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“Mamma, I don’t want this filth in my room!” Disha turned to her mother for support.  She never liked animals around.  She was damn scared of dogs and cats she hated to the core.  She was asthmatic and was shrewd enough to take advantage of it.  She knew her mother didn’t like animals either and found a great support in her.  

“Your room? This is our room too!” Dharini was all set for a fight.  “Yeah, our room too!” Dhatri held her sister’s hand.  Disha looked at her mother for support but her mother glared at her husband.  

“I think we should go back and leave this kitten ..!” she said clearly looking at her husband.  He was busy patting the small woollen ball on his palm which was purring.  Dhatri was holding her father’s arm and looking at the kitten curiously.

“This is so small? How will it survive outside? What if we don’t find its mother?” Dharini was arguing logically.  Disha had no answer.  “I don’t want this in my house!” she yelled.

“Your house? This is our house too!” Dharini again put up the fight logically.  “Yeah, but I am the eldest and you should listen to me!” Disha yelled snobbishly.  

“I am also in senior...!” Dhatri yelled at the top of her voice.  “Senior..?” Disha came a step forward to twist her hand.  “Senior what? Are you the senior most?” Disha gripped her wrist and twisted it at her back.

“Awaaa Leave me! I said I am also in senior KG.  I know everything...!” Dhaatri muttered and Disha left her at once.

“Look at her... She is only in senior KG and teaching me...! The eldest! How rude!” Disha’s vocabulary was far better than the two younger ones.   “Mamma I am throwing this filth out, right now!” Disha declared and Dhaatri took out her trump card...

“Awaaaaa....!” she started crying loudly at the top of her voice without a teardrop in her eyes, rubbing her eyes dramatically.  She was just a master of that.  She held her breath till she went blue and rolled on the floor.  Disha was panic as usual.  “Mamma! ...  Dhaa.... Stop... stop... don’t cry...!” She leapt forward and held Dhaatri to her heart.  Dhaatri winked at the middle one from under Disha’s arm and stopped crying.   Disha was stroking her.   Her mother came forward and separated the hugging sisters.

“Dhaatri... you know Didi gets sick with animals around!” Mamma tried to convince her.  Dhaatri knew where the discussion would go.  “But this won’t be around her.  It will be around us... “ She looked at Dharini and Papa.  Dharini was all set to get physical.  “Yeah.. I will take care of that!” she assured taking a step ahead.  Dhatri hid behind her.  The black kitten had fallen down from her hands and was wandering in the room.  Mewing contentedly rubbing its face against her ankles, giving Dhaatri goose bumps.  She too was following the kitten on her knees everywhere.  

“Dhaatri, its mother must be worried...!” Mamma put up a different tactic.  Salil was leaning against the door and was watching the fight.  He knew when exactly to intervene.  “She must be searching for this one!” mother made Dhatri emotional.  

“But it was alone on the road... isn’t is?” Dharini came to her rescue.  “Yeah.. It was alone on the road, wandering and calling me to pick it up...!” Dhaatri remembered.  “There was no mother... Mamma, its orphan... We must give shelter...” Dharini held her mother’s hand ignoring all the protests from Disha.  

“That’s ok.  But what if she comes back and does not find the kitten? She will be panic...!” Mother was very effective.  Both the younger siblings had no answer.  Dhatri’s eyes widened with panic.  She looked at her Dharini didi.  Dharini too looked panic and confused.  “What if the mother does not find her child?” She winced.  They heard a faint sob from Dhatri. 

“No! I will return this to its mother!” she said picking it up from under the bed and protecting it under her frock.  Her father came forward.  

“Come on. Give it to me! I will come with you.  Tell me from where did you pick it up!” he said taking the kitten from Dhatri.  

“Now? At this time?” Dharini showed them the time.  “Humm... Its late now! And the rain also has not subsided!” Dharini said shaking her head as if she was very sad about the situation.  Her father thought for a while.

“Ok.  We will keep it in the house for a night and tomorrow morning we will return it back to its mother!” he said looking at his daughters’ fallen faces.  Dharini and Dhatri looked at each other and Dhatri jumped with joy.  Dharini controlled her reaction not showing grin on her face.  Disha frowned.

“I am not sleeping in here!” she said stomping angrily.

“Didi, you sleep with mom and dad and I will sleep with Dharini Didi.  Dhatri offered happily.  “And with the kitten...!” she murmured grinning.

“That kitten should be out of the house tomorrow morning..!” Disha hissed at her sisters.  “It is not that kitten... its name is Baghira... !” Dharini had already named the kitten.  “And who is she? Mogali?” Disha blew her top.  “Mogali?” Dhatri asked herself.  And then jumping in the air said happily giggling.. “Yeah.. I am mogali... jungle jungle baat chali hain, pataa chalaa hain.... !”  she started singing and Dharini joined her dancing... “Aray chaddi pahan kay phool khila hain... phool khila hain!!” Salil winked at his wife.  “It’s ok!” he said to her looking at the happy brightened up faces of Dharini and Dhatri. 

< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9RVgTX55vo >

 

“Mamma.. you know, I will be sick!” Disha pleaded helplessly.  Dhatri stopped and looked at her eldest sister.

“I will help you! Your sickness will go!” she said running towards her excitedly. 

“No...!” both mamma and Disha screamed unanimously.  Dhatri stopped.

“No Dhatri.  Don’t even think about it!” Disha said holding her sister’s hand. 

“But I can!” Dhatri said looking at her father.  He bent and picked her up.

“Yes I know, you can! But you also know your condition after that.. Isn’t it?” He held her in his arms.  Disha looked at Dhatri with wide eyes.

“No Dhatri! I will take medicine!” she said turning her back and going out.  Mamma too looked serious.  But Dharini was just not bothered.  She was playing with the kitten giving it milk in a tiny bowl.

“Disha..!” her mamma was behind her.  “Mamma.. I will manage.  But I don’t want anything to happen to her!” she had tears.

“Don’t worry!” her Mamma assured her and she felt breathless.  “Are you ok?” her Mamma asked her.  She nodded but ran inside to get her inhaler.   

*********   *********

“Disha didi..!” Disha was shocked to see Dhatri at her bed.  It was almost midnight and Dhatri had come to her didi who was in tossing and turning in sleep on the mattress in her Mamma’s bedroom on the floor. Disha got up from deep sleep.  Her head was spinning.  She felt breathless.  She gasped and Dhatri held her hand.  Disha came out of the bedroom with Dhatri.

“Sit here!” Dhatri sat on the sofa in the hall and made Disha sit by her side.

“Dhaa.. no!” Disha tried to get up breathing heavily.  Her breathlessness was visible on her face.  She gasped opening her mouth trying to inhale.  “My inhaler?” she tried to get up mumbling.  Dhatri pushed her on sofe standing between her legs and thrusting her inhaler in her hand.  “Lie down!” she whispered.  “No! Dhaa..!” Disha was frightened.  Dhatri had already sat at her head and was moving her fingers on Disha’s chest in a circular movement.  Disha felt warmth and closed her eyes.  Dhatri too had closed her eyes sitting on sofa taking Disha’s head on her laps.  

“You will be alright!” She said in a trance with her fingers moving on her forehead, nose, throat and chest.  The fingers emitted warmth... Disha went into to trance too feeling her congested lungs opening up.  Dhatri’s body temperature was rising rapidly.  She had no control on her finger movements.  Her hands were twitching.  The fingers grew very hot.  

 Disha felt the burning sensation.  She winced slightly but did not move.  Dhatri was shaking uncontrollably.  She was moving her fingers closing her eyes with quivering lips.

“You will be alright ... soon!” she murmured again picking up the rhythm of her fingers.  The fingers moved faster and faster making her hands blood red.  Fingers were swollen her body was burning hot... Disha was in a trance feeling at peace... Her breathing steadied.  The inhaler fell down from her hand on the floor.  She went into deep, sound sleep and Dhatri got up hypnotized.  Sweating profusely, she collapsed on the floor. 

  Dharini came running from her room, lifted Dhatri with efforts, and carried her to the bathroom.  Dhatri was trembling uncontrollably, had no strength in her legs, stood there holding the water tank with wobbly knees.  as the body temperature started stabilizing she started losing all her strength.  “Steady, Dhaa! You will be alright!” She poured  cold water on her head.  Dhatri shivered.  “More!” she murmured.  Dharini kept pouring cold water on her head till her body temperature normalized.  Her breath was steady enough and Dhatri opened her eyes with a faint smile.  Dharini was beaming at her.

“Dhaa...! Are you ok?” she asked in a bear whisper.  “hum!” Dhaa had no energy to move her limb.  Dharini was there for her.  She patted her dry with the towel, clothed her properly and lifted her out of the bathroom.  “You need sleep!” she carried Dhatri to the bed and tucked her under duvet, crawling herself under it from the other side.   She hugged her Dhaa and ran her hand over her body.  The temperature was normal again.  “Good!” she mumbled and wiped Dhatri’s eyes hurriedly.   

“Sleep now!” Dharini whispered.   Dhatri had no energy. They both felt the velvety touch at their feet and both of them sat up with a jerk looking at each other.  

“You want milk?” Dharini asked and Dhatri nodded grinning.  Dharini tiptoed into the kitchen to steal milk from the fridge.  She poured in a glass and in the kitten bowl and came into the room again.  She gave the glass to Dhatri.

“Wait .. I will get some sugar!” she said keeping the bowl in front of the black kitten. “No! This is good!” her Dhaa was considerate enough.  They both grinned sighing heavily.

“Humm... She will be quiet tomorrow!” Dharini said pulling her Dhaa in her arms.  They both went to sleep hugging each other with a smile on their faces. Disha was fast asleep on the sofa in the hall, her breath steady, she went into dreamland with her sisters holding her hands!