Friends & Strangers

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 31; the thirty-first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Strangers in the Night'

He didn’t like Romeo at all. Not one bit. The bushy tail or the ever alert ears & warm brown eyes, failed to leave an impression on him. The 20” tall German Shepherd too, didn’t have any affection for him since the day 5 yr old Ryan had tried to use him as a horse. I mean, won’t it hurt your ego if anyone were to mistake you for a Bubalus bubalis?

Romeo belonged to Ryan’s grandfather, now retired & enjoying his lazy days in the wonderful village of Chharabra in Shimla. With wildlife aplenty, having a faithful dog around wasn’t a bad idea, he’d thought when he bought Romeo from a pet shop. Every summer Ryan would visit his Grandpa & after the first rendezvous with Romeo, he preferred to spend his time away from the house. The lush green pines always welcomed him & Ryan would spend his daylight hours in the small clump of trees on the hilltop.

Today was just another day with warm, clear blue skies & fluffy cumulus clouds. Ryan didn’t mind the sun, it was gentle and beckoning. With a piece of sandwich-his lunch, in his mouth & his water bottle he set out as always. At the sound of the gate opening, Romeo opened his eyes & watched him disinterestedly, as if he was one of those commercials during a sitcom. When Ryan was out of sight again, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

It was a rather breezy day & Ryan was enjoying every bit of it. The 8 yr old had recently finished reading one of the Famous Five stories & was dying to have an adventure. He decided he would go south instead of sitting in the usual spot. He sipped some water from the bottle dangling around his neck & set off. He walked & walked until it felt like ages, but his Spiderman watch indicated it had only been an hour. An hour & still no sign of any adventure! Right then he heard a dog barking. To the far left stood a kakkar-the barking deer. They both looked at each other for a moment. Ryan moved & the deer fled. Now, that wasn’t fair. He rushed after the deer as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

It’d become a bit dark & Ryan was starting to get nervous. The sun was no longer in the sky & the moon was beginning to get ready to make a grand appearance. His water had finished long back, when he’d finally stopped running. Now he could sense someone else along with him. A pair of silvery-white eyes was staring at him. A jackal? Ryan ran fast in the opposite direction only to trip on a twig & sprain his ankle. Now terribly scared & cold, he started sobbing.

He was tired & so hungry. He wanted to be back in Delhi, in his warm bed with a glass of Horlicks. Half an hour passed & he still lay there, unable to get up. Even if he could, he had no idea which direction to go in. As his little mind was pondering on these questions, he heard a familiar noise. Could that be? Another pair of gleaming eyes appeared & he heard the familiar “woof” echo in the silence. “Romeo…? You found me!!!”

An hour later, the search team found the two in the deep woods. Ryan snuggled up close to Romeo. Strangers in the night, now friends for life!

The Barking Deer

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