her from the men like Sameer.


Aggh! This was second time she was thinking about him.  "Why?  He is not worth thinking abou!",she advised herself. She distracted herself to future she had always dreamed. As she was engrossed with planning, a huge brawny hand grabbed her mouth from behind to prevent her from screaming. However she hit him hard on his stomach with all the strength from her elbow.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 15

She had prayed all the Gods from entire universe. Nothing worked. He had again ruined her only source of income. She was angry, frustrated and disappointed. She only wanted him away from her life. She cursed the time when she had accidentally met him.

He had done it again. This time he had embarrassed her in front of everyone. He had called her princess. "Hey princess, why do you work when I am there?", he said. She quietly ignored him and got back to her work.

He didn't leave there. He called the manager and relieved her from work. She had begged the manager to not to listen to lies of this god forsaken guy. But he didn't listen. She packed her bag and walked out. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what will happen next.

Sameer walked past her. "What? What the hell do you want from me?", she asked. "You have taken my source of income. How will I find another job? How will I pay my bills?",she continued. He smiled sheepishly.

"Why do you worry so much? I am there! I will take care of your bills.", he said. "No! I don't want your help. I am not that type of girl. I have dreams. I want achieve them through my hard work.", she protested.

" Well! Be with me. Let me show you life. I will take care of you and your expenses.", he said. She glared at him and slaps him hard. His cheeks turned pink. It's like bee had stung him. He is shocked. He had never been slapped by his dad ..forget about being slapped by girl.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 14

Days passed since Dhriti was discharged from hospital. She was fine now though she felt bit weak now and then. The medicines were curing her. However peace never stuck to her life for long time. Sameer never left her alone. He followed her everywhere.

She ran towards her part time job as soon as her last class got over. It was her first day at the job. It wasn't great. She had to handle orders in the small cafe where hardly people hung. She had chosen the place carefully in order to avoid any more contacts from Sameer.

She had been trying to avoid him since the time he start jeopardizing her work by reliving her and paying her boss the double amount they were paying her at home. She had searched this place carefully. She was confident that he wouldn't follow her in this dingy cafe.

But that never happened. He found her. He had seen her cleaning the counter in the cafe. How did he find her was dumb question. She knew it. He had some people to spy on her. He must have paid some of her classmates to spy on her. She hated them.

She made face when she saw him. She disliked him zillion times. Even if he was last person in planet earth, she wouldn't let him in. He smiled and walked  towards the counter to place the order. She glared at him. It had been zillionth time that she had glared at him and he didn't bother.

As a good professional, she placed his order. She prepared his latte and sandwhich as per his requirements (lot of cheese and no cucumber). She prayed that he just had his snack and left. She hoped that he didn't make her quit this job too.


(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 13

He looked at her. She was glaring at him as usual. "Why are you looking at me like that? I helped you. Don't you say thanks to people who help you? Where is the courtesy nowadays in this mordern world?", he asked.

Her mother nudged her and asked her to say thanks. She said," Thanks!" . Her mother smiled at him and said, "She is not that open. Since the time her father left us, she doesn't trust any men. She is wary about strangers she meets." She didn't like her mother sharing about past to strangers.

She was annoyed.  "Is she always like this.. angry?", he asked. "Yes! I am always angry", she wanted to scream. She has always been annoyed with life, people and health.  She couldn't remember the time she was happy. Ironically true!

She was discharged with additional medicines prescribed by doctors for her cure. She had told her mother to pay the medical bills. But her mother didn't accept the money. She told her that the bills were settled by Sameer.

She didn't like it. Why was he trying to get close with her? Whatever! She was never letting this guy into her life. She had many things to take care about instead of falling into love trap. She had her family, part time job and her college. She couldn't afford to jeopardize it with love.

And she knew Sameer didn't have anything to think about. Though he was upper middle class boy, he had nothing to worry about. His future was already set. He had to manage his dad's business and possible would get married to richest father's daughter. While her future lay on her hands and if she didn't do anything now, she would lose everything.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love - Part 12

Love is strange. You never realize whether it is love or crush until the reality sets in. Till then we are smitten by the sweet feeling. Sameer was charmed by her pale beauty. But he didn't understand whether it was love or just crush.

It was last period. It was Dhriti's favorite subject. Unfortunately she always felt tired and weak during the last few minutes of the hour before it was time to go home. The bell rang. It was relief though she felt disappointed. 

She was the last person to get out of the class. She felt little dizzy. She stood for sometime to calm down. Later she resumed walking. She didn't even manage to reach the gate. She felt dizzy again. However this time the world around her whirled. She simply stood, calming herself down. But that didn't work.

She fainted. Her light body fell on the ground like feather. Everyone surrounded her. They tried to understand what had happened to her. Some tried to wake her up. Some tried to fan their book to bring air. Sameer arrived. He picked her up and took her to nearest clinic without thinking for a second.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother waiting anxiously for her. She observed around her to realize where she was. The pale hospital scent made her to throw up. She hated hospitals, medicine and being patient.

"How did I get here?", she asked. " I bought you here. How are you now?",  Sameer replied and appeared from nowhere. She was shocked. Why the lad followed her everywhere like Mary'little lamb? She hated the sight of him and all the guys who tried to get friendly with her for only one purpose.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Pat 11

He saw her at last on the rainy day of  Friday morning. It was special. He hadn't  believed his eyes until the frail girl was walking past him. He was numb for few seconds. He didn't feel anything other than the rain droplets falling on him.

As soon as he saw her frail figure walk inside the college, he ran towards her. She was carrying an umbrella. She tried to manage to walk as the wind blew her umbrella. He got inside the shade of umbrella and held the umbrella for her. She was startled and bit annoyed.

They got inside the college indoors. She wiped the wet drops on her hands. She didn't say anything to him and headed towards her next class. " What! You won't thank me?",he said casually. His voice echoed and she turned to see him. She glared at him.

"Hi! I am Sameer. It was pleasure meeting you.", he said while offering his hand for shake. She didn't care to introduce herself. She walked away after whispering her thanks to him. She jogged towards her class as she was late for class.

He was disheartened. He expected her to be warm. Unlike other girls, she didn't get charmed. Maybe the way he greeted himself was not right. Maybe it didn't ignite the spark between them. Maybe he wished too much. Maybe she was not that type of girl he hanged around.

He should give up. But something about her attracted him. He wanted to know her. He wanted to get closer with her. He didn't want to lose her.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 10

It hadn't been too long. But he was already missing her. Was it really love or attraction that would fade in thin air? Maybe he was just overthinking. He knew the medicine for such kind of disease. He had to distract himself into hard core rock music and other girls. He always hung with girls.. pretty girls since he was thirteen,

He still felt lost. He kind of wanted to see her again.. feel that soft skin and those shy eyes. He had searched for her in whole campus. Where could he find her? His friends asked him to forget her. But he couldn't.

He had to see her. He didn't know anything about her.. even her name. He had searched through each classes. But he never found her. Who was she? Was she student from other college? Did she leave him?

"No! This can't be", She sighed. She had missed many classes. She was anemic. Her skin was pale and bones could been seen through her skin. She felt her breath go down during the exam. She had prayed it didn't continue.

But it happened. She had asked the examiner to let her out. The examiner was aware of her illness and let her out. She was barely out for few minutes and she felt it again. She sat down on the floor. She felt relieved. She looked at the time. She had few minutes for the exam to end.

She had ran towards the boy. If he hadn't held her for three seconds, she could complete her paper. But the horrid lad had held her and she wasted those precious three seconds and also her precious marks.


(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 9

Memories. Sweet memories. Bitter memories. Some happy ones and some bitter ones resurface after years of hiding them . He had left instantly when he heard her daughter's name. He tried to distract himself. But those memories didn't fade.

It remain fresh in his mind. It seemed as if those memories had occurred yesterday itself. Those days.. they were special. Sometimes he wished those days never passed soon. Sometimes he wondered why it had happened.. why he ever met her! Everything would be normal if life was simple.

  **** Five years back *****

The day was amazing. It was last exam. He had waited for the last bell to ring. He hadn't written a single word in the paper. It was Accounts exam. He understood the subject but he disliked the very thought of writing exam. Maybe he had exam phobia.  But he never feared about the exam, when he entered the exam hall. Maybe he was used to his dad paying the little bribes to the faculty to get him passed.

This practice happened since the school days. He hated studies and loved play times like other kids. Unfortunately his friends grew up faster than him while he was still immature. He had no goals. His only aim was to enjoy life without working.

Now he waited for last bell. God! The minutes passed so slowly for the fun time to start. As soon as there was only one minute to pass, he rushed towards the examiner's table. He placed his paper and ran out. He had almost bumped the girl who was running towards his side.

He held her before she could fall down on the floor. He felt delicate bones and soft skin under his hand. He looked at her. It was love at first sight. He wished he held her for little long, only to explore her beautiful grey eyes. Unfortunately she had got away hurriedly from his clutch.


(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 8

Her mother wondered, "Why did he come? Did he learn about my granddaughter? Where is my daughter?" She didn't want to let him in. But he forced himself inside. She didn't say anything. She didn't want to create any scene in front of his neighbors.

He looked around the hall. It was typical middle class where the furniture were second hand goods and placed in unorganized way. He could feel the poverty crying out from certain places while some showed the signs of little riches.

Her mother followed him and asked him politely, " What would you like- tea or coffee?" "Nothing Aunty!", he replied. "Hmm.. so what brings you?", she asked. Dhriti had just returned and was surprised to see Sameer. "Ma! What else can bring him here? He only wanted to check whether I had anyone other than family in my life.", she said suddenly.

" No, I don't have anyone in my life. My family is everything to me. I don't need a man to take care of my family and me. I am independent woman. Are you happy now?", she sneered. Her daughter ran towards her mother due to fear. She didn't want to face her mother's fury.

He smiled. He had seen many of her furies. But this one made him smile. He couldn't believe that vulnerable woman like her would do say all that. He walked closer to her daughter and asked, " What is your name, darling?". He offered a chocolate as treat to her. She accepted like the usual excited kids of her age.

Her daughter stared at her glare and returned the chocolate. "I am Trisha.", her daughter said shyly, looking down. She felt awkward by his presence. Her name "Trisha" rang bells, bringing memories he held deep down inside

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 7

It didn't take him long to get all the details about her. He had learnt about her family- she had five year old daughter and a mother. She wasn't in any relationship. She was staying in small apartment from the past twenty years.. that was the only thing that he had known wouldn't change about her. He knew how much she loved her house.

He also learnt that she was very busy with the work and family since she graduated college.She had no time for personal gratification. So how come she has a daughter? She never had affairs during college except him. He didn't understand why he had got sudden interest in meeting her.

He had driven towards her house with no sense of  where he was heading. He had planned to take long drive to clear his thoughts. But he ended up at her place. This was strange. He had never thought that his memories about the directions of her house would remain so fresh. He hadn't forgotten anything.

He was at her house. Nothing had changed. Her flat was located at the fourth floor of local chowk. He walked the stairs as the passerby looked at him with amused stares. He knocked the door of her flat after he tried to ring the bell. It was warm afternoon. A little girl opened the door. He watched her with bewilderment.

The child stared at him with the same eyes that reminded him of his childhood. "Yes?", she asked in sweet shrill voice. He patted her back gently and smiled. Somewhere deep in his hear, he wished that the little girl was his daughter. He felt foolish.

Her mother appeared. She was shocked to see him at their doorstep. She had last seen him when she had caught her daughter red handed with him. She had tried to keep him away from her daughter. But her efforts failed. They got closer until everything changed in her daughter's life.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 6

He smiled. He nodded his head to and fro for few minutes. " You will never change. You only want to run away from problems.", he said, jokingly. She stopped. She didn't turn behind. She couldn't stand looking at him any longer.  There were times when she would pray that the minutes passed slower so that she could look at his face all day. Now she only wanted to go away.. far away from all this pain.

"I expected better answer from you. I thought you would say- 'I am right for the job. Though I don\t have right skill set, this job will be challenge for me to learn them'. Instead, you say that you don't deserve the job. At least for once, won't you believe in yourself?", he said. She turned behind this time. She stared at him directly into his eyes.

" What do you want me to do? I am sorry! I came here. I didn't mean to...", she growled but stopped when she was about to speak more. She didn't want him to know what happened when she left him. She didn't want him to know about her child. "Sit down. We haven't finished.", he said calmly as well as firmly.

She sat. They still haven't finished. He was reading her CV again , looking for facts he would ask for or rather find what the hell she was doing when she left her. Her horrors almost surfaced when he asked her, "You never married! Interesting! Why?"  "I didn't think it was necessary with regards to my situation. I have to take care of my family.", she replied.

"Funny! It's funny to hear the word 'care' from selfish woman like you.", he whispered. "What? I didn't get you.", she asked. "Nothing!", he replied. Later he asked her few more questions and asked her to leave after telling her that he would let her know the final results.

She knew the answer. She was not getting the job. She felt that this was his way of poking fun at her and letting her know how miserable she was without him. As soon as she left, he had called his trusted friend to investigate on her. He wanted to know everything that had happened since the time she left him alone.

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 5

"What do women want?", Sameer wondered. He watched her intently. She didn't change a bit. She was still the same .. same old Dhriti he had loved once upon a time. She seemed nervous. She didn't meet his eyes and looked around everywhere except him.

She was trying to avoid him. It was impossible.  She had to look at him. He was interviewing her. It would be rude if she didn't speak to her prospective boss without facing him. He spoke his first phrase," Why should we hire you?"

The golden silence was broken at last. She replied, "I have all the required skills for this job. I.." She didn't finish her sentence when he spoke in middle. This was rude. He hadn't change his habit of interrupting people. She glared at him. "How dare you?", she muttered.

" Everyone says that they have all the skills for this job. But let me tell you, this job needs special skills. As per your poor interaction with the HR, I am not fully convinced with you. The only evidence I have is your CV that speaks about your skills.", he said.

He looked at her. He could feel her anger bursting out at him. He wanted to laugh. He controlled his emotions though he was enjoying it.  "What do you mean? ",  she asked. He stared at her.  "How can she say like that to him? Does she have any idea about whom she was talking to?", he wondered.

She felt guilty. She was here for the job. But she knew he wouldn't offer the job. She wanted to leave."Yeah! Maybe you are right. I am not right for job. I should leave.", she said, leaving him alone again.


(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 4

She walked out hopelessly. She knew that she didn't deserve this job. She had never done so bad in her interview. She couldn't face him. She remembered the day when she saw the job ad in linkedin. She suited the profile. The pay was good. It would meet all her needs. But he was the only reason that she couldn't work.

She had applied the job though knowing the fact she couldn't face him. But her desperate need made her apply the job. She felt that she could face him. Unfortunately she developed cold feet even before she met him.

Fear can even make strongest go down. However it depends on one's way of facing fear. She wanted to leave. But the HR had kept her waiting. She knew the results. She was rejected. She didn't understand why the HR kept her waiting. These formalities! It could have been done when she had left.

The HR had appeared again. But this time, she was not alone. The HR was with him. He had changed a lot. He looked more organised and smart. He wore grey suit. His hair was neatly combed. His face was clean shaven.  What startled her was him wearing the watch she had gifted him years back.

Strange! He hadn't removed the watch yet. He wore a poker face. Unlike those days, when he used to smile sheepishly. She searched for the smile that ignited her heart, She was about to leave. He stopped her. "There is one more round, please wait.", the HR said.

Dhriti was irritated. She wanted to go. She had another interview to attend. The HR left her with him. He spent few minutes to let everything to settle. The silence occupied between them. he words took it's time to arrive.


(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 3

The journey was going to be tough one. Dhriti knew that this journey was taking her to her past... past she had left behind. She was scared. She was going to face her past in few minutes. Oh! What would be to meet her prospective boss who was also part of her past.

She reached her destination after getting down the bus stop which was five minutes to the office. The office sprawled over two acres. The area had two four storey building. She was amazed by his success. At such young age, he had achieved so much. He wasn't like this when they were together. He was lazy and always shadowed by his father's mediocre business.

It was amazing to see a person without dreams actually be at top. She wondered, "Can anyone change so much within short span of time? Did separation make one tough and different?" She walked inside after giving details to the security about her interview.  She was given temporary IDs and lead to sitting area on the fourth floor. 

She waited. Her heart was beating faster. She thought about the questions she would be asked. But what affected her the most was how were they going to react when they saw each other. But he must have seen her CV. Would he still meet her?

She was making her mind ready to accept the fact that she would have to give up on this job too. He would ask her to leave soon. But that didn't happen. A lady dressed in typical western professional attire appeared and lead her inside.

The lady introduced herself as HR. She spoke about the job title. Later She asked several questions about her past experience and her skills. But Dhriti couldn't answer none of questions properly. She felt scared suddenly. She didn't want to face. "Why did I ever think about coming here? We will never be able to stay in one place properly.", she thought, feeling guilty for spoiling time for the job she knew she wouldn't get. 

(To be continued)

Sweetness of Love- Part 2

He was surprised. He had read the name (Dhriti Ranjan) on the CV several times. He thought he was dreaming. Why did their destiny bring them together when they had parted ways long back? God and his work! He was the one who separated them and now he was bringing back again.

Maybe she was not the one. Maybe his mind was playing games. Maybe they weren't meant to be together. He felt disheartened. Why? She was the one who dumped him. But still he loved her though there were many layers of hatred that hid his love for her.

Tiny drops fell on Dhriti's face. She was waiting for the bus. It was about to rain. Nothing was unusual about the city's weather. It had different moods for different parts of the day just like her. Morning would cool and pleasant. Afternoon would be hot like summer. Evening and nights would have pouring rainfall. But sometimes the cycles wouldn't be same.

Right now it was about to pour. She prayed that it rained after she had reached on time for interview. She didn't want to get wet at this time. She had made sure that she looked very professional in her dark cotton sari with 3/4th sleeve blouse. Her hair was tied back into a bun. She wore black bindi and kajal. She didn't apply any make up.

She wore tiny earrings and small necklace after her mother forced her to wear. She had prepared herself from past few days since she had applied for the job. She wanted this job badly. She didn't have enough to support her family and especially her daughter.

At last her prayers were heard. She got inside the bus. She took first seat which was empty. As soon as she paid the ticket, she got engrossed about the worries in her life. She had many things to take care and one of them was meeting her daughter's needs.



(To be continued) 

Sweetness of Love- Part 1

The sky was perfect blue. There was not a single cloud. It was perfect day for a good jog. Sameer jogged. He wasn't distracted by cold wind that momentarily passed him. He was only focused on beating his target. He had finished one lap. One more to go.

He passed the familiar parks and people. He didn't stop to greet them. He never liked meeting people nowadays. He now enjoyed being alone. Yes there were times when he thought about her, but then he would engross himself into lot of work. It was strange. He avoided memories and thoughts about her. After so many years, he wasn't able to forget her.

Why did he think about her on this nearly perfect day? He didn't want to ruin his day by thinking unpleasant. He jogged back home after finishing  his last lap. He rested for few minutes and had his juice.. as usual unsweetened orange juice. He hated bitter edible items few years back. He would add many sachets of sugar. But today he could drink a glass of unsweetened orange juice without feeling anything. 

He had started avoiding sugar since she had left him. Sugar reminded him the sweetness of love. He despised love. Love had turned him into a stone, he didn't recognize. He avoided anything or everything that reminded of love and her.

He washed his sorrow memories and wore clean white suit. He combed his hair perfectly. He made sure that not a single strand fell on his face. He was ready for the breakfast within fifteen minutes. He had cereals and bowl of fruits. Before his dad had arrived at breakfast table, he was off to work. He worked around the time. He made sure not a single minute was wasted for unproductive work. 

He took out his laptop and began to work while his driver took him to work. Everything worked systematically except during the times when his mind would deviate to thoughts about her.. his sweet love..Dhriti. Even now, her name bought goosebumps to his skin. What was she doing? Where was she? All these questions bothered him. However he had learnt to get back to work. He read through the CVs of his potential assistants. Nothing interested but one bought him back his old memories.

(To be continued) 

The Tiger's Hound- Part 40

The truth was out. The villagers looked at the offender with broody eyes. They felt deceived. They had vested their whole faith on this offender. They had been fooled. Their trust broken. They felt innocent and vulnerable. Who could ever doubt that the offender would be the panchayat himself?

How could he cheat his own people?   They had seen the Panchayat preaching them about conserving the forest. Then who was this guy standing in front of them? They couldn't believe that their panchayat had been associated with poaching for long time. His own son was bewildered with him. Shyam Babu was shocked that his father was involved in this activity while he was preaching around his town as well as neighboring the art of saving tigers and the way to co-live with them.

Unfortunately his belief on their family values were shaking. He respected his father for his thoughts on betterment of their village. But he never really thought that his father would be the mastermind of such sinful activities. He couldn't look at the villagers because of his father.

He bought the police and lead them to his father. Before he gave him to them, he asked him, "Why did you do this? The villagers look up at you for your values. Doesn't your values mean anything to you?" His father looked down with guilt and replied, "I did this to keep you secured and fulfill all your needs. I love you, son. I can't see you failing your dreams. I am sorry."

Shyam Babu cried while the police took his father. Prasun held him and offered him a shoulder to cry. He understand the pain of losing a dear one. He had lost many but he was happy that he had found Sheru. Sheru had become a hero again. This time it was big. He had not only saved a tiger. He had disclosed the poaching that was going on nearby his village.

Kimberly left within few days. She had trained about twelve tiger hounds who matched the almost the skill set of Sheru. She had left. But the training ground was not closed. It was continued by Prasun. He also helped Shyamlal during nights, petroling the jungle for any poaching sights. Sheru.. Sheru enjoyed his job of being The Tiger's Hound.


                                         **** The End ****

The Tiger's Hound- Part 39b

Sheru barked at the tiger. He wanted him to wake up. But it was no use. The tiger seemed to be in deep slumber. Sheru was frightened to nudge the tiger. He didn't want to be easy prey for the tiger while trying to help him.

Sheru walked towards Prashant. He jumped at him as usual for attention. Why did his master stand still? He bit a part of his cloth when jumping around him didn't work. He was tired. He had been pulling his uniform for long time. Oh! Why doesn't Prasun ever listen to him? 

Prasun thanked himself after he saw what had happened next. As soon as tiger fell into deep sleep, the squad cut the net open and placed the heavy tiger on the wooden plank. Later they checked whether the tiger had some injuries. Shyam Babu lead the medical team during the check up. It seemed as if he knew the tiger from inside and outside.

Prasun didn't stay for long. He was asked to go home. He got the news of the tiger safely sent back to the wild when he had arrived for his next shift. He was happy and hugged Sheru. Sheru understood the news. He jumped with happiness.

But this episode didn't get over very soon. Saving a tiger lead to investigation of  the poachers. The environmentalist like Shyam Babu was trying to find out who were culprits. It was tedious work. The culprits weren't easily found.

However it didn't take suprisingly long to get the poachers. But it was shocking when they found who their kingspin was. It had shook the whole village. News spread like fire. No one in the village wanted to face the bitter truth.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 39

This was ridiculous! He had bought them to help the poor animal. They were trying to kill the animal. He walked towards the man who was pointing his rifle at the tiger. The man was trying to get the aim. He shot on the bark of the tree as Prasun had pushed the man.

The man got angry. " What are you doing? Why did you push me? Have you gone mad?", he scolded him in their native language. " Yes! But not me! You have gone mad. Why are you killing that tiger? He is not a threat.",he said in their native language.

"He is not killing the animal. He is trying to save the tiger. If he doesn't put the Anastasia, he wouldn't be able to help the tiger .", Kimberly said from no where. Shyamlal translated it to him .She had arrived now to analyse the situation. Prasun was still not convinced. He wondered what was Anastasia.

The man tried to aim again this time. He shot the target. The tiger stood for few minutes, feeling the pain for few seconds. He relaxed again. Within half an hour, he felt drowsy. Until he was completely unconscious, no one walked closer to the tiger except Sheru who had been barking at everyone.


Prasun looked at the tiger. The tiger wasn't responding. What did they do? Did they kill the innocent tiger? But Kimberly had said they were putting some Anastasia. What was it? Was it poison to kill the animal?  He felt helpless.

Sheru walked up to his master. He nudged Prasun many times. Why did Prasun stand there? Why was he not helping the tiger? Was the tiger sleeping or dead? He didn't understand what was happening.Why did anyone want to kill a helpless tiger?


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound-38d

The tiger was whining and growling for help. Once upon a time his eyes had devilish desires. But today those eyes were filled with pain. He wanted to be free and run away to the wild where he would feel safe. He promised lord that he would never venture out. However God bought a human and his pet to add to his miseries.

Prasun got out of his shock. This was purely poacher's trick to trap the tiger. As per what he had learnt from Kimberly, poaching was crime. But it wasn't given in the book that what was supposed to be done during this time. He was confused whether to inform Kimberly and squad about the poaching or walk back home.

Sheru barked tensely. He wanted to help the tiger. He knew how it was to be trapped and lose your freedom. However everyone was not lucky like him. He was scared that tiger may end up being in the zoo like other tigers he had seen. He didn't want this tiger to be in that state too. He wished Prasun could do something.

Prasun remembered about the walkie talkie he had. He sighed and was relieved. He took it out from his right pocket of his pant. Later he switched the walkie and talkie on. He spoke loud and clear, " There is a tiger trapped. It must be poacher. Come soon."  He had also given the direction where he was waiting. He walked close towards the tiger. It growled while raising his paws to protect himself.

Sheru barked incontrollably. Prasun asked him to keep quiet. He watched the tiger. He thought about how he could save the tiger. He knew it was impossible for one man to release the wild tiger. This was a tiger and not some pussy cat he could save. He waited for some time , watching closely for a way he save time for the Kimberly and her men to save the tiger.

The squad had come within few minutes. Prasun showed them the tiger. The squad member took out the rifle and pointed towards the tiger. Prasun was shocked. What was he doing? Why were they shooting the tiger? Who were they? Did he call the wrong guys? Or where they were involved with the poachers? God knew what was happening! He looked at the man who was mercilessly pointing the rifle on the poor animal.


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 38c

Sheru was acting weird. He was walking inside the woods deeper and deeper. Prasun followed him. He couldn't understand where his dog was going. Did Sheru pick up some scent? Was there a tiger somewhere? Prasun wondered.

If there was a tiger, he had to turn back to village. As per the rule book, the handler and his dog shouldn't approach the tiger on  their own in the jungle. Instead they should only face them when they arrive at their place.

Prasun tried  to drag Sheru back. But Sheru resisted and walked forward. Sheru was rigid about his sense. He knew there was a tiger. He wanted to get hold of it and drive it away. There was no way the tiger could enter the village when Sheru was around. Hence he took the initiative to follow it's sense of smell to spot the tiger.

He was close. The tiger was somewhere close by. Prasun was frightened. He had almost came too close to be eaten by tiger. He wasn't ready to face another one. His heart was beating louder. He wished this nonsense dog just stopped and realised where he was going. This was forest for christsake. Tigers ruled them. Humans were strangers just like the tigers when they arrived the village.


" Oh! Come on! Sheru! Let's go back. There is nothing here.", he scolded Sheru in his local language. He pulled him again through his leash. But Sheru resisted again. He gripped his torch while dragging Sheru. Sheru still continued, ignoring all the efforts of his dog.

Sheru stopped suddenly. He barked at Prasun. Prasun didn't seem to understand until he pointed his torch at something that was rattling on the ground few distance away from where they were standing. It was a tiger. The tiger was caught in a net we call a trap set by poacher. Prasun stood standstill.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 38b

The task of protecting the whole village from a ferocious animal who seems to think he's the king wasn't easy as it seemed before. Before it was food and money that attracted so many like Prasun to take this job.

Now it seemed like he got himself tempted towards the offer. Now he understood the real underlying value of money and food they had offered for this job. You had to sacrifice sleep, life and safety for food and money.

What will be food and money useful when your soul or body is not alive to enjoy the fruits. He wondered the irony of life. He should be happy.  But that happiness was short lived. It had been two weeks since he was placed instead of Ramlal. He was missing home.

Though he had no job, he constantly worried that he hadn't missed any rule of  Tiger's hound's handler. He never wanted to be in spotlight. It was scary when he thought about forgetting even one rule from the rule book. He would read the rule book before he would start his shift.

Anyway the tiger had not ventured into the village side. Sheru opened his mouth, smirking while thinking about the reasons why the tiger had not come. Maybe they didn't have courage to face mighty himself or Maybe they were getting more supply of food in jungle itself.

It was useless drinking coffee. It didn't keep him awake. He would fall asleep for an hour until he would realize that he was on duty. He would pinch himself , slap himself , wash his face every few minutes or go for walks with his dog. As usual he went for walks today also, he was on his walks. But today he felt uneasy like as if he was going to face some unfavorable situation soon

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound - Part 38

Ramlal had ideas... ideas that could break Prasun into pieces. But he had no courage or belief to execute these ideas. His other brilliant ideas had failed to work. So he left it. He convinced himself that being a dog handler was not his thing and it didn't quite suit his image. He was rich man in the society and it wasn't good for his image to be the watchman for the village.

Prasun fitted best. Prasun wasn't rich like Ramlal and this role was perfect for small man like him. Ramlal always felt that tiny roles was perfect for Prasun kind of person. Tiny people like Prasun needed this job to give small push to make oneself known. Ramlal felt it was small charity which is

The useless Prasun had almost proved his worth. When Kimberly had called out his name, he couldn't believe it. He felt that he wouldn't get any opportunity again to prove himself. He thanked Kimberly in mind. She was too sweet to forgive Sheru and him for their mistakes and give them another opportunity to proove themself.

Prasun was excited. So was Sheru. But Sheru had no idea of where they were going. It was first time that Prasun would get to eat full fledged meal offered by the villagers. However it was not only food that excited him, it was also the chance to show his worth to the society that excited him. Wow! His dream was coming true at last.

It still seems like a dream. He pinched himself twice to make him come out of this dream bubble to reality. He thought that if  he opened his eyes , all these beautiful things would disappear. So he blinked many times. But the image in front of him was real.

Kimberly had explained him the rules of being Tiger's hound with help of Shyam Babu. Shyam Babu made him comfortable and advised him to be calm and cautious. Prasun had listened carefully. He didn't want to make the same mistakes like Ramlal. He had bought several packets of tea and milk. He had made sure that he never fell asleep.

Being watchman of the village wasn't easy task. He had lot of responsibilities. He had to make sure the man eater never step his foot on his village. He had to partner with Sheru to protect the village. It wasn't Sheru or his only task.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 37b

The search team looked for the dog everywhere. He wasn't there. Ramlal had prayed that his dog was safe. He didn't worry about the dog safety. He worried about his image. His luck had just started now. He wanted to enjoy the sweetness of his success. But he didn;t know it would end so soon.

Life was strange.Sometimes it is bright, sometimes it is dim. But sometimes the dark night remains for long time until the first light of sun falls on earth. Till then we are never at peace. Prasun was in state where he didn't know whether it was night filled with miseries or daylight.

As soon as he heard the news, he felt pinch of happiness though he felt bad for Ramlal. It was  his adorable dog. However he was suspicious whether Ramlal loved his dog as he always showed off to people how much he adored his dog. Maybe he was just a show off.

After 10 long hours, when everyone dispersed home, Ramlal found his dog waiting at home. Everyone was at peace when they reached home. The little dog was playing chase game with Ramlal's six year old son. No one knew how the dog came home unscratched.

It was rumored that maybe Ramlal was not there on duty. He must have created some story to hide his real story. Whatever it is , he was at loss. He had lost an opportunity due to his laziness. Kimberly had taken Ramlal out of the project. She had decided that replacement of Ramlal's position would be notified next day.

Kimberly announced the results next morning. The replacement had shook Ramlal. He couldn't believe that his stupidity could cost him something big. His pride broke into pieces. He couldn't watch someone like Prasun take his place. Hence he tried to break him.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 37

It had been  a week since Kimberly had put Ramlal on duty. There was no issues sighted until today. There were few sights of tiger passing across the banks opposite the village. But there was no tiger that had come close until today.

It was Sunday night. Ramlal was known for drinking too much during Sundays. He would start during afternoon and continue till the night. He wasn't used to working during weekends. Forget weekends! He wasn't used to work. He had only taken up to show off everyone in village that what great person he was.

Prasun had ignored all the hypes until today. He had almost forgotten that Ramlal's dog was first one to be sent to real scenario. But today was different. Ramlal had lost his dog due to his ignorance. He had forgotten the first rule of Tiger's Hound 's handler. He had to be always vigilant when he was with the dog.


Unfortunately Ramlal was too drunken to notice that his dog was chasing a tiger which had trespassed the village in look out for prey. His dog was successful in chasing the tiger but he hadn't returned. Ramlal only had bleak view of his dog chasing the tiger. He had followed his dog but tripped in between due to his inebriated condition.

Ramlal woke up next morning ,startled how he landed in this situation- lying on the ground in the woods. That's when he realized that he was on duty and his dog was missing. He had searched the dog but he couldn't find. Alas! He walked to Kimberly and blurted out what had happened.

Kimberly was angry as well as anxious about the dog. She had scolded Ramlal for his irresponsible behaviour. She had sent a search team to look out for the dog. She prayed that the dog wasn't hurt or killed. She couldn't afford to lose the dog at this point.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 36

"Oh! Please let's go. Why are you still waiting?", Sheru barked, jumping up and down. Sheru bit Prasun's clothes. Prasun was irritated. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to meet the taunting eyes of the people there. What would have happened if he met Ramlal?

Ramlal would taunt him with his win.He couldn't face him. He restrained Sheru's grip. Sheru didn't listen to him. He had to be there. He didn't want to sit anywhere. He wanted to go and see the other dogs. They were all waiting for him.

" No Sheru! Go away!", he said. But Sheru was adamant. He didn't leave him until Prasun agreed to go in order to stop Sheru from being over obsessive about going there. Sheru excitement had no bounds when he met his friends.

He sniffed them, licked them and touched their fur. He felt so belonged unlike Prasun. Prasun found the cold mocking stares of people around him. Ramlal seemed very happy. He was boasting about how his dog had won and how better he was.


Kimberly had given special training to Ramlal's dog while others had left. Prasun didn't leave. He wanted to work hard on Sheru. He made him do certain tough exercises that would make Sheru little tougher and focused.

He was watching Ramlal. It could have been them if Sheru was little more focused. Kimberly had mentioned the day before that zoo test. They were going to send the winner to forest to see whether they could manage the real situation.  Oh!  The real job started then.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 35

Next day arrived. It was dull morning. Prasun didn't feel like going. He was tired and lazy. Last day trip was too long and he wasn't used to such trips. His body ached due to long journey yesterday. He hadn't sat so long in moving vehicle.

It had been while when he was in moving vehicle.. He was going to get married. His one day wife was in different village that was half day trip from his place. He still remembered. He was very excited to ever notice that his legs were paining due to being stuffed in crowed vehicle.

Unfortunately he had come back home without his bride. He suffered heart break as well as body pain. Today it wasn't so bad. It wasn't as if he had failed. But he didn't want to see Ramlal's taunts and his proud like smile saying that no one ever beat him.

Sheru was least affected. Prasun wasn't surprised about Sheru's carefree attitude. He still couldn't learn from Sheru the art of not being affected by word's view about oneself. Society is used to giving their own opinions and make fun of those who trying being different from others.

If you fail or almost pass, then there are hundreds of people who don't mind making fun of you or mentioning the fact that they are better than you while reminding you that you are good for nothing. But we never think twice that we are good and capable of being the best.

Prasun was one among us who got affected by society's fake opinions. Sometimes it was best to let go. Sometimes it was best to be yourself than follow the rules set. Sheru ran towards him. He jumped excitedly with his wagging tail, sending messages to Prasun that he was ready to go for the training.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 34b

Since the time they had come from zoo, he hadn't utter word or cursed or scolded Sheru. Why? Why was there deep silence. Sheru hated silence. He was used to being scolded or cursed for some reason. He was in dilemma whether to walk in front of Prasun to make him realise he exist.

Sheru sat staring at his master trying to do something. He wagged his tail while his mouth was wide open to breathe. Prasun tried to wipe his mind from the negative thoughts. He knew that happiness was short lived friend. He also knew that all that looked rosy was going to end soon.

However he didn't know it would take so long. He didn't know whether to blame Sheru or his luck. Maybe he should blame both. Sheru was distracted and his luck didn't seem good today. The symptoms of bad luck had all started three days back.

He had prayed lord that everything should run smoothly. But his prayers were unheard for today. Or maybe he was being hard on himself and Sheru. Nothing had ended yet. They weren't even sent back to training again.

Kimberly had told them that he had to make his dog more aggressive. He was too distracted that day. He wasn't friendly but seemed too curious to know the tigers. In a real life situation, Sheru wouldn't get even a minute to understand the tigers. They would eat him alive.

"Oh Sheru! You have no idea of what kind of animal you are going to face. These tigers are merciless predators. Will you still be sniffing around them when they will be ready to bite you?", Prasun said softly to himself. Sheru bent low to cover his face when he saw Prasun looking at him.


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 34

Sheru had neither barked nor was scared of the tigers. He seemed inquisitive about them. The way they walked or growled softly or sniffed him amazed him. Maybe he had never seen such ferocious creatures in enclosure.

Prasun tried to kick him or stamp him to make bit angry so that he could bark. But this dog didn't seem to be affected by anything. Prasun worried. It was fine that Sheru showed no fear. Unfortunately it wasn't fine that he didn't bark or show any kind of aggressiveness towards the tigers.
 
The minutes passed by. Prasun calmed himself. Maybe Sheru was taking time to get used to these tigers. But how long? How long does it take to bark? Pretty easy task! And this dog was testing his patience a lot. He wished he could snatch the opportunity from Sheru and bark. Unfortunately he wasn't the dog.

Kimberly broke the unending silence," It's okay, Prasun. Bring Sheru back." Ramlal gave a sly smile. Prasun was sure that he had lost. He tried to accept the consequences of their failure. He hated being embarrassed by the taunts from the society.

The society is not fair with the people who fail. "So Ramlal, you are lucky today. Your dog showed immense courage over the tigers. Prasun! Don't worry! It wasn't anybody's fault. Sheru was great too. However he was bit hostile towards tigers. And we will work on that. Ashish Babu, your dog is not far behind. He need to work hard on his skills. Some dogs tend to develop cold feet. It's okay. Guys, one more thing.. This is not a test. So don't take it hard on yourself or on the dogs.", Kimberly said.

Prasun came home with heavy heart. Sheru was delighted to be back home. He was very depressed when he was zoo. He felt peace when he was at home. He hadn't noticed his master until now. Prasun didn't look happy. He was engrossed in his own thoughts.

( To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 33

It was Ramlal's turn. He took his dog towards the tiger. His dog got aggressive and as expected barked at the tiger. Ramlal patted his dog,feeling almost proud of his dog. But the ultimate happiness was yet to arrive. He kept his fingers crossed and prayed all the gods found in every corner of the planet that Sheru fails this time.

Kimberly appreciated Ramlal and his dog.  However he was given feedback that he had to control his dog's aggressiveness. She had advised him that too much aggressiveness was not good. The test was not over. Sheru had to give the final test.

Sheru was next. Prasun was worried a bit. He wanted everything to go smoothly. This was usual thought. He always got it whenever he had to face the situation where Sheru had to give the test. He faced the usual physical symptoms like his stomach felt uneasy inside; his heart beat faster than the seconds and he felt he was going to fall.

But this time, these symptoms were too high. He also felt dizzy. He tried to calm himself. It wasn't like as if Sheru had not passed any test. His mind worried lot, " What if he failed?"  What if he failed! Even if he failed, what more can happen. He would have to go through all the training.

Why? Sheru was best. He wouldn't fail like always. He would win this one too. He has got all that makes a tiger hound... the protector of village. He walked closer to enclosure with Sheru. The tigers growled softly. They were curious like Sheru. They sniffed him to understand what kind of creature he was.

It was like as if they were trying to reach out to him. Sheru understood the messages they were giving through their constant sniffing. They wanted to get back to jungle. The life in this zoo was terrible. Prasun wondered why he hadn't barked. What was Sheru doing? There was something fishy.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 32

" What are you upto, mad dog?", Prasun scolded.  " It's a real tiger! Not a fake one!", he continued. But Sheru ignored. He was inquisitive about these wild ones whose eyes glared with some kind of attitude that they were still the kings though they were imprisoned by humans.

He sniffed them while Prasun scolded him. Prasun's wrath didn't stop him from investigating these creatures. Their yellow with black strips was flashy. Sheru wondered whether they had any of their types with any other pattern of skin other than their yellow with black strips.

Even humans had different kind of skins- yellow,  white, wheatish, chocolate brown and black. But he had never seen an animal having only one kind of skin colour. Sheru stared at their eyes which changed colour from brown to gleaming gold.

Prasun pulled the dog away. He took him to spot where the other two dogs stood with their handlers. Kimberly started giving them instructions while Shyam Babu translated. The dogs watched their masters listening so intently

Ramlal gave a icy stare at Prasun and Sheru. As usual he prayed that they didn't win this time. As per the instruction, the dogs were taken closer to the tiger's enclosure. The dogs were tested for their courage and how they reacted.

First dog was bought closer to the tiger enclosure. He ran away as soon as the tiger growled. He didn't try to bark. He whined and hid behind his master. His master tried to bring the dog closer to the tiger. But he was too afraid to face them.

(To be continued

The Tiger's Hound- Part 31

"Wow ! These animals must be brave!", Sheru wondered. " Brave! How can this be brave? Haven't they ever thought of running away? Maybe they were cowards who have accepted their fate!", he wondered.

He found the zoo a depressing place. He had never known why he had so much of expectations. He stared at these animal's eyes. Some had accepted their fate and tried their best to feel happy. Some had realized that there was no happiness in entertaining the human visitors. Some were trying to accustom to new surrounding.

He imagined the state of these animals. They must be missing their home lot. He imagined about the his home. But his mind only took him back to Prasun's old shack. He couldn't think of any place. That meant - he had no memory of the place he was born or spent his puppy days. His home was and will always be his place where he learnt to live.

It was time.. time to see whether they were capable of being Tiger Hounds. Kimberly had taken them to section where the two tigers had larger area to roam around  though they were fenched by tall iron railings. These railings protected the tigers from the people but for the tigers it was other way round.

All the dogs were bought in front of the tigers. The tigers walked closer to the railings to look at the strange creatures with human. The tigers wondered about how these dogs roamed freely with humans. How could these dogs be so loyal towards these humans while they tie them (dogs ) with leash and treat them as thing.  One of the tigers watched Sheru cautiously.

Sheru could feel the negative vibes coming out from the tigers. They paced to and fro on one end of their enclosure where the humans and their companions had gathered. Ramlal's dog and other dog stayed at their place while Sheru in curiosity walked closer to the enclosure while Prasun held the grip of the leash tighter.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 30

The three dogs were very excited unlike their master. Their masters were tensed. Failures was inevitable and none of them wanted to be at that spot. They only wanted their dogs to do well. Their situation was somewhat similar to presenting their children in talent contest. Their dog's victory was the main factor that their name and fame based on.

They were like the nervous parents who had their hopes instilled in their children. The children a.k.a dogs were not scared like the kids. They didn't know what was stored in the place they  were going to visit.

Sheru walked fast with Prasun trying to grab his leash tighter in order to reduce Sheru's pace. But Sheru's excitement was at highest degree. He hoped into the safari jeep like an excited kid. Prasun had hit Sheru twice to control him. He had even scolded him. But nothing stopped him.

The journey was not very long. It was just two hours from village. The zoo was not too big. It was a normal city zoo. The zoo was maybe 20 acres where the animals stayed in  captive. They were wild held in man made prison. Their freedom snatched away only to make them as toys to entertain the human guests.

As soon as Sheru reached zoo, his curiosity had enhanced. There were many questions that were shooting his mind. Sheru wondered, " What a strange place this was?  He could see only humans everywhere.

Animals were kept in four walls. There was no space to  run around. " Did animals ever get bored? If they didn't, what they do for a pastime? How do they sit in this cage for long time, staring continuously at the humans watching them.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 29

Everyone cheered. Prasun beamed with pride. He knew there was something special in Sheru that made him different from other dogs. He remembered the time when he meet Sheru for the first time. How smart the dog was? He had outwitted him with those fishes.

He had made sure he had tiptoed towards him and picked up fish. How aggressive he was about his catch! He didn't leave his catch and left Prasun with half piece. Oh those memories! If he hadn't found him, no one would ever known that there was a dog called Sheru.

Ramlal was disappointed. He didn't feel happy that his dog was one of three dogs selected for the visit to the zoo. He  was disappointed that Sheru had made to the top three. This dog surely had lady luck by his side. Every time Ramlal tried to execute his evil plans to fail Sheru, something dreadful would happen.

Sheru was excited as soon as he heard that he was going to meet another species of animals. But he had no idea that he was going to see the tiger in cage where his real courage would be tested. If he failed, then he would have to start all over again.

Prasun was aware of the test. He knew the cost of not doing well. Going through the training all over again would be nightmare for both Prasun and Sheru. Maybe Sheru wouldn't mind it. But for Prasun, it was matter of saving his face from being ridiculed by the villagers for failure.

He had gone through that stage many times. This was not the time. He had worked hard. He had put in lot of effort to come to the top spot. It would hurt him more if Sheru failed this test. A confidence with pinch of insecurity walked side by side.

(To be continued|)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 28

The sound wasn't too loud. It didn't reach Sheru. Sheru stared at the fake tiger, still wondering what creature stayed so calm with people around. He had his first experience with tiger on that day where he had suddenly turned into village hero.

That tiger was huge and had big scary eyes. It was scared of one thing and that was humans. Here was a tiger which was different in terms of the way it looked and the way it was supposed to be. This tiger was small. It's eyes didn't have that " I am the tiger.. king of this jungle. You need to fear me!"

It sat peacefully while people smiled , trying best to conceal the hidden fact that Sheru would eventually find out. Sheru focused his eyes and his amazing doggy nose towards the tiger sitting few Angstrom away from it. It bore a smile on it's lip which was strange.

Which creature could sit so peacefully with a smile? Sheru knew that if he had to sit in front of many number of people, it would be frightened. He wouldn't even wag his tail or open his mouth with his tongue out. He would be scared than excited or happy. He would do what every creatures do. Run.. Find some place safe.

He searched for a scent. During first few minutes, he thought he had bad cold. He tried to sneeze and what he got was tiny sneezes. "Wait a minute! Was this animal in first place?", he thought. He had best nose amongst his friends and he could get scent from far off places. But why wasn't he able to make out this tiger's scent. As far as his memory, the tiger's scent was wild. This one didn't give any.

He concluded. Humans are stupid. They haven't understood the dog species clearly. Bringing in fake tiger wouldn't tell who was brave. They should bring in real one and then test their courage. Humans will be humans.. Proud and underestimating the smartness of other species. He walked towards the tiger and placed his paw on the fake tiger's paw with confidence, again maintaining his top dog spot.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 27

Ramlal finally did it. He found Sheru's weakness. Sheru could be easily distracted with any sound. He had seen that. Once large sound had almost made Sheru lose the game. He was supposed to fall from the balancing act because of it's being distracted from Sheru.

Sheru didn't fall. By then, Prasun had managed to keep him balancing the loop. Today wasn't eventful day for Prasun and Sheru. He had overslept and arrived late. Kimberly wasn't in good mood and unfortunately he got mouthful from her.

The training started with jogging around the ground followed with normal fetch game. Then Kimberly included a new exercise where a fake toy tiger was placed and how each dogs reacted was examined. This test was purely in order to understand whether they were ready to confront the real tigers in the zoo.

It wasn't easy test. Some dogs fared well unexpectedly while some failed. It was Sheru's turn. He was the black horse and impressed everyone with enthusiasim. But today wasn't his day. Ramlal made sure it wasn't his day.

Ramlal watched for a sharp object once Sheru was introduced to the tiger. Sheru was close enough to accomplish his task. He had shown remarkable courage to approach the fake tiger even though he was apprehensive due to his curiousity.

Ramlal had noticed something at last. He took out a pin from pocket of his shirt. He walked towards the electric pole which stood at the corner of the city. He hit the pin on the electric pole which gave shrill sound. 

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 26

The new beginning! It had already begun. Training were tough to make dogs stronger. The experienced dogs failed miserably which directly impacted their elimination or learning the lessons from the beginning.

But for Sheru, these training were like play. Running around field, climbing and jumping and role plays where Kimberly would be the fake tiger. He knew that the tiger wasn't real. However he did what he was told. Bark when he sees yellow with black stripes. Or chase if the danger still persists to stay.

With many dogs barking or chasing the tiger, the tiger would eventually wear down. Team spirit was taught to them with every activity. And Sheru enjoyed being with the other dogs. He felt lonely when he would be with his master.

Prasun was thinking about Sheru. For the first time, he was using personal pronoun to describe Sheru. What was wrong with him? He had never considered Sheru as being. He had always believed Sheru was just a thing he used to achieve his dream.

Sheru was a dog. He tried to put this fact in his mind. He couldn't. Whatever the fact was, Sheru and he were bounded on each other. He knew  without Sheru, he was nothing and vise versa for Sheru. The dog and he shared some strange bonding. Even though they hate each other. They seemed to not give up on each other.

Ramlal waited for his chance patiently. He watched for an opportunity. A chance was more than enough to bring the top dog - Sheru down. Until today, he wasn't confident about his plan. He had to keep it secretive to make it look more like Sheru's fault.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 25

Ramlal realized it too late. He had already created ruckus out of something tiny. It could have been avoided but he didn't want to. He dragged it until Shyam Babu intervened. He not only lost time. He lost the image he carried in front of  Shyam.

Shyam Babu reprimanded him about his behavior. He had also warned him about elimination from the contest. Ramlal didn't utter a word. He heard Shyam insulting him in front of everyone. He let him speak. If he fought Shyam, he knew the consequences. It was easy to fight against the people lower than one's rank than the higher rank persons.

He knew his time hadn't come yet. His conscious advised him to let the useless soul a.k.a Prasun enjoy his time. This time was going to be short time. He made sure it would be short term. For him, people like Prasun were like small creatures to be stamped and thrown.

Prasun felt a bit pride about himself. He had never expected Shyam Babu and others would take his side. He didn't know that good supporting people ever existed. He had read about them in books and heard about them in fair tales. But he didn't know they ever existed in real form. 

Maybe it was Sheru! The dog's arrival in his life had changed everything. The good times seemed to stay for longer time. But what if it was for short period? He didn't like the idea of short term happiness. It scares him when he losses.

He had seen failures too many yet he is afraid of them. He had not to gotten used to failures. He had almost lost hope and now when a new sun was rising, he didn't want to face darkness again. He didn't want to face the same life he had held back for the new beginning.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 24

Ramlal continued with his doses of pure insult. Prasun stayed put. He didn't want to indulge himself in fights that bear no results.

Prasun shifted his attention to his dog  and the training. He was used to people like Ramlal nagging about him. He didn't care.

The sun was up now. The birds were chirping. People had begun with their work. Some contenders had also arrived and they were busy watching Ramlal thrashing poor Prasun with words. No one offered to help.

Some people made fun while few pitied Prasun. But no one came up to help him. They didn't want to get into some trouble. They were afraid of getting involved with Ramlal. Ramlal was known for his power and anger.

It was dangerous to get on a wrong food with powerful guy in bad mood. They didn't want to loose their homes or source of living. They would rather stay quiet than fight for something right.

The outbursts went on. Ramlal wasn't tired. He didn't care that he wasted precious time on something unnecessary than on training his dog. It was ironical that he had come early to do something useful and ended up doing something foolish.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 23

Ramlal always felt that he was far superior than others. He had huge house due to inheritance and almost successful business. He didn't have to work hard because he always got the best of everything. Now he wanted to be part of the Tiger's watchdog plan. Fortunately he had the best dog in the village.

He didn't have to do much. His dog did all the work. He watched all the opportunities falling into his feet until he heard that Prasun's dog had also been selected. Prasun's dog being selected was not big thing. But he couldn't digest Prasun's dog being the top dog while his own dog was trying to maintain his second position with lot of difficulty.

Today wasn't so good. So was yesterday and day before that day as well as tomorrow or any day. But today was worse than other days. Ramlal had planned to bring his dog before everyone else and do basic practice so that his dog didn't make any mistakes. Unfortunately Prasun's presence spoiled all his plan.

Ramlal knew he wouldn't be able to succeed with Prasun's dog winning every time. " How come you are early today?", he asked as if he was unaware about what they were doing. Prasun didn't respond and pretended as if he didn't hear. "Anyway your dog is best. It doesn't need much practice.", he said with irony.

Prasun ignored and continued with his work. Ramlal was angry. He was never ignored. How could a jobless Prasun ignore him?  He grabbed Prasun's hand and said firmly," How dare you?  Who are you to not listen to me? How dare you ignore me?"

Prasun was surprised though not shocked. He knew about Ramlal's jealousy but he could do anything about it. If he tried to argue, he was sure he had to bear the brunt. It was like adding more fuel to the fire. 

(To be continued)

     

The Tiger's Hound- Part 22

Prasun was angry.. very angry. His face was red. He held his fists tight until his nails poked his hard skin of his palms. Sheru stared at him with his ears bent. It knew that Prasun wouldn't leave. The dog was petrified.

It wanted to run. Unfortunately it felt numbness in it's paw due to fear. Strange! Fear could actually control your body functions. Sheru whined softly. Prasun could only hear his heart thumping due to anger.

Prasun took the stick and stomped towards him. As he reached near, the dog bent to show his fear. It looked cute though. It had almost covered it's face with it's one of it's paw. Prasun couldn't keep the stick longer in his hand and threw it aside.

His anger melted seeing his dog scared. He simply brushed it's head. Sheru was astonished and so was Prasun. "Why didn't I hit him? Why did I melt so easily? What was wrong with me? Why did I call the dog as him?", he thought.

Next day was usual. It was normal day. Prasun was first one to bring his dog to the training. Others hadn't arrived yet. He started practicing the dog with the exercises. He made the dog run the field. He also gave the normal instruction of sit, stand, fetch and run.

Sheru followed it without any fuss. It didn't find these exercises boring. It enjoyed the excercises especially the fetch was it's favorite. Ramlal was second to arrive with his dog. He was not happy to see Prasun already training his dog. He wanted Prasun to fail in deepest of his heart

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 21

He offered Sheru as he promised. But he added too much of masala to make it more spicy. He knew Sheru couldn't tolerate spicy food. He placed the plate in front of Sheru. It smacked it's lips and couldn't control it's temptation.

It took large piece of the fish. It didn't expect it coming. The fish was tasty. But the spice was too much for it to relish the taste. It spit the fish and looked up. It's tongue was out. It's eyes were watering.

It knew something was wrong with it's master who was turning sweet suddenly. But it didn't expect this. It had assumed that it would be offered food and then given nice spankings. It also thought that it would just get spankings instead of juicy fish.

The yummy fish and hunger was to be blamed. Hadn't it been tempted, it would have caught him red handed. Now it only wanted water to cool it's tongue. Prasun enjoyed the view of his naughty dog in danger. He wanted it to learn a spicy lesson. This way, it would never mess with him.

Sheru ran towards the vessel filled with water. The vessel was the same height as Sheru. It stretched a bit to have a sip. The water cooled it's tongue. It kept drinking until it's tummy stopped burning and it felt relieved.

Prasun got busy with day to day tasks. He got on with the work of fetching fish for dinner. He cleaned his broken house and made it look better. Later he walked towards the lake and fetched fishes for dinner. As he walked home, Sheru leaped towards him. The fishes were fallen down. It then ate all the fishes fallen on the ground

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 20

Sheru was happy. A large fish! It couldn't believe it's ears. Did it listen it right? A large fish for itself! Sheru didn't know whether to trust it's master's words. It's master was too clever. He wouldn't offer until there was no added benefit.

What was the task behind the large fish? Oh my god! It didn't want to be pushed to excel. Maybe this was Prasun's way of getting things done from Sheru. But Sheru had a counter plan to reverse Prasun's plans.

Sheru would have the fish without having to go through a lot of work. But for the fish, he had to make sure that Prasun believed that he would get the work done only when the fish was offered. Sheru would have the fish but it would give up like today. 

Sheru had learnt it tough way. It was learning the art of taking advantage of ones around it. Prasun was it's first experiment. Till now, it had been used in several ways by humans and it's own kind. Now it was doing the same thing.

They had reached home. Prasun threw the dog gently at the other side. Sheru fell. Fortunately it didn't get itself hurt. It whined. Prasun ignored and got ready for the lunch and dinner. He didn't speak. He knew it was of no use. He had understood that if he tried to hit it or be annoyed, he would be in trouble.

He had no choice. He had to offer food as well as good place to rest. If he didn't offer, Sheru would make sure that it fared badly in all the exercises and be the last one amongst all the dogs. Then Kimberly would make Sheru just the alternate choice and not the top choice. He never wanted that and he had to treat his dog royally in order to make his dream a reality.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 19

As soon as he reached home, he found the stick. Sheru walked excitedly with hope that he would give something delicious to eat. It believed that Prasun might have learnt his lesson now. It knew that he would do anything to be on top. It assumed that Prasun will offer him the tasty piece now that he was scared of losing the position.

When Sheru turned back towards it's master, it was shocked to see Prasun with the stick. "Because of you, I would have lost my dream. I would have fallen down and all these.. capturing you, training and making you capable would have wasted. Today I will not leave you.", he scolded, while he was ready to hit Sheru.

Before he could hit it, it ran as fast as it could. Prasun chased while firmly asking it to stop running. But it didn't stop. It ran towards the center of the village until it reached it's training grounds. Prasun threw the stick as soon as he realized that he was in the training ground where Kimberly and Shyam Babu were frequently seen.

Prasun stopped and gathered his energy. He ran again when he felt better. He increased his speed and threw himself on the dog. By then everyone surrounded him to watch the scene. He had to come up with something. 

"Are you fine?", he asked, taking deep breath. "You shouldn't run like this. You will hurt yourself more. Come on, Sheru! Be a good dog! Take rest!", he said , holding his paw tight. Sheru whimpered. He carried the dog in arms and brushed his head.

He pretended as if he cared. " I will give you large fish if you listen. See, everyone thinks I don't care you enough. Show them how much we love each other.", he said as he kissed the dog. He walked with the dog in his hand till he reached home.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 18

Sheru knew what it was supposed to do. It behaved normal and did it's task as it was told. It ran a mile which included running zig zag and avoiding the obstacles. As it walked on the plank, it pretended to fall. It looked real. Everyone except Prasun worried if Sheru hurt itself.

Kimberly took Sheru at once. She checked whether Sheru was hurt. Sheru winced some times to show that it was in pain. She took it's paw and brushed it to see where the pain was. It winced again when she touched it's paw. She tied a cloth piece on its paw and called Prasun out.

"Nothing to worry, Prasun. It's a slight injury. He(Sheru) will be fine within few hours. Sheru is brave dog and these tiny incident won't affect him", she said. Prasun didn't understand other than word Sheru. He smiled as she gave him a comforting smile.

She left him with Sheru. Prasun was angry. He was in verge of hitting it instead he hit Sheru with words, "Why didn't you balance the last act? Your tiny mistakes won't matter now. But once they realize other dogs have more potential than you, they will ignore you. And I won't let you ruin what we have done."

He quickly bent down to remove the knot tied to it's leg when Shyam arrived to check Sheru's health. " What are you doing? Sheru is hurt", Shyam said, astonished with what he was seeing. Prasun immediately tied the knot tight instead of untying it.

He got up and said, " I was only making sure that the knot was tight and whether he was alright." Shyam Babu nodded and patted Sheru's back.  As soon as Prasun walked back home, he sighed deeply, thanking almighty that he wasn't caught abusing the dog. He had to be careful.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 17

Prasun woke up to the loud noise of falling vessel. He brushed his eyes and twitched his nose to see clearly what had happened. When the image was clear to him, he stood  up angrily with both his fists placed each side of his hips. He stared furiously at Sheru.

Sheru looked down while it could feel the fury waves coming towards it. Prasun searched his weapon to instigate his anger on Sheru. He found stick to hit him. He chased Sheru with the stick while it ran away.

Sheru ran into tiny allies and passages where it could crawl into. But Prasun was very clever.He found the dog everywhere it hid. Unfortunately he couldn't catch it. It would run away as soon as he caught it.

Prasun was tired and angry when he reached the training ground. He didn't even have proper breakfast nor freshened up to look decent to Kimberly, Shyam Babu and others. They gaped at him for appearing in uncombed hair and sleep ridden eyes. Shyam Babu summoned for water tumbler and offered to him.

Prasun diligently washed his face while Sheru smiled with his tongue out. It was breathing hard and rejoicing it's win over the first part of the plan. It got prepared for next part. It made sure he had hard time next few hours.

As soon as Prasun was fresh, the training started. Kimberly asked all the dog handlers to hold the leash and guide the dog towards the next excercise which included running for a mile ,jumping onto the plank and balancing on it. Few dogs could manage the act while some failed and didn't try. It was Sheru's turn. It was waiting for it's turn eagerly.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 16

Oh his poor master! It smiled inside thinking about how it was going to make him feel worse. It was going to taught tough lesson on how to treat a dog with love and care. Sheru had not seen a single guest or a person greet him. Maybe this was the reason it's master was so snobbish and cold.

It had come across some sweet humans who offered it food with love when it was a stray puppy. They patted it while it gobbled the food due to hunger. Sweet humans!! They were hardly there. It had thought that those sweet humans would come again this time to adopt. They never came back.

It waited. The days passed. It had accepted the bitter truth that they would never come back. It had made friends with the other stray dogs. It had almost become alpha dog when it's friend betrayed it by leaving it to the wicked Prasun's clutches. Now here it was, impressing the person it had hated during the first few days.

But with free food coming towards it, it had slight feeling that it's master was not all bad. There is something good in him which he has not realized. He may seem inhuman and useless to everyone else but for Sheru, he was good man with cold heart.

The morning arrived too quickly. It woke up to rays of sun. It stretched it's legs and walked up to it's master. It licked him and pushed it's head towards his shoulder. Prasun didn't wake up. He was snoring and sleeping calmly.

Sheru tried everything. Prasun still slept in ease. Sheru walked towards the vessel that contained water. The atmosphere was quiet and tranquil. Sheru knocked it down and water spilled while the falling vessel disturbed everything peaceful.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 15

Sheru looked away. It didn't want to show it's hungry eyes to him. It licked it's saliva as the smell of the fish penetrated it's nose. For a second, it thought of snatching the fish from his hand and running away. But it couldn't betrayed it's master. It was because of him that it got timely food and place to stay. If it remained loyal, the food and place will remain for sometime until it found a new place.

Prasun seemed a bit cranky as usual to Sheru. It waited for it's share. It deserved to be treated with good food. It had gathered many praises from the lady who was teaching it new skills. It didn't fail anywhere. But it's master was indifferent. He didn't give anything to eat or spoke any good words.

It didn't understand whether it hated or loved it's master. They shared a strange relationship. It didn't love him nor it hated him. He had never ill treated him nor showered too much love to him.But still it had never thought of betraying him. Sheru could sense a good human that secretly resided in Prasun's heart.

Sheru tried to sleep but it's growling tummy didn't let him sleep. It looked again towards Prasun. Prasun avoided his dog. He knew that it wanted it's share of masala fish. He didn't offer. He didn't want to share his treat with anyone. Sheru was only a tool that would help him with fulfilling his dreams.

Alas! His human heart couldn't see his dog sleeping hungry. Maybe there was little love inside his hopeless heart. He had learnt hard way the lessons of selfishness yet he never could forget the kindness.

He offered Sheru a raw fish that he had thought of cooking next day. Sheru ate the fish within few seconds.It waited for a pat on it's head for being good dog, It didn't receive any pat or love from Prasun. It only got his scornful gaze. It ran away to it's place where it laid with thoughts of how it could get it's revenge of it's master's cold snub.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 14

It cried and turned away from the sight. Kimberly held it's hand gently and injected it to keep immune from all kind of germs. The dogs had to be fit and healthy in order to face danger.The tigers in the jungle were ruthless and they didn't care if their prey were weak. It would pounce on anything that seems like food to it.

The pain was just a pinch. Sheru felt relived when the needle was taken out.It had thought it was going to loose it's life. Thank lord! The lady was sweet enough to not to kill it. It's master on the other hand would have taken it's life if he was given the needle.It ran before it was given any more surprises like that.

Prasun called Sheru. But it pretended as if it didn't hear and ran as fast as it could. He didn't chase it. He knew his dog well. It had ran away because it didn't want to face his wrath. Anyway he had cooled down when he saw Kimberly and Shyam Babu praising Sheru.

Shyam Babu stopped him for small chat, " Sheru is showing lot of improvement. He is the dark horse of our pack." Prasun nodded his head and smiled. "Anyway, where had you been? Sheru arrived the location much earlier than you.", Shyam Babu continued. "I.. I had to fetch fish for Sheru's dinner. It wants it's food on time.", Prasun lied.


Shyam Babu joked, "Very punctual dog!" and left Prasun to his thoughts. Prasun walked back home. He wasn't angry. He was surprised why his wild dog had turned into sober one. Maybe it's hunger made it do things such as being loyal to him.

Prasun prepared fish with little masala that he had purchased with money he had. He had always dreamed that he would prepare little royal food for himself when he would get the job. As he sat down with his dinner, Sheru came in from now where and sat next to him. He gave wicked smile. He was not going to share his dinner today.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 13

He didn't believe his eyes. He had almost lost hope and had given up again because of this dog. Here it was standing and wagging at it's tail while Kimberly was giving instructions. He wanted to hit the dog but he couldn't do that. It was because of this dog, he would be able to relive his dream again.

He walked towards Sheru and stood next to him the way other dogs and their handlers stood. He stood third from where Ramlal stood with his dog. They followed the instruction well. It looked as if they were born for this only- being the villager guard. However he still didn't understand why Ramlal participated. He had huge house and inherited lot of wealth from his ancestor. He even had job to support his additional income.

He looked at Sheru. Today it was more diligent and loyal. This was unusual. It was more playful and never listened to his orders. Sheru did what it was told. But Prasun was still not out of his shock. He still believed he was living a dream. Maybe it was a dream. If he pinched himself, he would be out within few minutes.

He pinched twice. He slapped himself repeated times. He wasn't out of the dream. Maybe it was not a dream. He bough himself back to reality when he realized people staring at his weird actions. He smiled and said, " I have nap at this time. It will take time for me to unlearn this habit."

Shyam Babu smiled while Kimberly nodded her head, signalling him that it was okay. As the dogs completed their basic training, they were given some vaccines. It was Sheru's turn. Like other dogs, he was afraid too. But it jumped when the needle was close to it.

He tried to soothe the dog. But Sheru was really scared. What if it was painful! It never saw anything like that being inserted to it's skin by human. Were they going to kill him? Oh Lord! No! It didn't want to die so soon.

(To be continued)