As told by- The Boundary wall
No tree in its right senses would dare to bear fruit in a neighbor’s garden adjacent to the compound wall of the house housing multiple energetic children. And by the same logic, no neighbor, an owner of such a tree has right to complain when hit on the head by a well intentioned though somewhat misdirected pebble or a pole on its path to an unripe mango.
On one of those highly fertile hot summer afternoon when only foolish or children dare to venture out, a neighbor’s mango tree laden with fruit to its teeth, decided to showoff by dancing gently in a rare summer breeze. One of the unripe mangos of somewhat delicate disposition could not bear the shock, left its stalk and fell into the compound of house housing above mentioned children. Now, we all know how fond these tykes were of mid afternoon activity. It was not long before the fruit was discovered, dissected and devoured with salt. Unripe mangos of exceptionally nasty sour taste though not a great favorite with many were highly prized amongst these furloughing children. Lingeringly delicate though somewhat strong taste of ‘souring the teeth’ variety was discovered about one season back by them, just as suddenly as Newton had discovered the concept of gravity due to a fallen apple. It was not long before the source of the fruit was discovered and strategies for procuring more formulated.
Very soon a pole was brought and a branch nearest to the wall was proded again and again without much success. All the mangos held fast to their stalks. Purja then decided to climb up the compound wall but the neighbor’s old grauchy aunt, resting in the verandah of her house, shooed him down with some choicest abuses that the women of her age were rather prone to. After that the children were all the more adament to procure the forbidden fruit. An urgent meeting later a pile of pebbles scouted from all over the house was collected under one of the most promising branch. After much haggling and some smart talking, Purja was allowed the privilege of a first pebble shot. After all he had found the first mango and also put in lot of practice hours shooting with a catapult. Though catapultless now he still considered himself a mean shot. Holding the pebble firmly between the thumb and the forefinger he let pebble after pebble fly towards one of the unripe mouthwatering mangos. Rest of the cousins joined in after a while. A no holds barred attack proceeded then without much gain but lot of noise. One or two mangos did fall but unfortunately on the neighbor’s side.
The ensuing commotion was enough to wake up the siesta drugged adults. The neighbor rushed out cursing the attackers but he was unfortunate to be at a wrong place at the wrong time. One of the pebbles landed sharply at his balding pate. Being highly allergic to anything remotely mini human out to destroy his property, he let out a barrage of insulting language, waving a pole held like a sword. On hearing the explosive adult on a warpath, the children vanished without a trace leaving a pile of pebbles undefended and self- explanatory. The children were rounded non the less, made to collect all the scattered pebbles in the neighbors garden, made to apologize for their behavior and warned to keep off the similar activity in future.
Now this was a tall order, like ordering wind to stop blowing. Soon a pole with a hook like contraption on top was devised as an ideal tool to tug the mangos without too much noise or fuss. Also Goltu was posted to keep a look out for any undesirable adults on both sides of the wall. There was a problem though the pole fell short of the desired length to reach up to the mango-laden branch. Purja the ever ready, trouble- shooter came up with an idea of tying another pole to the hooked pole to increase the length. This done, the pole was raised once again but the extra length and the weight made it cumbersome for one person to manage it. In fact Gira and Purja together tried to steady and aim it towards the marked branch but they kept lurching like drunkards under its weight. Finally though not too easily, they managed to position it just under an unripe mango and were ready take a shot when Goltu having spotted the bald neighbor coming towards the wall let out a warning before vanishing behind a hedge. Too late to withdraw the pole, the handlers let it swing towards the mango, a tad desperately. The rope holding the poles came loose and the hooked pole fell in the neighbor’s garden, narrowly missing the bald man amidst rain of unripe mangos on both sides of the compound.
What followed next is not difficult to guess. There was a rainbow at the end of a tunnel though. Goltu managed to sneak few mangos that fell as the hooked pole fell making a neat arc between multiple branches. There was a victory in defeat.
On one of those highly fertile hot summer afternoon when only foolish or children dare to venture out, a neighbor’s mango tree laden with fruit to its teeth, decided to showoff by dancing gently in a rare summer breeze. One of the unripe mangos of somewhat delicate disposition could not bear the shock, left its stalk and fell into the compound of house housing above mentioned children. Now, we all know how fond these tykes were of mid afternoon activity. It was not long before the fruit was discovered, dissected and devoured with salt. Unripe mangos of exceptionally nasty sour taste though not a great favorite with many were highly prized amongst these furloughing children. Lingeringly delicate though somewhat strong taste of ‘souring the teeth’ variety was discovered about one season back by them, just as suddenly as Newton had discovered the concept of gravity due to a fallen apple. It was not long before the source of the fruit was discovered and strategies for procuring more formulated.
Very soon a pole was brought and a branch nearest to the wall was proded again and again without much success. All the mangos held fast to their stalks. Purja then decided to climb up the compound wall but the neighbor’s old grauchy aunt, resting in the verandah of her house, shooed him down with some choicest abuses that the women of her age were rather prone to. After that the children were all the more adament to procure the forbidden fruit. An urgent meeting later a pile of pebbles scouted from all over the house was collected under one of the most promising branch. After much haggling and some smart talking, Purja was allowed the privilege of a first pebble shot. After all he had found the first mango and also put in lot of practice hours shooting with a catapult. Though catapultless now he still considered himself a mean shot. Holding the pebble firmly between the thumb and the forefinger he let pebble after pebble fly towards one of the unripe mouthwatering mangos. Rest of the cousins joined in after a while. A no holds barred attack proceeded then without much gain but lot of noise. One or two mangos did fall but unfortunately on the neighbor’s side.
The ensuing commotion was enough to wake up the siesta drugged adults. The neighbor rushed out cursing the attackers but he was unfortunate to be at a wrong place at the wrong time. One of the pebbles landed sharply at his balding pate. Being highly allergic to anything remotely mini human out to destroy his property, he let out a barrage of insulting language, waving a pole held like a sword. On hearing the explosive adult on a warpath, the children vanished without a trace leaving a pile of pebbles undefended and self- explanatory. The children were rounded non the less, made to collect all the scattered pebbles in the neighbors garden, made to apologize for their behavior and warned to keep off the similar activity in future.
Now this was a tall order, like ordering wind to stop blowing. Soon a pole with a hook like contraption on top was devised as an ideal tool to tug the mangos without too much noise or fuss. Also Goltu was posted to keep a look out for any undesirable adults on both sides of the wall. There was a problem though the pole fell short of the desired length to reach up to the mango-laden branch. Purja the ever ready, trouble- shooter came up with an idea of tying another pole to the hooked pole to increase the length. This done, the pole was raised once again but the extra length and the weight made it cumbersome for one person to manage it. In fact Gira and Purja together tried to steady and aim it towards the marked branch but they kept lurching like drunkards under its weight. Finally though not too easily, they managed to position it just under an unripe mango and were ready take a shot when Goltu having spotted the bald neighbor coming towards the wall let out a warning before vanishing behind a hedge. Too late to withdraw the pole, the handlers let it swing towards the mango, a tad desperately. The rope holding the poles came loose and the hooked pole fell in the neighbor’s garden, narrowly missing the bald man amidst rain of unripe mangos on both sides of the compound.
What followed next is not difficult to guess. There was a rainbow at the end of a tunnel though. Goltu managed to sneak few mangos that fell as the hooked pole fell making a neat arc between multiple branches. There was a victory in defeat.
Wonderful play of words, fantastic reading, I specially like the similie of asking children to stop doing something is like asking te wind to stop blowing...how true
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